Because He Wanted To
1337 Words
Clara
My head hurt.
Not aggressively. Not dramatically.
Just enough to make me feel like my brain had been lightly microwaved overnight.
I groaned softly and buried my face deeper into the pillow.
Wait.
Pillow?
My eyes opened slowly.
And panic immediately followed.
Because this was not my room.
I sat upright too quickly and instantly regretted it when dizziness hit me again.
“Oh my God.”
The room was unfamiliar. Large. Clean. Masculine in the most intimidating way possible.
Dark gray walls. Black furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows letting soft morning light spill inside.
And the smell
God.
The entire room smelled like a man.
Fresh sheets, cologne, soap, and something warm underneath it all.
My eyes widened.
“A man.”
I looked down at myself immediately.
Still wearing my red dress.
Still alive.
Okay.
Good start.
I pressed both hands against my face while memories slowly replayed.
Reunion.
Alcohol.
Truth or dare.
Reig.
Oh no.
Reig.
The car.
Him helping me with my seatbelt.
His face way too close to mine
I slapped my cheeks lightly.
“Stop remembering.”
I climbed out of bed carefully and stepped outside the room.
The condo was huge.
Minimalistic. Expensive. Very him.
And then I smelled food.
I followed it toward the kitchen.
And immediately forgot how to breathe.
Because Reig stood there cooking.
Topless.
Wearing only gray shorts and a black apron tied around his waist.
Oh.
Oh, that should genuinely be illegal.
My eyes betrayed me instantly.
Broad shoulders. Defined back muscles. Veins visible against his forearms while stirring something on the stove.
And then
Tattoo.
A small airplane compass on his shoulder.
Pilot tattoo.
Of course he had a pilot tattoo.
Because apparently life enjoyed humiliating me personally.
Then unfortunately
Reig turned around.
His eyes landed on me immediately.
And he smiled.
Warm. Sleepy. Dangerous.
“Morning, rabbit.”
I nearly combusted.
“You cook shirtless?” I blurted out.
His eyebrows lifted slightly. “You stare this openly?”
“I was not staring.”
“You looked emotionally invested.”
“I was analyzing.”
“That sounds scientific.”
“I’m leaving.”
I turned immediately and almost lost balance.
Reig caught my wrist gently before I could embarrass myself further.
“Easy.”
God.
Even his voice sounded unfair this early in the morning.
He guided me toward the kitchen counter carefully before letting go.
“Sit.”
I obeyed immediately.
Definitely because I was dizzy.
Not because he looked devastatingly attractive while cooking.
Absolutely not.
Reig placed a bowl in front of me before handing me water and medicine.
“Rice porridge,” he explained. “For your hangover.”
I blinked. “You made lugaw?”
“I’m Filipino, Clara.”
Fair enough.
I stared at the bowl before looking back at him suspiciously.
“Why are you acting like a husband?”
The words slipped out accidentally.
Reig froze for half a second.
Then slowly
Very slowly
He smirked.
“You saying I’d make a good one?”
“I’m going to pass away.”
His laugh was quiet.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Dangerous combination.
“There are clothes in the guest room for you,” he added casually. “I bought them this morning.”
I blinked rapidly. “You bought me clothes?”
“You can’t wear the same dress twice.”
“That’s actually very rich-person behavior.”
“You’re welcome.”
Then another realization hit me.
“Wait.” I looked at him slowly. “Why am I here?”
“You fell asleep before giving me your address.”
“…Oh.”
“You were also too drunk to go home alone.”
Embarrassment flooded my entire body.
“You should’ve just booked me a Grab.”
Reig’s expression changed immediately.
“No.”
I blinked. “No?”
“You think I’m letting you ride home drunk at two in the morning with a random driver?”
His tone made my stomach flip strangely.
Protective.
Certain.
Like the thought genuinely bothered him.
“You could’ve at least woken me up.”
“I tried.”
I frowned suspiciously. “Really?”
“You threatened me.”
“…What?”
“You said, and I quote, ‘Let me pass away peacefully.’”
I covered my face instantly.
“Oh my God.”
His shoulders shook slightly with silent laughter.
“I hate alcohol.”
“No,” he corrected softly. “You just don’t know your limits.”
Unfortunately, I looked up at the exact wrong moment.
Because now I had direct eye contact with his chest again.
Abs.
Defined arms.
Veins.
This man looked like he personally enjoyed making women suffer.
I immediately looked back down at my lugaw.
Respectfully.
“Eat,” he said.
So I did.
And unfairly enough?
It was really good.
“You cook?” I asked quietly.
“A little.”
“This is not ‘a little.’”
“Congratulations,” he deadpanned. “You survived breakfast.”
I smiled before I could stop myself.
And something softened in his expression immediately.
Like seeing me smile mattered more than it should.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
“So,” he asked casually, “what have you been doing these days?”
And just like that
My appetite disappeared slightly.
“Nothing much.”
Short answer.
Safe answer.
Reig noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
“You still drawing?”
I looked up in surprise. “You remember that?”
“You used to sketch during class instead of listening.”
“That’s a lie. I listened.”
“You drew me with rabbit teeth once.”
I groaned loudly. “Please forget that.”
“Never.”
Unfortunately, he looked far too amused.
“You were annoying,” I muttered weakly.
“And you liked me anyway.”
I stared at him.
Then quickly looked away.
Because unfortunately
True.
After breakfast, I stood immediately.
“I’ll wash the dishes.”
Reig took them from my hands before I could even touch the sink.
“I’ll do it.”
“You already cooked.”
“And?”
“And now I feel useless.”
His movements paused slightly.
Then more gently, he said,
“Take care of yourself first.”
My face warmed embarrassingly fast.
Why did everything he say sound so
No.
Absolutely not.
I escaped toward the bathroom before my brain could betray me further.
The bathroom looked exactly how I imagined Reig’s bathroom would look.
Simple. Clean. Dark tiles. Expensive products arranged neatly beside the sink.
And again
That smell.
Fresh soap mixed with masculine cologne.
Unfairly good.
After showering, I opened the paper bag he prepared.
And immediately froze.
Inside was:
A black dress.
Skincare.
A toothbrush.
Hair tie.
And
Underwear.
Cute underwear.
My face burned instantly.
“This is so embarrassing.”
Then another horrifying realization hit me.
He knew my size.
Exactly.
Which meant
No.
Absolutely not thinking about that.
I changed quickly into the black dress.
Soft fabric hugged my waist perfectly before falling around my thighs elegantly.
Okay.
Fine.
Reig had good taste.
Unfortunately.
When I stepped outside again, I found him sitting in the living room wearing a white shirt and glasses while reading something on his iPad.
And somehow
Somehow
He looked even better now.
Sophisticated. Calm. Stupidly handsome.
The kind of man capable of ruining lives accidentally.
His eyes lifted toward me slowly.
Then traveled down my body just enough to make my heartbeat panic.
And then he smirked slightly.
“The dress looks perfect on you.”
My stomach flipped traitorously.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
I grabbed my bag quickly.
“I should go.”
Reig stood immediately and picked up his car keys.
“I’ll drive you.”
“Oh no, you don’t have to”
“I know.”
I blinked.
“Then why are you offering?”
He looked at me calmly.
Like the answer was obvious.
“Because I want to.”
- Writer
