CERLANCE WOKE UP FOR A START. May narinig itong banayad na ingay hindi kalayuan dahilan kaya nagising ito sa pagkakatulog. He opened his eyes and the darkness surrounding the room welcomed him. Yet it wasn't really that dark; ang ilaw mula sa loob ng bathroom ay sumisilip mula sa siwang ng bahagyang nakabukas na pinto.
 

  Wait... He didn't remember opening the bathroom light before he went to sleep?
 

        Nang may napagtanto ay napalingon-lingon siya at kinapa ang magkabilang gilid niya, only to realize that Shellany wasn't there anymore. Ibinalik niya ang tingin sa banyo at doon lang naisip na naroon ang dalaga sa loob, at ang ingay na gumising sa kaniya ay ang tunog ng tubig na bumabagsak mula sa shower.
 

  Muli niyang ipinikit ang mga mata at bahagyang hinagod ang kaliwang braso na nangalay. Sa mahabang oras ay doon naka-unan si Shellany. He remembered getting her off of him and putting her next to him. Pero naramdaman ni Shellany ang paglapag niya rito kaya iniyakap nito ang sarili sa kaniya at umunan sa kaliwa niyang braso. A little later, he fell asleep, too.
 

  Sunod niyang hinagod ay ang ulo. It was aching a bit, which probably meant that he didn't get enough sleep. Ilang gabi na siyang ganoon, ilang gabi na siyang walang tulog. Dagdagan pang naka-inom din siya nang kaunti kagabi, kaya marahil nananakit ang kaniyang ulo.
 

  He needed more sleep. And he would get some if he still had time.
 

  Kinapa niya ang cellphone na nakalimutan niyang alisin sa kaniyang bulsa. He took it out and checked the time.
 

  5AM.
 

  No, he didn't have time to sleep anymore. Not now that Shellany's up and about.
 

  He stretched his body and sat up. Ipinatong niya ang mga braso sa magkabilang tuhod at sandaling pinakiramdaman ang sarili bago tumayo. Inilapag niya ang cellphone sa ibabaw ng side table saka kinuha ang isa sa dalawang sealed bottled water na nakapatong doon. He opened it and drank the whole content. Saktong ibinaba niya ang plastic bottle ay siya namang paghinto ng tunog ng shower. Napalingon siyang muli sa banyo.
 

  He didn't know why, but his heart suddenly pounded wildly. Pinanatili niya ang tingin sa pinto hanggang sa tuluyan iyong bumukas at nagkaroon ng kaunting liwanag sa silid. Ilang sandali pa'y lumabas si Shellany na nakatapis lang ng tuwalya. Her hair was still wet and the water was dripping on her shoulders. Akma nitong papatayin ang ilaw nang maramdaman ang presensya niya. Nang makita siya'y sandali itong nahinto.
 

  For a moment there, they just stared at each other trying to find words to say.
 

  Si Shellany ang unang nakabawi.
 

  "Nagising akong masakit ang ulo kaya bumangon ako at naligo..."
 

  Tumango siya. Why is she explaining? "How are you feeling now?"
 

  "Much better. Ganito lang naman ang kailangan ko para mawala ang sakit ng ulo ko. Besides, I wasn't that drunk last night."
 

  Her last statement made him scoff. "You werent? Sa lagay na iyon?"
 

  Napanguso ito saka humalukipkip. "Kapag nasobrahan ako'y hindi ako magigising nang ganito ka-aga. Remember the time you picked me up from my condominium? Hindi ba at wala akong naramdaman kahit noong binuhat mo na ako at dinala sa kotse mo?"
 

  "Well, thanks for the additional information, but I won't let you drink anymore even if you begged." Yumuko siya at dinampot ang ginamit na unan. "Since you're awake now, would you like to eat breakfast?"
 

  "No, I'm going back to sleep." Humakbang si Shellany palapit at doon ay muling kumabog nang malakas ang kaniyang dibdib.
 

  Heck, he didn't know what was happening to him. Why was he agitated?
 

  "Mamayang 9AM pa naman ang alis natin papunta sa pangalawang destinasyon, hindi ba? I still have time to sleep. Wake me up at 8AM."
 

  Hindi siya nakakilos sa kinatatayuan hanggang sa makalapit si Shellany sa tabi niya. The smell of the flowery bath soap that she used assaulted his nose. And it was as if a black magic captivated him. Muntik na niyang ipikit ang mga mata at dam'hin ang halimuyak na naaamoy mula sa katabi. But he held himself and did his best not to get affected by Shellany's black magic.
 

  Pero... mapipigilan ba niya?
 

  Naumpisahan na nila kahapon... and he wanted to have her again. He yearned for it again. For her.
 

  Napasulyap siya kay Shellany na napayuko upang ilihis ang kumot. Oh, she was so close for comfort. He wanted to touch her, feel the softness of her skin against his palm, and smell her. Be inside her again. But sh*t, even if he wanted to, Shellany still needed rest.
 

  Damn it... he muttered before looking away. Yumuko siya at sunod namang dinampot ang hinigaang comforter. Hindi na siya matutulog. He would just take a bath and go downstairs. Lilinisan na lang niya ang kotse para ihanda sa buong maghapong biyahe.
 

  Ipinatong niya ang unan sa ibabaw ng kama at akmang dadalhin ang comforter sa couch nang biglang nagsalita si Shellany na nagpatigil sa kaniya.
 

  "Oh, I almost forgot about this!"
 

  Napalingon siya, at nang makitang hawak-hawak nito sa isang kamay ang rechargeable toy nito ay bigla siyang natilihan. He forgot about it, too! At hindi niya napansin ang bagay na iyon sa ibabaw ng kama nang bumalik sila sa silid kagabi.
 

  Shellany turned to him, grinning. "Nakalimutan kong narito pala ito sa ibabaw ng..." Then she stopped. She stopped because he shifted his eyes back to her and stared at her lips.
 

  He was staring at her playful smile, goddamnit. He wasn't thinking about kissing her!
 

  But Shellany thought otherwise, and the atmosphere changed in an instant.
 

  Nawala ang ngiti sa mga labi nito, ang anyo'y sumeryoso.
 

  Doon niya inalis ang tingin sa mga labi ni Shellany at tinitigan ito diretso sa mga mata. They stared at each other for a while, and he knew right there and then, something between them sparked. And it was something they both couldn't— and wouldn't just ignore.
 

  "I won't..." Shellany paused and gulped, "I won't use this, don't worry—"
 

  "I'm not worried."
 

  Nakita niya ang sandaling kalituhan sa anyo nito. "But... didn't you hate this thing? Natuwa lang ako nang makita ko 'to, pero dahil sinabi mong ayaw mo nang makita pa ito ay... itatapon ko na lang—"
 

  "No, it's fine. Keep it."
 

  Hindi na nagsalita pang muli si Shellany. Ang mga mata nito'y nanatili sa kaniya, and he knew she was just waiting for him to do something...
 

  But he just stood there trying to hold his yearning. He was holding it for the sake of this woman. Now that they have this space available for them, he couldn't promise to tame himself and be gentle with her. He was afraid he'd break her. Lalo at wala sa kondisyon ang katawan nito dahil sa kalasingan kagabi.
 

  Pero kaya ba niyang ignorahin ang nakikita niya sa mga mata ni Shellany ngayon? They felt the same, damn it. And they were both yearning for the same, f*cking thing.
 

  Nahinto siya sa pag-iisip nang biglang may narinig na banayad na tunog. At bumaba ang kaniyang tingin sa hawak nitong vibrator nang makitang umilaw iyon.
 

  Lalong humulagpos ang kontrol niya. Shellany just turned the thing on, and he wondered what she was planning to do?
 

  "I was curious about this thing," she said without breaking eye contact. "I wonder how it feels against my skin." Sumunod ang kaniyang tingin sa vibrator hanggang sa dalhin iyon ni Shellany at ihaplos sa kaliwang braso nito.
 

  She ran it from her shoulder down to her arm, teasing... suggesting something. And he stood there, watching her test the device in amusement.
 

  "It's sending off a weird feeling," Shellany said after a while. Ibinalik niya ang tingin sa mukha nito at doon nakitang ipinikit nito ang mga mata. "It gives a tingling sensation... the kind of feeling only a woman's body could understand."
 

  He held his breath when Shellany moved the device to her abdomen. At dahil nakatapis pa rin ito ng tuwalya ay duda siya kung may naramdaman ito roon.
 

  Until...
 

  "Tsk, this towel is ruining the mood."
 

  And just what he expected her to do, Shellany took off the towel and dropped it on the floor. She now stood in front of him, butt-naked, while holding that damned vibrating toy in her hand.
 

  He held his breath as his desire intensified when Shellany let out a soft moan after placing the toy just below her navel. "Oh, now I understand..."
 

  He gulped. "You understand what?"
 

  She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Why women loved this thing." And without another word, she dropped herself on the bed with her eyes still locked on his. "Watch me operate this thing, Cerlance... and join in whenever you're ready."
 

TO BE CONTINUED...