"I can't help it

I'm addicted

But I can't stand the

Pain inflicted

In the morning

You're not holding on to me"

--

How did it turn out like that? Who is to blame?

Sino ba naman ang mag-aakala na ang one time thing ay mauuwi sa isang magulong relasyon? Certainly not Earl. He didn't expect it to be like that.

He's the kind of guy you could take home to your parents. He's a gentleman. Matiyaga at may respecto sa babae. His heart got broken the first time when his girlfriend of a few days broke up with him to be with this other guy na matagal na nyang nakikitang umaaligid sa babaeng ito.

His second relationship wasn't a better one. He fell in love with a woman na walang ginawa kundi magpakagaga sa ex nito. Where did that leave him? As a spare. Panakip-butas if you will.

Third relationship... he fell in love with a married woman. Naging comforter din sya nito at sabihan ng problema. Ang pagsalo nya sa mga hinanakit nito sa mundo is what threw him off the cliff.

And now this...

Nagmamahal naman sya ng isang babaeng ayaw syang seryosohin.

Dapat kase hindi nya na lang ito pinansin that one fateful day...

A little under two years ago, he was asked to help redesign a building na may skeleton na pero sadly ay hindi nagkasundo ang architect at engineer kaya nilayasan iyon ng architect at ngayon ay nagtatago.

Bawal kase yung iniiwan ng half-finished ang isang trabaho lalo na at may kontrata.

Kaya ayun, na-pending tuloy ang paggagawa nito.

He's not that known as an architect but a few good words passed on to several businessmen did the trick. Ayun... he was hired for the job.

And the salary... man! He could slack off for a few months and he would still be well-fed! Pero syempre, doble ang hirap ng trabaho nya kase he has to merge his plan with the old para maayos ang building without having to sacrifice the efforts of the workers.

Syempre, as an architect, he needs to have creative input too. Saka dapat ay sasakto rin sa gustong mangyari ng engineer.

Iniisip nya pa lang, sumasakit na ang ulo nya.

That fateful day at the site, a beautiful woman in a tight-fitting yellow chiffon halter dress walked by. Man did she put on a show. napatigil lahat sa pagtatrabaho.

Some were even slack-jawed. Pretty doesn't cut it. That adjective is too simple for this woman. It's like, she commands attention.

He saw her smirk as she garnered whistles from the men at work. Sen is a man. And men would usually have this kind of reaction when a gorgeous woman walks by.

But there's something... something else that he felt.

An instinct to protect this woman.

It's not that he's not as manly as these other guys. It's just in his nature. It's in his being. Pinalaki kase sya ng may respeto at pagmamahal sa mga babae.

He grew up in a family of five: three sisters and his mom. He never saw his dad.

Simula pagkabata ay palagi na syang may inaalala, inaalagaan at pinuprotektahan. Maybe that's what honed him into a man that he is now.

Maraming beses nya na ring ginustong magloko pero wala eh... kapag may babaeng umiiyak, nasasaktan sya. Kapag may babaeng masaya, sumasaya sya.

Weird but that's how he is.

But he couldn't figure out why his instinct tells him that this woman needs protecting. She exudes confidence and power na bihira nyang makita sa ibang babae. His mother told him though, that no matter how tough a woman looks on the outside, she still holds her fragile heart so closely in fear of getting hurt.

Men should be protecting that, not trampling on it like some jerks do.

Marahil ay masyadong napalalim ang pag-iisip nya kaya hindi niya napansin na lumapit na pala ito sa kanya. Dazed by her beauty, he couldn't utter a single word.

Nakatingin lang sya dito.

He heard her laugh.

"I didn't know I could turn men to stone." She snapped her fingers.

That woke him up.

"Hi!" Nakangiti nitong bati sa kanya.

"Hi." He replied, quickly looking away.

"Tama nga si daddy. Suplado ka nga."

Agad nya itong binalingan. "Anak ka ni Mr. Hermosa?" Tanong nya rito.

She nodded.

"Sorry for being rude miss." He held out his hand. "I'm Earl Jansen Madrigal... the architect."

--

Who'd have thought? A simple handshake led to something more. Much more than he could handle in a day.

Yes, they had sex.

He was so disgusted with himself. First time nyang gawin iyon with a woman that he barely even know. Wala silang emotional attachment.

Ang masama pa, mukhang ayos lang sa babaeng ito ang ganoon.

She didn't even feel cheap.

Nagbibihis na ito sa harapan niya ng magsalita sya. "Can I at least buy you coffee?"

"Sex then coffee?" She asked in amusement. "Baliktad ata?" Tumawa ito.

He smiled grimly. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You fuck hard. I enjoyed it." She leaned down and kissed him full on the mouth. He felt his member stir. Damn. Just one kiss and he's turned on again.

Napalunok siya when he heard her chuckle. Apparently, hindi iyon nakaligtas dito.

"Sorry. No more rounds." Bulong nito sa kanya.

"Can I at least get your name?"

"Charlotte." Sagot nito. "But you can call me Charlie." She went on putting her shoes.

"Can I get your number?"

"What? So we can have sex later on?"

He wanted to utter a curse. Nainis kase sya. It's like she doesn't give herself enough value.

"No. Just to hang out... you know." Sagot niya.

"Sure." She took a calling card from her purse. "Here. Call me when you're horny." She said with a wink.

And then she left.

--

One casual sex led to many casual sex. It's an inevitable thing when he's with this woman. Hindi naman sa yun lang ang gusto nyang mangyari.

He wanted to know her better. Siguro na rin ay para malinis ang konsensya nya. Gusto nya kaseng may pinanghahawakan syang feelings towards a girl that he sleeps with.

He wanted to care about her.

Yun nga lang, parang lahat na lang ng gawin niya ay may counterpart na sex. Paulit-ulit...

And because of that, he can't help but be addicted.

Addicted to her.

xxxx

AN: Ngayon lang ginanahan sa UD nito. Comments! Salamat ^_^