"So… dito tayo matutulog?" tanong ko, tinuturo ang guest room na hindi mukhang guest room kundi parang suite ng five-star hotel sa Lake Como.
"Yeah," Calix muttered. "Mom said hindi na daw practical bumalik pa sa unit ko. I told her i could get a hotel, pero alam mo naman 'yon. She likes you too much."
I rolled my eyes. Of course she does.
"Cool. One room. One bed. Totally normal," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice.
Calix looked amused. "Gusto mo sa floor ako?"
"Gusto ko sa Mars ka."
He smirked. "Good luck with that."
Pinanood ko siyang tanggalin ang cufflinks niya, unti-unting lumuluwag ang bowtie sa leeg niya, like the entire night hadn't just happened.
Like he hadn't just witnessed me unravel at 3AM, screaming in my unit.
And now… we're here.
In the same room.
With too many things left unsaid.
Tahimik ako habang naglalakad papunta sa dresser, kunwari'y abala sa pagtanggal ng hikaw, kahit ang totoo, hindi ko mapigilan ang init ng pisngi ko.
Not because of the situation.
But because of the way he was watching me.
"Stop staring," I snapped.
He didn't.
Instead, he said, "Hindi kita tinitingnan. Binabasa lang."
I turned, sharply. "I'm not a poem, Calix."
He shrugged. "No. You're a warning label."
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Don't fall for him.
Don't.
Nagpalit ako ng silk shorts at tank top habang nakatalikod.
I didn't care if he could see my reflection sa vanity mirror.
Let him look.
Let him remember what he can't have.
Pagharap ko, he was already lying on the bed, top buttons undone, half of his chest showing, eyes closed like he owned the whole damn universe.
"I swear," I muttered, climbing onto the other side of the bed, careful not to let our bodies touch. "If you snore, I will suffocate you with a pillow."
He chuckled. "Good thing i don't snore."
"Good. Kasi i'm not in the mood for a murder charge. Yet."
Silence.
But not the peaceful kind.
Yung klase ng katahimikan na parang… kung huminga ka nang malalim, baka marinig ng universe ang iniisip mo.
"Natulog ka ba kagabi?" tanong niya, soft and unexpected.
"Wala ka sa position para magtanong ng ganyan."
"I was just wondering."
"Well don't."
"You still think about him?"
I clenched my fists under the blanket. "Drop it, Calix."
He faced me, elbow propped on the pillow, head resting on his hand.
"I just need to know," he whispered. "Do i even stand a chance?"
My heart skipped.
Hindi dahil kilig.
But because i wasn't ready for the question.
"Don't ask things you're not ready to hear," sagot ko, barely above a whisper.
"I've been ready since the day you left me."
My throat tightened.
"You didn't chase me."
"You told me not to."
"You should've known i didn't mean it."
"Aurora," he said, voice low and sharp, "do you have any idea how hard it is to love someone who only lets you see the surface?"
I turned to him, eyes flashing. "Don't you dare make this about you. You don't get to be the victim."
"I'm not. I'm the collateral damage."
Silence again.
And then, he reached out.
A single touch.
Light.
Barely grazing the edge of my wrist.
But it burned.
"Don't," I whispered.
"Why not?"
"Because I'm still trying to forget how you felt."
"Then why do you still wear the perfume i gave you?"
Bullseye.
I inhaled sharply.
Turned away.
"You think you have me all figured out."
"No," he said. "I think you want someone to figure you out."
God.
This man.
This frustrating, sharp-tongued, soft-eyed man who always knew which cracks to press.
He leaned closer.
"So tell me," he whispered, breath tickling my temple, "if I kissed you right now, would you push me away?"
I turned to him slowly, our faces inches apart.
My heartbeat was deafening.
"Try," I said, voice low and dangerous. "Let's see who burns first."
His lips didn't move.
Not immediately.
He just stayed there — inches from me — eyes flicking to my mouth like he was trying to calculate the risk.
Like he knew i was the kind of girl who'd slice his ego open with a smile.
"Akala mo matatakot ako?" he said, voice low.
"No," I said, unblinking. "Alam kong matatalo ka."
Calix smirked. "Sabi nila, kapag natatalo ka na, kiss mo na lang."
"Sabi rin nila, ang mga gago, mahilig sa thrill."
Bumaba ang tingin niya sa labi ko. And for a second — just a second — I thought he'd take the bait.
But he didn't.
Coward.
Or maybe… smart.
Kasi kung tinuloy niya 'yon, I would've destroyed him.
Not with rejection, but with how easy it would've been for me to kiss him back.
"You're scared," I said, voice cold.
"No," he replied. "I'm patient."
"Tangina, Calix," I muttered, turning my back to him. "You're not deep. You're just bored."
"Maybe. But you're not."
I stiffened.
"You're still haunted," he whispered. "You still dream about him."
"Shut up."
"You still scream in your sleep."
My throat went dry.
"I heard you," he continued. "Kanina. At sa unit mo. You keep calling his name."
I gripped the blanket tighter.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Then tell me."
Silence.
He waited.
I didn't speak.
I couldn't.
So he did what Calix always does when he's not getting what he wants — he shifted tactics.
"I was awake the whole time you were at the ball," he said.
I frowned. "Okay?"
"I watched you walk around like you owned the place. Like no one ever touched your heart."
"Because no one has."
"Bullshit."
I turned to him sharply. "You think you matter? You think just because we had a thing, you've earned the right to—"
"I don't think," he said, cutting me off. "I know."
My breath caught.
He inched closer again, but not in a soft, romantic way.
No.
It was confrontational. Bold. Almost cocky.
"You're not over him," he said. "But you're not with him, either. You know what that means?"
"That i'm broken?"
"No. That you're angry and angry people make reckless decisions."
I narrowed my eyes. "Like sleeping in the same bed with you?"
"Exactly."
I stared at him.
Dead in the eye.
Then whispered, "You wish."
His jaw clenched.
And for once — for once — Calix looked unsure.
I took that win and tucked it in my pocket.
"Goodnight," I said flatly, flipping to the other side.
"Fine," he muttered.
But he didn't move away.
Instead, he stayed right there.
Behind me.
Close enough that i could feel the heat from his body through the thin blanket.
"You still smell like my cologne," he said.
I shut my eyes.
Tight.
"Calix," I warned.
"What?"
"Don't make this night harder than it already is."
He was quiet for a moment.
Then said, almost too softly, "Maybe i want it to be hard. So i remember it."
I didn't respond.
I couldn't.
Because damn it… me too.
I wanted something to remember.
Even if it wasn't him.