The first ten minutes of their meeting was rather awkward. She was so shy and very nervous. She could barely look him in the eyes. When the waiter served them their drinks, she started calming down and conversation went smoothly. She was a day shift call center agent. Her parents were strict and overly protective, she said. They didn't allow her to work night shift despite the pay. He also talked to her about his job and his hobbies and interests. He was rather anxious she might find them boring, but she listened with interest. She occasionally smiled and when she did, he eyes curved in a lovely way.

         It was a pleasant conversation. Once meals arrived, they ate happily and occasionally commenting on their dishes. Everything felt smooth between them. He thought this was how it should be between him and a woman he would date. It didn't matter if she wasn't beautiful. He just wanted a woman who would give him a sense of comfort and peace. He just needed someone to love him as he was and make him feel confident about himself. His ex-girlfriend's break up with him made him doubt himself. But with Nina, even though they just met, he felt he didn't need to force himself to find interesting topics to talk to. Everything was just going at its natural flow.

         When the date was over, he offered to walk her to the jeepney stop - a common transportation in the country. She didn't refuse. She looked somewhat happy with it. When they were in front of the stop, silence fell over them. She was looking ahead while he was watching the cars and jeepney go by. Deep in his heart, he was wishing her ride wouldn't come so they could spend more time together; talk more...get to know each other more.

        Rio...

        He turned to her and hir heart skipped a beat when their gazes met. There were ripples in her eyes  and she hid them away by looking somewhere else.

       What is it?, he asked. He held his breath. He knew this would be the deciding factor for the both of them.

       I... I have never been on a date before... This is my first date...ever, she said shyly.

      He didn't say anything. He knew she had a follow-up.

      I've never been in a relationship. So, I don't know how it works.

     I...see. Rio felt a sense of dejection. Was it her way of saying they should part ways? He hid his disappointment. 

     Oh... she muttered.

     They were once again enveloped by silence. Should he try to be a little braver? He knew he couldn't just let her leave like this. He took a deep breath.

      Nina... If you're okay with me, can I ask you out whenever you're free?

      Her eyes widened in disbelief when she heard him. She stared at him for a while and slowly, the lovely blush showed up on her face again.

     Yes... I'm okay... With you.

      They stood in front of the jeepeney stop and watched cars come and go. That's how their first date ended and it was followed by second, third and many more. Five unofficial dates later, they became a couple. Seven months and six days after that, they got married.

       Cielo blinked. "That's a very...romantic."

       Officer de Leon had a blank face while listening and taking notes. Rio was so absorbed in recalling the past that he didn't know when the officer took out a notebook and started taking notes.

      "Do you remember when your first kiss was?"

       Officer de Leon nearly choked on his breath by her ridiculous question.

        Rio blanked out for a moment. A trace of sadness flitted through his eyes. Their first kiss?

        "It was at night, sixteen days after we started dating officially. After going to church, we got hungry. We had dinner and after that, we went to the flower market. I bought her a pot of yellow roses. She once told me she loved them, so I bought a pot for her and asked her to take care of it. She was so happy and she looked so beautiful. I couldn't help myself. I kissed her. It was full moon. I remember it clearly."

       "I see. It must have been a wonderful night for the two of you."

       Rio reverted back to his indifferent self and with monotonous voice, he replied, "It was."

       After that, Rio barely talked to them. He just nodded his head or shook it whenever Cielo asked him. He was uncooperative and Officer de Leon was frustrated. Sensing it, Cielo decided to end it there.

      "Thank you, Mr. Valdez for your cooperation and for sharing with us your love story. And also, I am so sorry for what has transpired. My deepest condolences."

       He just nodded his head.

       "Mr. Valdez." Officer de Leon folded his notebook and turned off the recorder. "Can you guarantee your 100% cooperation to solve this case?"

       "Yes."

      "Good. I'm sure you're eager to have an answer for your wife's untimely death. I am sure you are shocked right now and still mourning, but in order for us to bring justice to Mrs. Valdez, we ask that you cooperate and tell nothing but the truth. We will come again in two days. I hope you are ready by then." Officer de Leon shook hands with Rio and left him with that warning.

       Cielo shook her head helplessly. That guy was a typical cop, eh. She sneered. She turned to Rio who was still standing there blankly. She sighed. She expressed her condolences one more time and left.

       While driving, Officer de Leon kept glancing at the backseat where Cielo was. She literally just treated him like her bodyguard and now chauffeur. He ignored his dissatisfaction and brought up what was on his mind.

       "So what do you think of him?"

       "We were there for more than an hour and you barely got any clues?" Cielo mocked him.

       He chose not to get angry at him. He had to focus on driving safely after all.

       "We, police, have different ways of gathering evidence unlike you psychology people. How can you tell if someone is guilty or not by just talking to them?"

      Cielo scoffed. Talking? Was that how the police think of their work? Did they really think people like her would just sit in front of a suspect and chat about life? No wonder their country had a lot of unsolved crimes!

      "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, officer."

      "You don't know, eh", he mocked. "Odds are against him."

      "He didn't do it", Cielo confidently declared.

      Officer de Leon couldn't bear what he heard. He hastily parked the car off the road and turned to her.

       "Are you messing with me right now?" There was a trace of anger in his voice.

       "You're asking if I have proof supporting my claim?" She raised her eyebrow.

        "Yes! You can't just say whatever you want! Do you think we're playing Sherlock Holmes or something?"

        "Are you looking down on me?" A smile bloomed in Cielo' face, but her eyes lacked warmth.

        "If you don't want me to look down on you, then, tell me why you THINK he's not. Why do you think, Miss Forensic Psychologist, he wasn't the killer?!"

HedonistPotato

DIdn't review this before publishing. If there are any mistakes and stuffs, let me know. As I said, I usually revise the chapter in my free time