PROLOGUE
Cebu what a sight to behold, the waves of the sea, the sound of the splashing waters, the smell of the sea that you could almost taste the saltiness of it, the cold wind whistling and touching your skin, the sound of the band playing some acoustic songs, people's chattering and constant laughing like they didn't care about anything but to have fun and savor every moment in this beautiful paradise.
Yes, paradise this island was like a paradise, this was one of the treasured islands of the Philippines, one of the most highest-grossing tourism places. When you looked around here you could see every people of different nationalities from Asians like Chinese, Korean, Japanese, etc.. to the westerns American, British, French, Italian, etc...
I was sitting at the seashore overlooking the beach with a bottle of vodka in hand and with a man or should I say a stranger; okay not really a stranger let just say, acquaintance. I met him at the bar where I'd gone a while ago. We've had some talked and I could say we just clicked on. So we decided to continue our conversation outside; so we ended up here not too loud unlike at the bar where we had to shout for us to hear each other.
This scene I had imagined it a thousand times but never had I imagined it to be with a man I didn't even know the name. Thanks for that bastard my big fat asshole of a boyfriend or should I say EX.
"So Red what are you thinking about?" I was out my reverie when the man beside me asked. Red he called me that since I didn't give my name to a stranger so he just called me red because of my hair color. My hair was a natural black I just dyed the lower half part a red color. Maybe that was the reason why he called me Red and I called him light because of his piercing amber eyes that were almost gold. It was like lighting at the sky that will strike you anytime.
I stole a glanced at him then turned my attention back at the scenery in front of us.
"It's just, I've had never imagined this moment to be like this, you know." When I looked at him I found him looking at me with raised eyebrows. I shrugged and smiled at him.
" But don't get me wrong I really enjoy your company I really do." I took a drink of the vodka in my hand.
"You know there was this film I have watched before, and the hero there says that it is ok to talk to a stranger your problems than to people you already know....wanna know why? "
"Why?" He parroted.
" Because according to him strangers will not going to judge you. At first, I didn't believe him nor understood him. For me, strangers would easily judge you because they don't know you. So they will paint you whatever they like and think of you." I looked at him again and offered the vodka.
"But now I think I kinda understood him." I didn't look away when he took a drink of the vodka and he was also watching me.
"How so?" He says after he drank, and hand me over the bottle of vodka I took it, like what he did took a drink. I played with the bottle shaking it left and right.
" Because with the strangers you don't have to know what they're thinking about you, and if they voiced it out you are a stranger to each other. You either don't mind it or think about it. And there is a high possibility that you won't be able to meet each other again, so you'll just forget about it." I look at him again and found him grinning at me. In return, I copied his action.
"So stranger care to share your problem with this stranger?" He asked while pointing his finger at himself. I laughed at him.
" No judgment!"
"Promise?" I asked him and raised my pinky at his direction he looked at my hand with bewilderment written on his face. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"What? Pinky swear!" I shook my pinky at him. He answered me with his laughter. He had a beautiful deep laugh of course for a 6"2 man what would you expect. His eyes were closed while he laughed. And I got a chance to really looked and study his face. Light was a sight to behold he was like a model of Calvin Klein, Whit his straight pointed nose and when you looked a little closer and put much more attention like what I was doing; you would see a slightly crooked in it, it was like he'd been into several fights. His strong chin and jawline, his straight white teeth like he was a model of toothpaste. His perfectly sculpted thick eyebrows that girls would surely envy. He was a man I have never imagined to had a chance to sat there with and had a good time.
Suddenly he stopped laughing, he looked at me while wiping the tears on his eyes. He coughed to clear his throat.
"What are you five?" He asked while trying not to laugh.
"Five or not you still have to promise you're not going to judge me. Or if you will just keep it to yourself."
"So pinky swear? Come on!" I held my pinky again in his direction. Soon he took it and crossed his. And trust me when I say this, I felt some electricity ran throughout my body when he took my finger. I know it was so cliche but it really did happen. I think he felt it too because we both pulled our linked pinky fingers at the same time.
"Pinky swear," He said then rewarding me with his perfect smile. I answered him with a nod of my head.
" So care to share Red?" He asked.
I drank a lot of vodkas to give me some courage to share with this man. I told him about why am I here in this paradise island alone.
My trip was supposed to be with my ex-boyfriend. This was supposed to be our first ever trip together, we've been together for almost 2 years he courted me for a year and we've been together for 6 freaking months. He was my first boyfriend. During my high school and college days, I suffered from mild acne so I was really not a sight to see during those years, maybe that was why no guys hit on me. Not that I care I was happy being single and also those guys that I had a chance to interact with always thought that I was a lesbian. Well, I could say I am one of the boys and even up until now.
I met my ex of an asshole boyfriend when my family moved to the subdivision and he lived just next door. Small talk blah blah then exchanged of numbers months of talking through phone, social media, and in-person turns to the court that lasted a year. Then we end up here broken.
Two weeks before our tour his ex-girlfriend went to the office where I was working. That where she dropped the bomb. she told me that she was eight weeks pregnant and my bastard of a boyfriend was the father. She said that they met at their common friend's birthday party almost 3 months ago. She explained when they were both intoxicated he opened up to her. He confided to her that he was sad and confused about our relationship because I refused to move it up to second based meaning to be sexually intimate. So as a good friend that she was she consoled him. The friendly hug and soft consoling words turned into kissed and kissed turned into more intimate action that ended up to his infidelity.
She explained that her family wanted the father to face his responsibility and be the father to the child and be his husband. So what could I do? I didn't want an innocent child to live without a father, I knew how does it feel. No child shall suffer because of one mistake.
That night I ended up things between us. I told him he should be a man and faced the consequences of his action and be a good father and man to them. I also wished them to have a good and happy life together.
But that asshole instead of apologizing to me, he had a nerve to blamed me for his action. The nerve of him! He told me if I just agreed and proved to him that I love him, he wouldn't seek other woman's warmth.
"You know what your boyfriend—" The man beside me said.
"Ex." I corrected him.
"What?" He asked.
"Ex he is not my boyfriend anymore, and I know he's an A-plus douchebag and asshole." He'd just laughed at me.
"Ask me what I did to him, come on?" I instructed.
"Okay, what did you do to him?" He asked smirking.
"I punched him on his face and told him that he was a piece of trash that I am happy I got rid of him and I am better of without him. God! I tell you that was the first time I have punched a person and that felt so good, I busted his nose you know, but I also ended up having a fractured knuckle but it was worth it. The looked on his face when I did it was so worth it. If I have given a chance to do it again I will do it all over again." When I looked at Light again he was already staring at me with a smirk on his lips and something in his eyes that I didn't quite fathom. We just looked at each other for the longest time. Then I looked away.
" Your amazing you know that. I think he truly well deserved it. It was his loss to let go of such amazing feisty woman like you, Red." He brushed the hair that fell from my face and tucked it behind my ear. His finger touched my ear and just like earlier I felt the electricity again that made goosebumps all over my skin that made me slightly shivered. From my peripheral vision, I saw him smirked at my reaction.
"Thank you," I told him and moved a little away from him to create a distance between us. Because I didn't trust myself with this man. Never have I encountered a man who had this power over me and that was dangerous. I took a gulp again of the vodka to calm my nerves, I cleared my throat.
" You know what I hate the most about him?" I asked but didn't wait for his answer and continued. "Is that he can't just be a man enough to accept and face the consequences of his actions and have guts to apologize to people who he'd hurt because of that action. Instead of pointing his fingers and blaming everyone but himself."
"Why you men can't just keep it to yourself? Can't you just use your hands to ease the itchiness you're feeling down there? Why you have to seek other women's touched? Why you have to cheat and hurt your partners? You always say "you're just the one no woman can replace you blah blah blah". But when temptation calls you just eat your words or just locked it up in the tower and throw away the key. Does the love and care of your partners was not enough to ease that pain and fought that temptation?" After my outburst, I sighed and looked at the stars above us.
What were you thinking Sal are you crazy? Saying those horrid things to this man. I faced palm myself in my head.
But what can I do already told him a lot so why not further embarrassed myself and besides its not like we will meet again?
I didn't even have to look at him to see that his piercing amber eyes were on me. I could feel it like how the sun rays touch my skin making it warm.
"You know I am a believer of everything happens for a reason. And I am thankful that it happened because at least I had a chance to see what a man he truly is." I said after a pregnant moment but still didn't dare to face him.
"I am happy too... because if that never happened and you're still together we won't be able to have this time together... You are right everything happens for a reason maybe this is God's will or faith or maybe a destiny, for us to find each other here in this paradise."
Having this moment with this man was it really a God's will? Faith? or Destiny? Or we were just two bored people tired of the City Life and just looking for solace in this paradise.
When I turned my head in his direction, he was already looking at me. My heart beats faster and I couldn't look away, his piercing eyes held me captive. Slowly he moved closer to me invading my personal spaced and we were so closed that his nose touches mine and his musty mint smells invading my nostrils and my senses, if I move a little closer our lips would be sealed together.
Still holding my eyes, without warning he touched my left cheeks, and his right-hand caresses my right arm oh so gently, resulting for me to gasped a little because whenever he'd touched me I'd always felt those stupid electric shock. I saw his mouth quirked a little, he moved his hand and settled on my collar bone and caresses my bump mole. His hand was warm and full of calloused. Everything about this man so manly and strong. Suddenly out of nowhere, I heard a growled like sound.
"Don't do that." He whispered at me; his voice was breathless, he sounded like he was in pain and was controlling himself at the same time. I looked at him with bewilderment. I didn't know what he was talking about with his captivating eyes, he's closedness and his touched it all was making my mind in total chaos.
"This." He released my lower lip from my teeth, I didn't even realize I was biting. when I tried to wet it with my tongue I accidentally touched his thumb that I haven't noticed was still touching my lip. He growled again and without another warning, he crashed his lips on mine.
