His Virgin Stripper

25

"Wow, my future wife looks so good," Elijah said, fresh from the shower, while I fixed my hair.

"Tss, itong mga gamit ko ngayon," I squinted at him. "Saan mo 'to nakuha, ha? Siguro habang wala ako, may kasama ka nang iba." I teased.

Hindi naman impossible 'yon, diba? Pagkatapos ko kasing maligo, sinabi niya na may mga gamit ng babae sa aparador.

"What do you mean? Those are yours. Some are even new." He furrowed his brows.

I rolled my eyes, of course.

"You don't believe me? I can even send you pictures of how I waited for you almost every day in front of your house. Besides, you left your things here, baby," he explained further.

Hmm, that's actually true. Kapanipaniwala naman siya. He looked like a playboy, but his personality was different.

"Saan mo ba ako dadalhin?"

"You look cute when you speak pure Tagalog," he chuckled as he stepped closer.

Hindi ko napansin na halos Tagalog na pala ako makipag-usap sa kaniya. That's when I realized—it's not Celestine anymore, but Valerie. The real me. And I feel comfortable around him. Our relationship may be quick, but the connection is deep.

There was one thing that kept distracting me.

He was still wet... in just a towel.

His torso, his biceps, his bare face—everything looked so good on him.

"Should I stop speaking English na since you find me cute when I speak our language?" sabi ko sa kaniya habang inaayos pa rin ang sarili ko.

He chuckled lowly. "Nope. I just want you to be comfortable with me. I want to see Valerie, not a different person."

Come to think of it, I started wondering if my mom helped Celestine. It's been almost a day, and I'm curious if she's already awake.

Ten years in forced sleep is so cruel. I don't even know how she ended up in that state.

Should I check on her? But what if they hurt me again?

"What's wrong? Is something on your mind? Natulala ka ata," Elijah said.

"I'm just worried about my sister... or my mom. What if Richard hurts them?" 

Elijah didn't react right away.

Instead, he sighed softly, stepping closer until he was right in front of me. His hand rested gently on my arm.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Relax."

I frowned a little. "How can I—"

"My men are already checking on your sister," he cut in, "They've been watching the house since earlier. So far, Richard hasn't come back."

I blinked.

"Hindi pa siya umuuwi?" I asked, a bit surprised.

He shook his head. "No. And if he does anything, I'll know."

There was something about the way he said it... like he was in control of everything.

"You don't have to overthink this," he added, softer now.

I looked away, still uneasy.

"But—"

"Valerie," he said, gently this time.

My name. Not Celestine.

It made me pause.

"You just gave birth three days ago," he continued, his eyes softening. "Your body's still recovering. Your mind too. You shouldn't be stressing yourself like this."

I swallowed.

He stepped even closer, tilting his head slightly just to catch my eyes again.

"And our baby?" I asked quietly.

"He is safe," he answered right away. "You don't have to worry about anything today."

Today.

That word lingered.

Elijah exhaled softly before brushing his thumb lightly against my arm.

"Give yourself a break, Rie," he murmured. "Just for today."

I stayed silent.

"Stop thinking about them for a moment hmm?" he added.

His gaze held mine, steady.

"I want you to just be you again."

My chest tightened a little.

"Not Celestine," he said. "Valerie."

Something about that hit deeper than I expected.

"And I'll handle everything else." 

"I don't know how to thank you, just know that I will forever be grateful to you and for you." I hugged him.

"Don't worry about it. When a man loves a woman, he would do anything for her. No excuses. No buts, and certainly no complaints. I will do anything to protect this family." He kissed the top of my head.

"Now I have to get ready so we can do our thing today." He left first to get ready.

I exhaled, letting myself sit on the edge of the bed, my thoughts slowing down bit by bit. For the first time in a long while, it didn't feel like everything was falling apart.

A few minutes later, I heard movement from the walk-in closet.

Elijah came out already dressed, sleeves rolled up, hair still slightly damp but styled back like he didn't even try too hard—and still somehow looked unfairly put together.

"You okay?" he asked, like he already knew I was still stuck in my head.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah... I think so."

He walked over, stopping right in front of me again, but this time he didn't tease or close the space too much. Just stayed there, steady.

"Good," he said simply. "Because I'm serious about today."

I looked up at him. "About what we're doing?"

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "About letting you breathe. Eat properly. Get some fresh air. Stop acting like the world will collapse if you rest for one day."

I let out a small laugh. "Bossy."

"Careful," he said lightly, leaning just a bit closer. "You might start liking it."

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling now without even noticing.

"Come on," he added, offering his hand. "Let's go before you change your mind."

And for once, I wasn't scared for a brand new day.

I decided to just trust him and  took his hand.