I could still remember the first time we met. I still could tell how he looked at me and how his lips would curve whenever he sees me..
It was like yesterday, but in fact.. it has been years since then..
It was in the mid of July when I decided to take a break and took a long cruise all around Europe.. it was the time when I got my masters degree in Finance fresh from Princeton
I was sitting (Indian style) in the yoga area of the cruise, meditating and breathing calmly when I felt like someone was staring at me from a far. I was irritated at first but I thought I shouldn’t mind it anymore.
Im here for a soul searching and a stranger staring at me intently wouldn’t ruin anything..
afterall, hindi naman nakakabigla if he or she finds me pretty I thought as I breathe in and out, my chest rising on the process
I was now on cruise with no one else but myself. I asked daddy for it .. days before my birthday. At first, he wouldn’t agree of it since no one would watch and take care of me all throughout the travel.
He would even insist that I bring my older brother, Chris, with me.. but I was stubborn.. too stubborn in a sense that I wouldn’t talk to my father for a week just so he would feel guilty about it but in a while, It worked and he was convinced..
After all, I’m not her little baby anymore. I’m a grown up 24-year-old woman
I slowly opened my eyes and stood up from the pad, realizing no one’s actually inside but my self.
I sighed and was still curious who would be staring at me awhile ago.. I’ve scanned the whole area, turning around just to double check if there was indeed a complete unknown lurking around near vicinity
But I’ve brushed the thought of it and made my way out of the door of the yoga room. Just then, some one grabbed me by the corner of the utility room and covered my lips
I tried to struggle but this person is quite strong
“Shh!! Be quiet or they might find us” a male husky voice whispered next to my ear
Then I heard footsteps coming closer to us and one of the grunted and said..
“We lost him.. man! He’s fast!”
“But we can’t give up now” another man uttered while they kept on walking, almost passing us
“He’s got to be somewhere here.. let’s continue our search later tonight”
Then the men on black suit finally walked away from us.. Just walking passed by us in the process and I’ve felt that the person before me sighed in relief as he released me
Then when I switch on the light, I was ready to kick the balls of this person but.. I was startled when I came face to face with this guy.
He was standing before me, over towering me with his height
He had his hair over his forehead in a Zac Efron-like hairstyle. Aside from his alluring grayish dark green eyes, he had two perfectly dug deep dimples on his cheeks which I find really cute on his strong-jawed face such as his
His skin was really pale and clear as if he didn’t went through puberty-pimple aged stage… it was free and clear from blemishes and marks
He also had a high-bridged nose which shows his natural feature of being a Caucasian male with a little freckles across his nose
He smiled at me flashing his perfectly white teeth and said…
“Im sorry if I bothered you for today.. and I saw you on the yoga thingy area while I was hiding.. you were—“
“Who are you?” I snapped not wanting to hear another excuses from him
“and why were you chased by those goons? Why are you hiding? Are you some kinda criminal or what?” I added not letting my eyes go off from his
“Oh!! No no no no!! Im hiding not because im a criminal or anything close to that, im just hiding cause I don’t want to have anything to do with them.. they’re nuisance”
My brows were ceased together not believing anything coming from this guy. So I started walking away from him and turn the knob
“Hey wait!” He said grabbing me from my rear through my arm
I frowned while I look at him hard and then glared on his hand which was kept there holding unto my arm too close to my comfort
“Oppps! Sorry for being touchy” he said removing his hand away from me
I just rolled my eyes and took a deep breath
pasalamat siya gwapo siya kung hindi… I thought
“I’m Tyler by the way” He said smiling down at me
Wow, like I care I thought while rolling my eyes
oo na, oo na gwapo ka na
“and you are?” he asked waiting for my answer
“Diane” I said plainly and then finally opening the door
“Nice knowing you, Diane!” he shouted which made me stopped walking out of the door
I,surprisingly, smiled to my self before I completely exited
Iba na talaga pag maganda I thought while I flipped my hair as I walked down the hall
It was somewhere in the middle of the afternoon when I decided to sit by the pool and read Pride and Prejudice for the 100th time around
I laid my back on the white lounge chair and called a waiter for a pineapple juice which he immediately took note and started walking away
A brunette girl walked by, passing on the white lounge chair where I was laying down.. at first I didn’t mind her and still had my book on my face, but something caught my eye..
It was a letter-like poster with all the colory-disco thingy displayed on a burlesque theme party that was supposed to happen tonight.. it says
“Grand Party
Tonight @ the pub”
I was reading thoroughly on the said invitation that flew on my lap when I noticed that someone had blocked the sun from me
I looked up and saw the familiar man whom I’ve got acquainted with awhile ago
“Hi” He muttered casually. I sat up from the lounge chair and moved the book away from me
“I don’t tend to be rude, but what do you exactly want from me?” I snapped looking at him intently
“Oh, nothing really.. I just thought you needed a company since the receptionist told me you’re alone” he said sitting on the lounge chair next to mine
“Wait—what do you mean by that? you’ve asked a receptionist? I thought receptionist should keep the client’s privacy..” I said looking at him straight in the eyes
“unless… hm, if you’re someone from superior---” I added
“Well.. uhm.. he was a friend of mine” he said scratching the back of his head
“Really? And why would you ask him about my stay in this cruise ship?”
“Because…” he said, leaning closer to me
“I’m interested in you” Then he winked at me which made my heart reacted in the most unexpected way.. it sped up and drummed continuously inside my ribcage.. the kind of reaction that I hadn’t had for years from men
I tried to control my self in the least possible by biting my lower lip and covered my face with my book
“Miss, here’s your pineapple juice”
I looked up and saw the waiter who placed the juice on the round glass table next to me
“Sir, Tyler!! Your father’s security has been searching for you” The waiter uttered
Sir Tyler? I thought as my brows were pulled together
Father’s security? What the heck is going on?
Tyler suddenly grabbed my hand and then pulled me with him.. We were running away from who knows who and running away from nowhere in the ship
We ran on the upper deck while my breathings were now uneven as we continued our stride to the next hall
“Wait.. *breathe* hold on” I said in between pants and breaths
but his grip was still tight on my wrist.. I gasp lightly when I felt his grip was tightening then, out of nowhere, he suddenly .. trapped my body with his.. crushing his chest on mine and cornered me on the wall
He was breathing uncontrollably while our faces were just inches apart, our lips were almost touching as I could feel his hot breath on my face, his forehead was a little bit sweaty and drenched while he just stood there, gazing straight into my eyes
Then He was startled when we both heard footsteps coming closer to us. I could feel his muscles stiffed and then trapped me tighter on the wall
“Someone saw him coming here..” a man uttered holding unto his earpiece
“Dang! That kid is hard to catch” the other one commented slamming his fist on the near by wall which made me flinched a little
“Let’s try the other side of the ship.. maybe he’s somewhere out there”
Then by that, they had completely passed us and finally was gone away
“Phew! Muntikan na yun” He said and finally took a few step back and leaned on a distant wall
Teka—did I heard it right? Nagtagalog?!? I thought while my eyes were wide in shock
“Nagtatagalog ka?!” I asked
“Uhm.. yeah, but Count-tea lung (Konti lang)” He said while he gestured his fingers to demonstrate of how little he knew
“My nanny is a Filipina, I guess that’s where I’ve got it”
My brows were pulled together while I entwined my arms on top of my chest, still doubting the things he just told me
Sighed, “You know.. you’re so much a mystery..” i said
There was another dead silence between us before I rolled my eyes and started walking away from him
This is hopeless..I can’t believe I let a stranger drag me into this thing I thought
“Hey!! Diane!!” He called out from behind but I didn’t stopped and turned around.. instead, I continued walking away
“Diane!!” He called out once again.. he was persistent this time which made me smirk
I wonder how desperate this guy could be I thought as I pretended I didn’t hear him
“When will I see you again?” He asked which made me stop from walking this time around
“It depends” I shouted back but I didn’t turn around.. and finally thought I should have just ignore him and walked straight into the Sauna Room
“Diane!!”
No, don’t turn around.. continue moving I said to my self trying to ignore Tyler’s desperate calls.. and sped up my walking speed
“Will you attend tonight’s party? Will I see you there?”
My mind kept on whispering to move away and start walking, but my legs didn’t comply and it hault half way
not only that, but I, myself, was surprise when I turn around just to face him
“You’ll see me when you’ll see me” I said and then flashed him my smile, a kind of smile which I usually do to flirt with guys. A kind of smiles which I use to lure around men and catch their hearts.. that kind of smile which will surely help him remember me.. the infamous Diane’s smile
Another fling? Wala namang masama eh.. I’m single! I thought
I walked on the pub feeling the beat of the loud music and the little chit chatting of few people right there. Every one was on their best suit and gowns..
and every men, even with dates turn around just to see who's the girl walking on this red silk dress which has revealing criss-cross cut outs along the back and side and the shimmering crystals on the deep, plunging neckline.
and one word to describe how it looked like?? its SCANDALOUS in a very seductive way
and I was searching for a particular someone on those crowd of people
What am I doing? I thought, irritated by the sudden throbbing of my heart
It’s not like he would----
And there he was….. with a blonde girl. His arms were wrapped around the waist of the big-busted blonde girl as they both grind their bodies and snuggling to each other like a heated horny cats
My brows were furrowed as I glared at them.
I should’ve known better I thought as I shook my head.
I sat into one empty high-legged yellow chair and ordered a drink
It happened in a blur, and everything was spinning around my head.. and the next thing I knew… I woke up.. in a different bed.. in a different cabin
“My head..” I growled as I felt my head’s gonna break into gazillions of pieces. I sat up on the unfamiliar bed while I scanned the room
It was a First class suite which has a veranda. It has a sliding glass or French doors giving you access to the outside.
The sliding doors also mean I can see outside from anywhere in the cabin that includes the still blue ocean. It also has a curtain that can be drawn to separate the sleeping and sitting areas and by the looks of it, the suite seems to be on the higher deck of the cruise ship
“You’re awake!” a husky masculine voice uttered as he draw himself near on the bed.. at first I didn’t recognized him yet.. probably because my head hurts so much I probably didn’t care.. but when the sun shone upon his face…..
“What are you doing here?” I asked still holding my head from the pain
He chuckled a little and said “its my room, ofcourse I’ll be here…”
Ugh! the least person i should lay my eyes upon on the early morning i thought
He laid a glass of water at the side table and a blue-ish thingy capsule on the side and then I felt him sat beside me on the bed
I was running my left hand through my hair because of frustration when I felt few strands of my hair was stuck on something ..
I froze .. realizing it was a ring.. a stylish bridal ring made up of exquisite white gold and lavishly prong set with 59 sparkling round the huge diamond on it
My eyes grew wider which made me slightly fall from the bed, luckily.. Tyler was there to immediately grab me by the arm
“Wha—what’s the meaning of this?” I asked while I find the right words to utter next
“About last night----“
“What happened last night?!” I said as I held on to Tyler’s shoulders tightly
“You were really drunk and---“
“And?!”
“I asked you to marry me and you said yes” He said while I smirk was plastered on his handsome face
“I did what?!” I said which made my eyes grew wider this time ‘round
“then I’ve announce to everyone right there.. even to my father’s body guard that Im marrying you instead” He added
“Wait!! Wait!! I can’t marry you!!” I said rolling out of the bed
putting my arms on top of my chest, I said …. “I don’t even know you!”
“That can be solved easily, sweetheart” he said winking at me
I just rolled my eyes and said “you are such an air-head!”
“You’ve got to explain to me everything..” I said pulling his collar while his smirk was still solid on his face
“for sure, there’s something more out of this shit.. spill, Tyler!! I can’t get married yet.. I don’t have plans on settling down soon!! I have a party life ahead of me.. and marrying someone like you.. isn’t part of it”
“Okay, okay! You got me..” He said brushing off his collar that was crumpled by me awhile ago
He stood up from the bed and stood right in front of me
“I need you to pretend to be my Fiancé” he said
“What kind of sick joke is that?” I hissed glaring holes at him
“Let me finish okay?” He demanded
“My father arranged a stupid marriage for me so, I escaped from the Manor and stumbled upon our very own cruise ship.. but then my father’s security tailed me from behind in attempt to kick my ass back to my dad’s place.. they wouldn’t stop.. that’s why…”
“That’s why you need to drag me with all this crap? This is bullshit! Im not interested” I hissed
“Ofcourse if you’ll agree to our deal there are some benefits you could get” he said winking at me
Benefits? I thought
“What are those?”
“I thought you’re not interested huh?” he said grinning at me
“Cut the crap, Tyler.. Tell me before I change my mind”
“Woah! Chill! Someone’s really impatient huh?”
I just rolled my eyes and shook my head
this guy is such an ass I thought
“When you were drunk you were telling me about your sick obsession on Justin Timberlake.. so, here’s the deal.. you’ll get a V.I.P golden pass on every concert he has, you wont need to line yourself just to get the autograph cuz you’ll getting it one-on-one and you’ll meet him personally on his very own place plus, you’ll get a chance to be ask on a date with him”
“OOOOMAAIGAASH!! For real??!” I said while I grabbed Tyler’s hands and squeeze it
“That is.. if you …. Pretend to be my fake Fiancé” he said emphasizing the word Pretend
I frown realizing what a great consequence I’ll get once I agreed upon his condition..
“Why me of all girls you could ask about it?” I asked, my right brow slightly raised
“Because for sure.. you wont fall for me anyway, right?” He said sounding so sure about things
“Hah! You wish!!” I averted my eyes as I crossed my arms on top of my chest
“That’s good to know.. so, Deal?” He said and held his hand out for me
“You got your self a deal, Tyler” I said grabbing his hand and shook it
That’s where it all started… The beginning of everything.. We pretended, we acted and we fooled every single person around us, deluding them that we were actually a couple madly in love with each other..
At first I was pretty nervous when I came face to face with Mr. James Walton, Tyler’s father.. He was kinda the older version of Tyler and He was strict and kinda despises Tyler’s guts to disobey him in so many ways and bent every rules he made for Tyler
but on the other hand, he was kind enough to welcome me.. even his wife Mrs. Cecille Walton was very kind and offered me nothing but genuine smiles. I’ve learned by then that Tyler was the youngest among four siblings, who were all tough barako males.
I also learned that he, despite of those rebellious act, was a graduate of Harvard himself and the reason why his dad arranged him a marriage is because he would soon be the one manipulating and managing their own family business and he thought a wife would be good to assist him along the way
“But since he got such a charmer like you, I think I wont mind”
I could still remember how his father uttered that to me which made me blush a little even until today. it was like an older Tyler or rather, Tyler from the future was talking to me himself
and All through out the pretensions and lies we had and the constant sex we did every once in awhile, somewhere in between that I did the most idiotic thing to do ---- to fall helplessly in love with Tyler
Despite all those mean first impression i got from him, he was actually soft and sweet inside... and caring and loving....
at first I was afraid to admit it, but I know for a fact that sooner or later… I’ll be on the depth of falling madly in love with him.. and knowing that I was pregnant with his child at that time made me startled even more
what if he doesn’t want this child? What ifs? I thought laying my hand on my stomach
and by that, I decided that I should ran away from him and go back to Philippines.. at first, I thought he wouldn’t care.. I thought he wouldn’t chase after me
who would chase me anyway? Sino ba naman ako diba?
but I was wrong,just few days after i left him without saying goodbye.... He came to our doorstep and proposed to me for real this time in front of everyone .. at kahit nag mukha siyang tanga don with that bouquet and a ring on the other hand while kneeling down
at kahit ayaw sa kaniya ni Daddy which is why he earned a glare instead of a welcome fatherly pat from him…
he was still there.. waiting for me outside the door despite the extreme heat of the sun
and he was stubborn and persisten when he asked … “Diane, will you marry me…. For real this time?”
and by that, with a complete smile plastered on my face I finally said my “YES” for real
BINABASA MO ANG
The Runaway Bride
RomansaPerfect ---- The understatement of Diane's life. Former playgirl Diane Bustamante felt happy on her upcoming wedding. Finally, She was ready to tie the knots with Tyler and was content on settling down once and for all. But WAIT!! -- CANCELED...
