I was usually an early bird, but I stayed up all night transcribing so I initially planned to sleep in late. However, someone just had to ruin my sleep and barge into my home so early in the morning.

"Sir Lars," I was probably dead in the eyes when I opened the door for him. "Do you know what time it is? The sun's not even up yet."

My boss covered his eyes dramatically. "You don't get it, Moya. Have you forgotten already? We need to start preparing beforehand!"

I rubbed my eyes. "Prepare for what?"

"For the Christmas party."

"Mamaya pang gabi 'yon!" mangiyak-ngiyak kong sambit at tsaka nagmartsa pabalik sa loob ng unit ko. "Grabe naman, alas-sais pa lang ng umaga, maghahanda ka na? Daig mo pa pupunta sa prom!"

As soon as he closed the front door, Sir Lars shamelessy followed me to my room and even sat on the side of my bed. This guy...

"Listen, bitch. Do you even know what to expect in a party?"

I hid myself under the sheets. "Food, of course."

"Boys," he corrected me. "And lots of boys since other departments will be joining us in the party as well. Do you know what that means? This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to get a guy!"

Inis naman akong napabangon at napaharap sa kanya. "What do you mean 'once in a lifetime'? That's so rude! Para mo na ring sinabi na walang papatol sa akin sa buong buhay ko!"

"That's your issue?" he asked with a blank face.

"Besides," I pulled my hair in frustration. "As if anyone would be interested in a midget like me... I don't want to get my hopes up."

He shook his head in disapproval. "That's no good. Your goal today is to exchange numbers with someone. Kahit sino basta may tite."

My eyes widened in horror. "Sir Lars!"

He gave me an intimidating look. "Get up, bitch. Huwag mo nang hintayin na kaladkarin kita at ako mismo ang magpaligo sayo."

Labag man sa aking kalooban, bumangon na ako at nakasimangot na nagtungo sa banyo. It's so annoying how he orders me around and I can't do anything about it. What an inconsiderate boss.

"Isn't this considered abuse of power?" puno ng hinanakit kong sabi habang nagpapahid ng shampoo sa ulo ko.

"I can hear you!" Sir Lars shouted from the living room.

I sniffed. "I feel so oppressed."

Binilisan ko na lang din ang pagligo dahil nilalamig na ako. Paglabas ko ng banyo, nadatnan ko si Sir Lars sa kwarto ko at napasigaw ako nang makita lahat ng damit ko na nakakalat.

"Aria, your clothes..." Binigyan ako ni Sir Lars ng tingin na para bang naaawa siya sa akin. "Really, I have no words. They're so lame."

My cheeks reddened. "Pasensya na kung baduy ako."

"Whatever. Not like I expected anything. I guess we'll have to make a trip to the boutique." My boss seemed like he was lost in deep thoughts. "Anyway, done prepping? Let's have breakfast first."

This time, Sir Lars asked me to drive because he was busy thinking and he wanted to concentrate. Although it's technically my job to drive him around, that reason kinda annoys me.

Nagkasundo kaming kumain ng almusal sa pinakamalapit na fast food chain sa apartment ko. Habang nakapila kami, nakailang hikab na ako dahil antok na antok pa talaga ako.

"Eat as much as you can, Aria. We're going to skip lunch."

I panicked. "Huh? Bakit?!"

"Don't you know that ritual? If you have an important event to attend to, you need to skip at least one meal of the day." Sir Lars explained. "Para hindi mukhang malaki ang tiyan mo mamaya."

"What kind of ritual is that? You made that up just now, didn't you?" I questioned him with a poker face.

He gave me a sweet smile. "Shut up. I'm the boss here."

"Abuse of power!" I whispered grudgingly then clenched my fists.

Katulad ng sinabi niya, marami akong in-order dahil paniguradong magugutom ako mamaya. Contrary to mine, Sir Lars only bought a cup of coffee for himself. Does he really want to starve to death?

"Hindi ka ba kakain, Sir? Baka magutom ka mamaya."

"I appreciate your concern, but don't mind me." maarte niyang sagot bago humigop sa kanyang kape. "I don't want my cheeks to swell. My beautiful face should be in the best shape for tonight."

Gosh, he's so vain. Bahala siya diyan, basta ako kakain.

I relished my breakfast while Sir Lars was busy fiddling his phone. In the middle of meal, I suddenly felt bad because I realized that I'm the only one eating when he literally paid for everything.

Akmang maglalabas ako ng pitaka nang magsalita siya.

"Sorry, but I'm not gonna accept your money." He waved his hand dismissively. "What I want as payment is for you to accompany me."

"As your secretary, it's my job to accompany you every where."

"Hmm. Then let me rephrase it." Sir Lars rested his chin on the back of his hand. "Today, I want you to be with me as a friend."

I blinked twice. "I don't understand, Sir."

"Making a beauty trip to the salon, picking what clothes to wear, and preparing together for tonight's party... I want to do them with you, so don't refuse me." A wide smile formed on his face.

How can I possibly refuse him when he's smiling at me like that?

I lowered my gaze to hide my embarrassment. "Okay,"

Shortly, we left the fast food chain then headed to the salon where Sir Lars was a regular. According to him, the beautician there was an acquaintance and she's the only one he trusts with his hair.

"Don't look so nervous." natatawang sabi ni Sir Lars pagbaba namin ng sasakyan. Nauna siyang maglakad papasok sa salon at nanatili naman akong nakasunod sa likuran niya. Wow, aircon...

"Lars! It's so good to see you again." Isang morenang babae ang sumalubong sa amin. "Kumusta na ang alaga ko? Patingin nga!"

Akala ko kung anong alaga ang sinasabi niya, buhok pala ang tinutukoy niya. Sinuklay niya ang buhok ni Sir Lars gamit ng mga daliri niya. My boss didn't seem to mind, which is rare because he usually doesn't like it when people touch even a strand of his hair.

"Nice, nice. Medyo dry lang... But all in all, it's in good condition." The woman commented with a nod of approval.

Looking at her closely, she was actually an attractive woman. Itim na itim ang buhok niyang abot-balikat, maliit ang ilong niya, at bilugan ang kanyang mga mata. Simple lang iyong ganda niya, pinay na pinay.

I flinched when she suddenly shifted her gaze to me.

"Uhm," I cleared my throat. "Hello. My name is Aria."

My eyes widened in panic when she eyed me with a slight hint of distaste. I subconsciously hid behind Sir Lars when the stranger tried to take a closer look on me. She wants to examine my curls!

"Who's this chick with such an unruly hair, Lars?"

"This is my personal secretary, Aria." He introduced me with a hearty chuckle. "Don't scare her. She's excessively self-conscious."

"Really? Sorry for startling you, sweetheart." Her eyes were round and full of wonder. "I'm Sheila. Can I touch your hair?"

Sir Lars gave me a reassuring smile then gestured me to come forward. Pakiramdam ko siya 'yong nanay ko na pinilit ako pumunta sa salon dahil may pageant kami sa kindergarten.

Bagama't nahihiya, lumapit na ako kay Shiela. Nanatili lang akong nakayuko habang hinihimay niya ang buhok ko. Nakakahiya...

"Can you do it?" Sir Lars asked with sheer politeness.

"Of course! It's not that bad, you know." sagot ni Shiela habang patuloy na sinusuklay ang buhok ko. "Normally, I'd recommend a rebond, but we don't have much time so let's settle with a relax."

Ako ang unang inasikaso ni Shiela. May mga pinahid siya sa buhok ko na hindi ako pamilyar. Sa totoo lang, pumupunta lang naman ako sa salon kapag mahaba na ang buhok ko at gusto ko nang paiklian. Siguro isang beses sa isang taon lang iyon.

Sa sobrang antok ko, hindi ko na namalayan na nakatulog na pala ako habang abala sila sa pag-aayos ng buhok ko. Naalimpungatan lamang ako nang marinig ko si Sheila na kausap si Sir Lars na noo'y katabi ko na at mukhang inaayusan na rin ng buhok.

"Are you seeing anyone right now?" she casually inquired.

"Yup." tipid na sagot ni Sir Lars.

"Aww, that's too bad. My heart skipped a beat when I saw you entering the salon, you know." Sheila jokingly remarked while combing his hair. "I was wondering if we could try dating again."

Huh? Did I hear it right?

"Nah. It's impossible." Sir Lars answered with a cheeky grin. "We both know that we're not each other's type. Not happening."

She burst into laughter. "That's true!"

Uwah. I think I might've heard something really important!

Nagpaalam si Sheila na may kukunin lang siya sa stockroom kaya naiwan akong katabi si Sir Lars. Binuksan ko nang konti ang isa kong mata upang silipin siya. Mukhang hindi pa naman niya napapansin na gising na ako. Kunwari na lang wala akong narinig!

"How long are you gonna pretend to be asleep?"

"That's-!" I instantly opened my eyes. "I didn't hear anything!"

He grinned. "Really, huh?"

None of us dared to speak about that until we left the salon. It didn't seem like Sir Lars was awkward or anything, but I had the feeling that he didn't want to talk about it so I didn't pry further.

My boss told me that we're off to his sister's house next, so he volunteered to drive this time. I was totally preoccupied with random thoughts that I didn't notice how different I looked like.

"Ah! Wha- Is that me?!" I pointed my face on the side mirror.

"Ngayon mo lang napansin?" natatawang tanong ni Sir Lars.

My lips parted in amazement. "My hair... It's gotten straight!"

"Hmm." He gave me a gentle smile. "You look good, Aria."

Instead of saying thank you like a normal person, I stiffened on my seat. Beads of sweat started to form on the side of my forehead.

"Pfft. You look constipated every time I compliment you."

Binigyan ko na lang si Sir Lars ng isang hilaw na ngiti.

Napag-alaman kong sa isang condo pala nakatira ang kapatid niya. Medyo kabado pa ako habang paakyat kami pero sinabihan ako ni Sir Lars na 'wag masyadong kabahan dahil mabait naman daw ito.

"I have two sisters, actually." aniya habang nasa loob kami ng elevator. "The one who lives here is the youngest, Suna."

What an odd name.

"Are you the eldest, Sir?" tanong ko kay Sir Lars.

Napaisip naman siya. Teka, bakit pa siya nag-iisip?!

"Well, I guess so. Lamang ako ng ilang oras sa sumunod sa akin."

Hindi ko agad naintindihan ang sinabi niya. Bumukas na ang elevator at mabilis kong sinundan si Sir Lars nang mauna siyang lumabas sa akin. Habang kinakatok namin ang unit ng kapatid niya, doon ko lamang napagtanto ang ibig niyang sabihin.

"A twin!" I exclaimed. This is the first time I'm hearing about it!

"Yes." A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "Her name is Lucy."

Sakto namang bumukas ang pinto ng unit at halos lumuwa ang mga mata ko nang tignan ko ang babaeng sumalubong sa amin. Literal na napanganga lamang ako at hindi nakapagsalita.

"Oh," She muttered nonchalantly. "What a coincidence."

I exchanged glances between the woman and my boss. My eyes couldn't believe how identical they looked alike. I mean, it's not like they look 100% like each other, but the resemblance is uncanny! She's literally the girl version of Sir Lars! The only difference is that she looks sharper and colder than him.

Sir Lars ran an eye over her. "Did you gain weight, Lucy?"

"That's the first thing you tell me, you moron?" A vein popped on the side of her forehead. "I'm not here for you. Haru made too much baked sushi, so I came here to share it with Suna."

Sir Lars pouted. "How come you always share everything with Suna but not with me? I feel so hurt. Kapatid mo rin kaya ako!"

"Ha? Don't give me that crap. Who cares about you?" Miss Lucy was just about to shove him aside when she finally noticed me. Gee.

Nagsukatan kaming dalawa ng tingin.

"Hi." She lifelessly greeted after a moment of silence.

I gathered all my courage to offer my hand to her. "Hello, Miss Lucy. My name is Aria, and I'm currently the personal secretary of your brother. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Ah, the pleasure is mine." labas sa ilong niyang sabi at nilagpasan na kami ni Sir Lars. Well, she does seem like the anti-social type.

Akala ko aalis na siya pero muli niya kaming nilingon at pinakita ang singsing na suot niya. "By the way, it's Mrs. Lucy. See you around."

I was rendered speechless. That was so...

"Why do you look so starstruck?" nandidiring tanong ni Sir Lars.

"She was so cool!" I exclaimed with admiration.

"Nah. She was just bragging her marriage." bitter niyang sagot.

Pumasok na siya sa loob ng unit at sinenyasan naman niya akong sumunod sa kanya. Maingat akong naglakad papasok at nanatili lang ako sa likuran ni Sir Lars. Doon na kami sinalubong ng isa pang babae na sa tingin ko'y bunso nila. She must be Suna.

"Kuya," malambing niyang tawag at niyakap si Sir Lars.

"Suna," Hinimas niya ang ulo nito. "Si Aera?"

"Tulog." tipid na sagot ng babae at tumingin sa akin.

I couldn't help but admira how pretty she is. Maputi siya, maliit ang mukha niya, at malamlam ang mga mata niya.  She looks like a gentler and younger version of the twin sister earlier.

"Hello. Are you the new secretary?" she politely asked.

"Yes!" I courteously bowed to her. "My name is Aria."

"I see. That takes me back." She gave me a small smile. "I used to be his personal assistant, too. Tinitisod ka rin ba niya lagi?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't ask her weird questions." singit ni Sir Lars. "Anyway, I'm borrowing your clothes for her. May party kami mamaya!"

"Go ahead." tipid na sabi ni Suna at kumaway sa akin.

Hinila na ako ni Sir Lars papasok sa isang kwarto. Hindi ko naman naiwasang mahiya nang mapagtanto ko kung bakit kami pumunta rito. Hihiram pala kami ng damit para sa akin! Nakakahiya naman.

"Is it alright for me to borrow her clothes, Sir?"

"Yup. No need to feel shy. Wala namang konsepto ng hiya si Suna."

Tinabihan ko si Sir Lars habang abala siya sa pagkalkal ng mga damit sa cabinet ng kapatid niya. "Your sisters are so beautiful."

"Of course!" He proudly said in agreement. "It runs in the blood."

Hinayaan ko na lang si Sir Lars na pumili ng susuotin ko. Marami siyang pinasukat sa akin na damit at natuwa naman ako dahil sakto lang talaga sa katawan ko ang mga ito. Medyo payat din kasi ang kapatid niya at mas matangkad lang sa akin si Suna ng konti.

In the end, he chose a white ruffled long-sleeves for my top and a knee-length skirt of black and white stripes. Upon trying it out for the last time, Sir Lars looked satisfied with the outfit.

"Okay, it's time to move out. Lipat na tayo sa unit mo, Aria." aniya at tumingin sa kanyang relo. Nagmamadali siyang lumabas ng kwarto at taranta naman akong napasunod sa kanya. "Alis na kami, Suna!"

"Thank you for having me!" paalam ko bago habulin si Sir Lars palabas. Walang imik naman na kumaway si Suna sa akin.

When I checked the time on my phone, it was already past four in the afternoon. Kaya siguro nagmamadali si Sir Lars dahil alas-sais ang umpisa ng Christmas party at mag-aayos pa kami.

"Do you have a spare towel at home?" tanong niya habang nagmamaneho. Mabuti na lang hindi gaanong traffic ngayon.

"Meron." maikli kong sagot kay Sir Lars.

"Sige, pahiram. Doon na lang din ako maliligo."

I blushed when his showering figure flashed on my mind.

Napatingin siya sa akin. "Bakit ka namumula?"

"Nothing." I shook my head frantically.

"Did you just imagine me naked in your mind, Aria?"

"I didn't... That's not-!" I stammered.

He chuckled. "God, you're such a bad liar."

Nang makarating kami sa apartment ko, hindi na nag-aksaya ng oras si Sir Lars at nauna na siyang maligo. Habang hinihintay ko naman siyang matapos, hinanda ko na ang mga susuotin ko.

"Your turn, Aria." I inhaled sharply when Sir Lars came out of the bathroom topless, the towel hanging from his shoulder. Eyes on his face! It's not like you've never seen him naked before!

"Okay. Bibilisan ko lang." naiilang kong sabi at umiwas ng tingin.

"Don't wash your hair. Relax lang 'yan, baka kumulot ulit kapag binasa mo na agad." paalala ni Sir Lars. "Cute bra, by the way."

Halos himatayin ako sa hiya at kumaripas ako ng takbo papasok sa banyo. Nadatnan ko roon ang mga underwear ko na nakasampay. Oh, gosh. How could I forget that I left these in the bathroom?!

Anyway, I tried to my best to make it fast and I only took ten minutes to finish. Nang makalabas ako sa banyo, bumungad sa akin si Sir Lars na nakaupo sa harap ng salamin. He still had no shirt on and he was in the middle of putting makeup.

"Uhm," Tumingala ako sa kisame. "Why are you still topless?"

"Ayoko munang magdamit dahil pagpapawisan ako." katwiran niya at nilingon ako. "Anyway, what do you think of my look?"

Bagama't nahihiya, lumapit ako kay Sir Lars at huminto sa kinauupuan niya. Tinitigan kong maigi ang kanyang mukha. I gawked in amazement when I noticed the changes on his face.

"Wow, your skin looks like it has glitters on it!" I commented then took a closer look on his face. "Tapos iyong kilay mo, ang linis tignan pero parang natural parin. You look glamorous, Sir."

"What about my lips?"

Bumaba ang tingin ko sa mga labi niya. Sa unang tingin, hindi halatang naglagay siya ng lip matte. As usual, the brown shade matched his fair skin. For some reason, my heart started pounding at the sight of his nude lips.

"Your lips..." I trailed in a trembling voice. "They look nice, Sir."

"Hmm." His lips waned into a thin smile.  "Wanna kiss?"

Huh?

For a moment, I forgot to breathe. I stood there wondering, how could his eyes be so intoxicating? I was lost, but I didn't mind. Lars Altaria was such a beautiful man, even more so than me.

And he was driving me crazy. Dangerously.

He laughed. "Breathe, Aria. I was only kidding-"

"Yes."

He was taken aback.

"I have never kissed anyone before." I said barely above a whisper. Out of shame, I closed my eyes tightly. "But for some reason, I want to kiss you now. I'm sorry, Sir Lars. Am I fired?"

There was a moment of silence between us. I couldn't dare to open my eyes because I was too scared to look at his reaction. Oh, good Lord. I should've kept my mouth shut.

When I finally took the risk to open my eyes, I found him still looking up at me. There was a small smile on his face, so little that it barely reached his lazy eyes. He seemed genuinely amused.

"Shall we?" His sonorous voice broke the silence between us. Sir Lars stood up from his seat, his figure towering over me. "Right now, I'm actually in the mood to kiss. Shall we do it, Aria?"

"Uhm," I lowered my face in embarrassment. "If it's okay with you-"

Sir Lars didn't even let me finish. He carefully held my cheeks then leaned closer to my face. As soon as our lips touched, he started deepening the kiss. It wasn't forceful or demanding. Rather, it was soft and gentle, as if trying to calm me down.

But there's no way my heart would calm down.

We were probably making out for more than ten seconds, but I lost count of it because I got distracted by his face. When my knees failed and I was about to fall, Sir Lars caught me by the waist.

"Don't faint on me." He chuckled. "You wanted to kiss, right?"

"Enough!" I desperately covered my lips. "Mababaliw na ako!"

Sir Lars pouted when he saw his reflection on the mirror beside us. He looked at me in the corner of his eyes then wiped the side of his mouth. "Look at the mess you've made, Moya. Now I need to redo my lips."

---

I initially planned for this moment to be sweet, but did it come as sensual? Wanna hear your thoughts. Hope you still enjoyed it. Please forgive my lame writing. Will do my best in future chaps.

Yours Truly,
Aomine-san