Ms. Writer and the Billionaire Playboy

Chapter 9

She didn’t know that Matt Vallejo, the CEO of a vast shipping line company would end up one day in front of her, propped in the sofa of his living room, eating a burger and a coke. He offered her the other burger and she can’t just say no, it’s literally her boss offering her a snack at hindi siya makatanggi.

So they sat timidly together in the sofa, she was even too mesmerized about the absurdity of this situation that she can’t even stare at him. Marahang nginatngat na lang niya ang burger, she cant even eat too fast.

“Just be yourself,” napansin ata ni Matt ang pagka-awkward niya. Inabot nito ang remote control na nasa gitna ng coffee table ng living room, he put the television on.

“I don’t know if you like any series, do you have a series in mind?” he asked casually, flipping through Netflix.

Napaisip siya, siguro sa estado ni Matt ay gusto nito ng mga American or foreign series.

“Bigbang theory?” usal niya, dahil yun ang paborito niyang panoorin dati, gusto niya yung light at nakakatawa. “Friends? Doctor House?”

“Oh, I like the first one,” tukoy nito sa Bigbang theory na palabas. He clicked and pulled one episode on. He started to bury his back in the sofa, like enjoying his time, having his restful time maybe. Poor thing, naisip niya. It was already quite late, at ngayon lang siguro ito nakakain.

To ease her clumsy awkwardness ay itunutok na rin niya ang mga mata sa screen. The living room was dimmed light, it was like watching a movie. Kulang na lang ay popcorn.

She relaxed her back, buried it in the soft cushion and silently watched with him.

There were no words, but just silence. She continued nibbling on the food on her palms, until it was totally gone. She slumped on the coke in her throat. She found herself totally relaxing, casually laughing a bit from the show, na parang hindi na niya katabi si Matt. Yes, she knows he was there somehow, but she was just engrossed with the show…and she felt herself truly enjoying it.

What must he feel? What is he thinking? What must life be? Iyon ang naisip niya saglit ng maalala ulit na katabi niya si Matt. The weight on his shoulders, it must really weigh hard and it must be tough handling such obligations of a vast company. Sometimes, it makes him look more of a human when he’s here watching a tv series like this.

There were lots of question in her mind but it was engulfed by the presence of silence between them, and it was surprisingly a calm warm silence which hovered above them. She felt at ease with the world, the glowing white light from the television melded with the yellow dim lamps in the backside of the sofa.

She felt herself more immersed in that particular moment. More immersed with life, in each breath, which is willfully delightful. She felt herself more immersed in the space of time, her heart getting warmer in each and every second.

“I like these moments,” she didn’t know if it was a whisper, but she felt she heard him mutter it like that.

“We just can’t live forever…”

“Totoo…” she whispered, whispering back at the voice beside her. She yawned a bit, she felt sleepy, she has lost track of time. She also heard a yawn back, and she yawned back too. Their yawns were back and forth. She felt it was a night’s gratitude kiss to them, she plopped herself more in the sofa, hugging herself.

The next thing she knew, stars and darkness were both dancing in her eyes, like twinkling stars…and she slowly eloped in the land of dreams.

THE WAVES CRASHED, nasa dalampasigan siya, sa di kalayuan ay ang mismong beach house ni Matt. The air was crisp and it was an early morning. Her feet can feel the sand, and it was the perfect blend of warm and cold. She cant feel anything else but the beating of her heart, and she grasped it. May taong nakatalikod sa harap niya sa dalampasigan. It was a back of a man, taller than her, firm and masculine. He looked so manly even from his back.

She stepped closer to him, she felt that she knew him. But everytime she closes her step towards him, she felt him move one step farther away. She clutch her heart, because it started to hurt, like it was pricked from inside. She didn’t know why but it started to hurt so bad.

“Please, don’t go…” she called upon him.

But that figure was stepping away from her, towards the water.

“Please, don’t die…” she felt her voice choke. She felt her tears choke and make her voice c***k. It felt like something inside her died, but she didn’t know why. She just knows that this person was important to her, but she cant keep him from walking towards the water, until he was knee deep…

And then he was chest deep, she screamed.

“Huwag, please!” she felt her whole world crumble.

But that person kept going, drowning himself towards the water, towards death. She screamed more and more, almost drowning herself from her anguished scream too.

Until he was fading, slowly from her eyesight, the sky started to thunder. The sky also started to cry, raining…

She started to croak, started to feel so much pain in her chest.

UNTIL SHE FELT THE HEAVY breathing in her face, it was warm and it was masculine. She slowly lifted her eyelashes, flickering, until the breathing became more real, against her face...closely to her cheeks and lips…

She felt something warm also, something solid and soft at the same time too…wrapped around her, in her arms, and in her back…

She felt every second that she was laying on something else, not even a mattress or a sofa cushion. It was something else.

Muntik na siyang mapasigaw, she belted in a deep suck of air, ng tuluyang bumuka ang mga mata niya. Napabalikwas siya, almost throwing herself out from the sofa. Sa pagbalibag at pagka gitla ay napadausdos siya sa sahig, rattling the very same person she was with.

They were hugging. Oh my god, Matt has enveloped her in a hug, and their faces were almost joint by proximity habang nakahiga siya sa dibdib nito, nakapulupot siya sa braso nito. It was the reality of what has happened, she wasn’t making this up, the impact of her fall cant even make her forget that.

Napabalikwas na rin si Matt, naalimpungatan din ito, buti na lang ay ang pagkadausdos na ang naalimpungatan nito, nasa sahig na siya, nakatulala.

“C-Chelsie?” parang nalilito pa ito, he was getting wide eyed now, “what are you doing in the floor?”

The floor. She was mark safed. Medyo napasinghap siya.

“Hindi ko din po alam,” kinapa niya ang sarili, “b-baka nakatulog na tayo kagabi.”

If so, then why did they ended up in that position? She was wracking her brain out for an answer but nothing will pull up in the surface. She was still flushed out and shocked by what has happened, and the image and memory of his face so close to her made her heart jump a little bit. Not in nervousness but something more. But what was it?

Matt looked like he was thinking too. For what he was thinking she will never know dahil mabilis siyang napatayo.

“M-mauna na muna ako, kelangan kong maligo, at m-magbihis.”

“Yeah you’re right,” pag sang-ayon ni Matt na mukhang nagtataka pa.

Nakatulog nga siguro silang dalawa. Ang tanong, ba’t naka-off ang tv? May nakakita ba sa kanila? Siguro ay ang katiwala.

Habang nasa kuwarto ay napasalampak sa kama si Chelsie. Her heart is still beating fast and loud. Diyos ko, napaisip siya. What really happened? She has no recollection of what has happened as if a magic spell cast has been poured upon them. Marahil ay sa sobrang pagod ay nakatulog na silang dalawa, probably the movements of them brought them into that position…and so…for how long? How long has been Matt cradling her like that?

Her face crimsoned more.

How could she face her boss, Matt now, with that memory etched in her mind?