What woke me up was the smell of cooking. Which, sent alarm bells ringing inside my head because I had never in my life woken up to that smell – not in Dasma and never in my condo.
"Oh my God..." I sat upright looking around the unfamiliar room with its black, gray, and white tones and the tall headboard behind me with its built-in spotlight.
"Oh my God, where am I?" I hastily got off the bed my hands doing an automatic inventory of my body as if I was half-expecting that I'd be missing a limb or maybe my liver.
I felt temporary relief because everything seemed to be as it should be – I was wearing my silk short pajamas and I wasn't bleeding or aching anywhere.
I saw my bedroom slippers neatly sitting near the bed and I quickly put them on before rushing to the door.
It was the sizzling sound of frying that had me curiously tiptoeing to the kitchen.
"Good morning..." Castor greeted me even before he looked up to smile at me. "Just in time for breakfast."
"What am I doing here?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest because I don't exactly wear bras under my pajamas.
"You don't have to cover your chest, hindi naman halata."
"I wasn't covering my chest. Anyway, bakit nandito ako? Oh, I came here to borrow your phone..."
"Yes and you were drunk. Next time, kung hindi ka makatulog ay kausapin mo na lang ako o kaya ay lumabas na lang tayo and let's go clubbing. Drinking alone is so lonely."
"Drinking alone relaxes me."
"It doesn't or else I wouldn't have found you outside my door."
"Hihiramin ko nga ang telepono mo dapat. God, I really need to repeatedly explain that to you?"
"Hindi. Pero, paano kung hindi ako ang kapitbahay mo? Where would you have gone, hindi mo ba naisip 'yun? Sinasabi ko ito because I am sincerely concerned. Look at you finding yourself in someone else's house after a drinking spree by yourself."
"Kaya lang naman ako lumabas dahil alam kong kapitbahay kita. I wouldn't knock on another person's door just because I was drunk. Natatandaan ko pa naman kung anong pinaggagawa ko, ano. Stop lecturing me, my father stopped doing so when I turned eighteen."
"I am not lecturing you, pinapaalalahan lang kita. I am glad that you slept with me but the idea that you could have wandered into someone else's unit kept me awake nearly the whole night."
"Okay, fine, hindi na mauulit. But how dare you act all saintly when you made me sleep here."
"I did, hindi ko 'yun ipagkakaila. But I am your husband and you are my wife. Siguro naman kahit sa papel lang 'yan ay may karapatan tayong pagsabihan ang isa't isa? Besides, we're already friends and friends look after each other."
"Argh, stop nagging."
"I'll let you off this time, young lady, because you gave me a memorable night—"
"Excuse me, I fucking what?"
"You gave me the best night of my life by staying."
"Did I say yes to sleeping here?"
"You did. Bakit, Ayn, are you still in denial that you often say yes to me?"
"Oh, Castor, are you still under the illusion that you are irresistible?"
"You slept in my arms last night, that illusion must be true."
He gave me a wink. "Lighten up, kay aga-aga. Umupo ka d'yan at nang makakain na."
