#DS6Unwavering #CirCoal #SharkFamily #DaggerSeries

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: SLOW

CIRCE'S POV

It was the feeling of being cold that woke me up. It's like I've already gotten so used to feeling Coal's heat near me that the absence of it rouses me from sleep.

Inilibot ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. Madilim na ang kuwarto maliban sa malamlam na liwanag na nagmumula sa lamp na nakapatong sa bedside table. Where is he? There's no sign of him anywhere.

Tumayo ako at hindi na ako nag-abalang kunin ang roba ko. I'm fully clothed, unlike the other times I woke up beside Coal. Apart from the time we were at the farm house, I rarely had the chance to sleep with clothes on. There's no sense to it when it will be lying uselessly on the floor later on.

I searched for the baby monitor, but when I couldn't find it, I went out of the room. Sandaling sinilip ko muna si Kaise at nang makita ko na mahimbing ang tulog niya ay muli kong sinarado iyon.

Dinala ako ng mga paa ko sa sala. Wala rin doon si Coal pero tanaw ko siya mula sa salamin na haligi ng bahay. He's sitting on the outdoor sofa in front of the huge infinity pool.

Tahimik na naglakad ako palapit sa nakabukas na pintuan para puntahan siya. As if he could feel my presence, he looked up before I could even reach him.

Gumuhit ang maliit na ngiti sa mga labi niya at inangat niya ang kamay para abutin ako. He gently pulled me close to him and made me sit on his lap.

He reached for a lock of my hair and played with it. "Why are you still awake? It's late," he murmured.

"You were gone." His eyes flashed at that but he didn't say more. "Ikaw? Bakit hindi ka pa natutulog?"

"I slept a bit. I heard Kaise from the baby monitor so I went to her to check on her. Alam kong hindi na ako makakabalik agad sa pagtulog kaya lumabas muna ako."

Isinuklay ko ang mga daliri ko sa buhok niya. "Is that the only reason?"

"What else could it be?"

I tipped my chin in the direction of the coffee table. A lowball glass is sitting on top of it with some kind of liquor. "You look like a man from the 70s drinking whiskey while in deep thought."

Umangat ang sulok ng mga labi niya. "That one's scotch."

Inabot ko ang kopita at inisang tungga ko ang natitirang laman no'n. Gumuhit ang init no'n sa lalamunan ko. "Nice." Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay nang marinig ko ang mahinang pagtawa niya. "What?"

"Nothing." He studied my face as if he were memorizing it. "It's just that everything you do is captivating, Circe Isle. Even the smallest things."

A warm feeling hugged my entirety, but I put it aside, not knowing what to do with it. I wrinkled my nose at him, which made him chuckle again. His hand went to the back of my hand, and he guided me down so that he could kiss my lips.

It was just a touch of the lips, or it was what he was only planning to give me. But when I opened my mouth and teased his lower lip, a groan emitted from him, and he deepened the kiss.

I felt him harden, and despite the rising need to have him again, I pulled away from the kiss. "Nope."

Isinubsob niya ang mukha niya sa leeg ko. "Why not?"

"Because I'm still on my period and I'm not going to have messy, dirty sex with you again. Once is—" Enlightening. I browsed the web about it, and people said that sex is more intense during a woman's period. Which explained why. "—enough."

Nangingiting dinampian niya ng halik ang tuktok ng ilong ko. "You're such a liar."

I gasped. "I'm not!"

"Maybe not now," he said, clearly still talking about "that" thing. "But someday."

"Coal!" I hissed. "You're such a kinky hornball!"

He threw his head back and laughed. For a moment, I couldn't stop looking at him. He really looks like an art. He's too beautiful to look at, but you can't help but do it because it seems like an experience you shouldn't be missing.

"Hornball, sure," he agreed. "Kinky? I don't think so."

"Yes you are."

"Have you met my brother Domino?" I just rolled my eyes as an answer to his question. "Let's just say that his nickname "Dom" is not far from the truth."

It took me awhile to process what he said, and when I did, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped to the floor. Are we talking about the same Domino? The adorable fan boy?

Ipinilig ko ang ulo ko at pagkatapos ay humalukipkip ako. "You're really good at that, you know?"

"Being a hornball?" he teased.

"That and distracting me." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Are you going to tell me or are you going to tell me?"

"May choice ba ako?" natatawang tanong niya. Nang hindi nagbago ang ekspresyon sa mukha ko ay nangingiting niyakap niya ako. "I'm okay, Circe."

"Then why are you here sulking?" Inipit ko ang mukha niya sa mga kamay ko para hindi niya magawang makapag-iwas ng tingin sa akin. "Is the thing with Eleazar still bothering you?"

"No, baby."

He looks like he's telling the truth. Kung gaano siya kabilis magselos at magtampo ay gano'n din siya kabilis maging okay. He's really like the male version of me. "Is there something I still don't know? May kailangan ba akong ipag-alala tungkol sa nangyayari sa akin?"

"No." As if seeing the worry in my eyes, he reached for one of my hands that was still holding his cheeks imprisoned, and he kissed my palm. "I am worried. Hindi dahil may hindi pa kami sinasabi sa'yo. I'm just worried because I can't help it."

"Why?"

He hesitated for a moment, but I know that he knows that there's no way I'm going to let him go without him telling me. "You and Kaise lived on that island for years. You were okay and happy, but then I came into your lives, and then this started happening."

"You know that's a silly thought, right?"

"Circe—"

"This is no one's fault. Not mine and definitely not yours. Hindi nga natin alam kung dapat bang may ipag-alala. Maybe it's just some kind of a prank."

Dumilim ang mukha niya. "We're not going to risk it, even if it is."

"I understand that. I'm just saying that it's not anyone's fault." Sinalubong ko ang mga mata niya at hindi ko pinakawalan iyon. "I don't know what we are. I don't know if we're just two people who have a child together and are brimming with chemistry."

"Circe—"

I cut off his words again, and I continued. "We don't know much about each other. We haven't talked about us, and honestly, I don't know if we should. I thought at first it was the right thing to do. We have a child, and we can't mess this up. But for now, I like the way that everything is easy and uncomplicated." I gave him a small smile, and his eyes followed the movement of my lips. "What I do know is that I don't regret that you came into our lives. That Kaise and I have you now."

He stayed quiet for a minute, as if he were processing every word that I uttered. His gaze remained locked on me. "You know me more than anyone did."

"I don't believe that."

"You met my family, and no one ever did. Not in the way that you know them now."

That was surprising to me, but I didn't say anything. I just looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't introduce them to my family. Not unless they happen to see us in public. I don't see why I need to. It's not like they're going to stay in my life."

"I'm the mother of your child. I'm a permanent fixture in your life, whether you like it or not."

Umiling siya. "Alam kong alam mo na hindi lang iyon ang dahilan." Masuyong hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko. "I told you before, right? You were always in my mind."

"You didn't try to find me," I said it more as a statement than a question. There's not a hint of hurt in my tone. The thought bothered me for maybe five seconds when we met again after that first night, but after that, it wasn't something I want to hold against him.

I only tried to look for him because of Kaise. It wasn't because I was hung up on him, though I admit that he has never left my mind since the first time we met. He had no obligation to look for me when I was the one who left and made it clear to him that all I wanted was a one night stand.

"I didn't. I wanted to respect what you wanted. There was never a reason for you to stay with me. I thought that maybe for you, what happened between us is something that you would rather put at the back of your life so you could move forward."

"And?" I prodded. "There's more, isn't it?"

A smile colored his lips. But this one I don't think I like. Marami siyang klase ng ngiti. Kapag masaya siya, nagbibiro, nanunukso, o kapag iyong alam kong may binabalak siyang gawin o sabihin na makakayanig ng buong sistema ko. This one seems... sad.

"How could you say that we don't know each other when you already know the right questions to ask? When you can read me more than anyone can?" His thumb touched my lips when I tried to speak. "I was a coward. I was afraid of the possibility that even if I looked for you, you wouldn't want to stay. Mas madali na umalis ka kasi hindi naman tayo magkakilala kesa iyong nakilala mo na 'ko pero pinili mo pa rin akong iwan."

He held my eyes, and something tells me that he knew that I knew. That I could see it in him. The truth that he seems to have never voiced out.

"Who is she, Coal?" I whispered.

"Someone that I needed too much and chose to abandon me."

What he said resonated with me. We were more alike than I already thought we were. Ang mga sinabi niya, ang mga salitang binatawan niya, ay halos kaparehas ng mga bagay na nakakulong sa loob ko.

If there's one thing I wanted in life, it was to have someone who didn't want to lose me. Dahil buong buhay ko ay parang iyon lang ang meron ako. Mga taong kaya akong iwan. Pinili akong iwan.

I was the one who left my home, but they abandoned me a long time ago. I knew my real mother, and I grew to love the person she was, but she also left me. And... Eleazar. The only reason why, despite leaving home, I keep coming back. Kasi akala ko kakampi ko siya. He might not have left me, and he might have wanted to continue the relationship, but what we were—what I thought we were—it felt like I was abandoned once again. Nawala sa akin iyong akala kong meron kami dahil pinili niyang saktan ako.

So even though I wanted to ask him more, and have more questions answered, I didn't. Instead, I lean down and touch my lips to his.

I don't want to force him. Dahil naiintindihan ko siya. Katulad niya kailangan ko rin ng panahon. Hindi dahil may nararamdaman pa ako sa taong nasa nakaraan ko. The feelings I have for Eleazar have been long gone, but the scars are still healing, and it's clear to me that Coal's own marks are the same too.

I said to him softly the words he used to me that night. This time, I used it, but for a different reason. "Slow, baby." I wrapped my arms around him, my fingers tangled in his hair. "We can take it slow."

Mahigpit na niyakap niya ako na para bang ayaw niya na akong pakawalan pa. "I like slow."

"We both do."

I THREW my head back, and I shook my dripping hair. I could hear splashing nearby, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched Lucienne swim to the edge of the infinity pool where I was. Akala ko talaga para sa bata ang dala niya na unicorn na salbabida.

"Parang gusto ko na ring magkaroon ng beach house." Tumingin siya sa magandang tanawin na nasa harapan namin. The sun is setting, and the colors in the sky, blending from light to dark, are reflecting beautifully on the ocean's surface. "Pero dahil meron naman si Coal, pupunta na lang kami. Mahal na ang bilihin ngayon. Kailangan ding magtipid-tipid."

Natawa na lang ako sa sinabi niya. Alam ko naman kasing kaya niyang bumili kahit ilan pang beach house ang gustuhin niya.

Ember, who was near us, heard her, and she laughed as well. She's currently straddling a floater that looks like a dog. Hindi pabilog iyon kundi pahaba. "Maniniwala sana ako kung hindi ko lang alam na gusto ng i-uninstall ni Thorn ang Shopee, Lazada, at Tiktok shop mo. Amazon na nga lang daw ang gusto niyang itira kasi alam niyang hindi ka bibili ro'n."

Ngumuso si Lucienne. "Ang mahal ng tax at saka ang bagal dumating."

The women visited today with Domino and Trace. Na-move kasi next week ang dinner dapat sa bahay nila Lia dahil may biglaang commitment siya sa araw na iyon. Mukha ring hindi makokompleto this week ang lahat dahil abala ang magkakapatid sa trabaho.

Hindi kasama ang mga bata at babalik din naman sila ng Tagaytay pagkatapos ng dinner. Saka iyong iba ay may pasok at ang iba naman ay hiniram ng pamilya ni Belaya.

It's something that appears to be normal to them. Madalas daw kasi talaga na dumadalaw ang mga bata sa pamilya ni Belaya na gusto naman silang pasyalan sila talaga. The actress has a big family, and according to Coal, the property that Belaya's family owns is one of the safest places in the country.

"I agree with you though," sabi ni Ember pagkaraan. "Ang gandang magkaroon ng ganitong property. Hindi ko nga lang kayang mapalayo ng matagal sa mga alaga ko."

"You want a beach house, Ember?" Mirea asked, who was swimming towards us with her own floatie. Bunny naman ang sa kaniya. "Don't let Trace hear that. Baka bukas kapitbahay niyo na sila Coal."

Napapalatak si Lucienne. "Kawawa naman sila Circe kapag nagkataon. Mawawalan sila ng katahimikan sa chihuahua na 'yon."

"Sila Ember kamo ang kawawa," singit ni Belaya na nakayakap sa leeg ng cat swimming floater niya. "Sa ugali ni Trace na basta na lang sumusulpot sa may bahay nang may bahay, just imagined what he would accidentally witness if he came over here."

Namula ang mukha ko nang nanunudyong mapatingin sa akin ang lahat.

Lia, astride on a floatie with a dragon head, told them. "Give her a break, girls. They're on that phase."

Gusto kong matawa sa itsura nila. Sari-saring desenyo kasi ng floatie ang kanina ay binombahan ng magkakapatid na Dawson. Dala ang mga iyon ni Lucienne para sa lahat. Meron din siyang dala para sa akin na may desenyo na shark. I wonder what Luna's floatie would be if she was here.

Coal's currently using mine at the other end of the pool, near where the other two men are busy grilling our dinner. Nakaupo ang lalaki sa floater habang sa ibabaw niya ay nakaupo si Kaise na naglalaro ng tubig.

"Hindi ko alam kung anong phase 'yan. Wholesome kami ni Thorn," nakangising sabi ni Lucienne.

"Kami rin ni Pierce noon." Belaya shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "Kahit gusto ko na ngang bawasan ang pagiging wholesome niya. Puro harot lang 'yon eh."

Ember shrugged. "Trace was the same."

"Nagreklamo pa kayo. Paano na lang ang Bun bun ko?" Mireia sighed as if reminiscing. "Ang tindi manlandi ng isang 'yon pero kapag hinarot ko naman pakiramdam ko binabawasan ako ng point sa langit. His blushing face was so adorable back then."

"Ngayon hindi na?" tanong ni Lia.

"Super adorable na siya ngayon."

The women groan as if they couldn't stand the way a clear, love-drunk expression glazes over Mireia's expression. Kahit ilang taon na rin silang kasal ni Axel ay mukhang hindi na sila aalis ng honeymoon phase nila.

"Sure ako hindi maka-relate si Lia." Lucienne throw the woman a teasing smile. "Parehas sila Circe ng phase na pinagdaanan nila ni Gun noon eh. Iyong phase na walang patak ng pagiging wholesome."

Lia just shook her head, but there's a smile playing on her lips.

The dragon couple. I read their story and I finished it... and let's just say that there's really a sleeping dragon inside Gunter that only comes out for his wife.

"Kamusta naman pala kayo ni Coal?" tanong ni Mireia sa akin. I felt my cheeks flush. Napakurap ang babae na sandaling pinroseso ang naging reaksyon ko bago siya malakas na napatawa. "Not the swimming and diving lesson part."

I learned about the Dawson's sexminology and apparently, Coal and I now have one too. Or to be exact, we have two.

Tumikhim ako. "We're okay." Nang manatili silang nakatingin sa akin at naghihintay ay napakamot ako sa pisngi ko. "We're happy. He's a great dad to our daughter, and he's learning quickly. Minsan nga hindi niya na ako ginigising sa gabi kapag nagigising si Kaise."

"And to you?" Belaya asked. "Has he been great to you?"

Nagtaka ako sa naging tanong niya pero tumango ako.

She gave me a gentle smile. "I asked not because I have doubts that he would be. It's just that we know what it's like to be with a Dawson and how the early days are the most confusing part."

"One moment, you're still questioning what you are to each other," Mireia shared. "You're not even going out for official dates yet."

"No labels," Lucienne added. "But he will give words that hold so much more than the frail stamp of society's standard of a relationship."

Ember nodded. "He will make himself yours without you asking."

"Then the next moment, before you even know it, you'll realize that you are his too," Lia voiced softly. "That you don't want to be anyone else's but his."

The expression on their faces tells me that they are all thinking about their husbands. It was confirmed when Ember looked at Trace. Only a blind person won't be able to see what the look she has is saying.

Hindi napigilan ang sarili na tumingin din ako sa kinaroroonan ni Coal. He's holding a giggling Kaise up, who's acting as if she's swimming in the air.

As if feeling my stare, his gaze went to me. He smiled in my direction, and he mouthed, "Having fun?" to me. When I nodded, his lips moved, forming the word "good.".

"Sa umpisa pakiramdam mo mabagal ang lahat. Magugulat ka na lang isang araw may bahay ka na at ten ten tenen, ten ten—"

Napabaling ako kay Lucienne na hindi ko masyadong naintindihan ang sinabi dahil nakapokus pa rin ako kay Coal. Iyon nga lang sa pagtataka ko ay nakatakip sa bibig niya ang kamay ni Belaya na nginitian lang ako.

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could do so, from the opposite side of the pool, we heard Trace's voice call out, "Dinner is ready from pinakagwapong si Tracey!"

________________________________________End of Chapter 17.