Chapter 006

At the bar, just moments before the fateful encounter between Arnaldo and Amelia.

“Woohoooo!” The music was blasting inside the bar where Amelia, Ian, and Sophia decided to have a good time. Amelia had just caught her boyfriend of seven years entering a famous motel in Manila. She was on her way home to their shared apartment, where she and her friends lived together to save on expenses.

Ian and Sophia both came from well-off families. But they enjoyed sharing the three-bedroom apartment with Amelia, as they had been close friends since their university days. Even after graduating and starting their jobs, they remained inseparable. Ian, being part of the LGBT community, felt safe and accepted around Amelia and Sophia, unlike with his family, who couldn’t accept him for being gay.

“Bessy, are you okay?” Ian asked Amelia.

“I told you before to leave that jerk! He hasn’t given you anything but headaches,” he added.

“Yeah, remember in college, when you caught him flirting with the university cheerleader? Even when he was caught red-handed, he still denied it. And you just kept forgiving him over and over again, only for him to do it all again,” Sophia chimed in.

“Sigh, I don’t know, bessy. I guess I’m just stupid when it comes to Vincent,” Amelia replied with a deep sigh, downing another shot of hard liquor.

“Waiter, can we have another bottle of this?” she asked as the waiter passed by.

“Bessy, this is the first time I’ve seen you this wrecked. And it’s not just the cheerleader—remember when we saw Vincent with another girl at the mall? You let that go too. Then there was Claudia! Ugh, I can’t stand that girl. But you, with just a few sorrys and flowers, you’d forgive him right away. You never learn!” Ian reminded her, shaking his head as they continued to drink.

“You know, bessy, maybe Vincent’s acting that way because he’s itching for something. I mean, come on, you still haven’t ‘surrendered’ to him. And, let’s admit it, Vincent is quite the looker, with those abs… hmmm… rrrrr!” Ian teased Amelia.

“Woooohoooo! Bottoms up!” Amelia shouted, avoiding the conversation about her virginity.

“Come on, let’s hit the dance floor! We came here to have fun, not to talk about Vincent! I swear, I’m never falling for his tricks again. NEVER EVER AGAIN!” she declared to her friends.

“Woooohoooo! Cheers to that!” they all raised their glasses in agreement.

On the dance floor, the trio moved to the beat, though Amelia was more reserved. However, it wasn’t long before her lively, talented dancing caught the attention of the crowd. The men in the bar were particularly drawn to her when she started dancing, urged on by her friends, who knew how good she was.

“Woooohooo! Go, bessy! Go, bessy! That’s my friend!” Ian and Sophia proudly cheered her on.

Amelia wore a red dress paired with her favorite sandals to stay comfortable. Her makeup was light, as she wasn’t used to heavy makeup. She tied back her wavy, brownish hair, which added a soft glow to her face.

Her beauty was unmistakable, catching the eye of anyone in the bar. In fact, several men had already approached them to dance. But Amelia wasn’t one to enjoy that kind of attention, so she eventually asked her friends to return to their seats.

“Bessy, let’s go back! Too many people are dancing around!” Amelia urged Sophia and Ian, who were still busy dancing with other men. Unlike Amelia, Ian and Sophia were extroverts, having grown up in a more liberated environment. They were used to wild party scenes, especially with their frequent trips abroad.

“Hahaha, bessy, let’s enjoy the dance floor! The guy I’m dancing with is so much fun!” Sophia protested.

“Okay, okay! Hahaha, enjoy yourselves, bessies. I’ll head back to our table,” Amelia said with a laugh.

“Sure, bessy! We’ll follow soon! Woohoooo!” Ian, too, was preoccupied with his dance partner.

Amelia returned to their coach and watched her friends with a smile, seeing how much they were enjoying themselves on the dance floor. Little did she know, a man had been watching her from another table, smiling as he observed her. It was Arnaldo, sitting at the opposite end of the bar.

Amelia continued to drink, having lost count of how many shots she’d had. All she wanted was to enjoy the night with her friends.

Meanwhile, Sophia, ever the outgoing one, decided to make the first move and introduce herself to the guy she was dancing with.

“Hi! What’s your name?” Sophia asked her dance partner.

“I’m David, and these are my friends Oscar and John,” he replied.

“By the way, I’m Sophia, and this is my friend Ian. We have another friend—her name’s Amelia,” Sophia introduced them.

“Oh, you mean the lady in red? The one who was dancing with you earlier?” John asked, leaning in to make himself heard over the loud music.

“Yes, that’s our friend! She’s really good at dancing, right?” Ian proudly added.

“Yeah, she’s pretty and really good on the dance floor! By the way, we have a friend at our table as well,” Oscar said, pointing to their table.

“That’s Arnaldo,” he mentioned.

“He doesn’t like the dance floor, so he stayed at our table.”

“Oh my gee! You mean the famous Arnaldo? The man of steel?!” Ian exclaimed, though his words were a bit slurred from the alcohol.

“Yes, Arnaldo Alcantara,” they confirmed, laughing as they toasted once more. By that point, both groups had had quite a bit to drink, leading to all kinds of wild stories. The friends had a rule: never reveal their true identities, especially when they were out at the bar.