An Angel's kiss.

Chapter Eleven

“Anong mukha ang ihaharap ko sa buong campus? Maraming nakakita sa amin. They saw him kiss me... and carry me away. I'm sure I'm the hottest topic in all of Kingsford University by now. What if my parents find out?”

"Oh my God... why am I only thinking about all of this now?"

I dropped back onto the bed and squeezed my eyes shut. Regret was the only thing filling my mind. I'd gotten so carried away with how much I'd drunk that I completely lost my judgment. Whatever happened after that... whatever the consequences of my actions were, I had to face them.

I took a deep breath before sitting up again. "Angel... breathe. Inhale... exhale..." I kept reminding myself, desperately trying to calm my racing heart.

"Okay... there's nothing to worry about. Okay? Buo pa ang kabibe. Walang masakit. Walang hapdi. Walang gasgas. Buong-buo pa. Walang nangyari... wala. Kalma ka lang." But deep down, I still couldn't shake the doubt.

What if something really did happen last night?

"No!" Mariin kong iniling ang ulo ko. Stop thinking about it, Angel.

I swallowed hard and took another deep breath before finally forcing myself to stand. But before I could straighten up completely, a sharp pain suddenly shot through my head.

"Ouch..."

Thank goodness I managed to catch myself against the edge of the bed before I completely lost my balance. I squeezed my eyes shut and grimaced. I felt awful. The strange ache in my stomach from last night was still there, only now it was worse. It felt hot... and painfully empty. I took another deep breath before slowly forcing myself to stand again.

“Anong oras na kaya?”

Instinctively, I rested a hand over my stomach before making my way toward the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. I carefully pulled one of the blackout blinds aside just enough to peek outside. It was still dark. The dim glow from a pair of outdoor lamps barely lit the area, but it was enough for me to make out a basketball court, a wide stretch of neatly trimmed grass, and a few trees swaying gently in the night breeze. Nothing that could tell me where I was.

I let out another shaky breath. "I need to go home."

“First, I had to find my phone. My clothes... and then Janice.” Where did that girl go? I hurried to the bedside table and yanked open the top drawer. Empty. I immediately checked the drawer on the other side.

"Thank God..." I quickly grabbed it, and only then did I notice the glass of water sitting beside a blister pack of medicine. Beneath it was a small, handwritten note.

Drink this.

Just two words. Yet somehow, my heart started pounding again.

“Was this from Colt?” I shook my head. “No... maybe not.”

I picked up the medicine and examined the box. “Advil”.

“I'll definitely take the Advil later—but not on an empty stomach.”

Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako bago ibinalik ang gamot sa drawer. Saka ko ipinagpatuloy ang paghahanap sa mga damit ko.

The built-in wardrobe was the first place I checked, but it was completely empty. Letting out a sigh, I headed to the bathroom.

I wasn't surprised by the interior. It was simple yet elegant, reminding me of a hotel bathroom. It wasn't particularly spacious, but it was still much bigger than the one back home. Binuksan ko lahat ng drawer at cabinet, pero puro walang laman. Wala man lang tuwalya, shampoo, o kahit sabon. “Mukhang walang gumagamit ng kwartong 'to.” Not that I was planning to take a shower anyway.

With nothing else to check, I stepped out of the bathroom and crouched beside the bed.

“If I remember correctly, Colt tossed my top somewhere around here.”

The memory flashed through my mind, and heat instantly rushed to my cheeks. There was nothing under the bed except the spotless, shiny floor. I straightened up and placed my hands on my hips, scanning the room one last time. A sigh escaped my lips.

“Where did he put my clothes?” A hint of frustration crept in.

My gaze dropped to the oversized black T-shirt I was wearing. It was so long it almost reached my knees, and the sleeves hung past my elbows. Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. "Bahala na. Uuwi na lang ako nang ganito."

After booking an Uber, I picked up the medicine and the note before quietly stepping out of the room with my bare feet.

The familiar hallway from last night was the first thing I noticed. I glanced at the two other doors beside the room I had just come out of.

“So, I'm still in the pool house. Great.”

I headed toward the staircase, but before going downstairs, I peeked inside the entertainment room where we had played last night.

A few people were still asleep—some sprawled across the couches, others lying on the floor. The room was dim and eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of their breathing filling the silence.

I quietly closed the door and made my way down the stairs. It was only five in the morning. I didn't dare open any of the other doors.

“Where did that dolly disappear to?” She didn't even call or leave me a message.

I glanced around at the young people sleeping wherever they had managed to collapse. Some were sprawled across the couches, while others were curled up on the floor. Last night's party must've been completely wild.

None of them had even made it home. They had simply fallen asleep wherever they could find a place to lie down.

I couldn't help but shake my head.

Maswerte pa rin ako. Kahit papaano, nakatulog ako sa isang tahimik na kwarto, sa isang malaking kama, at may malambot na comforter. Pero desidido na ako. Ito ang una at huling party na pupuntahan ko. Sinumpa ko sa sarili ko na hindi na ako iinom ng alak kailanman.

I stepped out of the pool house, and the chilly dawn breeze immediately greeted me, making me instinctively wrap my arms around myself. The cold air sent a shiver down my spine.

The sky was still a deep shade of blue, with faint streaks of orange beginning to appear along the horizon. The mansion, which had been filled with loud music and laughter just hours ago, now stood in complete silence.

Without the crowd, the place looked even more beautiful. The pool reflected the soft morning light, while the neatly trimmed hedges and towering trees swayed gently in the breeze.

Even so, traces of last night's wild party remained. Empty bottles and plastic cups were scattered across the patio, colorful balloons floated lazily in the pool, and bits of confetti clung to the damp ground. It was hard to believe the place had been packed with people only a few hours earlier.

I tiptoed toward the front door where the doorman had welcomed Janice and me the night before. Two blonde women, who looked to be in their forties, were already busy cleaning the mansion. Both wore matching white polo blouses, short black skirts, and white aprons, making them look like professional housekeepers. One dusted the furniture while the other vacuumed the spacious living room. The moment they noticed me, they both looked up.

"Hi... good morning," I greeted them awkwardly, giving them a small wave. Neither of them said a word. They simply nodded, gave me a quick glance from head to toe, and quietly went back to cleaning.