MANILA - It started with a bit of word play: “I can’t even espresso how much I like you a latte.” Then came the plea: “Will you... drink coffee with me?”

Very recently, a young businessman named Xian Gaza sent the Instagram community buzzing with his jaw-dropping coffee invite to actress Erich Gonzales. Jaw-dropping because it was done quite extravagantly, via billboard at the corner of Recto Avenue and Morayta, in Manila.

“They say it’s first time in Philippine history. I say: That’s how special you are to me. @erichgg , will you drink coffee with me?” he said in a recent Instagram post showing a photo of the coffee invite billboard.

His post showed a man in a hoodie and cap, looking up at the billboard towering over the busy streets, his back turned - as if the man was hopelessly waiting for something. Meanwhile, the guy depicted on the billboard is faceless.

In another post, @xiangaza shared a similar post in video version, showing cars moving and people crossing the streets. Both his posts carried the hashtags #PleaseSayYesErich and #CoffeeWithErich.

To everyone’s surprise, the flashy gesture turns out to have resulted from a previous encounter of Gaza and Gonzales, Gaza revealed in an open letter to the actress via Instagram. The actress has thus far not commented on Gaza's request. - Agencies