CHAPTER FIVE : The Deal We Made

      Lexie's Point of View

Arghh.. tangina, ang sakit ng ulo ko.

Napabalikwas ako ng bangon, agad naman akoong napahawak sa aking sintido na parang dinaganan ng isang malakinng truck. Pero mas nagulantang ako nang maramdaman kong may mali—like, something felt seriously off..

Wait lang…

Parangg may mali...

Bakit ang bigat-bigat ng katawan ko? And why does it feel so sore… down there?

Napakurap ako, then I looked around the room. Putcha, this isn’t my room. Minimalist setup, all neutral tones, with a faint smell of expensive cologne and alcohol. Shit. Shit. Shit.

Napalunok ako as a realization slowly started creeping in—one that I seriously didn’t want to accept.

Mabilis kong hinablot ang kumot, covering my body. Please lang, huwag naman sana. Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.

Slowly, I turned to my left.

Oh. My. Freaking. God.

Isang lalaki ang nakahiga ro’n—topless, messy ang buhok, at pilit nitong inaabot ang kumot na hinatak ko. Napako ako sa akingg pwesto, staring at him like my brain just blue-screened. 

Kahit half-asleep pa siya, hindi mo maikakaila kung gaano siya kagwap—sharp jawline, effortlessly tousled hair, at abs na parang handcrafted ng isang professional artist damn. 

Pero hindi ‘yun ang issue rito.

The real issue was… I KNEW HIM.

Well, technically, hindi naman kami personally magkakilala, pero he's definitely not just some random guy.

Drew Veltrano!

Siya. Ang playboy cousin ni Luke.

Parang nanlamig buong katawan ko habang unti-unting nagpi-playback sa utak ko ang mga nangyari kagabi.

OH. MY. GOD.

Napapikit ako, sabay sapo sa noo—like that would magically erase everything. Pero hindi.

Out of all the guys I could’ve had a one-night stand with… BAKIT SIYA PA?!

Kilalang-kilala si Drew, kung si Loukas ay epitome ng perfect gentleman, si Drew naman ang total opposite. He’s the literal black sheep of the Spiridakou family. His name is always tied to women, scandals, and nonstop drama. Never siyang nag-alala sa reputasyon ng pamilya nila—kaya nga halos weekly siyang nasa front page ng mga tabloid, always spotted with models, socialites, and sometimes, may chismis pang pati mga married women tinatarget niya.

The last thing I heard, he was in Okada Casino, gambling, partying, and basically living his best bachelor life. Hindi ko naman inexpect na andito siya sa kasal ng pinsan nya..

Pero seryoso, Lexie? Kasal ng pinsan niya ’to—saan mo ba in-expect na pumunta siya?

And yet, here we were.

And I just made the biggest mistake of my life.

Wala nang silbi ang pagsisisi. What’s done is done.

Ang pinakaimportante ngayon? Makaalis bago siya magising.

I had no idea he was the Drew I was talking to last night. Of all freaking people?! Usually, the women he dates are the high-society type—super classy, modelesque, and practically living on magazine covers. Meanwhile, me? Let’s be real, our paths would’ve never crossed if not for last night’s wedding.

agad kong ini-scan ang kwarto, desperately looking for my clothes—pero nung makita kong nagkalat ‘yon sa sahig, kasama ng wedding suit niya...

Oh my God. Were we that wild?!

Napalunok ako, feeling the heat creep up my cheeks habang dahan-dahang binaba ang paa ko mula sa kama. No way in hell na magbibihis ako sa harap niya—kahit pa tulog na tulog siya.

Never in my wildest dreams ko gagawin yun no!

Kaya maingat kong pinulot ang gown ko, but then I froze.

Asan na yung panty ko?!

Ginalugad ko ‘yung sahig, hinawi ‘yung nakatambak niyang damit, but still… nothing. What the hell?!

Tangina. Wala na akong oras. I need to get the hell out of here… kahit walang underwear!

Napatigil ako nang gumalaw siya sa kama, nag-inat, at—wait lang… nagigising na ba siya?!

Shit.

Mabilis akong nagtiptoe papunta sa banyo, bitbit ang gown ko. Sinigurado kong dahan dahan kong sinara ang pinto bago nagmamadaling magbihis. Pero kahit naka bihis na ako, I still felt half-naked.

Napatingin ako sa salamin…

Oh. My. God.

Buhaghag ang buhok ko, smudged ang eyeliner ko, at ang pisngi ko? tangina para akong. I looked exactly like someone who just had a wild night—which, let’s be real, happened.

Pinaghalong hiya at frustration ang naramdaman ko habang mabilis kong hinilamusan ang mukha ko, sinubukang koring ayusin ang buhok gamit lang ang daliriko. Wala na akong underwear, pero at least mukha na ‘kong hindi nakipag away sa kanto.

Dahan-dahan akong bumalik sa kwarto, ready to grab my purse and heels para makalabas na sa kwartong to pero paglingon ko sa kama…

Putangina.

Gising na siya.

Nakasandal siya sa headboard ng kama, walang suot maliban sa manipis na kumot na barely natatakpan lang yung lower half body nya. And the worst part? Parang siya pa ‘yung naaliw sa buong sitwasyon namin ngayon.

"Trying to escape, sweetheart?" He whispered, with a lazy yet amused smirk.

I swallowed hard, instantly feeling my face heat up all the way to my ears. I couldn’t even look at him directly.

"Uh… good morning?" Pilit kong sagot, trying to act normal kahit gusto ko nang lumubog sa sahig. 

"Sorry, hindi ko sinasadyang gisingin ka—"

Napatawa siya, iniiling ang ulo."So this is what it feels like to be one of the women I leave sleeping in bed."

Wait, anong ibig niyang sabihin?

Nag-inat siya, saka ako tinapunan ng tingin na parang binabasa ang iniisip ko. "You almost got away, huh? If I hadn’t woken up."

I swallowed again.

Oh shit. This is not how I planned my escape.

"Again, sorry for waking you up. Hindi ko naman sinadya." I forced myself to keep my tone cool. kahit na hindi ko magawang tumingin sa kanya nang diretso."Just go back to sleep if you want. I’ll just grab my purse and heels, then I’m out of here."

Pero bago pa ako makagalaw, bigla siyang tumayo mula sa kama.

Napalaki ang mata ko nang makita ko sa gilid ng paningin ko na wala pa rin siyang suot! Mabilis kong tinakpan ang mukha ko gamit ang kamay ko.

Putanginang yan.

"I don't know if it's intentional, but you're hurting my ego, Babe."

"Lexie," I corrected quickly, still unable to look at him.

"I wanna call you babe," he interjected, frowning. "But if you don’t like it, I’ll just call you 'Lex' instead."

 Napataas ang kilay ko. "Ha? Pero wala namang tumatawag sa'kin n'yan."

"Good," he said smugly. "Then it would be my pet name for you."

I winced. Pet name?!

"But—" Before I could even finish my sentence, I glanced at him and—shit.

I quickly looked away again.

"Uh... favor naman?" nauutal kong ani.

 "Pwede bang magdamit ka muna bago tayo sa mag usap "

Tumingin siya pababa sa sarili niyang katawan, parang wala lang, tapos tumingin ulit sa'kin na parang nangaasar. "What’s the point of covering up? You already saw everything last night."

Ramdam ko kung paano nag-init ulit ang mukha ko. "That was different! I was drunk! I didn’t care about your naked body then! But now, I’m sober, and it’s embarrassing, okay?!"

Napakurap ako. Kasi oo, technically, may suot na nga siya, pero bakit parang mas lalo lang niyang pinahirap ang sitwasyon?! Hindi ko alam kung aware siya o talagang wala lang siyang pakealam.

 …but he wasn’t exactly decent—like, bro, his dick was literally outlined in his boxers.

Focus, Lexie. Huwag kang tumingin. Focus!

Napakagat ako sa labi bago tuluyang naglakas-loob na itanong ang isang bagay na kanina ko pa gustong itanong.

"Uh… did you see my underwear?"

Bigla siyang umiwas ng tingin. "Hmm? Maybe it’s just around here. Did you check properly?"

"Oo naman! Kanina pa nga ako naghahanap! Hindi ko ma-imagine kung paano ako uuwi na wala 'nun no!" Gusto kong matunaw sa kahihiyan. 

"Pwede mo ba akong tulungan?"

Napatingin siya sa'kin ulit, may devilish smirk na naman sa labi niya. "Are you sure you even wore one last night?"

Napataas ang kilay ko. "Excuse me?!"

"Well," pinagkrus niya ang mga braso sa dibdib, nagkukunwaring seryoso, "some girls just don’t bother wearing—"

"Drew!!" Napairap ako. "Anong klaseng tanong 'yan? Seryoso ka ba? Ano sa tingin mo ako, lalabas ng bahay na walangg panty?! ayos kalangg ba!!??"

Nagkibit-balikat siya, pero sinimulan naman niyang tulungan ako maghanap.

Napakagat ako sa labi, trying not to freak out. Then my eyes landed on the bed—specifically, on the faint bloodstains on the sheets.

Oh. My. God.

"Uh… sorry about your bed."

The moment our eyes met, I caught the subtle shift in his expression. But instead of saying anything, he just gave me that knowing smirk before replying—

"Don't worry. I'm more than happy to be your first."

My entire face heated up again.

He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze landing on the bloodstains I was referring to. Instead of reacting with discomfort, he simply shrugged.

"Don't mind it. I'll just throw the sheets later."

Napakunot ang noo ko. "You can do that?"

"Yeah. I own this place. I can throw out whatever I want."

"Oh." Siyempre. Muntik ko nang makalimutan. Their family owned this entire island. Hindi na dapat ako magtaka. I should’ve realized this last night—especially with the way he moved in the dark like he knew every inch of this place.

He ran a hand through his already-messy hair before smirking. "You know what? I'll just check if my younger sister has some extra underwear in her closet."

Napatingin ako sa kanya na parang nabaliw na siya.

"You can't be serious!"