Martini Kisses (epistolary) ✔️

n a r r a t i v e (part one)

part one

He arrives a little later than she did.

Milly's organizing the pack of yogurt in the refrigerator when he stepped into the kitchen area. She feels his towering, overwhelming presence even before she sees him.

"Hey," he greets.

She turns. He's sliding the top buttons of his black shirt off and pulling at his collar when their eyes connect, like he's freeing himself.

Her brows pull down in worry. She doesn't need to look twice to see how tired and stressed out he looks tonight. It's written on the planes of his face.

Seems she's not getting any action tonight.

"Water?" she asks, getting up to her feet.

"Please."

He's tousling his neatly-gelled hair when she brushes past him to get a glass from the white cabinets. Then she pulls a pitcher out of the refrigerator and fills it with cold water.

Kai bottoms out the glass in three gulps.

"One more?"

He nods, and she refills his glass.

"What happened to you?"

He takes three more sips before he places the glass down on the island. A heavy sigh escapes from his lips. "Dad," comes his only response and she understands.

"Stressing you out with work?"

"Overloading me is fine. But the constant pressure"-he halts and draws another sigh. His hand kneads his forehead -"is not. He's micromanaging me."

Milly returns the pitcher back into the refrigerator and faces him again. Without thinking, she reaches for him, her fingers making light presses down the back of his head, which she moves to the base of his neck, down to the tight muscles on his shoulders.

He closes his eyes and eases down under her touch, hands automatically seeking her waist like they have a life of their own.

"Why did you insist to work there if you hate it so much?"

"Mom asked for a favor."

"You don't need to indulge all their requests."

She works all the way down to his upper back, putting pressure on points she knows will help him feel better.

"If I say no, she will never stop hounding me. I told you that."

"Sounds suffocating."

"It is." He opens his eyes and nods at the bags of groceries still sitting on the marbled floor. He caught her in the middle of something. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"Tapos na. I went here thinking you'd be mine"-she gives another pass at his face and chuckles lightly-"but I guess not. 'Di ka pa kumakain?"

"No. I thought you haven't had yours yet."

"I'll join you na lang. Are we ordering out? I don't think you can cook in this state. I'd rather you just relax."

He shuts his eyes closed for a minute. Milly continues smoothing out the tight muscles on his shoulders until his hands stop her wrists.

"Naayos mo na mga gamit mo?" he asks, now looking at her again, his thumbs trailing across her palms.

"Nasa drawer na." She answers, then she suddenly remembers, "Kai, what if Kylie sees my things?"

"She doesn't go here."

"I thought nagpunta na siya dito?"

Kai lets go of her hands and walks over to the refrigerator. He carefully goes through the meat section.