Chapter 1 I Accidentally Met Him

Kyra Montelibano Suarez POV

Kyra pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and stared down at the page in front of her, trying to concentrate. It was January in Quezon City, Philippines, a time of year that was always cold and dark. The library was warm and welcoming, though, as always, and Kyra had been there for over five hours already. She just needed to finish this reading, which was taking longer than she'd expected. As long as no one disturbed her, she could finish up in a few minutes, then go for dinner…

"Excuse me."

Kyra glanced up to see a man standing beside her table. He was tall, with chocolate brown eyes and a head of messy hair. A UP hoodie and a pair of faded jeans somehow managed to perfectly accentuate his athletic build. Kyra's first thought was that he couldn't possibly be talking to her. He was a handsome, confident guy and she was a shy bookworm who practically lived in the library. Still, a glance around showed that she was the only one in earshot.

"Sorry," she said, trying to scoop her pile of books and papers into a neater pile. It was a Saturday afternoon, so there weren't many people around, and she'd started to spread out. "Did you want to sit here?"

"Actually, yes, if you don't mind." The guy grinned, showing off a great smile completed with laugh lines along those rich brown eyes. "But originally I came over to ask a question. You are in my French 203 seminar, yes?"

"Yes," Kyra agreed, wondering how she hadn't noticed such an attractive man in her class before. The semester had only started a couple of weeks ago, but still. She'd probably just been intensely focused on her notes as usual. After all, Kyra was here to study hard and get her degree, not to flirt with guys. No matter how handsome they were.

The guy stuck out his hand, which Kyra took. The gesture was a little formal, but Kyra couldn't help appreciating how well her hand fit into his. "I'm AJ."

"Kyra," she said, shaking the hand. She couldn't help wondering how this tall, handsome, slightly-accented man could be called AJ. She'd known a few AJs back in Bacoor, Cavite, the city where she'd grown up, but they'd all been annoying football players who called everyone 'dude.' This AJ didn't seem like he'd ever said 'dude' in his life.

"Nice to meet you." Letting go of her hand, AJ slid gracefully into the empty seat next to Kyra. "I was wondering if you could give me a little advice on our homework. I've seen how fluent you are in class and I'm honestly very confused by this new tense."

"Future perfect?" Kyra asked. She felt immediately more comfortable now that she knew that this interaction was about homework. Kyra was a junior at Stonebridge, and she was pretty sure that ninety percent of her conversations over the last three years had been about homework tests or essays.

"Yes," AJ agreed, adopting a playfully mournful expression as though the verbs were out to get him specifically. "I keep getting the conjugation wrong."

"I know a trick." Kyra grabbed a pencil and dragged her French notebook towards her. Tapping one of the verbs with a pencil, she explained the rhyme she'd made up to remember how to conjugate it. Then she glanced up at AJ, blushing a little, hoping that he wouldn't think she was a complete nerd. Even though she was.

"That is genius," AJ said. He opened the zipper on his backpack and pulled out his notebook, a black-and-white one that was much more sophisticated than Kyra's purple notebook with white paw prints on the cover. He copied down the rhyme, then sat back, smiling. "Thank you, Kyra."

Her name sounded different in his mouth. Special. Maybe it was that light accent. Or maybe it was the long hours she had spent in the windowless library that made her hypersensitive to any human contact.

"Anytime," she said. Now that she'd helped him, Kyra was pretty sure that AJ would head off again, back to playing frisbee in the quad or whatever guys like him did all day.

"Maybe I could return the favor," AJ continued, much to her surprise. He sent a glance at her stack of study materials. "You're taking Arabic, right?"

"I am, although it's only my first semester and it's not going well." Kyra grinned sheepishly as she dug out the worksheet that AJ had spotted. "I keep getting the letters mixed up. And I can't seem to pronounce anything right."

"Well, I happen to speak Arabic," AJ said. "I can give you some tips, if you want." He grinned that goofy grin again and Kyra found herself agreeing before she could think better of it.

AJ leaned forward, their shoulders brushing as he explained the difference between the letter for 'SH' and the letter for 'S.' As he did, Kyra glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Maybe he was from somewhere in the Middle East, given the Arabic, his chocolatey eyes, and his caramel skin? UP usually had a lot of students from abroad, some exchange students and some doing their full four years here. AJ might be one of them. If Kyra were a little braver, she would have asked.

"Thanks," she said as AJ straightened back up, satisfied that she had mastered those two letters.

"No problem," he repeated, flashing that grin again. "So, you like languages?"

Kyra's heart fluttered a little at the question. They seemed to be moving on from homework to personal conversation, which was both exciting and concerning. Although Kyra had friends here, she wasn't interested in anything romantic. She couldn't afford any distractions from studying. Coming to the University of the Philippines (UP) had meant years of hard work; graduating with honors that would set her up for a good job meant years more. Kyra wasn't going to risk it all for anyone.

Still, AJ wasn't flirting. They were just talking. And Kyra had already gotten a lot done today. Surely, she could take a few minutes to talk to AJ without ruining her GPA.

"I love languages, and I'm actually a language major," she explained. "I've been taking Spanish since I got here, and I started French last year and Arabic this year. How about you?"

"I'm an exchange student," AJ admitted, confirming Kyra's earlier guess. "So, I'm not really majoring in anything. But I'm mostly taking business and language classes."

"Where are you from?" Kyra asked, mentally congratulating herself for getting the question out.

"A little country in the Middle East." AJ shifted, looking just a little bit uncomfortable. "You probably don't know it."

Kyra raised her eyebrows. "Try me." She didn't like anyone assuming that she didn't know something.

"Al Jumeirah in Dubai." AJ shifted in his chair again, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee.

"I've heard of it," Kyra said. This was true, although she didn't know much about the country. "One of the seven emirates in UAE, right? Are you from there?"

"Yeah," AJ agreed. Uncrossing his legs, he quickly threw the question back to Kyra. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Bacoor, Cavite, which is about a two- or three-hour drive from here. But I like here in Metro Manila much better."

"Will you stay here after you graduate?"

"No way." Kyra smiled, letting her heart fill with thoughts of her plans. Ever since she was a little girl, growing up in other people's houses, she'd nurtured her dreams. They'd kept her going through a lot of hard times. "I'm studying languages so that I can travel. I'm planning to work for the Department Of Foreign Affairs (DFA), or maybe an NGO; any organization that will let me see the world."

"And where will you go?" AJ asked. He was leaning forward, his eyebrows slightly raised with interest. Kyra felt another moment of shyness. For all that she loved her dreams, she didn't talk about them often. When she had, she was usually laughed at and asked how a girl with no family was planning to get anywhere. If AJ laughed at her, it was going to hurt. No matter that they'd just met.

"Everywhere," she admitted. "France, Ecuador, Japan, maybe Dubai or Saudi Arabia." She gave AJ a sideways smile and he grinned. "I really don't mind. I want to see everything."

"That sounds like a great plan," AJ said, and Kyra felt her smile grow. "The freedom of being able to go wherever you want, see everything, be who you want to be… it sounds perfect." It did. Even better was meeting someone else who understood Kyra's need to see the world outside of the Philippines.

"What about you?" Kyra asked, leaning forward with enthusiasm. "Do you want to travel?"

Just then, another student shushed them loudly and Kyra's cheeks turned red. Maybe they had been getting a little too loud.

"Sorry!" she whisper-shouted back. Then she turned to AJ. "We should probably go back to studying."

"Or," AJ countered, "we could get out of here. It's almost dinnertime and I know a great restaurant just a few blocks from here."

Kyra's cheeks turned even redder if that was possible. She never ate out. Mostly, she ate instant noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, because they were cheap and that's what she could afford. Plus, she should study. Still, a part of her was aching to go with AJ and continue the conversation. It was rare to find someone who she could talk to this freely.

"It'll be my treat," AJ added and Kyra looked down, worried that he'd guessed that her hesitation was because of the cost. "Come on. I want to hear more about your traveling plans, and I need to pay you back for helping me with the French. I would have been totally lost without you."

"All right, all right," she said, flushing even redder. She started to gather up her things, sliding the papers and books into her too-heavy backpack in more of a jumble than usual. "But we'll split the bill."

AJ's eyes widened in faux alarm. "If my mother knew that I invited a pretty girl out to dinner and didn't pay for it, she would hit me with a shoe."

Kyra giggled and shook her head. "Okay. I guess we wouldn't want you to be attacked with a shoe."

AJ shook his head solemnly. "We really wouldn't. Come on!"

They spilled out into the night air, Kyra zipping her jacket up tightly and pulling her purple knit hat closer over her ears. It was dark already, even though it was barely past five, and there was a faint blowing of wind everywhere.

"So, you were telling me about your future plans," Kyra prompted, shoving her hands deeper into her pockets to fend off the cold. She needed a new jacket, but that wasn't happening any time soon.

"Oh, right." AJ paused for a moment before continuing. "Well, I'll probably join the family business."

"What's the family business?" she asked. The fresh air felt so good after a day inside, even though it was cold enough to make her shiver. She hoped that the restaurant was close. It would be embarrassing if her teeth started to chatter on the way.

"You know, this and that," AJ said vaguely, waving his hand as if to brush the question away.

Kyra was curious about what this and that might be, but she didn't push. Maybe, like her, he wasn't too excited to talk about his family.

"Turn left here," he said, leading them down a side street with a gentle hand on Kyra's elbow. This street was lined with bare trees that Kyra knew would be beautiful in spring, although they were a little creepy now. A minute later, they stopped in front of a Lebanese restaurant.

"Have you been here?" AJ asked, holding the door open for Kyra and waving her in out of the cold.

The only restaurant Kyra had been to since coming to college was a local fast-food place, but she wasn't about to admit that. "I don't think so."

"I love it," AJ said. "Lebanese food isn't quite the same as in Dubai food, but I still like to come here when I'm missing home."

One of the waiters waved to AJ excitedly, as if to back up AJ's point. He showed them to a table in the corner and handed over two menus, which AJ immediately put to the side, resting his elbows on the table and leaning forward.

"Do you mind if I order?" he asked. "I know all the best things here."

"Sure." Kyra leaned back in her chair, enjoying the warmth and the good smells. Even better was AJ sitting across from her, his brown eyes now wide with excitement about the dinner. On him, even the gray UP sweatshirt looked like haute couture. Maybe it was because of his easy, confident posture.

Kyra felt suddenly underdressed in her leggings and the secondhand sweater with a hole on the elbow. She ran a hand through her hair, hoping it was cooperating. Then she dropped her hand back into her lap. Why did she care about looking nice? It wasn't like this was a date. They were two people who'd helped each other with homework and happened to be eating dinner in the same place.

"So," AJ said, resting his elbows on the table and folding his hands together. Now, closer and in better lighting, Kyra could see that he had very long eyelashes for a guy. The effect was endearing. "You've been at UP for almost three years now. Do you have any tips for me?"

"Oh, definitely." Kyra tilted her head, thinking. "Let's see. Everyone thinks The President Hall is haunted."

"That's bad news," AJ said, raising his eyebrows. "Especially since I live there."

"Oh!" Kyra covered her mouth with one hand. "Sorry. I mean, it's almost definitely not haunted."

"What's the story?" AJ asked.

"Okay, so, the story is that during World War Two, just after UP was founded, a girl found out that her fiancé had died at war, and she was so sad that she decided she couldn't live without him and died." Some of Kyra's friends thought that the story was romantic, but Kyra didn't like it. For her, strength came in living, even when living got difficult.

"The other day, a pair of my socks did mysteriously disappear," AJ said, stroking his chin as if in thought. "It could have been the ghost."

"Maybe," Kyra agreed, nodding along and trying to hide her smile. "Definitely it wasn't that you just lost them."

"Oh no." AJ shook his head earnestly. "Not me. I never lose things." He added a quick wink to show that he was joking.

Just then, the waiter arrived to take their order. AJ asked for five different dishes, waving off Kyra's concerns that there would be too much.

"It's even better as leftovers," he told her as the waiter walked away. "Especially the falafel. You're going to love it."

True to AJ's word, the food was delicious. Even better, the conversation flowed easily. They moved on from talking about their ghosts to discussing their dreams. They compared notes on the kind of house they would each love to live in (a tree house for AJ, an underwater palace for Kyra), the best pet to have (they both agreed a tiny elephant that never grew would be amazing), and the best superpower (teleportation for Kyra, invisibility for AJ). It was the most frivolous conversation that Kyra had had in years, yet she loved it. She didn't find herself thinking about everything she needed to do at all. Somehow, talking with AJ was a kind of magic that made her feel both comfortable and free, not at all like the shy, studious girl she normally was.

Maybe that was why, when dinner was over and AJ asked if she wanted to study together the next day, Kyra said yes. And maybe it was also why, when she went to bed that night, AJ kept appearing in her dreams.

XXX