The Forbidden Temptation

11: Limited Time

After the incident, I noticed Hercules' harsh and grumpy words soften, just a little, every time we saw each other in the pavilion. But I can only count on one hand how many times that's happened since then.

It's February now, two and a half months have passed, and I've seen him maybe three or four times. Hindi ko na siya naabutan madalas sa pavilion. I think he's back in Bacolod, only dropping by once in a while.

I kind of... missed him.

I hate it. I hate how he treated me... as if I'm fragile, sick, and simultaneously... irresistible.

"Stop treating me like I'm sick, Hercules!" I snapped.

I think it was our fifth encounter since that nosebleed day last year.

It's Sunday, and I wanted to go jogging. Six in the morning. The sky barely bright, and still, he was there... running alongside me through the plantation.

Because, of course, he had seen me before I even started, hunched over, wiping blood from my nose while tying my laces. Perfect timing, as always.

"I'm not," he shrugged. "I just find you weak."

I froze mid-stride.

Since that nosebleed, he had softened in ways I didn't like. I wanted the old him, grumpy, challenging, almost cruel. Not this... caretaker.

I hated Efa's pitying eyes, and now, even more, I hated him for the same reason.

"I'm starting to hate you. Gusto pa naman sana kita dati kasi tahimik ka," I muttered, deliberately poking him with sharp look.

"And I'm starting to pity you, truly."

I blinked. My bravado evaporated like morning mist.

"Don't pity me because I'm not sick, Hercules! f**k off!"

"Okay, sorry," he said, but then, as if teasing, he reached over and ruffled my hair like a pet. A dog. A pet.

I froze again. He's changed. And I hate it. I hate how I missed him when he disappeared. And now... now this.

"Stop comforting me as if I needed it!" I pushed him away, tears threatening to betray me.

I am not weak. I am Kiashana, lethal, untouchable. I am not this sobbing girl.

And yet... staring at him, my chest betrayed me. His presence, infuriating, impossible, makes me crumble.

"Wanna swim in the pavilion's pool?" he asked, ignoring my tantrum.

I pursed my lips, crossing the distance to the water. I hate him. I love him. I hate him.

His eyes... oh, his eyes. Golden flecks and russet tones ignited by the setting sun. Stars trapped inside the deepest hollows of his gaze, scattered across the planes of his face and muscles. Greek nose, ruthless jawline, thick brows. His skin glows with the last rays of sunlight, and every movement—lazy, deliberate—strikes me like a heartbeat in the dark.

I scowl, trying to look irritated. "Who still wears a t-shirt and khaki shorts in a pool? You're such an oldie!"

He squints, half-smirking from across the pool. "Mahirap na..."

I gape. His shirt clings, revealing the perfect ridges of his pectorals, the subtle sculpt of his abdomen. I should be annoyed. I should be challenging him.

But every inch of him, the way the sun plays on his shoulders, the shadows in the lines of his chest, the ruthless curve of his jaw, makes my heartbeat skip.

Efa walks in, and he greets her casually, but I can't look away. I'm trapped in his orbit. His presence pulls me closer, even when my pride pushes me away.

"Parang magkaaway kayo ah?" Efa teases, but I'm too absorbed in the light caught in his eyes, the glint of russet and gold.

Obsessed? Yes. I can't deny it. I hate myself for noticing every detail, the small scars, the way his wet hair sticks to his forehead, the subtle tension in his stance. I want to challenge him, insult him, push him away, but I can't.

Because I like him. Not just for his body or the dangerous aura he radiates, but for the way his eyes trap me, scatter me, make me ache and yearn all at once.

I am caught in this push and pull, resisting, taunting, yet powerless. He is perfection I can't tame, chaos I can't resist.

And as the sun dips below the horizon, igniting his gaze with fire and gold, I realize—Kiashana doesn't just want him. She's helplessly, dangerously, hopelessly drawn.

A week after, I don't know know why I feel like a drunken girl when I did not really drink.

I just feel like every moment he called me 'girl' drives me to seduce him more, not with a very special and deep feelings- just to prove a point that I can make him like me despite my age, well basically I'm on the legal age to f*****g seduce him.

Sa pamilya talaga, may black sheep, at sa amin ni Efa, ako ang naiiba.

I play hearts, I play boys... I chase challenges, I provoke. And his careless, indifferent attitude? It sparks ideas in me that I wouldn't dare try with anyone else.

Tutal, aalis na rin kami rito. Siguradong sa pag-alis na iyon, may babaunin akong magandang memorya. Hindi naman masama ang sumubok. Gusto kong sumubok.

Magandang timing ata na nawala ko ang bracelet ko sa taniman kaninang umaga, habang nag-jog.

Tapos napansin niya akong nag-iilaw ng flashlight, kaya siguro siya pumunta rito. Malayo-layo ang mga ilaw sa paligid, kaya kailangan kong yumuko sa lupa, hinahanap ang maliit na bagay na mahalaga sa akin.

"I'll find it tomorrow. Bumalik na tayo, baka lamigin ka sa suot mo," sabi niya, marahang ngumiti, pero malinaw sa tono ang pagka-pragmatic niya. Nawala kasi iyong bracelet na bigay ni Ate Kiana sa akin.

"Sandali lang." Hinila ko ang kamay kong hinawakan niya, pilit na hindi mapansin ang pagbilis ng t***k ng puso ko.

"Mahihirapan kang hanapin yan ngayon, bukas na lang." Muli niyang hinila ang kamay ko, pero hinawakan ko iyon. Napakunot ang noo niya nang tingnan kung paano ko mahigpit na hawak ang kanyang palad, parang may kuryenteng dumaan sa pagitan namin.

"What... what is it again?" Binawi niya ang kamay, nagulat ako sa bigat ng tensyon na dala nito. Hindi ko talaga sigurado kung paano siya aakitin kapag ganito ang kanyang kalapitan.

"How old are you again?" tanong ko, parang sinusukat ang bawat linya ng kanyang mukha, bawat kurba ng kilay na nakakunot.

Napairap ako. "As if you didn't know my age, duh!"

"Ano na naman ba 'to?" Tanong niya, halatang naiinis ngunit may kaunting pagkakagulo sa tinig. Squared my shoulders, naglakas-loob akong i-turn ang likod at umalis, pero sa bawat hakbang, ramdam ko ang bigat ng kanyang tingin.

Kanina lang ay desidido ako, pero ngayon... ngayon, nahihirapan ako. Hindi ko magawa kung mukhang hindi siya naaakit sa mga ginagawa ko, kung tila ba hindi niya rin ako iniisip sa parehong paraan.

Napapailing na lang ako sa aking naiisip, is it really a big deal? Of course it is. It is not a trend but I just really wanna try it- for fun? Yeah! Kind of... but I can't deny I am physically attacted to him... Am I a w***e? No I am not... but this kind of thinking makes me a w***e really. But no, I want to live today as if tomorrow's not gonna come... because what if...

That will be a sweet memory to cherish.

Napatili ako nang madapa ako. Tanga mo talaga palagi ka na lang nadadapa pag nandiyan siya.

Hapdi kaagad ang aking naramdaman sa tuhod nang mapaluhod ako, pagtukod ko sa aking palad ay naramdaman ko ang pag-angat ng aking katawan.

Our faces drew closer, and even in the dim light, I could still make out his striking features, the sharp line of his jaw, the arch of his brows, the way his lips caught the faint glow of the pavilion lights.

"Hercu—" I murmured, draping my arm over his shoulder and resting my other hand lightly against the back of his neck, letting my palm brush his hair as I leaned in. My heart raced.

I didn't care anymore. I decided to cheat a little at life. I wanted to indulge in a few reckless impulses, and this, being close to him like this, was at the top of my list. I'd never done anything like this before, and honestly, Hercules was the perfect candidate for my little daring experiment.

"What... what are you doing—?" His voice wavered, and he instinctively pulled back, but I didn't let him. I drew him closer again, daring him with my gaze.

His lips hovered near mine, almost brushing, and for a moment he stiffened. Then, with the faintest hesitation, he leaned just enough to meet a quick, teasing brush of my lips. I felt a shiver run through me at the sensation, and for a split second, it was like time had stopped.

Kia."

I didn't give him a chance to speak and kissed him again, pressing closer. His hands gripped my thighs, steadying me so I wouldn't fall, and then his arms wrapped around my back. My heart raced... finally, it was working.

"We can't do this," he whispered, his voice tight, almost strained. I ignored him and let my lips trail to the curve of his neck, leaving light, teasing kisses.

He set me down, and I gasped, my chest heaving. I looked up into his narrowed, searching eyes. "You don't want it? Fine... then I'll find someone else," I said, testing him, trying to rattle him.

The moment I started to turn, his hand snatched my arm. "What did you say? Why are you stepping so low... what is this, just for fun, fun s*x?" His voice was low, almost raw, a mix of anger and disbelief.

"It's not cheap. I'm not doing this with just anyone. I picked you... as the one who will take my virginity."

"What? You're too young for this kind of thing..."

"I'm tired of hearing 'you're too young, blah, blah!' I'm already eighteen!"

"And eighteen isn't a ticket to being an adult... you're still a minor... basically..."

"You know what? If you don't like it... fine." I shrugged.

Cheap. That's me... the villainess in the movies, the scandalous girl in the stories. That's Kiashana.

"This... doing something like this requires affection, love. You're supposed to do it only with your husband. You don't just give yourself to any random guy," he said, voice firm but edged with worry.

"You're not just a random guy. I find you hot, that's why I'm choosing you."

"No... no, no... that's not how it should work, Kia. You're too young—"

"In my age, I can f**k whoever I want and if you don't want it, then don't... I don't want to hear your litany about me being 'too young.'"

He just gaped, utterly unable to believe my reasoning.

"What made you to be this way?" he asked, concern pooling in his eyes.

Limited time. That's what I wanted to answer.

Instead, I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't blame my parents, they were too good actually. This is just how I think... no parents involved, just me." I gave the kind of eye-roll a mean girl would deliver in a movie.

"I can't believe..." He shook his head, still shocked, unable to continue his sentence.

I mirrored his disbelief with an eye-roll of my own and turned my back on him. "Dammit, what!" I snapped when he grabbed my hand again, only for me to yank it free.

"Why are you giving yourself to someone like you're some cheap meat?" He looked utterly baffled, almost offended on my behalf, his face twisted in a mixture of shock and exhaustion... as if I were the only w***e he'd ever encountered.