O L I V I A V A L E Z

There were a lot of things a person could do to welcome someone. They could hold a welcome party or a surprise party. There were a lot of good things that a person could do to have a good impression. But I choose death. I puked at a person I hadn't seen for many years. I did something embarrassing to death on our first meeting again. I could have done something great or at least something that wasn't humiliating to prove that I wasn't a little girl anymore. But the world wasn't on my side.

Sa dinami-daming lugar na p'wede kaming magkita sa bar pa talaga. Saka p'wede naman hindi na kami ulit magkita 'di ba? Kahit alam kong medyo impossible 'yon dahil he's my dad's bestfreind. Pero why not? P'wede naman akong kaawaan ng mundo at hindi na muling pagtagpuin ang landas namin, lalo na ngayong he's a married man.

Atlas Mate was a married man.

Pumunta pa nga ako sa bachelor's party niya, e. Nagpakatanga pa nga ako do'n at bumigay. I wouldn't forget the fact that he was married to Beauty. The pain of knowing he was married would always remind me of it. The nightmares, the anxiety, and the broken pieces of myself leave a big scar on me.

I couldn't remember clearly how I went home safely. Err, not entirely safe; I knew for the fact that Atlas was the one who sent me home using my car. Being with Atlas was one dangerous thing I could do. I scratched my head as I felt it pounded painfully. Gusto kong sabunutan ang sarili ko, pero hindi naman 'yon makatutulong sa situation ko ngayon. Lalo lang sasakit ang ulo ko kung sakali. And I didn't want that.

I stood up, and hell! The world gave me a little swirl! Parang gusto kong masuka, pero wala namang lumalabas. Inabot ko ang scrunchy ko sa bed table, at basta-basta ko na lamang itinali ang buhok into a messy bun. I felt my head pounded hard again. My head was fucking me hard, and it was not in a pleasurable way. It was torture. A fucking torture.

Hindi na talaga ako iinom! Hinding-hindi na! I promise to all the shots I drank yesterday. I promise to all liquor available on the bar, that I , Oliva Valez, wouldn't drink anymore. Hail to that.

Bumaba na ako para makainom ng tubig at ng advil. Simula ng matuto akong uminom ay lagi na akong may stock no'n. Minsan nga try kong bumili noong sinasabi nilang Korean hangover medicine. Effective raw mga 'yon, e. Akala ko ba hindi kana iinom? Bakit nagbabalak kang mag-try ng hangover medicine? May plano pa? Ugh, I hate myself.

My head wasn't with me as I put water on my glass. Today was Saturday. My dad didn't have work today, either, but I hadn't seen him. Well, that was fine. I didn't want him to see me like this. I was absent-mindedly drinking cold water that was supposed to be hot. When suddenly, flashes of memories of last night came to my mind.

I remembered being carried in a piggyback position by a man with a black leather jacket. His long hair that was laying freely on his nape was brushing my face. I remembered feeling ticklish and chuckling because of it. I remember him cursing and sighing. Then, my memory jumped to me inside my car. I couldn't exactly remember how I went inside. I saw a white smoke not so far from me and a man stripping his shirt with my blurry sight.

Even in my drunken state, I could remember clearly how he was so ripped, in every sense, despite his age. From head to toe, that long unruly hair to his obscene pecs, to the solid muscles, flaring on the right places. It was as if the god himself and his physique were sculpted perfectly, giving him zero room for anything other than mighty flesh and muscle.

Atlas put her other hand on his hair and brushed it upward with a cigar dancing between his lips. The jacket and the shirt were freely hanging on his shoulders, and it looked like paper compared to his rock-hard body. He walked towards me and stopped in front of me. He gripped the edge of the roof of my car and leaned a little closer to me. He flicked down his cigar and put it out using the end of his biker boots, but his predatory eyes never leave mine.

How could a man in his late thirties look this hot?

"Ain't a little girl anymore, huh? But look at you messing like a newborn babe," he said, then leaned more.

But the world was playing with me. I couldn't remember anything after that. Hindi ko alam kung gusto ko pa bang maalala o hindi na. Parang gusto ko ngang sabunutan ang sarili ko. Bakit 'yung mga oras na naghubad siya ay 'yon pa talaga ang naalala ko? P'wede naman 'yung mas important details! But that was the most important details! His hotness! Ugh! I really hate myself.

Bahagya akong nagulat nang biglang may magsalita sa gilid ko.

"Good morning. Is that an Advil?" tanong sa akin ni Liberty.

Ako ay wala pa rin sa kanituan dahil sa hangover at sa mga naalala kong mga pangyayari kagabi. Lutang kong inabot kay Libs ang gamot. Ni hindi ko man lang narinig ang paglapit niya dahil masyado akong occupied ng mga kagagahan ko. Muling bumalik ang kaluluwa ko sa katawan ko ng maghulog si Libs ng isang bomba na nagpasabog ng katinuan ko.

"Is that a hickey?" she asked.

My brain loaded for a second, and then when it totally sank in me, my eyes widened from shock. I have a fucking hickey?!

"M-Mayr'on?" nauutal kong tanong sa kaniya.

Then another memory from last night flashed on my mind. Noong nagpunta ako sa comfort room at pinigilan niya ako. 'Yung naging batuhan namin ng mga salita at noong... nilapit niya sa leeg ko ang mukha niya. The brushed of his soft hot lips on my heated skin, and the way he nibbled it. Fuck, he leave a fucking hickey. Fantastic! Pasalubong niya ba 'tong hickey na 'to mula ibang bansa?

Liberty gave me her phone. The front cam was on, and I could see the reddish-violet circle on my light brown skin. Kahit hindi ako kasing puti ni Libs ay talagang kitang-kita pa rin ito. My gosh! First time kong magka-hickey and I didn't know what to do! How to cover this shit up? Kanina pa ako palakad-lakad at tumutulala rito sa bahay tapos may ganito pala ako sa leeg?! I looked at myself. I was only wearing sando and one of its strap fell from my shoulder. Great, I looked so fucking presenatable. Mabuti na lang at hindi pa kami nagtatagpo ng landas ni Dad.

"You better cover that up, baka malagot ka sa dad mo,"

I sighed, she's right, talagang malalagot ako ng wala sa oras nito, "Thanks, Libs, buti na lang, ikaw ang unang nakapansin, kung iba siguro ay yari talaga ako." nakangiting sabi ko sa kaniya.

Tamang ngiti lang, para hindi halatang gusto ko nang manakal ng isang matandang may blue na mata. Hindi ko na kayang pag-usapan pa ang bagay na ito. I better change our topic. Baka maging criminal ako ng wala sa oras.

"Saan ka nga pala?"

"To my dad's home, by the way, who did that?"

Ano ba 'tong si Libs! Iniiba ko na nga ang usapan, e. Tapos binalik pa talaga.

"Wala! Isang asungit ang may gawa nito," defensive kong sabi.

She looked at me intently and gave me a reassuring smile, "You can tell me anything, you know,"

Ginantihan ko ang ngiting ibinigay niya, "Soon, Libs."

Soon, kasi kahit ako sa sarili ko, hindi pa rin open na pag-usapan ang bagay na ito. Kay Beck ko nga lang talagang naikwento ang lahat. Syempre, psychiatrist ko siya, e. I need to open up to him para magamot niya ako. But if I would talk about the things that happened between Atlas and I to my friends or to anyone just to remember all the pain? No, thanks. I'm good. By just seeing his face was enought to carve the deep rooted scar that I have. I didn't need it bleeding again.

Pinahiram ko ang sasakyan ko kay Libs, dahil alam ko kung gaano ka insensitive at self-centered ng tatay niya. I was actually worried na pupunta siya ngayon do'n. Alam ko kasi kung gaano siya ka-ayaw ng tatay niya. Walang magandang dulot ito kay Liberty. He would end up hurting her.

I sighed a hundred times again as I looked at myself in the mirror. Napagpasyahan kong bumalik muli sa akin kwarto para ayusin ang hickey na ito. I watched five videos tutorials on how to cover a hickey, but nothing was effective! May Saturday night out pa naman kami mamaya nila Prim at Libs! I should have been preparing for it now, but damn this hangover and hickey.

I called Prim para makahingi ng update para sa gagawin naming surprise mamaya. Tamang-tama itong naisip namin. Lalo't ng sigurado akong malungkot na uuwi si Libs mula sa bahay ng dad niya. This surprise welcome party would lift her spirit up!

"Why?" bungad agad sa akin ni Prim.

Tignan mo ang isang 'to, hindi talaga uso ang greetings.

"How was the bunny?"

Prim chuckled evilly, "O, the bunny I caught was perfect!"

"Nice. I'll go to the grocery store for the food. I'll be on your condo after lunch for the preparation."

Sakto namang pagkababa ko ng tawag ay nag-text si Beck sa akin. I'm a busy woman afterall.

I'm free for the whole day. What about you?

I immediately typed my reply to Dr. Crazy, I'm not, but you could help me do some groceries.

Gladly, Oly. He texted back.

I wore simple boyfriend jeans and a pink cami crop top with a big bow in the center. Medyo natagalan ako sa pag-aayos dahil sa pesteng hickey na ito. Mabuti na lang at may green concealer ako, kaya mas naitago ko ito nang mabuti nang lagyan ko na ng foundation. When I was satisfied with everything, I went out and found Beck's car in front of our gate. Sasabay ako ngayon sa kaniya dahil gamit ni Liberty ang sasakyan ko.

Lumabas si Beck at pinagbuksan ako ng pintuan ng sasakyan. I raised my eyebrow's at him and whistled.

"Looking fresh and good, aren't we, Dr. Crazy?" I jokingly said.

Beck gave me a smirk and shrugged his shoulders. That gesture made him look better. With a simple white panel polo shirt tucked in, his nude slacks and white skate shoes made it seem so clean and fresh. Parang kahit hindi mo siya amuyin alam mong mabango siya. Ganito pala ang casual clothes ng mga doctor. Tuwing lalabas kasi kami ay lagi siyang naka formal o hindi kaya ay working clothes. Well, I liked his white coat. But his casual look was new in the eyes.

"You looked beautiful too, Ms. Late Valez, and you're late as usual."

I rolled my eyes, "Come on. It's Saturday! I want to take my time."

"I'll let this past since I was the one who will make up from the last time."

I chuckled, "I told you, I understand your work's environment."

"Still, I want to make it up to you."

I walked towards him and patted his shoulder, "Okay, okay, you are making it up to me, Beck."

"Good, let's go?" Beck reached his hands to me.

I nodded and smiled at him, I took his hand, but before I could enter Beck's car. A loud horn from a motorcycle blarred. Agad na nawala ang ngiti sa aking labi, dahil alam ko na agad kung sino 'yon. Sino pa nga ba ang dadalaw sa bahay namin ng nakamotor? Napairap na lang ako sa hangin ng huminto ang 1940 harley-davidson knucklehead na nagngangalang Love sa gilid namin ni Beck.

Atlas removed his helmet, and his hair fell like how a feather elegantly fell from the sky. His long unruly hair glistened because of the morning sun, and he looked like the god of the sun himself. He brushed it up and looked at me intently. I gulped from the intensity of his eyes on him. Then his gaze traveled from my face to my neck. A smirk slowly formed on his lips, but it didn't last long. When his eyes caught my hand holding on Beck's hand, his face darkened. Now the god of the sun was gone, and the god of the underworld was now present.

"I see the little girl seems to have cleaned up now." mapang-asar na sabi niya.

I knew that he was pertaining to what happened last night. At hindi pa rin nawawala ang inis ko sa kaniya dahil sa hickey na iniwan niya, kaya h'wag niya akong simulan ngayon.

"I see the old man cleaned up neatly too." balik kong pang-aasar sa kaniya.

Beck's hand gripped my hand a little, kaya napatingin ako sa kaniya. He gave me a gentle smile like he was saying I needed to calm down.

"Yes, I did after someone puked at me last night. Little girls would always be a little girl."

Dahil sa sinabi ni Atlas na 'yon, imbis na kumalma ako lalo nag-alab ang galit sa akin. Tinignan ko siya nang masama, na sikulian lang niya ng isang naka-iinis na ngisi. Bago pa ako makapagsalita muli ay nagsalita na si Beck.

"Good morning, I'm Dr. Beckett Kai Griffin, and you are?" Beck introduced himself and held his hands out.

Atlas took it and shook it firmly, "Atlas. Architect Atlas Mate."

They looked at each other for a minute that I could sense a tension building up between them.

I fake coughed, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Binitawan na ni Atlas ang kamay ni Beck, but his eyes lingered dangerously before they went to me.

"Checking out if the mess was already clean. I guess it was clean now."

"Then you can go home now, and we will be on our way to our date."

I didn't know why I told him I would be going on a date with beck. But I didn't want to look pathetic. I saw his jaw clenched.

"If you don't mind, we would like to excuse ourselves, Architect Mate." pormal na sabi ni Beck, at iginaya ako papasok ng sasakyan niya.

Agad na pinaandar ni Beck ang sasakyan niya. Nang makalayo kami ay saka siya in-open up ang nangyari.

"So that was the guy,"

Lumunok muna ako bago siay sinagot, "Yeah.."

Beck looked at me, and I gave him a small smile. Doon pa lang ay alam na niyang ayoko ng pag-usapan pa ang nagyari kanina. He immidiately change the topic. Ito ang gusto ko 'pag siya ang kasama ko. Being a psychiatrist he knew well when I don't want to talk about something. And he knew when to open it up again.

"So, we are on a date, huh?" mapang-asar niyang sabi.

"Shut up," Pinaloko siya sa arms niya na siyang tinawanan niya lang.

We bought the things I needed for the surprise party, from the food to the party needs. We also ate lunch and have a good conversation. Hindi na muli naming pinag-usapan ang nangyari kanina. Nang matapos ako sa mga aggawin ko ay inihatid niya ako sa condo ni Prim. Beck also offered to help Prim and I for the preparation. Siya ang nagdikit ng mga decorations sa mga parteng hindi ko kayang abutin. Habang si Prim naman ang naghahanda ng foods, na paminsan-pinsan ay binibigyan ako ng makahulugang tingin an siyang iniilingan ko ang.

We were tired after decorating, but we had fun. Umuwi na ako para hindi makahalata si Libs na may surprise kami sa kaniya. Ang plano ko ay sasabayan ko siyang pumunta kila Prim para hindi siya maghinala. Pawis na pawis kaming dalawa ni Beck nang pumasok sa sasakyan niya. Dahil sa mga ginawa ko kanina ay panandalian kong nakalimutan ang tagpong nangyari kanina. Pauwi na ko, sana naman ay wala na si Atlas do'n. Ayokong maabutan siya sa bahay. If I would see him inside our mansion, I'm certain that it would gave me nightmare. It would hunt me again and again.

Wasn't it ironic?

The person who gave me fantasies was now the one who gave me nightmares.

~TBC~

I've decided na hindi ko i-u-uniform ang chapters ng SA, skl.

Please, bear with the errors, this is the first draft.

Feel free to share your thoughts, and keep safe, everyone.

Love lots! :>>