Everything Started on New Year's Eve

I Only Want Your Money

It was Jaxx’s last day in Manila and I was feeling very anxious. Actually, I had been anxious the last few days leading to this and hindi na ako makatulog ng maayos. Perhaps it was the dread of the uncertainty that was eating me up, the doubt that Jaxx or I would work, or simply the fear that something or someone would come between us that kept me up all night.

We went to Tagaytay earlier today and spent most of the day there. The drive home was not bad since we left around four in the afternoon. We had an early dinner in the wine bar in Antipolo where we first took me out. He said it was the first date he had in his books. I was moved he remembered a lot of these seemingly trivial things; he did not come off as a romantic to me. Someone who would go overboard when in love, yes, but not a silly romantic.

It was just nine in the evening and I think he was already tired from driving around from Pasig to Tagaytay, to Antipolo, then back to Pasig. We both lounged on his couch, silently evaluating the time we have left together. Even if his flight was still in the evening, I could not help but be teary-eyed as we sat in his condo and watched Sherlock.

“Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Let’s just make the most out of this.” he cooed, pulling me on his lap. He took the hand kissed it. When I did not respond, he pulled me closer to him. I curled up in his chest and rested my head on his shoulder, wrapping my arm around his back. I needed reassurance that we were going to be okay. I have never felt this strongly about anyone in my life and I was afraid na hindi ko to kaya, and my anxious little heart is betraying me ngayon pa lang.

The past week he was there to boost my confidence na kaya naming tong lintik na LDR, but now that malapit na syang magkatotoo, it seems like I’m losing my trust again. Jaxx has been nothing but considerate and patient with me. Hindi naman sa nagta-tantrum ako, but I my faith in us needs up-building. 

I tried convincing myself that it won’t be so hard. I’ll be busy with pre-residency so I probably will be too tired to even make a fuss about anything. As Jaxx said, think happy thoughts. Kaya ko to.

I breathed his scent deeply. I felt his heartbeat on my chest. It was strong but calm. He was my comfort, his arms, his scent, and his heartbeat. I was being overdramatic and I know that I should stop being pessimistic. We were mature and strong enough to get through this damn distance. I should have faith in us.

“It’s not like I will be away for two straight years. I’m going to come home every chance I can, alright? I need to be with you, too. I know I can’t stand being away from you for so long. Facetime won’t be enough.” He spoke gently as he stroked my hair. “I’ll try to fly back before classes start, okay? I think I still have a free week.”

I nodded. “I’d really like that. I don’t mean to sound so clingy but I think that would make it easier for me. Pero I will understand if you can’t. It is such a short time to get a cheap ticket. You will be home for Christmas naman, diba?” speaking to his chest.

“Of course, I will. Or why don’t you and your folks come to New York for New Year’s? Samantha is there, right?” He shifted me so he can look me in my eyes.

I smiled at the thought, to spend the holidays with the family and with him in New York. It would be nice to do the countdown in Madison Square Garden and then this time, our New Year’s kiss would be legit, not some stolen drunken kiss.

“There, there’s the smile I’ve been missing.” He smiled as he stroked my cheek with the back of his finger. “Just think of happy thoughts, love. Next thing you know, it’ll be December.”

My smile immediately vanished when I remembered that I would already be doing residency by January 1 kaya hindi rin pala posible mangarap na mag Madison Square Garden.

“I’m supposed to start residency by January first. Well, granted that I will be accepted in a program.”

“Of course you’ll get accepted, ano ka ba. You’re smart and hardworking. They’ll be fighting over you. Not to mention you’re very beautiful. Of course, they won’t let you get away just like that.”

“Ayan na ang bolero kong boyfriend.” I chuckled.

“Love, if I were the consultant, ipapasa na kita sa interview pa lang.”

“Stop being silly, they don’t know me like you do, love. But thanks for the vote of confidence.” He had managed to lighten up the mood just when I thought I was about to sulk. I kissed his nose and suddenly he had a goofy grin on. 

“You just called me ‘love’. That’s a first. Maybe I should make you bola more often.”

“Make me bola? Jaxx, really? Can you,like, not conyo speak, it’s so kadiri! Like can you so not!” I mocked him.

“Sus, if I know, my conyo speak was what made you fall for me. Aside from my devilishly handsome face and wicked sense of humor.” He confidently wrapped his arms around my waist and ran his warm palm over my legs as he nuzzled my neck.

“Oh please, Mr. Jackson, you got it all wrong. It was your money that got me attracted to you. Pera lang habol ko sayo. Once you go bankrupt, I’m going to ---”

Hindi ko na natapos whatever I had to say because his eyes grew wide with surprise with my declaration and proceeded to tickle me breathless. Ang bilis lang ng mga kamay niya! I could not catch them to protect myself.

“Is that so, Dr. Claraval? Sige, I dare you to finish that statement. I double dare you!”

Because of all my squirming and kicking, I fell from his lap down to the rug on the floor. I attempted to run but he was quick to tackle me, caging both my legs between his and he pinned both wrists above my head.

“You were saying?” His face was mere inches from mine, as he flashed a victorious smile. Pero hindi ako papatalo. I am competitive that way. And he may have forgotten the fact that I can easily escape him in this position, thanks to my martial arts training.

“Pera mo lang habol ko!” I grunted. Bringing my wrists closer to each other, I grabbed his right wrist with my left hand and trapped his right foot with mine. Before he realized what was happening, I bucked my hips with all my strength and threw him off me.

Hindi niya ako binitawan kaya gumulong kaming sabay and we hit the coffee table with our coffees and pretzels. Needless to say, the coffee table turned over and natapon sa amin ang coffee and pretzels, pati na bag ko and the remote controls kumalampag sa floor. Now my white top instantly had a large splash of greenish brown from my espressro matcha mocha chip frappucino, my hair dripped from Jaxx’s iced Americano, but the taste of victory was sweeter than the honey in the honey mustard pretzel dip which was now spattered across Jaxx’s face and neck.

I laughed hard after seeing the mess we’ve made and the revolted look on Jaxx’s face as he realized the desolation of his living room. It was truly a disaster for Jaxx who was quite obsessive-compulsive with the cleanliness of his condo. That made my victory even sweeter. Cara – 1, Jaxx – 0.

“Oh, man! I just changed the rug last Wednesday, and I just moped this morning.” He groaned releasing his grip on my wrists and resting the back of his hands over his eyes. He was still on the coffee-drenched rug na tila ba nanlambot sya sa nakita nya at sa kaiisip kung paano ito malilinis. We had less than 24 hours together and aksaya naman sa panahon na maglilinis pa kami. I felt his frustration. But like he said, we should just make the most of it.

“Hey, come on, love. Let’s get up and clean this together para mas mabilis. Then you won’t have to worry about ants and bugs and sticky floors. Tara na.” I stood up and tied my hair into a tight bun before offering my hand to him. He looked at me, half-frustrated, half- relieved but took my hand nevertheless.

Half an hour later, the rug together with some cleaning rags and hand towels were already in the laundry bag, the floor mopped, and all in all the living room was back to its premorbid state – spotless and well-arranged.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” I beamed at him as I wiped the sweat on my forehead with the back of my hand. 

“Not at all, only because I had you slaving away.” He smirked as he walked to the kitchen. He took the water bottle out and poured himself a glass. “Water?” he offered.

“Yes, please!”  I followed Jaxx to the kitchen and sat on one of the barstools on the breakfast nook. He poured me a glass of water but before handing it to me, he demanded something.

“Kiss muna.” He teased giving me his right cheek. I rolled my eyes and walked to where he was. As I was about to give his cheek a peck, he quickly caught my lips and reclaimed them immediately when I slightly pulled away. His mouth was cold and a little bit wetter from the water he just drank. It was a new sensation that I discovered I liked. I kissed deeper, wanting more of the coolness that was making me hot all over.

Something indecent inside me ignited as his kisses trailed down my neck. The hairs at the back of my neck and on my arms stood at their ends not from fright but from delight. His lips were still cool but his breath was hot. The feeling of his tongue over the crook of my neck and the back of my ears made me moan embarrassingly before I could stop myself. I ran my hand through his hair. My vision was becoming blurry from the pleasure I was feeling, I could barely open my eyes.

He was leaning dangerously low, sucking just above my left breast as he pulled my collar aside. But I made no move to push him away. If anything, I even craned my neck to encourage him. There was a little discomfort over the area where he was nibbling but soon enough he let go with a pop. I immediately touched the swollen area and knew that he had given me a hickey. That sly bastard.

“You still taste like coffee, I could not help it.” He smirked and whispered roughly before kissing my lips again.

He lifted me effortlessly and placed me on the kitchen counter where we were now eye level with each other. He opened my legs and settled in between them. I could have sworn felt something hard on my abdomen when he pulled me towards him, pressing our bodies together as my legs wrapped around his hips. My body was responding to his touches on its own. I had no time to think.

I could feel my heart racing and I was nearly out of breath when I realized that I really needed that glass of water. My throat was getting dry from all the panting and the heat that was burning inside of me.

“Uhmm-hmm.” I cleared my throat as I pulled away. “I.. I would really like to have some water now, please.” I managed to say in between breaths, my eyes closed. One of my arms was still around his neck, the other hand tangled in his hair, while his hands were roaming my back and waist, sneaking touches under my top.

“Yes, of course.” He handed me my glass. He closed his eyes for a while as he steadied his breath. He settled a few feet away from me, his back against the kitchen sink while he was gripping the edge.

“So, uhm, I’m just gonna take a shower coz, you know, we’re all sticky and stuff.” he stammered. “You can shower after me; I can lend you some clothes to change in. Or do you want to go ahead?”

“Uh, no. Sige y-you go ahead. Medyo matagal ako sa banyo e.” That got awkward fast.

He nodded and headed straight to his bedroom. A few moments later he came out with a set of clothes and crossed to the bathroom.

I stayed in the kitchen while waiting, browsing through my phone. I checked the app that tracked my period. Since I suffer from debilitating dysmenorrhea, I had been advised to take Ibuprofen or Naproxen starting two days before my period up to my first day to help ameliorate the pain. The OB-GYNE also mentioned that it also had an effect in decreasing the blood flow but I took it mainly for pain control. I had a fairly regular period schedule, hence it was easy for me to predict the next cycle and I could take the medications regularly as well.

I realized my period was supposed to start tomorrow and I haven’t taken any medications yet. I looked around the kitchen cupboard but they were already empty.

He walked out of the bathroom shirtless and only in gym shorts. His towel was slung around his neck while he used one end to dry his not-so-long hair. His other hand was holding a fresh towel and some clothes, which he handed to me. He did not have very well-defined six-pack abs but his arms and chest were toned to perfection. And my god, that damn V-line! Nakakawala sa sarili! Buti na lang he was busy rubbing his hair na di nya napansin na nakanganga na ako dito with the fantastic view.

“Your turn.” He said simply.

“Yeah, thanks. By the way, do you have any Advil or Naproxen or any pain medications around?” I managed to pull myself together.

“I have a whole bottle of Advil in my bag. Bakit, are you in pain?” there was a look of concern on his face as he headed to one of his luggage and opened it in search for the medicine bottle.

I just gave him a brief answer. “Pre-emptive medication.” I did not want to have to explain that I suffer from shitty period pains and the whole shebang. He also did not ask further as he handed me a half-full bottle. Maybe he understood, maybe he didn’t. As long as I have my precious meds, I’m good.

“Thanks.” I took 2 tablets immediately with the remaining water in my glass before heading to the bathroom.

As I was washing my hair, my thoughts returned to my period. Damn, I need to get home soon. This place may have pain medications but I doubt Jaxx has any feminine pads around. I got all messed up thinking about how to get feminine pads when I realized tapos na pala akong maligo. Why was I here again, in his shower? Oh yeah, coffee.

I looked at my bra and it was still wet and cold from the coffee spill. I decided to just ditch the bra and wear his gray shirt. The shorts he lent me were a bit too loose, though these were his smallest ones, according to him. I decided to just use my shorts again; they were not soiled by the food mishap anyway. Or I can borrow one of his shorts na may drawstring when I get out. I tied my hair loosely and searched his bathroom cabinet for an extra toothbrush.

With one last wipe of my mouth, I exited the bathroom only to be met by a very surprised Jaxx. He was talking with someone on the phone but his eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he gave me a once over, staring a bit longer over my chest before looking back into my eyes.

“Masyado kasing maluwag yung shorts mo.” I lamely explained why I wasn’t wearing the pair he had given me. I felt my face flush as his reaction. I did not expect him to be right outside the door when I went out. And I certainly did not expect him to notice immediately that I did not have a bra on. I was hoping to hide under the throw until my bra was drier and I could wear it again before heading home.

Since he seemed to want to go back to the living room, nahiya akong pumunta dun now that he noticed that I was missing an undergarment.  So I entered his bedroom instead.

The room was dark so I walked towards the window and pulled the curtains. It was raining, but it wasn’t strong enough to flood the streets. The warm lights from the buildings around illuminated half the room with a faint yellowish-white tinge. I hugged myself; it was getting cold.

 Why was I really lingering in this condo when I knew should get home soon? I had to be honest with myself. I wanted to stay with him for as long as I can. Wala naman parents ko e, pwedeng madaling araw na ako umuwi. No ‘decent’ woman would do that but to hell with decency tonight.

There was a war inside me: my heart and body against my mind and my conscience. I had so many rational reasons why I should listen to my brain, so many reasons why I should shun the libidinous summons of my body. But it only took one kiss to overturn all my resolution.

What did I really want from him? Everything. And what was I willing to give in return?

Everything.