Chapter 5

Nagising ako na wala na ang lalaki sa tabi ko. Napangiti na lang ako sa kawalan habang unti-unting bumabalik sa isip ko ang mga nangyari kanina.

God... his body was perfect. That tattoo on the side of his ribs looked insanely sexy. And...ugh! He was so damn good. So unfair.

I bit my lip at the thought. I'd just woken up, yet here I was, already having indecent thoughts. Tss.

My legs still felt weak as I pushed myself up from the bed in my office. My body was sore, probably because I'd been out of practice for too long. After going that hard with Dos, I felt like I'd been run over. I was about to stand when something on the bedside table caught my eye — a small sticky note. I picked it up and read what was written there.

See you when I see you.

Call or text me if you miss me.

0997****** – Dos*

Napangisi ako habang binabasa ito, at agad kong kinuha ang phone ko para i-save ang number niya. Mamaya ko na lang siya tatawagan. Baka isipin na-miss ko agad siya... kahit totoo naman.

After taking a shower and slipping into fresh clothes, I got myself ready and stepped out of my office with a smile on my face. The bar was already filling up, it was nighttime, after all. Apparently, Dos and I had started our little "miracle" earlier than I thought. I shook my head with a smile as I walked to the bar counter, where Karlo gave me a knowing look.

"What?" tanong ko.

"Mukhang maganda ang mood mo, Ma'am."

"Masyado bang halata?" natatawa kong sagot.

"Tss. Sobrang halata," sagot niya habang nagtitimpla ng alak.

"Don't mind me. Bagong ligo lang ako kaya ganito."

"Okay po, sabi niyo eh. Oo nga po pala, kanina pa po kayo hinahanap ng mga kaibigan niyo. Nasa VIP room." Sabay turo niya sa itaas.

Pagtingin ko, nakatingin na sa akin ang mga kaibigan ko, parehong nakataas ang mga kilay. Dahil salamin ang VIP room, kita namin ang isa't isa.

"Tss. Ang aga naman nila. Paano kikita ang bar ko kung sila ang suki?"

"Hakot customer din naman sila, Ma'am. Maraming lalaki ang dumdayo rito para makita sila."

Natawa ako. "Baka naman magpauna ka pa? Napaka-torpe mo ha!"

He just sighed, and I walked away with a smirk. I knew he liked one of my friends, but since they were all so intimidating, he always chickened out. What a waste.

I climbed the stairs to the VIP room, bracing myself for the onslaught of teasing I was about to get. Just from their looks earlier, I knew they knew something.

"Ang aga niyo naman palugihin ang bar ko," bungad ko habang umuupo sa tabi ni Aicka na may matalim na tingin.

"ASB ang ateng oh!" sabi nito, kaya agad din akong tinignan nina Sab at Rein.

"Oh, edi sana all!" ani Sab sabay irap.

"Tss. Talas talaga ng pang-amoy ng isang 'to," biro ko.

"Girl, hindi lang kita naamoy, kitang-kita! ASB ka — After Sex Blooming! Naka-ilang rounds? Sino 'yon?" sunod-sunod na tanong ni Aicka.

"Masarap ba siya?" tanong ni Sab habang nakakagat-labi.

"Magaling?" dagdag pa ni Rein sabay lagok ng alak.

I didn't even know who to answer first, but just thinking about what happened earlier made me smile again. How Dos devoured me, how we both moaned and lost ourselves to it, how many times we did it.

"Damn it!" Aicka shouted, hitting me with a throw pillow. "That's the smile of victory! I knew it!"

"Hoy! Share mo naman, girl! I-kwento mo nang detailed!" ani Sab, nagtaas-baba pa ng kilay.

"Baka pwede mong sagutin muna ang mga tanong namin? Hindi 'yong mukha kang aso d'yan na nakangiti mag-isa?" mataray na wika ni Rein.

"Tss. Sandali lang! Ang dami nyong tanong, hindi kayo makapaghintay na magsalita ako."

"Ano na nga?!" sabay-sabay nilang tanong.

"Mesherep..." sabi ko habang kinikilig, kaya tinignan nila ako nang masama.

"Ano pa? Damihan mo naman ang kuwento! Hindi nakakatuwang mabitin!" giit ni Aicka.

"Tss. Problema nito? Tigang ka?" asar ko.

"Dalian mo na kasi!"

"Tss. Fine... of course it was good. How many rounds? Hmm..." I pretended to think, which made their eyes widen.

"Damn! You lost count?!" Sab gasped.

"Idiot! Just three—"

"Three?!" they all shrieked at once.

"Oo, bakit? Kakaunti ba?"

"Tangina, girl! Nakakalakad ka pa? Kanina lang 'yan?" tanong ni Aicka.

"Oo, mga one siguro ng hapon hanggang four? Hindi ko sure—"

"Hanep! Buhay ka pa?! Pinaspas niyo ata! Nagmamadali ba kayo?" tawa ni Sab.

"Who is he? Someone you've been flirting with for a while?" Rein asked seriously.

"Hmmm... I'd met him once before, and today was the second time. We went straight to my office—"

"What?!" they all yelled, cutting me off.

Sab leaned forward, looking scandalized. "Dalawang beses mo pa lang nakilala, nagpasagad ka na agad?!"

"Natatluhan ka agad?!" dagdag ni Rein.

"Sobrang galing ba kaya ninamnam mo masyado?" tanong ni Aicka.

Buti na lang at kami-kami lang dito dahil kung may ibang makarinig, siguradong mapapahiya ako. Kung titignan kami, para kaming kagalang-galang at mahinhin. Pero sa totoo lang, bastusan kaming apat kung mag-usap. That's what happens when you're comfortable with each other... no filter, no shame.

"Wanna know who's behind my ASB?" I asked with a smirk.

"Of course!"

"One of the Heisenberg cousins—"

"Shit!"

"Really?!"

"F*ck!"

Their reactions were priceless.

"Ang bilis niyo!" ani Aicka.

"Shit! Daks ba?" tanong ni Sab. Napakagat-labi ako, pinipigilan ang ngiti.

"Ahhh!" sigaw ni Sab. "Shit! Kung daks si Dos, hindi malabong daks silang lahat! Sana all talaga, Mifi!"

"Kayo na agad? Ang bilis naman?" tanong ni Rein. Unti-unting nawala ang ngiti ko.

"We're not together, Rein," I said seriously, which made all three of them fall silent.

"What? Why not?"

"Tss. Do I really need to say it? Hello? We're just having fun — flirting, playing around. That's it."

"But don't you like him? Wouldn't you say yes if he asked you to be his girlfriend—"

"He hasn't asked," I cut Aicka off.

"He hasn't? Tss. So he just wants something casual?" Sab asked.

"Yeah..." I sighed. "We had an agreement. This is all we are, no labels, just... just fuck buddies. That's it." I grabbed my glass and took a sip.

"And you're fine with that? You agreed to it?" Rein asked, her tone serious.

"Oo. Do'n naman ako sanay. Ayoko ng commitment. Ayoko ng sakit ng ulo."

Totoo naman. Hindi ko gusto ang seryosong relasyon dahil alam kong masasakal lang ako. Mas gusto kong malaya ako, nagagawa ko ang gusto ko, walang humahawak.

"Alright. If you say so. Just make sure he's not the first man to ever make you cry. You'd better stick to what you said," Rein warned sternly.

"Yeah, of course..." was all I could reply.

We changed the topic after that. Maybe Rein thought I was serious about Dos. Sure, I'd said I liked him, but that didn't mean I'd fall for him. That's why I agreed to this kind of setup, so I could stay free. We could make each other feel good without the strings.

Hindi naman ako mahuhulog. Wala pa 'yon sa vocabulary ko. Ayoko pa ng sakit ng ulo.