Chapter 4: Seduction

The issue between me and Harrison never dies in the university. Almost all of them are believing it. Pa'no ba naman, palaging nakapuntot sa ‘kin ang lalaking ‘yon. I even heard na noon pa man daw ay nakikita na nilang nakatanaw sa ‘kin si Harrison. Mga story makers talaga, para lang pumayag ang ships nila. And the worst thing is ako ang lumalabas na nag-di-deny kay Harrison. Like, the hell? I'm clearing my name, tapos mali pa ‘ko?

“Agh!” Sa inis ko ay naibato ko ang headphone ko at may matamaan akong tao. “Oh, I'm—” Fuck him, andito na naman.

Bakit ba pinapapasok ‘to sa music room?

Oh yeah, right. The chairman's heir.

Nandito kasi ‘ko sa music room dahil vacant namin, pero hindi pa rin nakapasok si Zhen kaya mag-isa na naman ako—well, not anymore that this jerk is here.

“Frustrated?” he asked, as if it's not obvious. Pinulot niya ang headphone ko at saka sinuot ‘yon, kahit wala namang music na naka-play do'n. “Can I just have this?”

“Ayoko, dito mo na nga.” Hahablutin ko na sana pero tumayo siya at umakyat sa upuan. “Ano ba? Mahal ‘yan.”

“Mas mahal mo kesa sa ‘kin?” he seriously asked.

Napatawa ‘ko dahil sa kanya. Ang cute niya lang kasing mag-tagalog. Para siyang foreigner na month pa lang dito.

“Mag-tagalog ka ulit, dali,” utos ko having hindi mapigilan ang tawa.

Bumaba siya sa upuan at umupo na lang. Nakatingin lang naman siya sa ‘kin at parang kumikinang ang matang pinagmamasdan ang bawat reaksyon ko kaya't napatigil ako sa pagtawa.

“You're more beautiful when you're laughing,” he amusedly commented.

I averted my gaze and cleared my throat. “May sentimental value kasi ‘yang headphone sa ‘kin. Kasama ko na ‘yan since I started loving music,” I said. When I was 4 years old, I just saw it in a stoll in a mall and got interested in that headphone, that's why I became interested in music too. When I was 5, that's the time that I'm already sure that I really wanted to sing. 

“Well, I can't join you in your start anymore, but I can be with you ‘till the end,” he said with a smile. He handed me the headphone and patted my head. “I'll make you fall in love with me, more than how you love music. Trust me, I can do it.”

Tinampal ko ang kamay niya at lumayo sa kanya. “I'm aromantic, I never fall for boys, Harrison. You're just like all the boys that tried to court me. And you know the worst thing that is running through my head? You don't like me, it's just your ego. You want me to be your human trophy.”

Because that's true. They chase me because they think if they win my heart they would be the best man among all the men who tried to.

Umismid siya at salubong ang kilay na nakatingin sa ‘kin. “You think I'm like that?” he asked and I just stared at his reaction. He's mad. “I'm not a boy, I'm a man. If I said that I like you it means I really like you. If I said that I love you, then I'm more than a hundred percent sure about it, because if I don't, I wouldn't bother giving you a single glance. I never give a fuck on anything that I'm not interested on, Nei.”

Tumalikod ako sa kanya at kinuha na lang ang gitara. I know I can't face him kasi ramdam ko ang pamumula ng pisngi ko. It's not common to me that someone is calling me by my second name. It's just that, when he's with me, he's too good. Para siyang tuta habang kasama ang amo niya.

As a lover, he's not bad, but as a person, he's unbelievably rude.

And I'm not into love right now, I promised to myself that if ever I want to enter a romantic relationship, I would do it if I've already finished my study and I already built myself.

I slowly strummed the strings and closed my eyes. 

He's just too much to handle, ilang buwan niya na ‘kong sinusundan, ilang buwan niya nang pinapakialaman pati mga taong humahanga lang naman sa ‘kin. But he's so soft when I'm with him, he's taking everything slowly, but at the same time, he's using violence just to make sure that he will eventually have what he wants. 

“Smiling through it all, yeah, that's my life,

You're an idiot, now I'm sure—” I stopped singing when he just suddenly grabbed my guitar and looked at me while frowning.

“I don't like your song.” Inirapan ko siya at inagaw sa kanya ang gitara at ilinapag na lang ito sa sahig. “I have a request,” he said and act as if thinking. “Can you sing “I Need You” by LeAnn Rimes?”

Umirap ako. Yeah, I know that song, but I will never sing it for him. Hell no!

“Fine, can you just unblock me?” he asked and even tried to be cute by pouting and making puppy eyes. “Please, I'm sorry if I'm already crossing the line. It's just that, I don't want anyone to have you. Makulit na ba ako?”

Imbes na magalit sa kanya ay natawa na lang ako. He's innocently funny, lalo na kapag pilit siyang nag-ta-tagalog.

Habang tawang-tawa ‘ko sa kanya ay nagulat na lang ako nang hulihin niya ang bewang ko at hilain ako dahilan para mawalan ng distansya ang mga katawan namin. We are too close that I can already saw every detail of his face. He's eyes are really gray against his round specs, and he have a small mole on his left cheek near her nose. When my eyes go lower, I just swallow hard when I look at his pinkish lips, he slowly bit it and smirk.

“You're seducing me,” he said before claiming my lips and I just closed my eyes as he did it. He slowly moves his lips and I just hold the hem of his uniform as we feel every corner of our lips.

His hand shifted, and before I could gather my thoughts, I felt it graze my skin as he slipped it beneath my blouse. The touch was slow, almost careful, sending a quiet tremor through me as it moved upward. He kept kissing me, lingering and insistent, as though the moment itself was asking me to give in. His other hand rested at the back of my neck, guiding my face closer to his, deepening the kiss until it felt overwhelming—too intimate, too real, yet strangely hard to pull away from.

When I finally felt his hand against my chest, reality rushed back in. I pushed him away, too quickly, as if denying what my body had almost allowed. My heart was racing, my thoughts tangled, and before I could make sense of what I was feeling—before I could decide whether it was fear or longing—my hand moved on its own, striking his cheek.

I know I'm as red as a tomato because of what happened, but hell of it. Why I didn't push him immediately?

“Pervert!”