Promiscuous (Who's the slut?)

Chapter Eighteen

Maybe I'd already drained myself of tears. Rave kissed the top of my head. It was so simple a gesture but it made me feel secured. What happened back there was something beyond my comprehension.

I was a very unfortunate creature.

My own flesh and blood had wanted to get rid of me.

There was no one for me now. It was a drama of 'me, myself and I'.

I pushed out of Rave's embrace. He opened the door in the passenger seat and gently nudged me inside. He backed out of the driveway hastily. I smiled bitterly as I watched the mansion from the rearview mirror.

"Where's Riel?" I suddenly realized he's missing.

"There was an emergency call." He shrugged. He didn't ask anything.

"Oh... I see." I nodded. "Wait... how come you knew each other?" So much for coincidences, huh?

I stared at him while he was driving. I noticed his strong arms flexing with his movements. He's one tough guy. Rave. Until now I only knew basic information about him. Uh-uh... No. Just his name.

"We're... a mere acquaintance." I thought he wasn't going to answer me. But it was evasive. I frowned.

"Where do you two meet?"

"Does it matter?" He scowled. He didn't like to be interrogated.

"Yes. I'm going with you, and I don't even know you, really."

"I'm Rave." He said noncommittaly.

I took a sharp breath. "Are you an ex-con?" I gritted my teeth. "What are you hiding? Surname? Don't tell me, you're someone in the loose?"

Silence descended. "What if I am?"

I met his challenging stare. I rubbed my arm unconsciously at seeing the cold, dark, secretive eyes. I barely knew him, what if... he also has a skeleton in the closet?

He chuckled huskily. "You're paranoid. You might be insane or a mental ward, what do you say?"

I shrugged. Meeting Rave was out of the plan. Living with him was a spontaneous act. What if... everything wasn't unexpected? What if... it was all mapped out?

I turned my eyes away, out of the blinding lights and billboards of the city proper. I hadn't got a good night's sleep yet. So much for Ms. Little Adventure.

The obsessed love letters.

The pervert phone caller.

The dog, Lassie's murder.

The Phantom of the Opera.

Laina's true parentage.

Caroline's fatal accident.

Lucy's confession.

Father's outburst.

And me... being disowned.

Nice game. Whoever he is or, she is... s/he's making a success of the grand schemes s/he'd done. It's difficult to fight a faceless nemesis. A backstabber for that matter.

And one more thing... what did father mean when he said 'if you want to stay alive, go away'?

What's next? I closed my eyes to make the ache in my head go away.

I felt soft satin sheets on my back. A strong arms were gently putting me down. Someone was murmuring. I smiled. It wasn't everyday that somebody was putting me to sleep. I was still in the state of disorientation. I felt the hands tugged the buttons of my blouse. Familiar territory. Just like the long ago... feeling I've had.

Feeling? My eyes suddenly opened in astonishment. I shoved the man who was almost covering me from head to foot in the dark. Speaking of dark, damn, his dark phantom eyes that was piercing mine. I gasped.

"Ssshh... it's late." He said huskily. That bedroom voice.

"Rave?"

"Were you expecting somebody, darling?" He was mocking me.

It was funny, we were talking casually while my hand was covering his on the third button. It was like a tug of war. "Don't you dare..." I hissed. Is he going to force me?

He sighed and tumbled sideways on the bed. There was only a luminous light from the moon searing the glass door of his condo. I supposed this is his.

"Are you sleeping here?" I tried to conceal the panic in my tone.

"This is my room." He put his arm across his eyes.

"Surely... there are other rooms here in your condo?" Relax Marie Claire...

"As you've said, condo... This is a bachelor's pad. I've only got one room here. Don't make a fuss out of this. You're not a schoolgirl anymore... Maria Clara." He said sarcastically.

I stood up not minding if I only wore my black bikini and a blouse. So this maniac had taken my jeans off, eh? So.. I'm not his type, ha!

"You wanted me to sleep with you?" I shrieked. He sighed and raised his hands upward a sign of giving up.

"No."

"No?!" I blurted out. "So why am I naked?"

"Darling... you're not. Just be thankful that I'm considerate enough not to make you sleep uncomfortably with... with your clothes full of sweat. I'm not vain, but I don't like odors... of that kind."

My mouth dropped open. I wanted to hit him. Me? I smelled my arms up to my armpits. Why, I could still smell the VS perfume. He chuckled. I rolled my eyes. Bakit ko ba hinahayaang maapektuhan niya ko?

He sat up straight. He didn't have a shirt on. Oh-kay... And his jeans weren't zipped. He was parading his body like those male ramp models. He coughed. I gaped at the floor, my cheeks beet red.

"If you want there's a couch there but I doubt if Ms. Butterfly will sleep on it." I was now facing his back as he was making his way to the shower room. Broad muscled back.

"Rave..." I called out hesitantly. He stopped.

"Hmm?"

"A year ago..." I was being silly, I knew. "May 15 to be exact... where were you that... night?"

He stared at me. There was confusion in it. Then he massaged his temple as if reminiscing. "I was mending in a hospital in New York. I had a car accident." He didn't need to ask, his face was telling me the obvious questions he couldn't voice out.

I nodded. I mouthed 'of course'. How could he? He would have remembered me if he was that guy. And the necklace... my mother's choker was missing. I knew that somehow that choker would lead me to my past.