CHAPTER 2

DAEM'S POV

A girl got the attention of a young man named Daemon Gabrielle Santiago, a happy-go-lucky guy. Everyone knows him to be a lucky man, free, and just enjoying life.But for him, a person's life is only one, so he should be happy. His point is also valid, but everything is still wrong. Is that really the reason why he tries to have fun every day of his life? There are people who hide their tears in happiness, and there are also people who have fun to cover up the sadness of their lives. Daem didn't pay attention to her because she has a slender body, and especially not because of her beautiful face, but because of her eyes full of sadness and her face like an angel with an innocent face.

She seems like one of those girls who can't break dishes because of her innocence. From her demeanour and clothing, he could only say one thing:This woman is a provincial woman. She is wearing sandals, she is clothed up to your feet, and she also has a cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

What was she thinking? Which church did she attend? To wear a knee-length dress. She happened to be in a place where the battle would be shortened by clothes.If you look around, you will think there is a short-dress contest going on.

Even if she looks like a man, she will still be noticed because of her angelic beauty, which rises above everyone.

I think I know the reason why many people from Manila are attracted to live in the province. And I also think she's one of those reasons.

Apart from the fresh air that can be breathed in the province, there is more beautiful scenery in the province, as he can see now. Getting a friend's attention❝Hey dude! Why are you looking at her? ❞ his friend asked, as he groped a girl; he just now knew.

Daem doesn't judge her for being sleazy. If the woman is flirtatious, the men are greedy, and unfortunately, she was included among the greedy men. In his whole life, he has never been in a relationship with any woman; he doesn't want commitment; he is not brokenhearted because he has no experience falling in love; he does not believe in forever. For him, forever just exists in fairytales, fantasy, and novels. It doesn't exist in reality.Daem doesn't believe in promises because, for him, promises are meant to be broken. Let's face it, no one can keep the promise they made.

The promise is just a word, and only fools cling to the word they know can be erased and forgotten. He is not a bitter person; he is just realistic. It's because the word is true.forever why there is divorce and annulment. 

Why leave someone in tears? He didn't believe that's forever and love exists because, to be truthful, it doesn't; it's just in the minds and dreams of fools. Dreams never come true in reality because no matter how hard you try, you never get it. Maybe that's why he has this view—he didn't receive love from his own parents. Daem grew up with his grandparents, whom he thought were his parents.

They gave him what he needed—the love that they thought was enough—but in his heart, it seemed like something was missing that he couldn't figure out. When he found out that he was not their real child and that his real mother was their youngest child, he realised that what he lacked was the love he was looking for—the love he had for the fish. is the love of his own parents that he never felt.   

They told him how it happened that his real mother was their youngest child. This is their story to her: Their youngest daughter, Savannah Santiago, was studying and was still very young, so they forbade her to have a boyfriend, but when she was stopped, she grew braver.In other words, he did not follow their wishes; he had a secret relationship, and the worst thing is that his relationship is fifteen years older than his.   

The man is Arnaldo Fuentez, a native of Baguio, a businessman, and the most problematic is that he is a family man. His mother was a college student who was the girlfriend of a businessman. Unexpectedly,  his mother was pregnant, and Bianca, Arnaldo's legal wife, found out about it. Bianca embarrasses Savannah in front of her classmates, friends, and acquaintances.   

Savannah's life will gradually be destroyed. She thought that Arnaldo was the only one who could hold her during those times, but he abandoned her as well as the child she was carrying in her womb because of Savannah's anger at the events that made her think that Arnaldo was not the only one who could abandon the child, so he left his maiden daughter Daemon with his parents.These are the ones who share the responsibility that must be fulfilled by his young mother and family-oriented father. His mother now has a husband and a child, and she doesn't care about him.   

❝Because she catches my attention,❞ none of his own answersThe words that came out of his mouth gradually loaded into his brain.   

He removed his gaze from the woman and turned his gaze to his friend with a devious smile on his lips.   

Fuck! What did I say? Maybe that's what it thinks. His friend smiled foolishly at him, as if teasing him.   

❝So you find that she's attractive,❞ he promised him teasingly. 

That girl is really attractive; there is something special about her that arouses his attention. 

How do we notice a woman? We only look at its external appearance, its beautiful face, and its slender body, which are attractive to the eyes. Very few look at the inner appearance.   

❝Every girl's attractive, based on her figure, beautiful face, and sexy body,❞ he replied.   

A woman only gets a man's attention based on her beautiful and attractive outer appearance. Like in this place, almost all women are obviously attractive based on their clothes, and while the one woman who gets his attention is strange, it's not like the women here who seem to have a lack of fabric because of the very short dresses.   

❝Yeah, but based on how you look at her, it seems like you want to know her.❞     

Is it that obvious? It can only be perceived that his eyes were staring at the woman, as if the woman would melt from staring so much. There are also men who look around because they are shy and afraid of being awkward when their lover is there.   

❝Can you stop what you're thinking? It's not like that; I just found that she doesn't suit this kind of place,❞ as he explained here.   

Women like this are respectable; she wouldn't fit in this place where women are wild.   

❝I thought you wanted to flirt with her.❞Daem likes to make out with the girl, just like before, who is about to kiss her, but he doesn't know the name of the girl he is making out with, and he just met the girl.   

The woman left a while ago; she was upset because he hung up on her, so maybe she looked for someone else who could give her what she wanted. Daem hung up on this girl because this girl is a fuck girl and he always has limitations. Daem doesn't want to have sex with anyone because he might get HIV and impregnate someone. And above all, even though he's a happy-go-lucky guy, he has limitations; he has respect for himself and a woman's body. He respects women; it's not so obvious, even if the woman herself has no respect for herself. It's not even obvious to a happy-go-lucky guy like him that he believes that a woman's body is divine and should be respected.   

Daem also had two friends who lost their freedom because of being fuckboys. Gavin is his friend, a man who likes to have a one-night stand, so it's karma that he impregnated a fuck girl. Married for the child, he was tied down and lost his freedom because this guy needs to be responsible because he's a family man. Second, Drake is one of his friends who was punished by everyone, so Karma also contracted HIV; unfortunately, he died.     

❝Stop your flirting, and you might get unlucky; you might even get HIV," he warned here.   

❝We're just the same,❞ it replied.   

❝But I have a limitation,❞ he said.   

His means are limited so that he does not get infected with the HIV disease. He knows the limit, but he doesn't know the limit without his worthless life.   

❝And I have a condom,❞ he said. 

Condoms are a protection; this is his friend's protection so he doesn't get HIV.   

❝I can give you one; if you need one, just tell me.❞ It was offered.   

In this world, there are opportunities like his situation that he can refuse if he wants to. He's just a happy-go-lucky guy, but that doesn't mean he's an impulsive guy who shoots someone just to get over the pain.   

I'll admit, sometimes I itch too, but I'd rather scratch it against the wall and scratch myself. 

What about hitting on women who are hitting on each other? He doesn't say that most of the women in the bar are hot, because he knows that there are also successful women who come to the bar just to celebrate their success. 

❝Just keep it; if you use it so often, you might run out of it,❞ he advised his friend before turning his back and putting his hand in his pocket.

Because it is still holding its beloved condom that it cannot let go of, as if it cannot live without a condom.   

❝And one more thing: this girl is too innocent for the dirty thoughts in your brain,❞ he added. 

He was right; this girl is too innocent based on the fact that she will make money in his eyes.This is the first time that Daem has seen the eyes of a girl so pure and innocent in this kind of place; she's so different from all the girls here in the bar. It was like a pearl that he wanted to touch, but he would not like it to be scratched. It's obvious that it shouldn't be in this kind of place based on its actions. 

In noisy places like this, he first noticed it when he covered his ears earlier when he entered the bar. Maybe it shouldn't have been in this kind of noisy and chaotic place. He also noticed earlier that he looked at them kissing a woman he had just met, and the funniest thing was that he immediately covered his eyes like an innocent child who didn't want to look at what was in front of him.   

He can only say one thing:She's so cute in her reaction,which makes him smile. Daem took a deep breath as if gathering courage. He immediately picked up the wine in front of him and quickly gulped it down as if gathering the courage to approach the woman.   

When he gathered his courage, he immediately put down the glass, and with all his might, he stepped closer to the woman without taking his eyes off her. He approached it and watched it with every step he took.The girl suddenly turned in his direction, causing him to stop.   

The distance between them was not a barrier for their eyes to meet—eyes that seemed to be talking.   

At that time, he felt as if the world stopped for a moment just for him; the noise around him seemed to stop to give them silence to understand each other. It was like they were the only people in that place; everything became slow motion. Even though he was weak and her eyes seemed to be absorbing his strength, he still tried to step his feet slowly closer to where she was while this woman was just sitting but did not stop the strange contest by staring. them. And it seems that no one wants to lose, but no one wants to cut it.   

Every step he took at that time was like the sound of a drumstick; it was an attention-grabber. Maybe that's why he couldn't take his eyes off her. When he got close to her, he offered her the most beautiful and biggest smile of his that was just for her. He sat down next to her without asking her permission.   

❝Can I sit next to you? ❞ when he was already sitting, he only then asked for permission.   

Why is he asking for permission if he is sitting again? He just wants to start a conversation between them. It's okay for them to just stare until time runs out.   

Daem offered his sweet smile again, but the woman only raised an eyebrow at him. His sweet smile didn't make his flat eyebrows startle.   

❝If I say no, you'll leave? ❞ she promised flatly while still raising his eyebrows.

Doesn't he care?

❝No! ❞ was his silly response.   

I thought provincial people were shy and kind. Why is this girl so stubborn, even grumpy? Others have said, 'Many die from delusions, but in my current situation, I would be embarrassed because of my delusions. Maybe she's just adapting to this kind of place? Could it be that she has already adopted the behaviour of the people of Manila? His meditation was lost when this multi raised an eyebrow.   

❝Did you know staring is bad? ❞ she said because he had been staring at her for a while. 

If I were staring at something as beautiful as you? If it's a sin to look at you, I'm ready to be imprisoned in your heart. 

Daem dared to bring his face closer to her, with only an inch between their faces. Their breaths hit each other, and he could tell that it smelled very good.     

❝I don't know, and I don't care; besides, I'm staring into an angelic face like you,❞ he said flirtatiously.

And in the next moment, Daem was shocked when this woman suddenly slapped him with a bit of weakness on his face; maybe it was a blessing in disguise.   

❝Sorry! There are flies, and please, if you just come here to flirt with me, can you just leave me alone and find someone who can ride on you?❞ she said angrily.   

He rubbed her shoulder as if he were trying to calm him down. 

❝Calm down; I didn't come here to flirt with you,❞ he explained soothingly.I'm here to comfort you.   

He doesn't know why. It entered his mind: how could he help her overcome her problems if his own problems in life had brought him down? Maybe that's true; even if you have your own problem from the beginning, you are still ready to take the problem to someone else. In the hope of eventually alleviating all the problems in this world together. 

❝Why did you approach me?❞ She asked him.   

Because your eyes are telling you that you need someone—someone who won't judge you.   

❝Before that, I'm Daemon Gabrielle Santiago, but you can call me Daem, and I just want to be friends,❞ he introduced himself and also offered his hand.   

At first, he thought she wouldn't accept his hand, but he was wrong the second time she accepted his hand, and there was the path of two palms that didn't know where to go. If there is still tomorrow waiting, there will be no more problems to deal with.   

When their hands came together, he felt her palms so soft and smooth. Daem thought that the people from the provinces had rough palms because what they were busy with was tilling the land and planting crops to earn money. But this woman's hand can become smooth and soft if she uses an expensive lotion. And if you look at this woman in front of him, she looks like she comes from a rich family; it's obvious from her actions and speech.   

❝Angel, and I accept your friendship offer,❞ accepting his friendship offer.   

Angel? Her name doesn't suit this kind of place.This place can sometimes be compared to hell because they often release the bad behaviour they hide from the judgmental world here.   

❝Can I call you Gel? Because your name doesn't suit this kind of place,❞ he asked for her permission. 

Angel only nodded to him, but it was enough to make him smile. 

❝I haven't seen you before; is this your first time here?❞ he asked here before signalling the bartender to give them some alcohol to drink. 

The bartender put down the wine he asked for; he picked it up while waiting for his response. He often goes to bars in Manila every night, and this bar is his favourite place of all. He didn't think the day would come.   

He knows someone like this here. But what makes it different from the women he meets here? Maybe because he sees himself here as a person who has been deprived of happiness by the world.   

Every night he meets a new face and familiar faces in this kind of place, but this girl is different. This is also the first time he saw her in the bar and in Manila. Maybe their paths should not cross, but in this heartless world, their broken hearts led them to meet each other. There is a reason that he still doesn't know, but maybe one day, someday, he will understand the faith of life. 

❝Yeah, how about you? You seem to think that everything here is not new for you; have you always been here?❞ She took some wine and gulped it down.   

Daem got silent for a moment, as if he suddenly didn't like what they were talking about. He twisted and toyed with the glass of wine like he was being toyed around and toyed with by the world, as if without consent.   

❝I'm here for a very long time.❞ His words show his sadness that he tries to hide from others, but he can't hide it from her because they already feel the same.   

She looked at him carefully in the eyes—eyes that saw all the pain he was trying to hide.

❝We are both sad, am I right?❞ She reassured him; he faked a smile here.   

❝Of course not your wrong, I'm here because I'm having fun.❞ he pretended to be here and to himself.

But it's as if she can't locate his pain as well as himself.   

❝Sometimes, when we're sad, we go out to have fun to make us happy, even for just a few minutes.❞ This hit his heart meaningfully, something he couldn't avoid.   

❝And sometimes, when we are problematic, we want to be alone; we want to be drunk to forget our problems, even for a few minutes.❞ he replied meaningfully.   

❝So are you saying that I'm a problematic person? ❞ he asked, looking into her eyes as if reading her thoughts. And there he saw the sadness that destroyed the beauty of her eyes and also her life.     

❝It's it? Too obvious,❞ she asked as if she had read his thoughts.   

She smiled fakely, tears falling from her beautiful eyes.   

❝You're definitely right; I'm here to forget my problems because I wanted to be free of pain for even a few minutes‚❞ she said to him in tears.   

He didn't know why he would be drawn to the emotion he was showing her; he could feel the pain she was feeling. Maybe because they are the same, they both ended up in this place to forget their problems, even for a moment.   

Daem took out his handkerchief from inside his pocket, and he brought himself close to it to wipe his tears from his eyes. It's just funny to think that she tried to wipe away someone else's sadness when she couldn't wipe away her own tears.   

❝Stop crying;❞ it doesn't suit your beautiful face, he asked her, but he couldn't do it either. 

❝I'm not good at comforting someone; this is the only thing I can do.❞ After he said this, he grabbed a medicine from his wallet; it was a drug. 

Dangerous drugs mean a drug, other than a controlled substance, that has the potential for harmful effects or the method of its use. The collateral measures necessary to its use are not safe except under the supervision of a practitioner licenced by law to direct the use of such drugs, for which adequate directions for use cannot be prepared.

 "Adequate directions for use" means directions under which the layman can use a drug. Device safely and for the purposes for which it is intended. A drug shall be dispensed only upon the prescription of a practitioner licenced by law to administer it.

❝I don't care if it's good or bad, as long as I think it can help.❞ He presented here a small package of illegal drugs.

Angel looked into his eyes before taking what he offered. She looked at what he gave here and raised the tin again.That little pill would bring her to a trouble-free paradise, but he also knew it would have bad effects.

Sometimes in our lives, we don't even think about its bad effects. As long as it's only for a short time, we feel relief, no matter what it is.