THE FLORAL scent of the romantic taper candles did nothing to lessen the knot in Freya’s stomach. This was not the Valentine’s date that she had in mind.
At first glance, everything seemed to be the ideal scene for a romance-comedy. There was a romantic candlelit dinner spread across their table and a live jazz band serenading them in the background. Freya herself was clad in her best and probably most expensive dress she had worn since prom, and yet, the 25-year-old woman was far from enjoying the company of her blind date.
Donned in a white polo shirt, George was a chatty gentleman who was now droning on about the latest trades and deals between national basketball teams. Unbeknownst to the young man, he had already completely lost Freya’s attention the minute their conversation turned into a whole sports lecture.
With a sigh, Freya glanced to her left. Their date was situated atop a hidden rooftop restaurant in Lacson that overlooked Manila. She could just see the entire stretch of her beloved alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas, from where she was seated—its lush gardens and sparkling fountains bringing forth a sense of nostalgia. Behind the cityscape, the sun set idyllically, hues of pinks and oranges streaking across the sky.
Not far from the campus, Freya could spot the barbecue and street food stalls that she and her best friends would frequent every after class. Despite the scrumptious-looking sirloin steak on her plate, she was suddenly craving for barbecue and the company of her friends instead.
The young woman wanted to admonish them—it was her very ragtag group of friends who had this silly idea to set her up on a blind date for Valentine’s Day.
She could just hear Casey, a strong-spirited woman, despite being the smallest and most petite in their group, ranting about how the last time Freya had a boyfriend was during their college days.
Unfortunately for Freya, it was true. She had endlessly annoyed her friends about her misfortuned forays into love. In their friend group, Freya always ended up being the most disheveled during their night outs—either crying over her last lover, or drunkenly declaring about how she was doomed to never find romantic love.
And the next thing she knew, her friends, determined to prove her wrong, suddenly swept Freya into a series of activities that they claimed would help her finally find “true love.”
First on the list was getting her a jaw-dropping dress that would make her blind date swoon. This, of course, included countless weekend shopping dates led by Jane and Thea, the fashionistas of their group.
Jane would push her through the doors of high-end clothing brands in Makati, only for Thea to pull her to cramped, thrift stores to check out vintage pieces. This would go on and on until Freya and the two other men in their friend group would complain about their blistering feet.
Freya couldn’t help but smile at the memory. The best part of these shopping dates with friends were the laughter and gossip they’d share over warm meals at some fast food restaurant.
Thankfully enough, the six-piece friend group had finally settled with a gorgeous red, sleeveless satin dress that she was wearing now. Thea, who was also responsible for doing her dewy Valentine’s makeup, proudly commented that Freya was as beautiful as the Norse goddess of love that she was named after.
A flicker of realization passed Freya’s expression as she stared at the sunset. No other past lover of hers had said a compliment as sweet as that.
“Are you okay?” her date suddenly asked at that very moment, snapping the young woman from her thoughts.
“Ah yes,” she cleared her throat. “Go on.”
The man across her frowned slightly before continuing his rant. Freya wanted to roll her eyes. Though the two other men in their friend group, Andrew and David, had some interest in sports as well, she was confident that they had never made it their whole personality.
Let alone make a conversation all about themselves.
Freya let out a soft, bittersweet chuckle under her breath as she yearned for the company of her friends.
Since Andrew and David were no expert in female fashion nor makeup, both men helped in their own way: listing a couple of foolproof tips that Freya must uphold during the first date.
“Be sure to ask about his interests. Men love it when you seem interested in their hobbies,” David had told her as he drove them across the winding streets of Manila. Both men had volunteered to escort Freya to her date just so she was safe.
“Just be yourself Freya,” Andrew reminded, turning his back to look at her from the passenger’s seat. “If he can’t love your authenticity, then he’s a—”
The young man proceeded to say an offensive word that made Freya obnoxiously laugh, distracting her from her nervousness.
Her friends always had the magical ability to make her smile even in the most serious times.
She even remembered when the group, to her surprise, visited her in the wee hours of the morning to accompany her when she was undergoing her last, great heartbreak—bringing drinks and ice cream until she couldn’t remember why she was crying in the first place.
The young girl smiled fondly to herself. She made sure to dutifully follow the advice of her male friends, particularly David’s repeated assertion to ask her date’s interests. Unfortunately, she ended up stuck with a date who could not stop talking.
She would just have to reprimand the two later.
For a moment, the young girl played with the rim of her wine glass, the honks and beeps from Manila’s streets below, the jazz music, and the endless talking of George, coming together into a mushy background noise.
Until it clicked.
Freya paused in her ministrations. What was she doing here, all dressed up with a man who couldn’t even stop to ask about her own interests? Or better yet, why was she here, feeling lonely on Valentine’s Day, when she could be bantering with her friends over the silliest jokes?
All while she was looking for romantic love, Freya failed to realize that she had a special kind of love already with her—one that only her best friends could give.
With a sense of clarity, the young woman cleared her throat and gently dabbed her lips with a napkin.
Despite a confused George, Freya apologized and excused herself out of the restaurant, the heavy feeling in her chest suddenly replaced with a sense of freedom.
Though she was sorry to leave her date like that on Valentine’s Day, the young woman had no regrets.
As she stepped out into the noisy streets of Manila, Freya started dialing numbers on her phone. She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth on some freshly-grilled isaw and joke about her disastrous date with her bestest friends.
