Chapter 3
1017 Words
Chloe couldn’t sleep.
The room was quiet except for the faint hum of her electric fan and the occasional rustle of the curtains as the wind seeped in through her slightly open window. She stared at the ceiling, one arm flung over her forehead, the other gripping a pillow tightly against her chest. Her heart had been in a weird state lately—not fast, not slow, but heavy.
Because of him.
Master Cade.
Putek.
Hindi niya alam kung ano’ng mas nakakainis: na lagi na lang siya nitong sinasapian ng biglaang pag-eemote, o na bigla-bigla na lang siyang sumusulpot sa utak niya kahit sa pinaka-random na oras.
Like kanina. Naglalakad lang siya papuntang tindahan para bumili ng kape, tapos bigla na lang siyang napatigil sa tapat ng poste dahil naalala niya 'yung tingin nito sa kanya nung huli silang nagkita. That look that wasn't warm, but wasn't cold either. Parang... may pinipigil. May tinitimbang. As if he was fighting something invisible.
At hindi niya alam kung bakit biglang lumambot ang tuhod niya nun.
"I swear, Chloe," bulong niya sa sarili habang kinukusot ang mga mata, "get it together."
But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get rid of the memory. The way he said her name. Low, deliberate, like he was tasting every syllable.
"Chloe."
Tangina, goosebumps.
She sat up abruptly and buried her face in her hands.
"This is not happening. He's not even human, for crying out loud. He's Death's assistant! Or bodyguard? Or executioner? Guardian? Whatever he is—he's a walking, talking red flag with a sharp jawline and eyes that probably saw the rise and fall of empires."
She groaned and fell back on her bed.
But that didn’t stop the images from flooding in.
The way he stood just a bit closer than necessary. The way his voice dropped whenever he talked to her alone. The way he always managed to catch her when she tripped, to shield her without her noticing, to watch her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
At the time, she thought it was just part of the job.
But now?
There were moments that felt like more. Like when his hand lingered a second longer. Or when he looked at her like she was a puzzle he didn’t mind taking years to solve.
"Crush mo na siya," an annoying voice inside her head whispered.
"Shut up," she muttered.
But the truth was there.
Maybe it started when she saw him watching her from afar after the first accident. He looked genuinely worried. Or maybe when he stayed with her in that one dream where she was drowning and he simply said, "I won't let you go yet."
Yet.
That word clung to her brain like static.
The next day, she tried to distract herself. She met up with Fau-Fau at a nearby cafe, hoping the chaos of her best friend’s kwento could ground her.
"Tapos girl, sabi nung prof, hindi raw siya biased. But guess what? He gave all the guys higher grades and tayo, mga babaeng nagsunog ng kilay, barely passed!"
Chloe nodded absently, stirring her iced latte with a metal straw. She tried to look interested, but her eyes kept darting to the glass door.
What if he appeared?
"Hoy," Fau-Fau snapped her fingers in front of Chloe's face. "Where are you?"
Chloe blinked. "Sorry. I was just… thinking."
Fau-Fau narrowed her eyes. "About who? Or should I say... Master Cade?"
"WHAT?!" Chloe nearly choked.
"Hala. Tama ako," Fau-Fau said, leaning back with a smug grin. "Girl, your face gives you away. Kinikilig ka bigla kapag naririnig mo pangalan niya."
"Hindi ako kinikilig! Naiirita ako!"
"Oh? Then bakit ka namumula ngayon?"
Chloe buried her face in her hands.
"It’s not even logical," she groaned. "He’s scary. And cold. And he works for Death."
"Pero gwapo."
"...Also that."
Fau-Fau leaned forward. "Chloe. Minsan, hindi mo pipiliin kung sino'ng magugustuhan mo. Minsan, darating na lang sa’yo ang isang taong kahit hindi mo dapat tignan... hindi mo mapigilang tignan."
Chloe sighed. "I hate it."
"I know. Pero minsan, 'yung mga bawal... sila 'yung mas nakakakilig."
She left the cafe feeling more confused than ever. And of course, as fate would have it, the moment she turned the corner to head home—
He was there.
Standing by the streetlamp, arms crossed, all black coat and quiet danger. Master Cade.
As if summoned by her traitorous thoughts.
He looked at her. No smile. No expression. But his eyes—damn his eyes—they softened for just a moment.
"You’re late," he said.
"I wasn’t aware I had a curfew," she shot back, trying to keep her voice steady. Her heart, on the other hand, was having a mini heart attack.
He stepped forward, just a bit. Not threatening. Just... present.
"Something felt off. I came to check."
"I was at a cafe. Talking about you."
His brow arched. "Oh?"
Chloe wanted to bite her tongue. "I mean… not you you. Just… stuff. Guardians. Things."
He didn’t say anything. Just looked at her. Long. Steady.
"Are you... okay?" he asked quietly.
Chloe looked up, startled.
Not "are you safe."
Not "are you following the rules."
But okay.
Emotionally. Mentally.
She nodded slowly. "I think so."
A beat of silence.
"You don’t have to be scared of me, you know," he said.
That made her scoff. "I’m not scared of you."
"Then what are you scared of?"
She looked away.
Of this. Of how you make me feel. Of how I think about you when I shouldn’t. Of what this means.
"Nothing," she lied.
He nodded once. Then, to her surprise, he smiled. Just a flicker. A faint curl of his lips. Barely there, but enough to punch the air out of her lungs.
"Good. Then you can walk home without looking over your shoulder," he said.
And just like that, he vanished.
No shadows. No smoke. Just gone.
But he left behind a heart beating far too fast, and a girl standing alone under a streetlamp, wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.
- Writer
