"Sis, you have a visitor again," Kyla joked, rolling her eyes as she returned to where she had left her, with Ethan, who had just left for work an hour ago. "Let me clean up so you and your suitor can have some privacy," she continued, taking away the dishes."Thanks for the privacy, Ky! What do you want as a reward, in kind or cash?" Ethan chimed in, playfully."You've already paid enough, bro," Kyla said with a sincere smile before leaving them alone.The three of them knew what Kyla meant. With Ethan’s love for her, her mother, and sister alone was worth far more than any payment. He was family.Ethan smiled at her. The kind of smile that made her fall for him repeatedly. Even though he was already her husband, whenever he looked at her, Ally still felt butterflies in her stomach.She still felt giddy even though she knew his eyes were only for her, as if she was the most beautiful in his eyes."I’m not going to ask if you left anything behind," she rolled her eyes playfully. "I t
"Excuse me! Excuse me!"With only ten minutes left before Allison's first class of the day, she was running and in a hurry. She tried to push her way through the crowd of students along the hallway.With her backpack carelessly slung on her right shoulder, a couple of books in her arms, big black-rimmed eyeglasses covering half of her face, long black hair pulled into a messy bun, and a 3/4 white blouse paired with a below-the-knee black skater skirt, Allison Garcia was not the popular girl in school. In fact, she was in her final year of Accountancy, and she managed to stay in the background. She was the kind of person whom, when you passed by in the hallway, you wouldn't look at again. She was the one who existed without being noticed by the majority.Sure, she was one of the instructors' favorites. Ally was intelligent, a straight Dean's Lister since her first year in college. Because of this, she received a discount, which was a huge help in her studies.During her spare time, you
"Ally, I can't find the Auditing Problems book. Is it on loan?" Kattie asked her.She was sorting through books in the library and tidying up the shelves when her classmate approached.Kattie, the typical nerd with glasses, was a genius in terms of academic grades. She was the one who looked like she was a walking library with a stack of books. However, she was also Allison's trusted friend."It's with Michael," she gestured towards the male version of Kattie, who was busy reading at the second table in the library corner."Oh, that explains it," she excused herself as she headed towards Michael.Ally hoped she could join them, but she was in the library as a Student Assistant to work. She could only read when their instructor was absent, and they spent the entire period there.She sighed as she absentmindedly touched her right arm, which had taken a hard hit during her fall earlier. It was already turning black and blue. Luckily, it was somewhat concealed by the shirt dress she was w
Ethan watched as Ally entered her classroom. She wasn't his classmate in that subject since they had different courses, although they were both in the same department. "Bro," someone tapped his shoulder, grabbing his attention. It was Zion, his best friend. The only person he could be comfortable with. He was also friends with Leio, but Zion was someone he'd known since time immemorial."Hey.""What, you're already walking Ally to her class, huh?" Zion teased."You know me. I always do that," he shrugged. "--to anyone.""To anyone who has got interest in you. But Ally? I doubt that," Zion shook his head."She likes me. Everyone does.""Ally's a good girl," Zion tapped his shoulder again before walking ahead.It was a warning from a friend, wasn't it? He wondered why he escorted Allison. Why did he go out of his way to find out her name after she initially refused to reveal it? It was unlike the other girls who gave their names willingly, which he wouldn't even care to remember.It was
Allison set her phone on silent mode and threw it carelessly on the empty chair beside her. It had been ringing persistently for a while. Since only the number appeared, she ignored it. She didn't talk to strangers, and if it was important, the caller could send a message. She preferred answering calls only when she knew the caller and their purpose.She opened her Taxation book and multitasked reviewing with eating. She had a long test in the next subject, so she needed to multitask. With a spoon in her right hand feeding herself, her left hand held a calculator, computing examples from the book.It was 3:10 p.m., and she was deeply engrossed in her activities. Unbeknownst to her, an irritated Ethan had taken a seat in front of her."Why didn't you answer my calls?" he demanded, and Allison was genuinely surprised to find out she wasn't alone in the corner of the canteen.She looked up, meeting his angered eyes. Ethan's eyebrows were almost touching, revealing his annoyance."What ca
"Ally," Ethan whispered, calling the young lady's attention. They were in the library, where Allison was organizing books on a shelf. Ethan was behind her, vying for her attention through the gaps between the books."Ally!" he repeated a bit louder."Ssshhhh," scolded the Chief Librarian, Ms. Alonzo. She paid no heed to Ethan, who had been following her and intentionally catching her gaze for a while. She didn't care, even though his eyes were captivating.Unperturbed, Ethan approached her as they neared the end of the shelf. When she turned, he blocked her way. "Why are you ignoring me?" he complained."I'm working," she evaded, trying to walk past him, but he blocked her again."Why are you so grumpy? Do you have--?""What do you need?" she hissed, earning a wide grin from Ethan, who even acted cute."Lunch? Later?" he suggested."I'm busy," she said, sidestepping him, but he followed."In your free time," he persistently walked with her."I don't have free time.""Come on, Allison
"Ethan, I swear. Allison won't like this," Zion said, trying to stop him from following Ally."She will not find out," Ethan said as he parked the luxury car and took off his seatbelt.It was almost midnight. Ally had come from a fast food place, and they had been following her for a while. She got on a jeepney, and Ethan felt a bit relieved seeing there were still plenty of commuters at that time of night.But he started to panic when she got off in a squatter's area."Bro, we might end up getting into trouble here," Leio said, eyeing a group of men drinking and smoking at the entrance of a narrow alley."Are you scared? Just stay here and return your black belt in karate," Ethan teased.His friends just shook their heads. He couldn't blame them. Even he was nervous. He had never been to a place like this in his life.But he was more worried about Ally. She was a girl, a very beautiful one. She could easily attract trouble. Did she know anything about self-defense? Unlikely. His desi
"Allison, those three guys are so handsome," Kara, her coworker manning the counter, said while nudging her with a slight blush."They're just showing off," Allison replied, trying to hide her smile.Ethan, Zion, and Leio were goofing around at the side table. They had dropped her off earlier and promised to wait until her shift ended. The three kept taking turns ordering different things, making it seem like they were just trying to pass the time."Seriously, which one of them is your boyfriend?" Kara teased."None of them," Allison said, almost tasting the bitterness of her words."You're so bitter. Okay, if you won't admit it, I'll just have to guess."Allison rolled her eyes."The one in black.""Huh?" She tried not to blush, knowing Kara was referring to Ethan."He's been glancing at you all night."There was no stopping it. She was blushing now. Was it true? Was Ethan really looking at her? But every time she glanced their way, he wasn't looking."Am I right?" Kara teased furthe