Alodia laughed hard at that out-of-the-blue proposal. Their eyes held for long though, before she shook her head. “You have a weird sense of humor, Harman. But I like it. And about your proposal, no, thank you. I’m happy with my job and I love kids.”He stared at her face for a long moment before he spoke huskily. “Then… perhaps we can remedy that part where you love kids…” He deliberately let the sentence hang in the air, and she could get what he said between the lines. It was even as bright as the shining sun during the day but it was way hotter than the summer temperature in the Philippines!She laughed again; it was tinkling animatedly. Yes, she was enjoying his company! Pretty much. She had truly never enjoyed anyone’s company than his. Ever. What could Harman have that she liked him very much, that he was so different from all other men? This, she kept on thinking like an unsolved puzzle. It wasn’t just bec

“I… was really devastated when my sister died. And I still am. She was all I’ve got. She was even the reason why I’m working abroad… working so hard… And now, I’m all alone… even though I still have an aunt and a cousin who care so much about me. It’s just… different now… you know?” And Alodia’s voice faded away as she looked away from him.“I understand.”She heard him say it with a gentle voice. She looked at him once more. “I wish you really do,” she said with a hidden meaning. She then sighed and drank all the cloudy white liquid that was left in her glass.“What I don’t understand is that you’re still here… when the fact is that your sister’s already gone,” he mused. “Should I thank her in spite of everything that this has put you through?” His dark brown eyes were searching hers.Although she co

They had sometimes “informal dates” on some weekends—yes, that was what she called them. It was because they would just meet up at some place like a fast food, coffee shop or just strolled somewhere in downtown area. Sometimes they would just stay in one place like an open restobar or refreshment bar just to watch the doves given something to eat by kids, adults and even elderly people. Sometimes, they would just ride the buses that were routed around downtown and some suburbs in the city or Harman would take her to some tourist spots in Bucharest where she hadn’t visited yet. Because of these, she learned some more about Romania and most especially about the Gypsy man.Each passing day, her feelings for him grew. She was getting more and more attracted to him without doubt and without any relevant and apparent reason if she’d really want to discern it. If she let herself really fall for him, was she safe from getting hurt like her sister? This,

Harman stared at Alodia and smiled with amusement reflected in his eyes. He turned to the woman with a meaningful smile, too. Alodia had to deal with this later if he was going to “reprimand” her for it. For now, she just wanted to get rid of this beautiful black-haired woman from her path.“Alodia, this is Laili, a childhood friend,” he introduced the older woman to her.But neither of them wanted to shake hands. Besides, they didn’t even smile at each other. She already took the hint that this other woman wouldn’t back down, like her. And instead, Laili took Harman’s arm. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to lose this “battle” either. She also took Harman’s other arm and the three of them went to a reserved table. Harman didn’t seem to have any choice of the matter at the moment.The round table was in the middle of the vast room and the rest were scattered around. A buffet table was in one si

Harman continued to caress Alodia’s thigh and hip as he whispered her name over and over again. Oh, how she loved to hear him moan and whisper her name in a unique way she’d never known or heard before. And she was almost not aware she was doing the same thing, in a breathless manner.His kisses trailed down to her chin, jaw, neck and down toward the valley of her breasts. Her body shook with so much anticipation and desire that wanted to give in to him right at this very moment. Her fingers were buried in his silky dark hair and she kissed his earlobe, nibbled it gently. She heard him moan again with pleasure, encouraging her to do more.Harman kissed her on the lips once again and his tongue traced the lines of her lips, tasting her again and again.“Oh, you’re so sweet, Alodia,” he whispered between kisses. Then he gently sucked her lower lip that seemed to drive her crazy.Alodia’s body moved naturally that made him