The day of the dreaded alumni homecoming finally arrived and though Ken badly wanted to bail on it, she couldn't leave Lily alone. The other two members of the Special Resolutions Unit weren't graduates of Minerva International School so they couldn't take her place.

Ken disliked these kinds of events. Maliban sa hassle mag-ayos, wala rin siyang ganang makipagplastikan sa mga naging kaklase niyang paniguradong magyayabangan lang.

Lily was engaged in a conversation with her favorite history teacher and Ken was left to sit with two girls who used to be her classmates. Actually, 'di naman siya kinakausap ng dalawang 'to noong high school, 'di niya alam kung bakit naisipan nilang makipagplastikan ngayon.

They were showing off their boyfriends. Ken couldn't care less but the other two showed photos of their respective lovers, probably expecting her to combust in jealousy or something.

"He isn't just hot, sobrang galing din ni Josh sa anatomy, if you know what I mean" sabi ni Jean, ang med student na palihim na kasintahan ng resident na nagtuturo sa kanya.

"What a cute boyfriend. Eric is gorgeous and he let me join the mile-high club," sabi ni Trish, isang tagapagmana ng airline company na may boyfriend na piloto.

Ken rolled her eyes as she glanced at the photos. Sage has a law degree from the UK at wala pa sa kalingkingan ng kagwapuhan ng lalaking 'yon ang mga jowa ng dalawang 'to.

Bigla siyang napailing nang maisip niya iyon. She didn't mean to praise him, the thought just formed in her mind. Kailan pa naging isang Sage Hermoso ang standard na pinagkukumparahan niya ng mga lalaki? It made her uneasy.

Sasabihin na sana ni Ken na parehong walang dating ang mga boyfriend ng ex-classmates niya nang makarinig sila ng malalakas na boses na nagtatalo sa 'di kalayuan at napalingon sila.

Two ladies seemed to be in the middle of an argument. One appeared to be their age and the other, slightly older. Both looked gorgeous in their designer dresses and emitted an aura of elegance with their perfect postures. In between them was none other than the fuckboy of the year, Sage Hermoso.

Ken was surprised to see Sage here. Surely, hindi ito graduate ng Minerva International School kasi exclusive school for girls 'yon. He must be the date of one of the ladies he was with but knowing him, both could be his dates.

From a distance, she couldn't hear exactly what they were arguing about and she wanted to know. She knew it was none of her business. She hated the fact that she was intrigued by them and maybe a bit disappointed that he was here with a date. Napailing na naman si Ken sa iniisip niya. Since when did she care so much about what goes on with Sage?

Napatitig din kay Sage sina Jean at Trish. Of course, they knew him. He was undeniably popular with the ladies and they looked like they were itching to meet him. Akala mo mga walang boyfriend sa lagkit ng mga tingin nila sa binata.

"Si Sage 'yon, 'di ba?" Lily said enthusiastically. Hindi napansin ni Ken na lumapit ang best friend niya. "Let's go say hi!"

Lily linked their arms and dragged her towards the guy before Ken could protest. Nainis siya sa excitement ni Lily na puntahan si Sage. In her peripheral vision, she could see Jean and Trish glaring at them in envy.

As they got closer, Ken saw what they were arguing about. Parehong may hawak na bow tie ang dalawang babae na pilit nilang sinusuot kay Sage.

* * *

"Mas bagay sa suit niya 'tong burgundy."

"Itong midnight blue ang para sa baby ko."

Sage was getting tired of the argument when his jaw dropped at the sight of Lily and Ken approaching. The heiress looked delicate in a rose-colored, lace ball gown while his Number 1 Hater was in a black sheath gown that complimented her slim figure.

Hindi niya na pinansin ang dalawang kasama niya at nagsimulang maglakad papunta sa magkaibigan pero natigilan siya nang may humila sa kwelyo niya.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Let go, Teri!" Sage said but she refused to comply.

"Subukan mo lang tumakas." It was a threat but Teri said it with a bright tone. Sage struggled and tried to remove her tight grip on his collar.

He only noticed that Lily and Ken were already beside them when Lily cleared her throat. "Hi, Sage! Nandito ka rin pala. What a nice coincidence," Lily said with a sweet smile. Ken just stood beside the heiress, projecting a deadly aura.

"Oo nga pala, you're alumnae of MIS. I'm just here to help out—" He was interrupted by Teri who cleared her throat while looking at him, eyebrows raised.

"Right, I'm being rude. Sorry," Sage said. "Lily, I'd like you to meet your future in-laws. This is Teri, my sister." Sage introduced the girl who grabbed his collar earlier. "And this is my mom, Elizabeth," he said, motioning to the other woman who looked way too young to be his mother.

"Ma, Teri, meet Lily, your future daughter-in-law," he said as he introduced her. Hindi niya maiwasang tingnan din si Ken habang sinasabi iyon. Para bang mas inaabangan pa niya ang reaction nito kaya kitang-kita niya ang pag-irap ng dalaga.

"That's unlikely," sabi ni Lily, sabay tawa.

"'Impossible' would be a more accurate term," Ken said, not even the slightest bit amused.

"And this is Kendra, a friend," Sage said. Hindi niya pinahalata pero nakaramdam siya ng kaunting kaba nang ipakilala niya si Ken sa kanyang kapatid at ina. Hindi niya rin alam kung saan galing ang feeling na 'yon. Baka nasobrahan lang siya ng kape.

He hadn't seen Ken since their drinking session a fews days ago kaya hindi nila napag-usapan ang mga naganap. For all he knew, she might've forgotten everything that happened. She did have a history of memory loss after getting drunk. He subtly tried to observe Ken to determine if she remembered anything but when her eyes caught his, Sage quickly averted his gaze.

Sage's mom gave the girls a warm smile as Teri shook hands with both of them. "It's Rosemary, actually. Si Sage lang ang tumatawag sa 'kin na Teri kasi nahihirapan siyang sabihin ang 'Rosemary' dati. You must be the Lights Girl," she said to Lily.

"Lights girl?" Lily asked, looking bemused.

"Yeah, a few days ago, Sage asked for a favor—"

"Don't you have to be somewhere, Teri? Hinahanap ka na 'ata ng committee," mabilis na pagsingit ni Sage. Neither Lily nor Ken needed to know about that favor.

"Ah, oo nga pala! We should go, Ma," Teri said, turning to her mother. "We're part of the homecoming committee. May charity auction mamaya. It's going to be fun. I'll see you guys there, nice meeting you two!"

Nakahinga nang maluwag si Sage pagkaalis ang kanyang ina at kapatid. As usual, balak niyang pormahan si Lily at siguradong madadali siya sa kadaldalan ng dalawang iyon.

"Pasensya na kung 'di ako nagparamdam this week. I had a really bad cold," Sage said. "Pero huwag kang mag-alala, Lily, 'di mo na ako mami-miss."

Ken rolled her eyes while Lily ignored the flirty part of his statement kasi 'di naman ito kailanman tinalaban ng mga banat niya pero mukhang nagulat itong nagkasakit siya. "You really had a cold? That's a weird coincidence. Si Ken din kasi, ang lala ng sipon these past few days."

Napalunok si Sage at umiwas ng tingin si Ken pero nakita niya ang pamumula ng mga pisngi nito.

Lily seemed to notice the sudden shift in the atmosphere at syempre, hind iyon pinalampas ng dalaga. "Did you two—"

"No!" mabilis at sabay na sagot nilang dalawa ni Ken. Kung ano man ang katuloy ng tanong ni Lily, sigurado siyang, 'no' ang dapat niyang isagot at mukhang isa 'yon sa napakakaunting pinagkakasunduan nila ni Ken.

"Okay," Lily replied, giving them a weirded out look. She was definitely suspicious. "Why don't we just head to the auditorium? Mag-uumpisa na 'yong charity auction. Gustong-gusto ko 'yong mga artwork na ina-auction nila eh."

"I'm sure you'll love the artwork this year," Sage replied with a confident smile.

* * *

Ken was side-eyeing Sage as the three of them walked to the auditorium. Hindi na dapat nilapitan ni Lily ang lalaking ito, nakasabay pa tuloy nila. And knowing his papansin tendencies, siguradong didikit 'to kay Lily for the rest of the day.

Before she could voice out her concerns, Lily stopped walking. "Uhm, may nakita lang akong kakilala, I'll just go and say hi," she said while squinting her eyes at Ken to signal that she'd spotted Daniela, their target. "Why don't you two go ahead? Sunod na lang ako."

"You sure? Baka gusto mo rin akong ipakilala sa mga kaibigan mo, bilang boyfriend, maybe?" Sage said jokingly.

"Ang epal mo rin talaga, 'no?" sabi ni Ken.

"I just want to spend time with her," sagot sa kanya ni Sage. "At ayaw kong maiwan kasama ka, baka kung ano pang gawin mo sa 'kin."

"Kung hindi mo pa nahahalata, she doesn't want to spend time with you," Ken retorted. "And for your information, mas ayaw kong maiwan kasama ka. Baka kung ano pang magawa ko sa'yo."

"You claim that Lily doesn't want to spend time with me but you're wrong. Siya nga ang unang lumapit sa 'kin kanina at nag-'hi'."

"She's just too nice, masyado ka namang umaasa."

"Why don't we ask her?" Nilingon ni Sage si Lily pero wala na ito sa tabi nila. Habang busy sila sa pagtatalo, umalis na ang dalaga.

"See? Basta ka na lang niyang iniwan," Ken said, sticking out her tongue.

"She'll be back—what the?!" Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Sage nang maramdaman ang pagpulupot ng mga braso sa baywang nito.

"Sage! Sabi ko nga ba, hindi mo rin ako matitiis at babalik ka rin sa 'kin." It was Claire, his infamous ex-girlfriend.

Sage turned around as he removed her arms from his torso. Mabilis namang nilapit ni Claire ang nito mukha kay Sage at nagnakaw ng halik.

Ew, Ken thought as she stalked off. She didn't want to be there in case they start making out.

* * *

The kiss didn't even last for two seconds because Sage immediately pulled back. He saw Ken give them a disgusted look before walking away. Sa buong buhay niya, ngayon lang naramdaman ni Sage na masyadong mahaba ang isa't kalahating segundo para sa isang halik.

He was about to follow Kendra but Claire snatched his wrist.

"Damn it, Claire! Ano bang hindi mo maintindihan sa 'wala na tayo'? Please don't make a scene."

"Babe, you're the one making a scene by pushing me away. Alam ng lahat na tayo ang bagay. Don't you miss those times when I was yours and you were mine?" In a matter of seconds, Claire was able to produce tears.

"You were the one who ruined it, Claire," Sage said flatly. "Siguro kaya mong lokohin ang buong mundo sa paiyak-iyak mo pero hindi na 'yan tatalab sa 'kin." Tinalukuran niya na ito pero ayaw talaga magpaawat ng ex niya.

Claire grabbed his arm this time. "I heard about the charity auction, Sage. Makukuha ko rin ang gusto ko."

"Do whatever you want," Sage said coolly as he walked towards the auditorium. But deep inside, he was bothered by what she said. How did Claire know about the auction?

* * *

Ken felt a hand on her shoulder. "Help me out."

"No," maikling sagot ni Ken habang tinatanggal ang kamay sa kanyang balikat. Hindi niya man lang nilingon si Sage.

Sage took her hand and quickly pulled her away from her destination. Pinagtinginan sila ng mga tao kaya hindi muna pumalag si Ken. She didn't want to draw attention to herself, especially while she was with this guy.

Sage stopped walking when they arrived in an empty hallway. Crossing her arms, Ken leaned against a wall.

"Help me out," he repeated his earlier request.

Tinaasan niya lang ng kilay si Sage.

"Please," he added.

"No."

"Hindi mo pa nga alam kung anong ipapatulong ko eh."

"Wala akong pakialam. It's a 'no' for me." She turned to her left to leave but Sage swiftly placed his right hand on the wall behind her to block her way. She turned to her right but Sage did the same thing with his left hand. Trapped between his arms and pressed against the wall, Ken glared at him.

"Help me out," he repeated for the third time, his was voice husky as he stared into her eyes.

Napalunok si Ken. She was strong enough to push him away but her body froze under his intense gaze. Their proximity allowed her to breathe in the musky scent of his Davidoff cologne. Gusto niyang umilag ng tingin pero competitive siya kaya nag-maintain siya ng eye contact.

She felt like she just finished a triathlon by the way her heartbeat accelerated. Napapadalas yata ang ganitong pagbilis ng tibok ng kanyang puso at isa lang ang naisip niyang dahilan kung bakit ito nangyayari sa kanya—kulang na siya sa exercise.

"Remember when you said you owe me one just a few nights ago? Wala 'tong kinalaman sa pagpapa-cute kay Lily kaya please, tulungan mo na 'ko, Kendra," Sage pleaded.

"Na-claim mo na 'yon 'nong nag-practice ka."

"Tinulak mo ako palayo. Hindi na counted 'yon, so help me with this."

"Ayaw ko," she replied, emphasizing each syllable.

"If you don't want to help me now, I'll just have to claim the earlier favor in full, right?" Mabilis na inilapit ni Sage ang mukha nito sa mukha niya. 

Ken was again, frozen in shock but at the same time, she was anticipating the feeling of his warm lips on hers.