Chapter 3

MELISSA QUIZON

The next day, I did not receive a single text from Wright. We were not on campus today because it was Saturday. This was the day that Wright would see Raquel because it was her brother's birthday. I trusted Wright. I knew he wouldn't break my trust. To keep negative thoughts out of my mind, I tried to do my projects and homework. Midterms were near, and I had a scholarship to keep.

Even though I kept myself busy with schoolwork, I still waited for a text message or call from him until late at night. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I called him myself. He answered the call.

I frowned when I noticed the background noise from his end. Was his radio on?

"Where are you?" I asked coldly. My voice was calm, but he got it. I lay down on my bed and hugged my pillow while the phone was on my ear.

"I don't want to lie to you, Melissa. But—"

"Hey, Wright! Let's go! Raquel is calling us!" I heard the voice of a man in the background. He seemed to be right next to Wright.

My eyebrows met. Raquel? What the what?

"You broke your promise," I said, emphasizing every word. My blood is also rising with anger.

"No—err, yes! But Fier forced me! He said too much, and now I’m here. Please don’t be mad." He took a deep breath. "Babe...we should spend time with our friends. The world doesn’t revolve around just the two of us. You know—"

"That’s fine. I get it. Have fun, alright?" I said sarcastically.

I didn’t wait for his response and ended the call. To make sure that he wouldn’t call back, I switched my phone off.

When I woke up the next morning, I was frowning, and my cellphone was still off. I hated Wright. I was so fucking pissed. I trusted him, but he betrayed me. I wasn't born yesterday; of course I knew what would happen if he got drunk! I knew she would take him from me! That flirty bitch!

I was currently sweeping our yard to remove the fallen leaves. I was about to put the dried leaves in a dustpan when someone suddenly blew a horn. Surprised, I let go of the dustpan, and the leaves spread all over the place again. I was ready to shout at the car owner, but my tongue twitched when I noticed how familiar the vehicle looked.

The mighty Wright Agoncillo owned it. A Black Lamborghini was parked on the side of our yard. Every passerby inevitably looked at his car with envy in their eyes. He was standing outside the driver's seat, looking as handsome as ever. He was wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a white cap. If I were not mad at him, I would have thrown myself at this fucking cutie, but no. I held on to my pride.

I managed to maintain my blank expression, even though I was tempted to put my arms around him. I avoided his gaze and returned to my chores. I heard him take a deep breath and walk towards me.

He stood in front of me. I walked backward to put enough distance between us. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's talk," he said calmly. He tried to grab my arm, but I immediately pulled away. His lips parted because of my reaction.

"How was the party?" I said sarcastically.

"Babe…Stop your sarcasm and hear my explanation. Please."

I took a deep breath and looked at him coldly. "No need. I understand. I agree with what you said last night. We should have time for our friends."

"Don't use that tone on me, Melissa. I know we have an issue here—"

"What issue?"

His hand ran through his hair. He looked sexy as hell! "A trust issue, babe. Trust. You know—you see, you don't trust me at all."

"Wow! I don't trust you? Really? How can you say that, Mister Agoncillo?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You're jealous and angry whenever I'm with a woman. Is it really necessary for me to explain to you before a woman can approach me?"

"I trust you, if that's what you want to know." I lowered my voice so that Grandma wouldn't hear what I had to say. "The ones I don’t trust are those bitches!"

"Is it my fault your boyfriend is attractive?"

My eyebrows met, and I pressed my lips together. He only annoyed me even more. "Leave. Now. Before I shove your balls down your throat."

He stood there, dumbfounded. And then he swallowed. "Sounds very painful."

"Exactly."

"But I'm not going anywhere, babe. No. I don't want to break up or to have space. We'll fix this and set some rules, if needed." He approached me and whispered, "Get dressed first. We're going somewhere. We'll talk there."

"How are you sure that I'll come with you?"

"Come on, baby. Please, I’m begging. Don't be stubborn."

Since I was a very kind person, I felt sorry for him. I smirked at him before turning away. "Fine."

"Thank you so much."

After I got dressed, I told Grandma that I would be leaving for a while. I left the house. Wright was leaning against his expensive car. He opened the passenger seat door when he saw me walking towards him. "Let's go, shall we?"

I gave him a cold stare and went inside the car. He slowly closed it and walked back to the driver's seat. He drove while I was just staring out of the car. We arrived at a park. He removed his seatbelt, so I removed mine. I didn't wait for him to open the door for me. He looked defeated when I did that. He held my hand, but I pulled away. I walked to the swing first. I sat there, and Wright kneeled in front of me.

He cupped my face, and his thumb caressed my cheek. “Melissa, I had to go to that party because the band was going to be performing for Rowie. It was her eighteenth birthday. Racky just wanted to perform for Rowie."

I was speechless.

"Babe, are you list—"

"Yes," I said, not looking at him.

His wild eyes met mine. My heartbeat quickened.

"Rowie hadn't heard Racky perform ever since she left to study in Canada. And she wanted to meet our band." He pushed back the hair that covered my face. "Babe, I'm not cheating. I'm not. Can't you see that I'm trying so hard to put up with your standards? Given the circumstances, I don't want to let you go."

I was probably so jealous that I was losing trust in him. I admitted I’d been insecure with all the women approaching him. I was afraid Wright might be taken away from me. I loved him. He was the first man I loved. I was afraid I'd lose him.

"Melissa…"

"I believe you." I looked at him directly. I touched his cheek and caressed it. "I told you: I trust you. I'm sorry for being paranoid, babe. Sorry for doubting you. I don’t want to lose you too. I was just—"

“Insecure. Yes. I am aware, baby. That’s why I’m trying to show you that you’re the only one for me,” he said as he kissed my palm.

His face came closer to mine, and he looked at my lips. He smiled foolishly. "Let's go to my condo."

"What are we going to do there?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He laughed and pinched the tip of my nose. "You can teach me how to play the drums, rock princess."

"You're in for a challenge, Mister Agoncillo?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Oh, I feel insulted. Maybe you're just not good at teaching, Miss Quizon."

"Wow! Let’s have a bet. You won't learn the most basic things I'm going to teach you."

I’d taught him a few times before, but he still didn’t get the beats. His arms kept getting tangled and confused.

"A bet. I like that. It sounds interesting."

"Alright."

“What are the conditions?" he said playfully.

“Name them."

He stood up and pulled me upright as well. He took both my hands and hugged my waist. "When I win, I can get to second base."

"Second base?"

He chuckled. "Second base means I can touch your boobs, legs, hips—"

"What—w-wait! That's not fair! When I win, you'll just dance to Whoops Kiri!" I slapped his arm.

"You're the one who wanted to bet, right? You're not a good sport." The fool was playing with my conscience.

"Fine! Come on! I change my condition. When I win, you'll dance to Whoops Kiri in the middle of the supermarket."

He laughed a little. "That's it? Easy."

I would not let him win. We got back in Wright’s car and went to his condo. We took the elevator to get to the 15th floor. How many times had I been to Wright’s condo? That was where the band often practiced. Just as the elevator door opened, Fier came up to us with a beautiful woman. The woman leaned against the wall near Wright's door, and Fier pressed against her. I immediately avoided looking at them.

"Fier Jamescel. You are an asshole! You are an eyesore!" Wright shouted.

Fier stopped kissing the woman and looked at Wright. His eyes were wide open. "I just came home. You're a nuisance. And this shit door won't open!"

"Stupid! This condo is not yours, fucking idiot. I'm 5100, and you're 5001." Wright pointed to the door just in front of Wright's condo door.

Fier looked at the number above Wright's door, and then he smiled. "Oh. My bad. Let's go, Clariz."

"I'm Carmela, Fier," the woman hissed as she caressed Fier's shoulder.

"Ah. Yeah! That’s what I said, honey."

Fier immediately pulled the woman into his condo. Wright was still pissed as he opened his door. Fier just came home? Did that mean he woke up at Raquel's house?

"Wright, what time did you come home last night? Did you get up in the morning too?" I asked as we entered his condo.

He frowned at me. "You still haven’t turned on your phone, have you?"

"Not yet because I don’t want to hear anything from you."

"Early." He sighed. He reached into his pocket and handed me his cellphone. "Our anniversary is the password. Read my inbox."

After he gave it to me, I browsed through it. "Hmm..."

He had texted me many times, and guilt ran through me. I should have let him explain. I read some of his messages to me that said he was going home. He sent them to me at eight o'clock. I followed him into the kitchen after I read his inbox. I caught him cooking bacon. I quickly approached him and hugged him around the waist. I squeezed my face on his broad back. I sighed, and my hands touched his abs. He let me touch him, and silence filled the whole place. When he finished cooking the bacon, he turned to me and smiled.

His face dropped, and he kissed me quickly on the lips. "Let’s eat first."

After we ate, I immediately taught Wright how to play the drums. We laughed and enjoyed the moment. At first, he still wasn't able to learn what I was teaching him. I mean, it was really hard and complicated.

It took us an afternoon before he got the basic beats. I was torturing him. He seemed to notice that.

He turned to me and frowned. "You're torturing me. Do you think I don't notice? Baby, you don't want me to win, do you?"

I averted my gaze and stroked the cymbals. "No. Just accept that you lost."

"No way!" He hit the drum. "Once more. I'm close to mastering it."

I grinned and taught him again. Gradually, my grin faded as he played the beat without any errors. His arms were no longer knotted. I got up and went beside him. I licked my lower lip.

He jerked my arm, pulling me off-balance. I fell on his lap, and he put his arms around my waist. He grinned mischievously. "A bet is a bet, baby. I got it right."

"Bu—how? I-it's impossible! You're unteachable!" Oh no!

His eyebrows went up and down. "Maybe I just needed something to motivate me."

"Impossible—" My protest was interrupted as he leaned his face to mine.

"Second." He kissed me quickly on the lips. "Base."

I quickly removed his hands from my waist and stood up. He laughed. I wanted to wipe that stupid, playful grin off his face. I walked backward, away from him, while biting my lower lip, and he slowly approached me. My knees softened at the kind of look he was giving me. I didn't notice the sofa behind me, so I fell on top of it. He put his knees on my side. I was sitting in the middle of his thighs, and he imprisoned me with his powerful arms.

"Gotcha," he said warmly and seductively. “Baby, you look like a rabbit that got caught by her predator.”

“Wright.”

“Don’t be scared, baby. I’m not going to bite.”

“This is new to me.”

“I know. I’ll be very gentle. I’ll guide you.” He caressed my cheek. “Close your eyes, baby.”

I did what he said and let him claim his price.

He earned it.