“Hinde, ganon pa rin…we’re close friends, M.U., so masaya kami ngayon…”

          Kim kept on replaying on her mind the answer that Gerald gave to Cesca Litton when they were interviewed for SNN that afternoon.  She couldn’t help but recall his answer to Phoemela Barranda for the TV Patrol World two days ago.  “Friends…Friends kami.”  She thought, ‘so ngayon, friends na lang kami?  Special friends, friends…pareho na rin sa kanya.  Di na ba nya ‘ko mahal?  O nagsawa na sya sa kade-deny ko?  Lord, wag naman po…mahal na mahal ko si Ge…please po…’

          “Kimmy…”

          “Ha?  Ano’ng sabi mo?”  She was jostled out of her stupor when she felt Gerald’s hand touch hers.

          “Bakit ba kanina ka pang tulala?  May masakit ba sa’yo?”  Gerald asked her, worry was evident in his voice.

          “Wala…pagod lang siguro ako.  Biruin mo naman yung schedule natin for the last three weeks, para tayong trumpo.  Ikaw, di ka ba nahirapan?”

          “Syempre, pagod din. Pero, when I saw the turn-out at the theaters, nakakawala ng pagod.  Imagine, tayong dalawa, kino-consider na ng mga tao as film stars.  Parang di ako makapaniwala eh.  We’ve only been in the business for almost 4 years pero look at how far we’ve come.  Siguro mas lalong proud saten si Big Brother ngayon.  Kung alam ko lang kung ano’ng identity nya, I wanted to give him a gift, kahit ano, just to show how much we appreciate the opportunity he gave us four years ago.  Feeling ko nga, pwede na ‘ko mamatay, kasi somehow, I’ve already proven something.  Alam mo yun…”

          Kim listened to Gerald’s monologue without interrupting him.  He seemed to be talking more to himself than to him, and it affected her in a way she couldn’t describe.  His eyes were fixed on the road, careful as he drove in medium traffic.  They were on their way home, home being his house.  They have just finished taping another episode of KTM.  Although it was still a bit early, they decided to just watch TV at his house so they could also rest.  It has been a while since they spent ‘quiet time’ together and they missed it.

          “Uy, nakikinig ka ba?  Sorry, bored ka na siguro sa mga sinasabi ko.  Sige, rest ka muna.  Mga 15 minutes na lang and we’re there na.”

          “Hindi, nakikinig ako.  Di ko lang alam kung matutuwa ako o maiinis sa sinabi mo.”

          “Bakit naman?  Lahat na lang ata ng sinasabi ko, kinakainis mo.  You want me to shut up?  Sabihin mo lang…”  It was said with so much emotion that Kim couldn’t help but feel guilty.  She didn’t know he has issues but just wasn’t telling her.  Why, she wondered.

          “Ge, pabayaan mo naman akong mag-explain o.  Natutuwa ako kasi I also feel the same way you do about everything that’s been happening to us.  Feeling ko we’re so blessed.  Pero naiinis ako dun sa sinabi mo na pwede ka nang mamatay…  Bakit, gusto mo na ba talaga akong iwan?  Makakaya mo na’ng magkahiwalay tayo?”

          “Ayan ka na naman eh.  Palagi mo na lang tine-take ng literal yung mga sinasabi ko.  Sige, sorry na kung iba na naman ang pagkaintindi mo sa sinabi ko… please lang, wag tayo mag-away ngayon.  I’m so tired, and I’m sure so are you.”

          “Di naman ako nakikipag-away eh…”

          He was by then turning towards the entrance of Vista Real.  The guard on duty waved them on, saluting as Gerald’s car passed him by.

          “May tao ba sa bahay?”

          “Wala yata.  Si Joven, kasama ni Ali, may pinuntahang party.  Representative daw natin sila kuno.”

          “Ganon?  Bakit?  Ayaw mo um-attend?  San ba ‘yon?”

          “Wag na, mas gusto kong magpahinga.  Kulang na kulang tayong dalawa sa tulog, baka bumigay na yang katawan mo.”

          “At nagsalita ang malakas ang resistensya!”  She started tickling him in the ears just as he placed the lever in park mode, and turning off the aircon and the stereo, he turned off the engine as well.  Kim has already gone out of the car and tactically removed her heels before running towards the front porch.  She frantically searched for the spare key hidden somewhere in the pots of plants lined up by the foyer.

          Gerald smiled as he saw what Kim was doing.  He sighed and stopped in his tracks, deciding to give Kim some lead time before he pursues her inside the house.  He missed their lighthearted moments.  It has really been a hectic month, and it was slowly taking its toll on him.  He locked the door behind him, knowing that Joven and Ali wouldn’t be coming home later.  They told him they would go straight to Joven’s sister’s place, where the venue was nearer.

          Once she had opened the door, Kim ran up the stairs to Gerald’s room, leaving behind a trail of her outfit for that evening.  Gerald amusingly picked up after her.  Her gladiator sandals lay separately on the bottom steps and halfway through the stairs, respectively.  On top of the steps, Gerald found her wide, black elastic belt.  Following her track, he found her black chaleco hanging by his huge, y poster by the hallway.  Just outside his bedroom door, her dark pink tube dress was left in a heap.

          Gerald stopped as he stared at the dress on the floor.  He thought to himself, “Good God, tama ba’ng gawin ko ‘to sa kanya?  Knowing that I might not get through my treatments.”

          Just before he could find the answer to his dilemma, the door parted by a few inches and her slim arms slid out, her pointer finger teasingly beckoning him inside.

          “Ge….”

          “What?  Ano ba ‘tong pinaggagagawa mo?  Oy, Kimberly Chiu, baka mamaya ma-headline tayo nyan..”  Gerald shouted back in a voice without much conviction.

          “Eh di ma-headline…”  Kim answered in her best bedroom voice.

          “Punta ko’ng entertainment room, sumunod ka na lang dun pag nakabihis ka na ha?  Baka magkasakit ka nyan…mag-bihis ka.  Marami akong over-sized shirt dyan…mamili ka na.”  Gerald turned and slowly retraced his steps as he sadly shook his head.  His hard on pressing on his crotch, and the warmth that spread through his whole body were clear indications of how Kim easily affects him.  But he has to remain unyielding.  He doesn’t want her to regret anything.

          At the other side of the door, Kim pouted in disappointment.  Gerald was really giving up on her!  She didn’t realize she was already crying as she picked a red, oversized cotton shirt that dropped mid-thigh.  She was unaware how y she looked wearing Gerald’s shirt.  She held her hair in ponytail, wiped her tears with the back of her hands and stomped out of the room.  But before she could descend the stairs, a naughty and determined smirk formed on her lips.  She went back inside the room, brushed her teeth, washed up and made sure she smelled of sweet lavender.  As an after-thought, she took off her bra and hanged it on the hook beside the jeans Gerald was wearing that morning.  Then she took off her fresh, lacy undies and smiled wickedly as she placed it under Gerald’s pillow before getting out of his room.  “Hindi pwedeng walang mangyari ngayon…di ako papayag na mapunta sya sa Zoe na ‘yon!  Kahit na mabuntis pa ‘ko!  Tutal tapos na naman sa pag-aaral lahat ng mga kapatid ko eh.  Pwede na ‘ko mag-asawa…operation pikot na ‘to!”  She psyched herself up as she slowly made her way down to the kitchen.

          Kim decided to prepare something to eat in order to decide how she would go about in seducing Gerald.  She took out a packet of pancit canton from the pantry.  While waiting for the water to boil, she sat on one of the chairs at the breakfast nook, putting up her feet on the chair opposite hers.  Her legs were crossed and the shirt hiked up to partly reveal her creamy -cheek.  She heard footsteps from the living room, and knowing it was Gerald, she made sure her seductive pose was in place and her expression blank as she stared out the window.

          That was how Gerald found her a minute later.  He has already showered and changed to a sleeveless shirt that clung to his body like a glove and an equally tight-fitting boxers.  His heart melted at the sight of her.  She looked so sad.  Despite the uncertainty, he couldn’t bear the disappointment he saw in her eyes.  He let his eyes wander from her head down to her feet and back.  He felt the tightening on his crotch once again.  The warm sensation burning him to the edge.  “Bahala na…”  He stopped arguing with his righteousness.

          He tiptoed to where she was and embraced her from behind, nuzzling his face at the crook of her neck.  “Sorry…”  and he kissed her nape, breathing warmly into her skin.

          Kim sighed but did not try to free herself from his embrace.  She remained where she was, waiting for his next move.  His hands began roaming, but stopped as soon as he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.  Kim looked up, as if daring him to continue.  When he still didn’t move, she stood up.  She saw that the water was already boiling.  “Wag ka malikot at baka mabanlian tayong dalawa…”  She warned him before putting the noodles into the pot.  She faced him then, eyeing his perfectly fit body.  His unmistakable shamelessly displayed as his boxers tightened to contain the obviously huge package underneath.  Kim’s excitement made her heart thunder in anticipation.  She swallowed several times as if has gone as dry as the Egyptian desert.

          “Uuuuy..san ka nakatingin ha?!”  Gerald as she felt her cheeks turn hot.

          “Tse!  Ang kapal mo talaga… Wag kang hihingi ng pancit canton ko ha!”  She feigned her irritation to hide her embarrassment at being caught ogling at “him”.

          “Maawa ka naman…gutom na rin ako.”  Gerald pleaded, smiling mischievously.

          “Magluto ka ng sa’yo!”

          Gerald started to move toward her, his eyes not leaving hers.  He held her by the waist, letting his hand through the crook of her arms.  He turned the burner off before sliding his hands down her legs up to the hem of the red shirt she was wearing.  Their faces were now inches from each other.  His hands disappeared inside her shirt only to stop once more.

          “Kimmy?  Pilya ka talaga…Grabe!”  He was snickering as he continued to touch her underneath without any hindrance since she wasn’t wearing any.

          She hooked her arms to his waist, and anticipated his kiss, but Gerald had other plans.  He slowly lowered her down on the floor.  Kim’s arms were now on his neck, making sure he wouldn’t run off again.

          As he straightened his lean body on top of Kim’s, she felt his readiness.  His skin was warm to her touch as she skimmed her hands beneath his shirt to feel his back.  Her touch seemed to make his temperature rise even higher.  Soon, she heard his hard breathing as he started to kiss her whole body, beginning with her neck, down to her arms, back to her neck, down to her other arm.  He slowly drizzled small kisses on her chest, not exactly touching her pink s that were already taut with eagerness to be .  Gerald leisurely trailed his tongue in between her s, leaving a hint of wetness behind.  His hands pinned down both of Kim’s hands to the side, making her body writhe in response to the that Gerald was doing.

          He kneaded one gently as he began to the other , slightly biting, causing Kim to wriggle even more.  Her one free hand grabbed Gerald’s head and pushed as if to silently urge him to consume all of her.

          Kim felt his hands all over her, touching her, feeling her at the core of her being.  Soon, his fingers were shifting in and out of her, making her moan softly at first.  As he uncontrollably made her shiver, she touched his ridge, ripped off his boxers and shifted him under her.  She took hold of his masculinity and positioned herself above him, slowly sliding down…testing her wetness.  The she began going up and down with Gerald’s hands guiding her hips.  She felt like a mare galloping, picking up speed, trying to reach the peak with every that connected her behind with Gerald’s hard but flat abdomen.

          She was soaked with glistening sweat, the wetness making him harder than before.  Kim scooped the end of the shirt and took it off, waving it in the air like a bull-rider.  Gerald moaned even louder as he neared his .  Suddenly becoming aware that Kim might not be ready to come yet, he shifted her, making her kneel on all fours and took her from behind.  He humped faster and harder while showering kisses on her back.  Kim arched her head, louder, urging him to take all of her.  And soon enough, they reached eternal bliss together.

          Kim lay spent on the kitchen floor, Gerald’s shirt covering her body, and a satisfied smile on her face.  Gerald lay beside her with his arms cradling her head.  He lay in all his glory, still unbelieving how spectacular each experience with Kim was.  Suddenly, a bubble of laughter escaped his throat.

          “What?”  Kim asked, trying to understand why Gerald was laughing.

          “Baby, we did it on the kitchen floor…”  Gerald was trying to hold his chortles.

          “Eh ano ngayon?  At least ako ang maaalala mo everytime you come to your kitchen,”  was Kim’s defensive reply before tickling him in his armpits.

          “Kimmy, ano ba?  Nanlalambot ako, wag ka mangiliti…”

          Kim’s eyes sparkled anew.  Another wayward thought crept into her cute little head.  She reached across and touched him on the most sensitive part of his body.  She jerked him off even as Gerald tried to turn away from her.  Realizing she wouldn’t let go, he succumbed to his defeat and laid still on his back, suddenly aware of his renewed .

          “Baby, are you sure about this?  I forgot to use rubber again…”  Gerald murmured helplessly, feeling warm all over as Kim continued to work her magic over his body.

          “I know…I didn’t remind you on purpose…”  She smiled as she rolled on top of him, straddling him on his legs, still holding on to his now very upright shaft.

          Gerald held her head and lowered it to kiss her and her tongue while his other hand roamed all over her body.  Kim finally shifted her hand and rolled over taking Gerald with her, still lip-locked.

          He felt her most intimate part and sensing her readiness, he scooped her up.  He made his way to the entertainment room in three strides, closing the door with his foot, his mouth still exploring hers.  Gerald lowered her on the sofa and stretched himself over her.  Kim eagerly spread her legs apart before she took hold of his very hard tool and guided it to her very core.

          For the nth time that night, Gerald took her to the greatest heights of ecstasy she had ever known.  He drove deep into her as if there was no tomorrow, mindless of what the outcome would be.  He only knew that he really loves her, heart, body and soul.

          Sometime in the middle of the night, Gerald awoke with a slight headache.  He slipped out of the entertainment room to gather their clothes.  After putting on his shirt and boxers, he took a fresh blanket from the storage and slowly tucked Kim in after putting his shirt on her.  He crept beside her and slept while holding her to him.