Circe Isle Andino is one of the most decorated professional surfer. Surfing is her life. During the day, she spent hours and hours riding the waves, and at night she lay contented on her bed sleeping peacefully.
There's nothing she want more in her...
It was the feeling of being cold that woke me up. It's like I've already gotten so used to feeling Coal's heat near me that the absence of it rouses me from sleep.
Inilibot ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. Madilim na ang kuwarto maliban sa malamlam na liwanag na nagmumula sa lamp na nakapatong sa bedside table. Where is he? There's no sign of him anywhere.
Tumayo ako at hindi na ako nag-abalang kunin ang roba ko. I'm fully clothed, unlike the other times I woke up beside Coal. Apart from the time we were at the farm house, I rarely had the chance to sleep with clothes on. There's no sense to it when it will be lying uselessly on the floor later on.
I searched for the baby monitor, but when I couldn't find it, I went out of the room. Sandaling sinilip ko muna si Kaise at nang makita ko na mahimbing ang tulog niya ay muli kong sinarado iyon.
Dinala ako ng mga paa ko sa sala. Wala rin doon si Coal pero tanaw ko siya mula sa salamin na haligi ng bahay. He's sitting on the outdoor sofa in front of the huge infinity pool.
Tahimik na naglakad ako palapit sa nakabukas na pintuan para puntahan siya. As if he could feel my presence, he looked up before I could even reach him.
Gumuhit ang maliit na ngiti sa mga labi niya at inangat niya ang kamay para abutin ako. He gently pulled me close to him and made me sit on his lap.
He reached for a lock of my hair and played with it. "Why are you still awake? It's late," he murmured.
"You were gone." His eyes flashed at that but he didn't say more. "Ikaw? Bakit hindi ka pa natutulog?"
"I slept a bit. I heard Kaise from the baby monitor so I went to her to check on her. Alam kong hindi na ako makakabalik agad sa pagtulog kaya lumabas muna ako."
Isinuklay ko ang mga daliri ko sa buhok niya. "Is that the only reason?"
"What else could it be?"
I tipped my chin in the direction of the coffee table. A lowball glass is sitting on top of it with some kind of liquor. "You look like a man from the 70s drinking whiskey while in deep thought."
Umangat ang sulok ng mga labi niya. "That one's scotch."
Inabot ko ang kopita at inisang tungga ko ang natitirang laman no'n. Gumuhit ang init no'n sa lalamunan ko. "Nice." Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay nang marinig ko ang mahinang pagtawa niya. "What?"
"Nothing." He studied my face as if he were memorizing it. "It's just that everything you do is captivating, Circe Isle. Even the smallest things."
A warm feeling hugged my entirety, but I put it aside, not knowing what to do with it. I wrinkled my nose at him, which made him chuckle again. His hand went to the back of my hand, and he guided me down so that he could kiss my lips.
