My head was still pounding when I reached my hotel room, the city noise outside a faint murmur through the windows. The morning light was much too bright for my taste, and everything around me felt like it was moving just a little too fast. I slumped onto the bed, dropping my bag, shoes, and dignity along the way.
I was halfway through pulling the covers over me when I finally decided to check my phone. I had ignored it the whole taxi ride — partly because I didn't want to deal with the world yet, but mostly because my mind was still stuck on last night.
His hands, his mouth, that voice—his cock…
Nope.
I shook my head furiously. That was supposed to be a one-time thing. I didn't even know his name.
As soon as the screen lit up, my notifications exploded in front of me.
6:00 AM
36 missed calls. 57 messages. 12 tags in the GC.
What the—
"Oh my god," I muttered, my heart dropping to my stomach. Ate Shangie.
My phone buzzed again. A fresh message popped up in the group chat:
Ate Shangie: KATE IF YOU'RE ALIVE SAY SOMETHING OR I'M CALLING THE POLICE 😭😭😭
I winced, biting my lip. Panic rose in my chest — not because I was hurt, but because I'd scared the crap out of people who actually cared about me.
I tapped the group chat and scrolled through the messages:
Calvin: She probably just hooked up with someone lol
Lanz: Or got kidnapped wtf Kate WHERE ARE YOU
Ate Shangie: Hindi ka naman ganito usually!!!
Dracula: I'm kinda scared now.
Neko: I should've watched her better. Damn it.
Guilt wrapped around me like a chokehold.
I backed out of the chat and opened my private convo with Ate Shangie. My thumb hovered over the call button for a few seconds before I pressed it.
It rang once. Twice.
Then—
"KALOKA KA!" came the scream from the other end. "NASAN KA? NAWALA KA KAGABI! ALAM MO BANG SOBRANG PANIC NAMIN?!"
I yanked the phone slightly away from my ear. "Ow—okay, okay! Sorry!" I flinched at her volume, but... I deserved it.
"Where were you?" she hissed, the panic still thick in her voice.
I bit my lip. I was still debating whether to lie or sugarcoat when I sighed. Screw it.
"I just got back to my hotel room," I admitted quietly. "I was with someone last night…"
Silence.
"...You what?" Her voice dropped a pitch. "You hooked up with a guy? KATEEEE?!"
Oh no.
I groaned. "Don't say it like that!"
"Girl! We thought you were kidnapped! Or worse! You're lucky I didn't report you missing!"
"I know, I know." My heart sank. "I'm really sorry. I messed up. I didn't mean to scare you guys. I'll make it up to everyone, promise. I'll treat you all today, if you're free."
"Hoy," she snapped. "You think libre makes it okay? You scared the hell out of us! You're not in your small-town province anymore, Kate! This is Manila!"
"I know, Ate…" I whispered. My cheeks burned — from guilt, yes, but also from the lingering heat that crawled back into my body when I remembered how I ended up disappearing in the first place.
That man. The stranger with eyes that undressed me before he even touched me. The stranger whose voice made me moan without shame. I could still feel the ache in my thighs and the soreness between my legs.
"Ugh," I muttered, trying to snap out of it.
Ate Shangie sighed heavily on the other end. "I'm glad you're safe, Evie. But please, never pull that again. I'll message everyone and tell them you're alive. Lunch later? 1 PM."
"Yeah. Send me the address. I need to... sleep off a hangover first," I said. Or maybe a sex coma.
"Fine," she muttered, calming down a little. "But you're sitting beside me later so I can slap you if needed."
"Fair enough."
The call ended, and I tossed my phone onto the bed.
I stood there for a few seconds, the silence in the room making the memories of last night creep back in, unwelcome and unavoidable.
The way he pinned me down.
The way he growled my name — no, Evie. The only name I gave him. A lie wrapped in lust.
The way he kissed me like he needed to memorize me with his mouth.
I bit down on my bottom lip hard and rushed to the bathroom.
Maybe a freezing cold shower could erase the fire that guy left in my blood.
---
The restaurant buzzed with the kind of energy only BGC could summon on --- loud, fast, a little too polished for my mood. Dishes clinked. Forks scraped porcelain. Somewhere nearby, someone laughed so hard they snorted. I wanted to crawl under the table and stay there.
I was five minutes late. On purpose. Not too rude, but just enough to make sure everyone else had already arrived. That way I could slip in with minimal attention and maybe survive this lunch without spontaneously combusting.
My hair was still damp from the shower I took, but it hadn't helped. The cold water did nothing. I could still feel him—his breath, his grip, his voice—and every time my mind brushed against the memory, my stomach somersaulted.
Get it together, Kate.
I spotted the group right away—long table at the back, half-filled with familiar faces and noise. Ate Shangie stood up immediately, waving with a look that said you're not getting away with shit today.
"There she is! The runaway bride!" she teased as I approached. Her arms pulled me into a side hug before I could protest. "Alive and in one piece. Miracles do happen."
I laughed awkwardly, forcing myself to smile as I slid into the empty seat between Calvin and Ate Shangie as per her request.
"You scared the shit out of us," Lanz said while glaring daggers at me.
"I know… I'm sorry. I swear, I didn't mean to—" I trailed off, waving a hand helplessly.
Calvin pushed a glass of water in front of me. "Drink. You look like you've seen a ghost."
If only it were a ghost. Ghosts don't leave bruises on your thighs and moans in your memory.
I nodded gratefully and took a sip, trying to tune in to the conversations happening around me. Everyone seemed relaxed again—teasing each other, debating about food, laughing about a meme someone had posted in the GC.
For a moment, I even felt okay. Normal.
Until Ate Shangie opened her mouth.
"Oh! By the way," she said, like it was nothing, "sayang, Kate. You didn't get to meet Frooze last night."
My brain paused. "Frooze?"
Sino nga ulit yun?
"Yeah. The new guy in the group. I told you about him, remember? He was there last night, but he had to take a business call. Ayun, hindi na siya bumalik for some reason. Pero don't mind him, baka nabusy lang siya kagabi, umuwi na ng maaga."
"Oh…" I nodded slowly. "I remember seeing his name in the chat."
Shangie grinned. "Yeah! Kaibigan ko sa work. Super tahimik niya but he's mabait, promise. Took me forever to convince him to join us."
I gave a half-smile. "Would've been nice to meet him." Would be nice kasi magkakaroon na ako ng bagong friend.
And then, because the universe is cruel and timing is a bitch—
"Sorry I'm late," said a voice behind me.
I froze.
Everything in me—my breath, my thoughts, my heart—halted in place.
No. No. No. That can't be—
But my body knew before my brain caught up. That voice had spoken filth into my ear less than twelve hours ago. That voice had made me shiver, whimper, beg.
That voice had ruined me and my pussy.
"Traffic was hell," he said, his tone relaxed. Confident. "Had to finish a few things before I could come."
My grip on the glass tightened. I could feel my pulse in my ears. In my throat. In places it had no business being.
There's no way. There's no way.
His voice! It was deeper in daylight. Smooth, steady, laced with quiet command.
My entire body stiffened. I didn't need to turn. I knew.
The air vanished from my lungs. My hand tightened around my glass so hard I thought it might shatter.
No. God, no. Him? Here? Please tell me I'm hallucinating.
I didn't dare look. Not yet. But my peripheral vision betrayed mw—white polo, black slacks. Simple. Clean. Harmless, if worn by anyone else. But on him?
God.
That crisp white shirt clung to his frame in all the right places, sleeves straining slightly at his biceps, the open collar hinting at skin she already knew too well. The black slacks hung low on his hips, tailored enough to be lethal.
It was unfair—how basic clothes could look indecent on a man like him.
Ate Shangie lit up beside me, standing again. "Frooze! Nandyan ka na pala! Finally! Halika, I want you to meet someone."
No, you don't. No you fucking don't, Ate.
She gestured toward me. "This is Kate—our favorite probinsyana who gave us all a heart attack last night. The one that I mentioned to you over the phone kanina?"
Please let the earth open up and swallow me. I wanted to sink into the floor. Die. Spontaneously combust. Anything.
"Mmmm, is that so?"
I kept my eyes down. Stared hard at my plate. My voice came out as a whisper. I forced the smallest nod known to man. "H-hi."
That's it. Just one syllable. He couldn't possibly recognize me from that, right?
"Hoy," Shangie said, frowning. "What's with the shy act? Usually ang daldal mo."
I could feel him behind me now. His presence. Like gravity had tilted.
And then, the betrayal.
Her hands landed on my shoulders, and she spun me in my chair to face him.
I barely had time to react before I was face-to-face with him.
Him.
Same dark eyes. Same cocky mouth. Same tousled hair and sinful smirk.
He looked just as shocked as I felt.
His grin slipped, lips slightly parted in shock.
His eyes widened just a fraction—enough for me to know he recognized me. Not as Kate. But as Evie. The girl who moaned under his mouth and melted under his hands. The liar with the fake name and wild eyes.
I couldn't breathe.
Everything around us—the clatter of dishes, the low music, the sound of our friends talking—it all faded into a hollow silence.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
I wanted to scream.
He was Frooze. The guy Shangie had been raving about during our ride to the bar. The new GC member. Her best friend from work. The mystery man who was supposed to be cool, lowkey, professional—
I fucked him.
I left him.
And now he was here, in broad daylight, with my friends watching like this was some rom-com and not my worst nightmare.
"Well…" he finally said, his voice lower, that teasing edge back. "So… Kate pala ang pangalan mo."
I wanted to die. Right then. Right there.
He leaned in just a bit, enough that only I could hear the smirk in his voice. "It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Shang."
And that was it. That was the moment I knew I was doomed.
Because the man I ran away from was now in front of me in his full sexy glory, knowing exactly what I looked like naked… and now also knowing my name.