“FEELING better?"
Astid just nooded. It was almost 2 o’clock in the morning when she told him that she’s too tired and that she wanted sleep so he had no choice but to bring her to his room - not that he planned it.
With eyes almost closed, she was holding a hair brush but it seemed as if she had no intention of using it She had just finished her shower and she’s now sitting on the far side of the huge bed, wearing the black sweatshirt Bullet had given her. She wasn’t able to bring any clothes except for the thin souvenir Baguio shirt and dolphin shorts she bought, which was way too short than she had expected.
“Piece of advice. If you can’t handle your alcohol well, don’t drink especially if you’re alone.” Bullet suggested, shaking his head.
“Yeah, I am alone now. And heart broken.”
“Is that a license to get drunk?” He handed her a glass of water and a pill for her hangover but she just ignored it so he sat down next to her, took one of her hands and forced her to take it. He even helped her drink just to make sure that she’d do it properly.
“I’m not drunk,” she reassured. After taking the pill, she leaned on the headboard of the bed and closed her eyes.
“Yeah, right. You can’t even hold your glass properly, miss.” Bullet took the glass out of her hand and tuck her in.
“I’m just tired and sleepy, that’a all.”
He just laughed. “Do you usually get yourself drunk every time your heart gets broken?”
“Do you guys usually leave your girlfriends the moment you meet someone else who’s willing to have sex?”
Bullet couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Now, he’s certain that she’s drunk because she was able to say the word ‘sex’ without reservation.
“Two years. How dare him wast our two-year relationship just because I wasn’t able to meet his demands?”
“Two years?” Bullet was taken aback. Two weeks without sex for him is not only frustrating but already humiliating. Now, he’s starting to understand why she was dumped.
“We’ve talked about it, you know. Even from the start of the relationship, I’ve already told him that I wasn’t ready yet but I’m willing to do everything to please him.”
“What do you mean, everything?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Well, I don’t. You tell me,” he insisted, though he already knew what she meant.
She took a deep breath. “I may be a virgin but I’m an educated virgin. I know how to kiss, I know how to please...I know how to go down on a man-“
Bullet slowly straightened up to keep distance. Listening to Astrid talking about the things she could do to satisfy a man is making him uncomfortable.
“But it seems like I’m never going to be good enough for him.”
“Well, he’s an idiot, that’s all I can say. Or maybe he doesn’t really love you anymore because he has found someone else.”
“Someone else who’s willing to have sex with him?”
“Yeah, because he’s a man and it’s just natural for men to ask for it.”
“Are all men like that?” Astrid sniffed and started to cry.
He nodded, without any hesitation whatsoever. “You just can’t expect a man to wait for the honeymoon to have sex and if there’s such a man, it could only mean two things - he’s gay or he’s not that attracted to you.” Which he thinks is very unlikely. Astrid is a beautiful woman, no doubt. Even if she looks like a mess at the moment, she’s still undeniably gorgeous. Her eyes were wide open but they were already red and puffy. Her lips and cheeks were red, probably due to alcohol.
“Oh well, that’s probably it. He doesn’t find me attractive.” She looked at him before proceeding. “Tell me the truth, Bullet.” She even brushed her long hair with her fingers and looked at him carefully. “Do you find me attractive?”
He wasn’t able to reply right away because he was mesmerized by the way she’s licking her lips. “Ah…of course,” he stammered. “I mean...I wouldn’t have flirted with you if I didn’t find you attractive, right?”
She smiled but it was shortlived. “So why did he cheated on me?”
“Because you don’t want to have sex with him. Plain and simple.”
“Will he come back to me if I agree to do it with him?” She was already fuming in anger but at that moment, Bullet knew that she has given up all the hope that she has.
He uneasily moved closer and gently patted her back. “Look, you don’t have to do it with him if you don’t feel like it.”
She just shrugged. “Argh! Why can’t he just wait for the right time for us to do it?”
~~
“WELL, when is the right time, may I ask?” he asked, laughing.“I’ll know when it’s the right time. I just don’t want to feel pressured or anything.”Bullet shook his head because clearly, they are not on the same boat when it comes to the topic. Is sex really that complicated for women? Because for him and probably for men in general, sex is sex. Whenever there’s an opportunity, they’re gonna grab it without even thinking.“If I could only do something to get even, I certainly would.” Astrid frowned as if she was really considering the thought.“Do it. Maybe once he finds out that you’ve found someone else, he’d be jealous and-““And then there’s a chance that he’ll take me back?” she interjected.“Well, it depends, really. If he still loves you, of course he’ll come back,” he commented. And th
ASTRID woke up that morning without Bullet in sight. When she realized that it’s already seven in the morning, she hurried and got up despite her splitting headache. After taking a shower, she quickly got dressed and left a note on the nightstand.She was about to get inside the elevator when she heard someone approaching from a distance and when she turned around, she was surprised to see Bullet beside a tall woman. Based on how the woman put her arms around him, it’s pretty obvious that something’s going on between the two. He’s grinning from ear to ear as if he had just won a million dollars. Well, it certainly looks like it.Astrid turned away and pressed the elevator button, praying that it would open before Bullet notices her because she still didn’t know how to deal with him after what happened the night before.She immediately went inside when the it opened and finally, she breathed a sigh of relief. B
“JOSH?” Astrid stood up when she saw Josh coming over. He was glaring at her as if he wanted to eat her alive. But she didn’t care about it because her attention was on someone else - Ellen, who was holding Josh’s hand. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.“What are you doing here?” Josh asked softly. He was wearing the red sweatshirt with the logo of his favorite basketball team, which was her gift on his last birthday.She knew she had to say something but nothing came out from her mouth. Thankfully, Bullet was quick-witted and immediately stood up. He put his arm over her shoulder and joined the conversation.“She’s on vacation, with me,” he chimed in, smiling. “So, you are ‘the’ Josh. Astrid has told me so much about you. By the way, I’m Bullet, the new boyfriend.”Astrid turned her head and saw Bullet smiling. He tightened his grip on her shou
ALL throughout breakfast, Bullet heard nothing from Astrid. She was just quiet while stirring her coffee and occasionally getting a glimpse at Josh and Ellen. He could clearly see the sadness in her eyes and he knew that she’s trying her best not to cry.“You look awful,” he whisper against her ear. “Do you want to get out of here already?”But she just smiled. She inhaled sharply and drank her coffee. He was suprised when she held his hand but he understood what it meant - that she needed his support so he squeezed her hand to let her know that she could count on him.“So guys, what are your plans for today?” Bullet inquired, just to break the ice.Josh and Ellen looked at each other. “Well, we’re thinking of visiting the Grotto first. How about you?”“I have a lot of places in mind so I think we’ll go ahead, right Astrid?” He stood up, grabb
AFTER 3 MONTHS...BULLET has been glancing at his cellphone several times since he arrived at Margarita Ville. It’s already nine o’clock in the evening but Miles was still out of sight. He should have gone back to Mania instead of staying and waiting for some girl.Miles is a singer at The Lounge, his go-to bar whenever he needed to unwind. She’s sexy, beautiful. She’s fun to talk to, sweet and yeah, she’s good in bed. She’s the type who knew what he wanted and she could do all the crazy things in bed, even things he never thought possible. That’s why he’s here now. Because she promised to keep him warm in this cold night.But he’s been sitting there at the bar for more than an hour, has finished four bottles of beer and he’s already losing his patience because he wasn’t born into the world just to wait for a woman.He poured some beer to his
“SO, what’s the story of your life, Mr. Samuel Blake Ortega?” Astrid prodded after emptying her bottle of beer. Bullet looked at her because he was surprised by the sudden serious question. They were the only ones at the bar at that late hour except for an employee who was starting to wipe the tables.“What do you want to know?”“Like what you do besides flirting with girls at the bar?” She was staring at him as she spoke as if she was really interested to know everything about him.“Well, I’m a teacher. I used to teach Math.” He poured beer in their glasses and put ice in them. He could no longer count how many glasses Astrid had but there were at least nine empty bottles in front of her.“Ah, that explains why you’re so good at counting women,” Astrid muttered loudly.“Ouch.” Bullet shouldn’t have been offened by what she said be
ASTRID’S face was just a couple of inches from his. Her breath felt warm and intoxicating. He has consumed a lot of alcohol but he knew that his fast heartbeat wasn’t because of that. He’s the type who gets easily attracted to women but Astrid has a different effect on him. It was as if his eyes were being absorbed by her stare and he couldn’t promise that he won’t be able to control himself from kissing her if she continued to look at him that way.“I think...I’m really drunk now,” Astrid whispered with a smile. They were already standing in front of her cottage, just a few steps from the Villa bar. He slightly moved back when he felt her hand touched his cheek. “Because I suddenly want to kiss you...but of course, I can’t, I shouldn’t.”“Why not?” he joked. Though it’s quite dark in that part of the alley, he could still see her beautiful red face. He actually f
PROBABLY, Astrid was really drunk because even though everything was clear to her and she could taste every kiss from Bullet, she didn’t know why it was happening. She could also hear his deep breathing as well as his moan every now and then every time she passionately responds to his kisses.Why did she let this happen in the first place? Why the hell did she let herself kiss a man who’s almost a stranger to her? She couldn’t understand why she was so attracted to Bullet because his type was far from those men she had dated in the past. Aside from being too handsome and too proud of himself, he’s also a certified playboy, which is one of the things she hated the most in a man.Oh who was she kidding? Any woman would be drawn by his hypnotizing stare. The question was why in the world was he wasting his time with somebody like her, considering that she’s not like those gorgeous and sexy women he’s been?
“CAN you believe this?” “Can you?” Bullet asked back as he squeezed Astrid’s hand, her engagement ring sparkling on her finger, together with her wedding band. An endearing smile lit her face as they walked hand in hand towards the fireplace. “After more than a decade, after everything that has happened, we’re here,” Astrid beemed after sipping her wine. “At last.” She then looked at her husband and suddenly, she felt this warm fuzzy feeling inside her chest. God, Bullet is now her husband. It was just like a dream. Everything was just like a dream to her now since his proposal. Bullet sat next to her on the extravagantl
AFTER SIX MONTHS... THE humble Italian diner located at the hotel rooftop was packed with guests early that evening. Though it was a simple ceremony, Carl and Michelle made sure to invite all the people closest to their hearts including Astrid, Luna and Bullet. They were surprised when they got the invitation just a week ago. In fact, everyone was surprised, especially Luna. Oh, surprised wasn’t the right term. She was ecstatic! When she saw Carl picking her up at the gate of her school, she cried, literally. According to Carl, they’ve decided to hold a simple civil wedding since they are just staying in Manila for a couple of weeks. They were already married in the states anyway and they just wanted to celebrate their marria
ASTRID was on her way out of her coffee shop when somebody blocked her way. She was busy going through her bag for her cellphone so she wasn’t able to see what’s on her way. “Oh, I’m sorry, I-” And when she looked up, she saw a huge bouquet of red American roses. She couldn’t quite figure out who’s holding them due to the size of it and she had to step closer to recognize whoever it was.“Hi.”She has already prepared a smile but when she realized that it wasn’t who she was expecting, she straightened and all the muscles in her face tightened.It was Theo. He’s all dressed up with his freshly-ironed light blue long sleeves shirt and cream
“AM I late?”Everybody glanced at him at the gate, including Luna who’s trying hard to stay awake by her mom’s side. But when she heard that voice, she quickly stood up and shrieked.“Daddy!” Luna rushed to her Dad and hugged him tight. “I knew it, you’re gonna come! I’ve been telling Mommy that you told us you’re not coming but you are just going to surprise us this Christmas eve!”“Yes, hon, you’re right.” Bullet crouched and kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Did Daddy’s plan worked?”“Yes Dad!”“Did you miss Daddy?”“Oh, I missed you so much Daddy! I’ve been telling Mommy to call you and tell you to visit but she said...” Luna had to take a deep breath before continuing. “She said that you are very busy with work and meetings and stuff that I don’t really understand.&
ASTRID was just about to turn off the moon night light on her night stand when she heard a knock at her door. It was Bullet, his hair already scruffy. His smile was quite uneasy when he entered her room.“She fell asleep even before she was able to read to me her new book.”She sat up and straightened up her blanket. ”I bet she got tired from riding her new bike around.”“Yeah, she told me about her ‘adventure’ in your backyard.”“Anyway, thank you for staying. You better go now so you can still catch the last full show.”Bullet shook his head. “I already called Audrey. Told her to take a rain check on the movie tonight.”“Why?”“Because you’re sick, that’s why.”“I feel better now, really.”He moved towards her bed and touched her forehead, just like what he did earlier. “Have yo
OH MY GOD, Astrid! What has gotten into you?She shook her head while looking at the pictures on her phone - pictures of Luna with Bullet and some stolen shots of him. She can’t remember when it happened or how it happened but one day, Astrid just found herself thinking about him all the time.And she hates it.She hates it every time he’s with them but his mind is into something else - oh yeah, someone else. She hates it whenever he promises to visit but doesn’t keep it due to ‘unforeseen’ circumstances. And she hates it when she wants to see him but he’s not available.She’s going crazy, she’s certain about it. Because if not, she wouldn’t be like this at all.This is all because of Bullet. All the flirting he’s been doing, all his sweet talks in the past months were now replaced with coldness. Now, he barely visits and when he does, he’s not his usu
"DREAM on, Mister!” Astrid laughed out loud, literally. “Why would you even think that?" she inquired.“Remember last week when we went to Lukas' night swimming birthday party?"Of course, she remembers. That was the time when she started getting confused about her own feelings. Because of Bullet, because of Theo, because of their complicated situation.“Remember when Audrey and I were getting cozy? You pulled that teacher closer, whispered in his ear and kissed him on the lips.”Astrid’s eyes widened and covered her mouth with her hands. “You saw that?” Yes, she remembered whispering to Theo and kissing him but it wasn’t because she wanted to make Bullet jealous. Alright. Maybe, half of it was true. She didn’t know how it happened but it was too late before she could even control herself.“Of course. I think everybody saw that.” He smiled but
“DO we really have to do this?”Bullet glanced at Astrid. He was about to push the doorbell button when he heard her behind him. Luna was just clinging to her Mom, smiling at him. She’s wearing the cute dress he got her on her birthday and carrying.Ever since his parents knew about Luna, they insisted to meet her as soon as possible. He’s not supposed to tell them about his daughter with Astrid yet but one of their closest friends allegedly saw the three of them together at the mall. He was even surprised to get a call from his mom asking too many questions about it that he wasn’t able to do anything but to admit it.“They are expecting us. Dad canceled his business trip today and Mom already cooked her special baked macaroni for Luna.””Wow! Baked macaroni? That’s my favorite, Daddy!”Bullet smiled and patted her hair lightly. “Yeah, your grandma made it beca
ASTRID just wanted to go home but she doesn’t want to lose face. When she got to the acoustic bar, Martha was already there. Lukas was also there, and Bullet and a beautiful young woman who seems really fond of Bullet.It’s her first time for a long time to visit such place since having Luna. It was one of the new clubs in the city which cater acoustic bands and promote fresh talents. The place is filled with smoke that’s artistically twirled, forming coils in the dimness.Acoustic music, chips, beers, murmurs and whispers. More and more people are coming inside the bar - men, women, couples, groups. There’s someone crying at the end corner of the place, some are just standing across the bar, while there are couples in hidden lounges.It was Martha’s birthday celebration and she was actually surprised when Martha told her about her and Lukas.“Are you kidding me?” she asked doubtfully. “Sinc