Lifeless [Heartthrob Billionaires Series #2]

Chapter Three

INTRIGUE

ALEX

I hate this.

I hate that I am here doing this with him around pero siya paupo- upo lang na parang sobrang chill at walang pakialam sa mundo! It’s as if he has all the time in the world! I really hate this guy! He’s so chill about this palibhasa hindi siya naaagrabyado!

“This is the newest design we have. This is popular for young brides like you maam. Very modern with its sweetheart neckline and open back. A-line skirt style so it will highlight your small waist. It will make you look very youthful and elegant.” Anang staff habang iminumwestra sa akin ang isang disenyo. It was beautiful alright. But I don’t think babagay sa akin.

Napangiwi na lamang ako bago bumaling kay Philip. Not that his opinion really matters.

He tilted his head habang nakatanaw sa amin. “Try it on.” He simply said.

Umismid ako sa kanya bago tumingin muli sa staff. “Do you have something more… covered? I’m not really fond of these styles.”

Ngumiti naman ang staff. “Yes maam. Let me show you.” Dinala niya ako sa kasunod na hilera ng mga dress. “What do you have in mind, maam? Do you want something long sleeves? Off the shoulder? Tube? Halter style? Square neckline?”

I don’t really know much about dresses… pano pa kaya sa wedding gown? Lalong lumalala ang iritasyon ko habang iniisa-isang tingnan ang mga nakasabit na gown. I even saw the price tag on one. P400,000? My eyes widened. What the freak. Ang mahal naman nito.

“Try this on.” Nabigla na lang ako nang marinig magsalita si Philip. I didn’t even notice he was already beside me. He was holding the dress I was eyeing and iyon ang tinutukoy niyang sukatin ko.

“You have good taste sir.” Nakangiting pahayag naman ng babae. Nabaling tuloy sa kanya ang atensyon ko. “This is also a great design maam. This dress is a perfect example of modern and classic. White lace v-neck with deep v style and ribbon at the back. Exposed back pero mas conservative tingnan maam. This will suit you also.”

Alanganin akong napatingin sa gown. It was also very pretty. Hindi nga ganoon ka-exposed ang likod dahil pa- V ang style unlike nung isa fully exposed ang back. Hindi rin masyadong sexy tingnan dahil sa style ng front part. Sleeveless pero medyo conservative nga. I don’t know if you can say I’m conservative since I’m not really fond of dressing up. Pero yeah, I prefer something na hindi masyadong nakikita ang skin ko.

“Try it on, Alex.” Pag-uulit pa ni Philip. I turned to him with a glare. He just raised an eyebrow at me.

Inirapan ko lang siya bago sinabi sa staff na susukatin ko iyon. Tinalikuran ko na siya para magpunta sa fitting room. Narinig ko naman ang pagtawag ng babae sa isa niyang kasama para i- assist ako. Iyong isang staff ang tumulong sa akin sa pagfi- fit ng gown.

I took off my shirt and pants. Kinailangan ko ring magtanggal ng bra dahil makikita sa backless ang bra ko. May padding naman sa chest part kaya hindi halata. The attendant helped me get into the dress. Tinulungan niya rin ako sa pag aayos niyon at siya na ang nagzipper nung sa babang part sa likod dahil mahirap abutin. Surprisingly, the dress fitted me well. Tamang sikip lang ito sa aking tiyan at dibdib. The length was also to my liking. Hindi ganoon kahaba para matapakan ko.

But I look like a total drab wearing it. Hindi talaga bagay sa akin ang mga ganito lalo na kung hindi nakaayos. My face was so bare and my lips were pale. My long wavy hair was in a messy bun. Ang haggard ko. Napabuntong hininga na lamang ako.

“Ang ganda niyo po maam. Bagay na bagay sa inyo.” Narinig kong sabi nung attendant. I looked again at the mirror in front of me. I raised my eyebrow. Halata namang hindi bagay. Bulag ata ang babaeng to or baka naman nambobola para ito na ang kunin ko. Sabagay, tiba tiba nga naman sila pag ito. This is a P400,000 gown. They're freaking kidding me. “Tara na po sa labas para makita na ng fiancé niyo.”

I winced at her words. “No, thanks. I don't like this one.” I said to her blankly. I saw her jaw fell. Wag na siyang magulat kung bakit ayaw ko nito. First, I don’t think it suits me. Lastly, it's freaking expensive! I don’t want to waste that much money on a dress na isang beses ko lang naman gagamitin. It’s not even a good occasion. “Help me get out of this.”

Kikilos na sana siya para tulungan akong hubarin ang gown na suot ko pero pareho kaming natigilan nang biglang bumukas ang kurtina. Nanggigilalas na napatingin ako sa hudas na naghawi noon.

Philip stood mighty, proud and unbothered as he held the curtain with one hand. He was wearing a white button down long sleeved polo with a sky blue coat over it. A same touch of blue ribbon was tied on the neck of his polo. He was fitting for his suit pala.

“I figured you would do that.” He said with an amused smile on his face. He entered the fitting room and beckoned the lady attendant to leave us for a while. Agad naman itong umalis para bigyan kami ng privacy. “I heard you saying you didn't like it. Why? I think it looks okay. Is it not good enough for you? You want to choose another one?”

“This dress is freaking expensive. I don’t need it. Get me a cheaper one.”

He raised an eyebrow at me, I did the same. He smirked at me and then to my surprise, touched my cheek. “You don't have to worry about the expenses. I'm paying for everything. What kind of a billionaire I am if I can't even pay for this?”

Hindi ko nagustuhan ang sinabi niya. He's conceited and arrogant! I hate guys like that most of all! Dahil rito ay mas lalo kong naiisip na tumakas at magpakalayo layo. I can't marry this guy. Kahit sino na lang basta wag siya.

“Get out.” I turned my back to him and fumbled with the zipper at the back. Nakakairita ang Philip na to. Hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ba talagang ugali niya. Para siyang may double personality. May time na suplado siya at tahimik pero may time din naman na may kadaldalan siya at pagka arogante. Hindi ko maintindihan kung alin ang totoong siya. Hindi ko rin alam kung alin ang mas mapapakisamahan ko. Mas okay ata yong tahimik na lang siya at walang kayabangang sinasabi.

I jumped and yelped when all of a sudden ay naramdaman ko ang kamay ng kung sino sa baywang ko at dahan- dahang ibinababa ang zipper ng gown na suot ko. Napakapit ako sa straps sa balikat dahil sa pagluwag ng kapit niyon. f**k! Did he just?! I’m only wearing my panties for pete’s sake!

Naiiritang binalingan ko si Philip pero agad kong nahigit ang aking hininga nang pagbaling ko ay sobrang lapit na ng mukha niya sa akin. Bumilis ang t***k ng puso ko. Hindi na nga ako komportable na kasama siya sa iisang lugar, ngayon pa kayang halos isang dangkal na lang ang layo namin? Kahit kailan ay hindi pa ako naging ganito kalapit sa isang lalaki. s**t. I could almost breathe his scent. What the freaking s**t is he doing?

He was standing behind me, his left hand on my waist. His thumb slightly brushing the skin on my back. I was looking back at him but my body was facing front. Oh my god. I have to get away from him.

I made a move to get away but his other hand stopped me from doing so. He encircled his right arm on my waist. I was practically trapped in his arms. I saw the glint on his eyes before I looked away from him. f**k! Naiilang na ko pero hindi niya man lang ako hinayaang mag-iwas ng tingin. He freaking tilted my face to make me look at him again.

“Push me away if you don’t want this…” He whispered.

Hindi ko pa naiintindihan kung anong ibig sabihin niya ay nanlaki na ang mga mata ko. His face slowly descended on mine. I knew what he was gonna do but for some reason, I remained frozen! At nang halos gahibla na lamang ang layo ng aming mga labi ay napapikit na lamang ako. I freaking closed my eyes! I didn’t even do anything. I actually waited until I felt his lips touched mine!

Oh my god! H- he's kissing me! Philip freaking Karpov is kissing me and I am not even doing anything about it. No, this is wrong! s**t!

He stopped kissing me and looked at me in the eyes. A small smile formed on his lips before he leaned down again to kiss me. This time I pushed him away but I don’t know why it seemed like a half-hearted attempt. Hindi ko alam kung itinulak ko ba talaga siya o mas kumapit pa ako sa kanyang dibdib. He restrained my left hand with his right. He locked my hand there. Hindi ko alam bakit ganito. Malakas ba siya o talagang hindi ako nage- effort na lumayo? Or masyado na lang akong nanghihina dahil sa halik? f**k. Our lips barely even moved! It just touched pero ganito na agad ako!

Hindi ko napaghandaan ang sunod niyang ginawa. He wrapped his arm around my waist tighter as his right hand let go of mine and went to my nape to angle my face for another kiss. This time he moved his lips on mine. He gave me soft, feathery kisses. Halos mapapikit na naman ako dahil parang nadadala na. Tila bumibigat ang mga mata ko. I was too far gone. The will to resist him was damn gone! I could only focus on the kisses he gave me.

“Open your mouth, Alex.” He rasped in between his kisses.

“Huh?”

When he bit my lower lip, I couldn’t help but gasp. It was a wrong move because his tongue was able to invade and start its search in my mouth. f**k! He's French kissing me and to think that this is my freaking first kiss!

But soon enough, I was kissing him back. I don’t even know how I was able to respond, instinct I guess? Or maybe because he was so passionately slow that I was able to learn the rhythm and follow his lead.

Unti- unting lumuwag ang pagkakahawak niya sa akin at dahil hindi naman na ko nakahawak sa gown ay bahagyang bumagsak iyon. He was able to stop it from falling further though. Hinawakan niya ako sa baywang para di iyon tuluyang malaglag. Pareho kaming natigilan habang parehong nakatingin sa dibdib kong bahagyang nakahantad dahil sa lumilis na damit. My boobs were almost exposed to him. f**k!

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa. My eyes widened in shock while he got this dark look in his eyes.

“s**t!” Agad kong inayos ang strap ng damit at tinakpan ang sarili ko gamit ang aking mga braso. Damn it! This is so embarrasing! Nahalikan na niya ako, nakitaan pa ako ng dibdib! Bwisit!

Narinig ko siyang tumawa ng mahina kaya nag- angat ako ng tingin para sana tarayan siya pero nabigla na lang ako ng hubarin niya ang kanyang coat at ipanatong iyon sa aking magkabilang balikat. Isinara pa niya iyon para matakpan ako. Napatulala na lamang ako.

“You can choose another one if you really want to... but I think this one’s fine. You look beautiful in it.” He told me before he left me there, completely dumbfounded.

***

Lunch with Philip was awkward. Well, at least to me. I couldn't talk to him like how I used to and I can't even look at him nang diretso sa mga mata. After that kiss we shared at the atelier’s fitting room, the air between us changed. Or ako lang talaga ang nag-iisip non?

Wala namang nagbago sa pakikitungo niya saken. He was still quiet and serious most of the times pero minsan naman ay bigla siyang ngingiti saken na parang natatawang ewan. He must have noticed my actions, ang awkwardness na nararamdaman ko. Hindi naman niya pinapansin pero para bang natutuwa pa siyang nagkakaganito ako. He's so annoying.

Imbes na abalahin ko ang sarili ko sa pagkaasar sa kanya, napagdesisyonan ko na lang na ibaling sa pagkain ang atensyon ko. I liked the steak. Masarap ang pagkakaluto niyon but I am waiting for the dessert. I like sweets.

“For a slender girl, you sure have a big appetite.” He spoke all of a sudden, making me look at him. He had this annoying smile on his lips kaya di ko napigilang irapan siya. Inalis ko ang tingin ko sa kanya at ipinagpatuloy na lang ang pagkain. I heard him chuckle.

Inilapag ko ang tinidor and kutsilyo ko sa plato at tiningnan siya. “For a serious and uptight guy like you, you sure are nosy. Bakit ba pati pagkain ko ay pinupuna mo?”

“Wala lang. Just fascinated, I guess.” He grinned at me.

“Ang weird mo.” Umirap ako sa kanya. “One moment you’re serious and uptight tapos the next moment you’re annoying and talks too much.”

“You call that being weird?” He asked, obviously amused. “We all have our moments, Alex. Just because I’m usually quiet, doesn’t mean I am unable to smile, laugh or c***k a joke.”

May point naman siya. Ang weird lang talaga para saken dahil he’s usually quiet and serious. Pero kapag magkausap kami ang bilis magbago ng mood niya, he becomes weirdly annoying and kung anu- anong nakakairitang bagay ang lumalabas sa kanyang bibig. It’s like nananadya siyang mang-asar kasi natatawa siya sa reaksyon ko.

Whenever he smiles pa, I can’t help but notice na parang hindi naman talaga siya masaya. Usually, when people smile, you can see if they’re truly happy. Siya, ewan ko. It’s like ngumingiti lang siya kasi kailangan. It’s like he’s smiling just for the heck of it, para lang masabing tao pa din siya at hindi robot.

I looked at him thoroughly. “You intrigue me, Philip... and I don't even know why.”

"You’re not the only one…” He said in a quiet voice then he chuckled softly.

What did he say?

And why is he smiling?

Weirdo.

***

Hindi natapos sa gown fitting ang araw ko. Actually, the fitting was just the start of it. The whole day was spent on doing wedding preparations. I don’t even know why I was put up to this. Hindi ko naman gustong magpakasal. Sana kumuha na lang sila ng wedding planner or something? Bakit kailangang every single thing kami pa ang mag-aayos?

Binalingan ko si Philip habang abala ang florist sa pagpapakita ng mga bulaklak na suhestyon sa akin. More on ako ang kinakausap ng mga supplier dahil ako ang babae. Aba ano bang malay ko sa mga bulaklak na yan? Bahala sila kung anong gusto nila. As if naman gaganda ang araw ko kapag pinalamutian ang buong simbahan ng napakaraming bulaklak. I don’t even know why we are going to have a church wedding. Kung ako lang ang masusunod, mas gusto kong civil wedding na lang. At least di ganito ka-hassle sa preparation. Pati simbahang pagkakasalan, pinoproblema ko pa.

MOM, AYOKONG MAGPAKASAL BAKIT AKO PINAG-AASIKASO NIYO NITO?

Hindi ko alam kung nakailang buntong hininga na ako. Basta bagot na bagot na ko habang nakikinig sa paliwanag ng florist. Kesyo maganda raw itong ganitong bulaklak tingnan sa altar, tapos itong isa daw ilalagay sa arch sa kung saan man nakalagay yon. I couldn’t even appreciate the flowers anymore dahil bukod sa pagod, inaantok na ko. I can’t believe we’re actually doing this the whole day.

May mga susunod na araw pa naman. I don’t know why pinagsisiksikan ang gown fitting, food tasting at pagpunta sa florist sa isang buong araw. It’s not like ikakasal kami bukas na bukas din.

I couldn’t help but yawn. Ayokong maging bastos. I didn’t do it to be rude. Hindi ko lang talaga mapigilan dahil inaantok na ko.

“Are you sleepy?” Nabaling ang atensyon ko kay Philip nang bigla siyang bumulong sa akin. Ni wala na akong lakas para magtaray sa kanya. I’m freaking exhausted. Sobrang drained ang energy ko. Tumango lamang ako sa tanong niya. He just nodded and then turned to the florist. “We’ll go with your recommendation. We trust your expertise with this. You already know the details. You can reach out to my secretary for other important things.”

The florist smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Karpov. We’ll make sure your wedding will be beautiful. Thank you for the trust.” Bumaling ang florist sa akin this time. “If you have recommendations or things you’d like to change, you may reach out to us, Ms. Alex.”

“Sure…” I just said with a soft smile.

Napahikab akong muli. It was like Philip’s cue dahil after noon ay namaalam na siya sa florist at iginiya ako patungo sa exit. His hand was on my back guiding me. I couldn’t care less. I was just glad na tinapos na niya ang meeting na iyon sa florist. Kung nagtagal pa kami baka tuluyan akong napapikit roon.

Nang makalabas kami ay nasa tapat na agad ng shop ang kanyang sasakyan. Agad binuksan ng driver niya ang pinto kaya sumakay ako roon. As soon as I got inside, sumandal ako sa backrest at ipinikit ang aking mga mata. I fell asleep immediately.

PHILIP

It was already 9 in the evening when Alex and I finished our appointments for today. We're on our way home now. It’s been a long day and I could say that it was exhausting, but for some reason I wasn’t that worn out even though the whole day kept us busy.

Today, we were out doing necessary wedding preparations. We had to go to the atelier for her gown fitting and also my suit. If I was my normal self, I wouldn't even bother with it. I’d rather work in my office than go and meet suppliers. I have people to do that for me anyway. But I actually did it. I don’t even know why.

It was a very busy day. Since the wedding is scheduled the end of this month, we had to hasten the preparations. Clearly, hiring a wedding coordinator for this would have eased everything. But our parents were determined to get us to plan and prepare everything with only a little help from experts. They said it could help us get closer in a way.

Oh I think we really did. I couldn’t help but smile to myself.

I suddenly remembered our little scene in the atelier’s fitting room. It was obviously her first kiss. She couldn’t kiss back properly.

My eyes dropped to her sleeping form. She was leaning on the window, fast asleep, her mouth slightly open. It’s funny how she still tried to put a distance between us even when she was already so sleepy. As if she could get farther in this little space.

I can’t help but be fascinated with this girl. It was my first time meeting such person. She grew up with a golden spoon on her mouth but she doesn’t show it. And although her attitude can be rough sometimes, she is actually very soft and unassuming, which was very uncommon for people in her stature and age.

While girls her age are busy planning what to wear, she wears casual clothes and doesn’t bother with make up at all. Not that she needed it anyway, she’s already beautiful without it. While other girls worry about their weight and the food they eat, she enjoys food and doesn’t mind how people thinks. I liked that she has a good appetite.

The way she reacted to the price of her gown too, I honestly didn’t expect it. It wasn’t even that expensive. I could even book her with an international designer I know but since we don’t have much time, that won’t be possible. But if I did, she would wage a war with me for sure.

I bit my lip as I watched her sleep.

I didn’t expect I would actually be intrigued. The first time I saw her picture, I thought she was very pretty and young.. After seeing her the first time, she got me so riled up. Now that I spent a whole day with her, I’ve grown fascinated.

She’s too young for my taste. I’m even her first kiss.

Damn. I don't even know what got into me. I must be crazy...

I just saw her in that dress and I suddenly got that urge to kiss her. I thought, with how she acted around me, she would push me then. But lo and behold, she actually f*****g held on. Even f*****g kissed back. Though a bit sloppy, I couldn’t even be bothered.

“Ow…” She cried out quietly after her head hit the window due to a bump on the road.

I didn’t think twice when I scooted closer to her and pulled her to me so she could lean on me. I thought it would wake her but I guess she was so tired that her sleep couldn’t even be bothered.

I let her head rest against my shoulder for a more comfortable position. I even held on to her cheek so her head won’t drop whenever the car moved about. We were like that for a couple of minutes until she adjusted herself and buried her face on the crook of my neck. Her right arm draped on my waist for a hug.

I chuckled softly. “Are you dreaming, baby girl?” I whispered with a chuckle.

As if hearing me, she hummed and hugged me tighter.

Damn girl.

So rough and mean when she’s awake but so soft and adorable when she’s asleep.

I caressed her hair gently. “You damn intrigue me, baby girl…”