Miss Perfectly Imperfect

FIRST TIME

Gavin's POV

Pagpasok namin sa loob ng kwarto, bumungad sa amin ang malamlam na ilaw ng bedside lamp. The curtains were half drawn, city lights twinkling like scattered stars beyond the glass. Tahimik. Mainit ang loob pero hindi nakakailang. A perfect hush settled between us—parang parehong nag-iingat, parehong nagbabasa ng hangin.

She walked towards the window, hinubad ang kanyang denim jacket at marahang isinabit sa upuan. Her perfect curves and lovely bum show off in that fitted dress. At hindi ko na rin inalis ang tingin ko. Malaya ko itong pinagmamasdan mula sa kanyang likuran.

“Nice view,” she murmured, her back to me.

“I agree,” sagot ko, kahit hindi lang cityscape ang tinutukoy ko.

Lumingon siya, one brow raised. “Smooth.”

I smiled, then gently loosened my tie. “I try.”

She stepped closer, slowly, like a dance. Neither of us rushed. Hindi ito ‘yong klaseng gabi na puno ng lasing o pabigla-bigla. Although were tipsy. It was deliberate. Silent. Like the city outside—alive but not loud.

“Tell me something real,” bulong niya, now just inches away.

“I am drowned.” sabi ko. “and mesmerized.”

“Good,” she whispered. “Because I am too.”

I looked at her. “Really?” she nodded.

Hindi ko alam kung anong meron, pero parang may usapan kami na hindi kailangang sabihin. Maybe we were both lonely and both trying to escape. Or maybe the world just blurred for a while, and here we were—two blurred people in the middle of the night.

She leaned in. And this time, I didn’t move away.

Her lips brushed against mine—soft, uncertain at first. No rush. No urgency. Parang sinisiguro pa rin namin kung totoo ’to. Kung pwede.

I kissed her back—slowly, carefully. Walang halong yabang, walang pagmamadali. Just a meeting of silence and breath.

Her hands found the sides of my face, cool fingers against warm skin. I rested mine gently on her waist. Walang sabing “tuloy natin ’to.” Wala ring “sandali lang.” Pero pareho naming naintindihan.

We pulled apart for a moment, forehead to forehead, catching our breath. She smiled—that kind of smile. The rare kind. Vulnerable, a little reckless, but honest.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice low.

She nodded. “I just… don’t want to feel alone tonight.”

“Then don’t,” I whispered. “Stay right here.”

For a while, we didn’t say anything. We just stood there, surrounded by the quiet hum of the city and the stillness of that dim-lit room. Parang may sariling oras ang gabing ’yon. Mabagal. Malambot. Walang iniisip kundi ngayon. She reached for my hand and guided it to her chest—right above her heart.

“Feel that?” bulong niya. “That’s real.”

I closed my eyes. “Yeah. I feel it.”

Then slowly, she took a step back toward the bed, pulling me gently with her—no drama, no desperation. Just two people choosing to be seen, even if just for a night. And in that moment, nothing else existed. Not the regrets. Not the names we didn’t say. Not the lives we left outside the door. Just this— A quiet, fragile kind of closeness. The kind that doesn’t ask for tomorrow.

The backs of her knees touched the edge of the bed. She sat, looking up at me with steady eyes. Still no words. Just silence breathing between us. I reached for her hand again, tracing slow circles on her palm with my thumb. She leaned in and kissed me—deeper this time. Warmer. Less unsure.

Her hands moved up to the collar of my shirt, undoing the top button with practiced ease. I let her. Let the moment guide us.

Hinubad ko ang coat ko, at marahang isinabit sa silya. Her fingers slid over my chest, and I could feel the tremble in her hands—not from fear, but from the weight of the moment. She stood again, facing me.

I touched her cheek. “Are you sure about this?”

She nodded, biting her lower lip. “Ask me again, and I'll change my mind," isang himig ng pagbabanta mula sa kanya.

So I kissed her once more, and this time, she melted into me.

Then he turned around, as if asking me to unzip her dress which I eventually did. Until it finally slipped down from her arm. I brushed my fingers along her shoulder, her skin warm beneath my touch. I kissed her nape at tuluyang bumigay sa bigat ng sandali. She also helped me out of my shirt, slow and steady—walang pagmamadali, parang bawat galaw may kahulugan.

We moved to the bed, limbs tangling, mouths searching, breaths catching.

There was no music—only the rustling of sheets, the soft exhale of skin meeting skin, the whispered rhythm of two strangers trying to forget the world outside.

Mabagal nong una, hanggang sa naging mapusok at marahas. Kapwa nagmamadali, kapwa nasasabik, kapwa nalulula. She screamed.

She sighed my name—or at least the version of it she knew. And I held her like I meant it, even if we both knew this was temporary.

Even if it was just for tonight. It was indeed the best night for me. Panandalian akong nakalimot. The night served its purpose.

Kinabukasan ay maaga akong nagising. Hindi dahil sa alarm, kundi dahil sa isang pakiramdam—isang tahimik pero matalim na pagkagising. Parang may kulang. Parang may nawala.

Madilim pa sa labas. The sky was still a shade of deep blue, just before dawn breaks. 'Yong uri ng katahimikan na hindi mo alam kung comforting o nakakabinging lungkot. I turned to the other side of the bed. Walang tao. The other half of the bed had gone cold.

Napabuntong-hininga ako. I thought I could still see her—a part of me... hoped. What happened to the "Only if there's good coffee in the morning" thing? Kung mag-isa nalang pala akong magkakape ngayon?

I sat up, rubbed the back of my neck, and glanced around the room. Everything was still in place—except for her. Walang bakas ng kaguluhan, walang kalat. She left as if she never came. No note. No name. No trace.

I looked at the bedside table. Nandoon pa rin 'yong pangtali niya sa buhok na siguro hindi niya namalayang naiwan niya. Maliit na bagay. But it felt... personal. Kinuha ko yon at inamoy. Her scent still ligers on it.

Hindi ko siya kilala. Ni pangalan, hindi ko alam. Pero alam kong hindi ko makakalimutan 'yong paraan ng pagkaka-ngiti niya. 'Yong tingin niya, na parang binabasa ka. At 'yong katahimikan sa pagitan naming dalawa, na hindi kailangang punuin ng salita.

Bumangon ako at tinungo ang bintana.

Down below, the city was just beginning to stir. A few cars. Street sweepers. A faint glow on the horizon. Ang mundo, nagbabalik sa galaw. Ako? Nakatunganga pa rin sa kung saan siya dapat nandoon.

"Just one night," I murmured to myself. But why does it feel like I lost more than that? I closed my eyes, leaned my forehead against the glass, and let the dawn light creep in.

She was really gone.

No note. No sound. Wala. But there it was—a small stain of blood on the sheets. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko as a sharp memory hit me like a slap across the face.

Her voice. The way she screamed last night— not in pleasure, not in ecstasy—but pain. A fleeting sound, mabilis lang. Akala ko… maybe she liked it rough, or maybe she was overwhelmed. I didn’t stop. She didn’t stop me either. It all happened so fast, so wild, so consuming.

But now, lying here alone with only that faint trace of blood?

Shit.

I sat up, sinapo ang mukha ko. What the hell happened last night?

Was she hurt? Did I do something? Or was there something else she wasn’t telling me?

Walang kahit anong bakas ng pagkakakelanlan, except for that hair tie. As if she never really intended to stay. As if she knew all along she’d disappear before morning. I felt my throat tighten.

For the first time in my life, a woman has ran away from me.

And not just any woman. Her. The one who held my gaze without saying a word. The one who moved like a storm. And now, she’s nothing but a memory wrapped in stained sheets and silence.

Gusto ko na sanang makalimot.

Gusto ko na sanang isara ang gabing ’yon sa isang alaala lang—blurry, half-sweet, half-shame. Until she showed up again in that masquerade ball I almost didn’t go to.

A swirl of lights and violins. Velvet curtains and champagne flutes. Laughter echoing under chandeliers. I moved through it all in a daze, dressed in black, mask tight across my face, just another ghost among the glittering crowd. And then—there she was. Across the room. Wearing a black mask laced with gold on the right side of her face. Lips painted deep red. Hair swept up in soft waves. Back bare. Shoulders poised. Like sin and elegance decided to share a body.

I knew it was her. Didn’t need to see the eyes to know. You don’t forget the shape of desire—not when it’s already carved itself into you. I couldn’t breathe. For a second, I thought I imagined her. A trick of the lights. A memory playing games with my mind.

But then she turned. And her gaze—sharp, sure—locked onto mine like a challenge. Like she already knew I’d be there.

Like she never left.

I swallowed hard. My hands curled into fists at my sides, unsure whether to run or reach for her again. Then she turned her back… and disappeared into the crowd.

And just like that, I was chasing a ghost again.

A knock pulled me back to the present.

Shane’s voice filtered through the slight c***k of the door before her head peeked in.

“Boss G? Sorry po, bukas kasi 'yung pinto kaya pumasok na ako.” Her tone was careful, almost hesitant—like she wasn’t sure if I wanted company or silence.

“Yeah, come in,” I said, my voice a little rougher than usual.

She stepped inside quietly, dala ang ilang folders. May bitbit din siyang mainit na kape—its familiar scent slicing through the silence that still clung to the room like smoke.

“Iniwan ng concierge, Boss. Baka ubos na po yong ginawa ko kanina,” she said, placing the cup gently on the table near me. Walang tanong. Walang judgment. Just the kind of presence I needed right now.

She also placed the documents gently on the other table. "This just came in from the Butuan team. Revised na raw po 'yong layout, again, for your review."

I gave her a slight nod. “Thanks. But where’s my secretary? Siya na sana ang gumawa niyan.”

Shane didn’t flinch, but her smile faded just a little. She straightened, professionally, like she’d expected that kind of deflection.

“She’s on the way, Boss G. Na-delay lang sa call downstairs, so I stepped in.”

I looked at the cup, then back at her. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

“Next time, don’t bother,” I said, taking a sip anyway.

She gave a short nod. “Noted po.”

"By the way, Boss. Napa-aga nga pala 'yong flight ni Miss Agnes, she said she'll be here in an hour," pahabol niyang sinabi.

"Haven't I told you that a quick call from her will do?"

"Sinabi ko na po, Boss G. But he needs to see you daw. Urgent."

I nodded. She gave me a small, concerned smile before turning to leave. As she walked out, I looked at the closed door behind her and let out a slow breath.

I was back in my world now.