Chapter 4

MADISON:

TUMULOY ako sa silid at naghubad na nagtungo sa banyo. Padilim na din at gusto kong mag-unwind ngayon. I stood beneath the cold shower fully naked. Water cascaded over my body as I tried to clear my thoughts.

Unfortunately. . . one person kept appearing inside my mind. Si Caleb.

His face. His voice. His eyes. Most especially his eyes. Napahilamos ako ng palad sa mukha. I leaned against the tiled wall and pouted my lips.

Why did he feel so familiar? Pilit kong kinukumbinsi ang sarili na ngayon ko lang siya nakilala. Yet something inside me insisted otherwise. Hindi ako kumbinsido na ngayon ko lang siya nakita.

As if a forgotten memory was trying to resurface. As if my heart remembered something my mind couldn't. Damn. Unang sulpot niya pa lang dito pero. . . ginugulo na niya ang isipan ko.

I closed my eyes. “Where have I seen you before, Caleb?”

Napailing ako na pilit winaglit sa isipan ang lalakeng iyon. Nakakatawa lang. For the first time, may lalakeng gumugulo sa isipan ng isang Madison Madrigal. Tss.

*****

An hour later, natapos din akong naligo. Lumabas ako ng banyo at inaasikaso ang sarili. Nagsuot ako ng simpleng black strapless dress at black stiletto. I also put some light make-up at hinayaang nakalugay ang mahaba kong alon-alon na buhok. Hawak ang black purse ko, nag-spray lang ako ng favorite perfume ko then I stepped out of my room.

Natigilan ako na napasulyap sa lalakeng nakatayo dito sa gilid ng pintuan ng silid ko. Si Caleb. He's standing like a soldier guarding a royal chamber.

I blinked twice. "What are you doing here?"

His expression remained unreadable. "Working, boss."

I frowned. "Standing outside my room?"

"My job is to protect you, boss."

"Twenty-four hours a day?"

"Yes, boss."

I stared at him. He stared back. Katulad kanina, walang ngiti o emosyon ang makikita sa mukha nito. Para siyang robot na nakahandang sumunod sa kanyang amo. Tss.

I rolled my eyes. "Unbelievable."

Without another word, I walked away.

Footsteps immediately followed behind me. Of course. The human statue was following. Dama ko pa ang mga mata nitong nakatutok sa akin pero binalewala ko na lamang. Wala din naman akong magagawa e. Kinuha na siya ng daddy na maging personal bodyguard ko kahit hindi ko naman talaga kailangan. Marahil ay ginagawa lang ng daddy ito para walang masabi ang kaibigan niya.

Tumuloy kami sa garahe. Nakaparada ang iba’t-ibang uri ng luxurious car na ginagamit naming pamilya dito sa garahe. I headed straight toward my favorite red sports car. Then tossed the keys at him. Caleb caught them effortlessly.

"Drive." Utos ko.

His eyebrow lifted slightly. "Where, boss?"

"A bar."

No response. No argument. No lecture. He simply opened the driver's door and got inside. Hmm. . . interesting. At least masunurin ang tukmol.

Most men either tried to impress me or flirt with me. Pero ito. . . ? Tangina parang hindi manlang nagagandahan sa akin. May mga mata naman siya a. Hindi niya ba makita kung gaano ako kaganda?

I sat in the passenger seat and glanced at him. His attention remained focused on the road. Serious. Quiet. Mysterious. And incredibly handsome. Pero kahit gaano pa siya kagwapo at ka-cool, dama ko, may kakaiba sa kanya. Na parang may nagtatagong madilim na katauhan sa likod ng itsura niya.

A strange feeling settled inside my chest once more. The same feeling I'd had since our eyes first met. Like fate had quietly placed him back into my life. Haist. Ewan. Ano ba'ng nangyayari sa akin? Wala naman akong interes sa mga lalake a. Nasa thirties na ako pero ni minsan ay hindi ko nagawang makipag-date dahil wala akong matipuhan. Pero heto at. . . nagkakainteres ako sa aking bodyguard? Seryoso?

HABANG nasa kahabaan kami ng kalsada, unti-unting pumatak ang ulan sa windshield. Then few minutes later, lumakas na ito dahilan para bumagal ang usad ng mga sasakyan sa harapan.

"Great." I murmured.

Naiinis ako na bigla na lamang umulan! Sa lahat ng araw talaga. . . ngayon ibinuhos ng kalikasan ang malakas na ulan! Napasulyap ako sa kasama ko. Caleb remained silent as he focused on driving.

The silence lasted all of three minutes before the sports car suddenly jerked. Then another warning light flashed on the dashboard. And another. And another.

"What now?" I muttered.

The engine sputtered. A second later, the car died completely. Namilog ang mga mata ko sa kaisipang. . . nasiraan pa kami ng kotse sa kalakasan ng ulan dito sa kalsada!

“What the hell is wrong tonight? Bwisit naman oh!” inis kong litanya.

Caleb calmly guided the vehicle toward the roadside. The rain continued pouring mercilessly. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then I slowly turned toward him.

"May balat ka yata sa pwet e. Ang malas ko namang kasama ka," paninisi ko dito.

One of his eyebrows lifted. Lumingon ito sa akin. "I beg your pardon?"

Napaismid ako. "Huh! Ever since you appeared, weird things have been happening."

He looked genuinely unimpressed. "The weather is my fault, boss?"

Nag-igting ang panga ko. "The car breaking down is definitely your fault."

"I see." Usal niya lang.

I narrowed my eyes. "You're not even defending yourself."

"There seems to be no point, boss."

I huffed. "Smart answer. You're so boring."

Habang tumatagal ay palakas nang palakas ang pesteng ulan! Napalinga ako sa paligid namin. Walang masyadong building pero may isang hotel sa ‘di kalayuan. Ilang metro lang naman ang layo mula dito sa kinatirikan ng kotse. With no other choice, we headed to the hotel.

Pero para talagang sinusubok ang pasensiya ko tonight. Rain-soaked guests filled every corner. When the receptionist finally checked availability, she gave us an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We only have one room left."

I blinked twice. "What?"

"Biglaan po kasi ang dagsa ng mga guest, ma'am. Wala na po kaming ibang silid na available." Magalang saad nito.

Napatampal ako sa ulo. Napapamura sa isipan. Beside me, Caleb immediately spoke.

"It's okay, boss. I'll stay in the car."

The receptionist looked horrified. "In this weather?" I sarcastically asked.

"I can manage, boss."

I turned toward him. Several women nearby were openly staring at him. One even giggled when he looked her way. Another whispered something to her friend while shamelessly admiring him. Bwisit na mga haliparot na ‘to. Ang lalandi naman nila. Nakikita na nga nilang may kasama si Caleb na mas maganda at sexy nang ‘di hamak sa kanila. . . pero heto at nagagawa pang magpa-cute sa kasama ko?

I grabbed Caleb's wrist. "You're not staying in the car. You're coming with me."

He looked down at my hand. "I'll be fine, boss."

"No."

"Pero, boss–"

"No."

Without waiting for an argument, I pulled him toward the elevator. The receptionist looked amused. The women looked disappointed. Napangisi ako.

“Good. Ganyan nga. Madismaya kayo. Mga p*****a kayo e. Akala niyo naman kay gaganda niyo. Letche! Pagbabaliin ko mga leeg niyo e.” Usal ko sa isipan na may malapad na ngisi sa mga labi.

Haist. Bakit ba ako nagkakagan’to? Pagpasok namin sa silid, naigala ko ang paningin sa loob nito. The room wasn't luxurious. Not by Madrigal standards. But it was clean, warm and dry.

The moment the door closed behind us, I sighed in relief.

“Finally.”

I immediately headed toward the wardrobe area. My soaked dress clung uncomfortably to my body. Without thinking much about it, I removed it.

Behind me, I heard sudden movement. Turning around, I found Caleb standing rigidly near the window. His back completely facing me.

Naipilig ko ang ulo na nakamata dito. Nyeta ‘to. Tumalikod siya nang maghubad ako? Ano ‘to, napapangitan ba siya sa katawan ko? Naikurap-kurap ko ang mga mata na nakatitig ditong parang sundalong nakatalikod sa akin.

Pagak akong natawa na napapalakpak. Ibang klase din ang tukmol na ‘to e. Most men would have stared. Some would've pretended not to. Others would've used the opportunity to flirt. Dapat nga sinusunggaban na niya ako e.

Pero itong Caleb?

Damn. Parang hindi pa man ako nagsasabi, tinatanggihan na niya ang beauty ko. The hell.

Napairap ako dito at nagdadabog na inabot ang isang robe saka pumasok ng banyo. The rain showed no signs of stopping. Thunder occasionally echoed outside. The room felt smaller because of it. Colder. More intimate. And somehow, the situation amused me. Damn. Mukhang kung may manununggab sa aming dalawa ni Caleb dito sa silid na ‘to. . . ay ako iyon.

Napailing ako na winaglit sa isipan ang naiisip. I took a quick shower. The hot water washed away the chill from the rain. When I emerged from the bathroom wearing only a hotel robe, I noticed my dress had been neatly folded at the foot of the bed. My heels were aligned perfectly underneath.

I smiled. Suplado at maginoo at the same time. . . malinis na tao. Caleb stood near the window, staring at the storm outside. His posture was straight. Alert. Like he never truly relaxed.

I walked over. "I'm hungry."

He glanced at me. "I'll order room service."

"No."

"Why?"

I crossed my arms. "I want real food."

A brief silence. Then he nodded. "I'll get something downstairs, boss."

I pointed a finger at him. "Don't flirt with anyone while you're there."

His expression remained blank. "What?"

"Ahem!” napatikhim ako na nag-init ang pisngi. “I'm hungry. . . I hate waiting."

The corner of his mouth twitched. Barely. But I saw it. Then he left. Napaismid ako sa likuran nito. Hindi ba talaga siya marunong ngumiti?

****

Less than ten minutes later, he returned carrying enough food for three people. Naikurap-kurap ko ang mga mata na napatitig sa mga dala niya. In fairness. Marami siyang dala pero na-manage niya na walang nahuhulog.

"Did you buy the entire restaurant?" tanong ko at ang dami niyang dinalang pagkain at maiinom.

"Nope, boss."

"It looks like it."

Without complaint, he arranged everything neatly on the table. Efficient. Organized. Reliable. Attractive.

Napailing ako. I immediately shoved that thought away. Absolutely not. Ano ba'ng nangyayari sa akin?

After setting everything up, Caleb stood.

"Uhm, I'll go shower, boss."

I nodded. "Go ahead."

While he was inside the bathroom, I called dad and informed him where we were. As expected, he sounded completely unbothered. Ang matandang Delta na ‘yon. Parang binebenta niya ako sa Caleb na ito a. Ang weird e. Kabisado ko ang daddy. Istrikto ito at hindi nga pumapayag na makipagharutan kami kung kani-kanino e. Iniingatan niya kami lalo na ang dangal namin. Pero pagdating sa Caleb na ito, kulang na lang ay ipamigay na ako ng daddy!

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened. I looked up. Then froze. Caleb emerged wearing only a dark hotel robe. His damp hair was pushed back. The robe wasn't tied tightly enough to completely hide his broad chest. Napalunok ako na mapasulyap sa nakasilip niyang dibdib. Damn. Sinadya niya ba iyon?

My throat suddenly felt dry. What the hell?! I quickly looked away. Unfortunately, my eyes had already betrayed me. Dahil hindi ko maiiwas ang paningin sa kanya. He walked over to the sofa and sat down across from me.

Inabot nito ang isang cup noddles then began eating quietly. The room filled with comfortable silence. Rain battered the windows. And somehow. . . I found myself staring at him again.

Natigilan naman ito sa pagkain. He slowly looked up and our eyes met.

"Is there a problem, boss?"

“H-ha?”

“Kanina ka pa kasi nakatitig.”

Nag-init ang mukha ko. “Ahem! Ang takaw mo kasi. Hindi mo manlang ako ayahing kumain bago ka lumamon. I'm your boss, ‘di ba?”

Napatango naman ito. "I see."

Napakurap-kurap ako na napatitig dito. "Iyon lang? Tanginang reaction 'yan. Tao ka ba o alien, ha? Wala kang pakiramdam e. Haist."