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Still at the restaurant...

“So, when are you moving in?” Gerald casually asked.

“What?!!” Kim exclaimed. “I’m sorry...I thought I misheard you...did you just suggest that...” Kim said, not believing her ears.

“Yeah...I said, as my pretend wife, you should move in to my house...at least for the time being!” Gerald finished.

Gerald was so amused by her reaction. She was definitely flustered and her mind was going 200 miles an hour. However, being the keen observer of people that he was, he could definitely see excitement brewing in the deeper recesses of her brain.

“Are you out of your freakin’ mind?” Kim exclaimed.

“Hey, you were the one that came up with this whole idea...you said you wanted to feel how it is to be my wife,” Gerald said with an impish grin.

“Oh man, here I was, thinking you have no agenda of your own!” Kim grumbled, feeling slightly flat.

“Hey, listen! This is what I was thinking. People say that you’ll never truly know another person unless you’ve physically lived together in one roof. What could be a better way to get to know me better than to live at my house?!”

“And you just expect me to just roll over and move in just like that?” said Kim incredulously.

“I guess...” Gerald said, raising a naughty eyebrow at her.

“Hey, Mr. Garcia, I may be crazy sometimes...but I am not that kind of a girl!” she screeched at him. “Yes, I said I wanted to be your wife...but just in the emotional context. I didn’t intend to be your partner in...you know...”

“What?” Gerald asked.

“You know...in bed!” Kim said.

Gerald suddenly burst into a hearty laugh. It was so loud, that customers from the other tables began to look at them maliciously. He was so red on the face, it made Kim more incensed.

“Hey, Gerald, I am too old for this kind of a game!” Kim said, grabbing her purse, pointing her finger at his face. “Call me senseless, but I am certainly not naive! You’re disgusting!”

She stood up in protest, but Gerald her hand...tenderly.

“Kim, please sit down...” Gerald pleaded. “You’re overreacting....”

Overwhelmed by the feel of his hand over hers, Kim decided to sit down. She remained irate. She folded her hands across her chest and rolled her eyes.

“Me...overreacting?” Kim , her eyes still as wide as saucers. “You’ve just asked me to be your live-in partner! I barely know you, yet you’re suggesting that I have with you? Tell me now why the heck should I not overreact?!”

The mere mention of made more people around them tune in to their conversation.

“Kim, I just asked you to move in to my house, not my bedroom...” Gerald explained.

Kim was suddenly stymied. Only then she began digesting his point. Maybe, she did overreact...a little. Her face started to redden. Gerald meanwhile sat across her, very calm and composed, very much amused with her much panicked reaction.

“I was merely thinking that you could perhaps stay over for a few days...perhaps, until the completion of this little experiment of ours, which is about seven days from now... ” Gerald enlightened her.

“What would I tell my parents?” Kim said sardonically. "How would I ever explain this to them... ‘Mom, Dad, I am going over to my male friend’s house for the full seven days! By the way, he is married and has a kid and I’ve only known him for 3 days...from the mall!’ That will surely send my parents straight to the hospital!”

“Simple, you could just tell them you’re vacationing over at a friend’s house and that you’ll be back by Christmas time...” Gerald said casually. “As for the other details, I’ll leave that up to you if you want to tell them...Kim, it’s just seven days. It’s hardly a fraction of a life sentence...”

“Hey, God built the world in seven days...” Kim answered. “A lot...can happen in a week.”

“What do you think will happen?” Gerald asked her naughtily.

“Urggghhh! You’ve had this planned out in that twisted mind of yours, haven’t you?” Kim cried out.

“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” asked Gerald.

Kim was torn. Her heart says yes but her mind says no. Unconsciously, she decided to go with her heart.

“I must be crazy...” Kim said. She was now seriously thinking of the days ahead. What twist and turns will it lead to? With a tad of trepidation she said, “I don’t know if I can go through this...it doesn’t look right.”

“Right for whom?” Gerald asked.

“For everybody!” Kim elucidated. “You’re a married man...and plus, you have Thomas! What will Thomas think of having a strange woman in his house?”

Gerald, once again, reached over to touch her hand. This time he sandwiched her left hand in between both of his.

“Kim, first of all...I am no longer married. I’m a widower. Secondly, I don’t care what other people think. And, last but not the least, I think Thomas will be the happiest kid in the world when he sees you there every morning...”

“But it won’t last...this thing of ours...” said Kim.

“So?” Gerald curtly responded.

“This set-up is just temporary, I’m afraid when it’s time for me to go...” Kim explained. “It will affect him accordingly. I don’t want to play with Thomas’ feelings.”

“Kim, Thomas is only four, and he’s a very resilient kid at that!” said Gerald optimistically. “He’ll be fine. We are going to have fun and it will be an adventure for all of us... that’s all that matters!”

“Promise?” Kim said. “No hanky panky?”

Gerald once again laughed. “Promise, no hanky panky will ever happen...unless you’ll allow it!”

“Dream on, mister!” Kim answered.

“So, when are you moving in?” asked Gerald once more.

Suddenly a voice startled them from behind.

“Who’s moving where, Ate?” said a teeny little voice.

It was Lilly. She had Thomas in tow, but the little one seems to be busy playing with his Nintendo DS. Unlike Lilly, he didn’t hear their conversation. All the color from Kim’s face started to drain away.

“Lilly! What are you doing down here?” asked Kim.

“Thomas and I got bored upstairs so we came down...” explained Lilly. “Where are you moving, Ate?”

Kim’s heart pounded. Knowing Lilly, she usually never stops till she gets into the bottom of most things. Kim racked her brain for a logical excuse, plausible enough for her brainy sister.

“Lilly...Ate Kim was thinking...” Kim stammered. She tried to make up a fake story but she just couldn’t bring herself to lie to her younger sister.

Seeing that she was about to decompose, Gerald answered for her, “Lilly, Ate Kim will be spending her Christmas vacation with us at home...would you like to stay with us too?”

“In the mansion?” Lilly said, her reaction unreadable. “...with Thomas?”

“Would you like that?” Gerald offered.

“Yes, I do! I do!” said the keyed up Lilly. She was jumping up and down.

Lilly then ran over to Gerald and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She shouted back at Thomas, “Yehheeeyyy! Thomas, guess who’s coming over for a vacation!”

Lilly immediately rushed to Thomas who has now strayed over to the customer service desk benches. From afar Kim noted how the boy became excited too.

“See...I told you it’ll work out. I’m pretty sure if you took Lilly with you, your parents wouldn’t mind.” Gerald explained. “Plus, as long you sleep with Lilly in your room, nothing’s ever going to happen to you...”

Kim thought deeply of the mess she has found herself in. She must be really, really demented to go through with his shoddy plan. But, Kim began to think of what got her there in the first place. She was there to help him deal with his emotions. Nothing more. As long as she focuses on the job at hand, she will be okay for sure.

Looking at him, Kim thought it was easier said than done. If only she could stop her heart from beating wildly whenever he looks at her...if only her imagination does not run senselessly when he was around...If only she could control her feelings for him!

If she doesn’t fall in love with him at the end, she will be okay. She will survive unscathed. But isn’t it his plan to make her fall in love with him? His goal is to charm her until she can talk no sense. That was his motivation. The sad truth however, Kim was the one who gave him the idea to do so. Because of that, Kim unwillingly put herself in a classic Catch-22 situation and there isn't a clear way out.

“This will better be worth all this trouble!” Kim said, sighing inwardly.

“I’m pretty sure it would be...” Gerald assured her.

“When can we start?” Kim said. “I am thinking along the lines of tomorrow night...”

“No, you have to move in tonight!” Gerald insisted.

“Tonight? No way, I need time. I will have to go home, explain to our parents, then prepare our suitcases....etcetera.” answered Kim.

“NO, we got to start tonight,” said Gerald. “I don’t have too much time. We need to start by tomorrow morning...”

“You’re too pushy!” complained Kim.

“NO I am not!” said Gerald, looking at her suggestively. “I am just a man, desperate to get his life back!”

“There should be a pill for this...” Kim said to herself absent-mindedly. The thought alone made her shake her head in disbelief. She downed another shot of red wine. Maybe that will give her that much needed clarity. Something in her heart rejoiced for the man across her. But, should Kim trust her heart once more, knowing that it once led her to a failed relationship?

Gerald once again smiled at her through his eyes and that was it for Kim. He had captured her heart.

From that moment on, Kim knew that her heart was the most powerful organ in her body. There is no stopping it from throbbing now. And it only spoke one name.

To make this work, Kim had to throw all caution into the wind.

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“Lilly, let me do the talking okay?” said Kim. “If they ask you, don’t ever tell them we're staying at your Tito Gerald’s house, okay?”

They were back at their house and Kim was about to ask permission from their parents.

“Are you crazy, Ate?” said Lilly. “Do you want mom to lock us up forever in our rooms if she knew?”

“Sometimes, Lilly...I am really glad you’re way mature than most kids your age” added Kim, shuffling her younger sister’s hair. “Sometimes, I think your mind works better than mine does...”

Lilly flashed Kim the widest grin she has ever seen.

“Don’t worry, Ate, I’ll keep my mouth shut...” said Lilly, holding her hand.

“Okay here it goes...” Kim said, knocking on the door to her parent’s room.

She then slowly turned the door knob. She held her breath as she entered their room. Her mom and dad were propped up on the bed, silently watching TV. Kim’s heart started to pound. Lilly, perhaps sensing that she was jittery, squeezed her hand.

“What is it?” her dad, Charlie, demanded in his usual booming voice.

“Mom, Dad...a long time friend of mine came back from the States, she invited Lilly and I to spend a couple days with her at their house...”

“How many days?” her mom, Josie, asked without even removing her eyes from the TV.

“I don’t know...” Kim said gingerly. “Maybe, till Christmas eve?”

“When are you leaving?” this time it was her dad who asked.

“Tonight, if possible...” Kim answered. “Their driver is waiting is outside.”

“How about Lilly?” asked her mom, “did you pack her stuff as well?”

“Yes mom! Ate packed them already!” Lilly excitedly blurted out. Kim squeezed Lilly’s hand. She was afraid she would blurt something out and ruin their plans.

“Kimmy, you take care of Lilly, okay?” her mom added. “You know how she is sometimes!”

“If she ever misbehaves, just send her home okay?” said Charlie. “Did you hear that, Lilly?”

“Yes, dad!” answered Lilly cheerfully, unperturbed by their dad’s warning.

“So, is it a...yes?” Kim queried once more. She couldn’t believe her ears. She was astounded at how easy it went.

“You better go now, before we change our minds,” her dad nonchalantly replied, his eyes still glued to the tube.

Kim immediately made the rush to go out of her parent’s room. She pushed little Lilly out of the door as fast as she could. The little girl almost stumbled from her overeager prodding. Kim was flabbergasted to say the least. Her ploy worked like a charm.

Suddenly, at the door, her mom called her back. Kim’s heart pounded once more.

“Kimmy, which friend of yours are you going to?”

Kim’s mind raced for possible names. “Mom, we’re going to...Ger...Geraldine’s. Remember her?”

“Oh yeah! Geraldine Andrada! The one who moved to Canada?” confirmed her mom.

“Yes, mom, the same one!” verified Kim.

“But I thought you said she was coming in from the States?” her very observant dad quipped.

“She...uhmm...moved to the States from Canada...” Kim further lied.

“Okay!” her mom said, eyes moving back to the TV. “You should go now...”

Kim hurriedly left the room. When she got out, she let out a sigh of relief. This was the first time she had lied to her own parents. She wasn’t really happy with herself for doing it. Not to mention that she had her little sister go on with her charade. What kind of a sister was she? What kind of an example was she setting to her younger sister? She’d better pray that her parents will never find out about what she was doing, or else, all hell will break loose if they did. She could almost see her father stripping her teeth off her gums. She shuddered at the thought.

However, her sense of adventure won out in the end. Kim took Lilly’s hand and ran out of the door to the waiting father and son.

Deep inside, Kim rationalized that every kid is entitled to a rebellious streak at least once in their lives. This was her time to be the rebel that she wanted to be. This was her rebellious streak.

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Gerald ushered both of them into the guest room. Kim and Lilly was suddenly overwhelmed by how lavishly decorated it was. It was like a five-star hotel room. The king-size bed was amazing. They have their own couch and a walk-in closet.

In her mind, Kim was thinking, “Shucks, I could get used to this...”

Her thought was suddenly disturbed when little Thomas tugged her shirt.

“Thomas, what is it?”

“Will you promise me that you and Lilly will still be here tomorrow morning when I wake up?” asked Tommy, his eyes beseeching.

“Of course, dear, we’re not going anywhere...” answered Kim. “By the time you wake up tomorrow, you can come in check us out if we are still here, okay?”

“Okay!” said the little boy in glee. He then ran out of the room.

Gerald shouted after him. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth...”

Gerald smiled coyly at Kim. Like any shy girl, Kim placed her hands behind her back and waited for him to make a move.

He turned his attention to Lilly, much to Kim’s disappointment.

“Lilly, if you’re not comfortable sleeping with Ate, we have another guest room across the hall!” said Gerald suggestively.

Kim suddenly remembered what he earlier. He said that as long as she had Lilly with her in her room, no “hanky-panky” will ever happen. She shot him a taunting look. Lilly was about to say her piece, but Kim covered with her hand.

“No, Lilly will be fine here with me...” Kim said.

Lilly groaned under her hand. She never was used to sharing a room, not even with her Ate Kim. She successfully pried Kim’s hand off and she raced back to the bed without talking ever talking to them. Kim and Gerald were left by themselves at the doorway.

“Okay, I guess I’ll let you guys rest then...” said Gerald. “Goodnight...”

“You’re forgetting something...” Kim said.

Gerald thought for a second and moved towards her. He slowly moved his head closer to hers.

“What are you doing?” Kim asked immediately.

“I thought you wanted a kiss?” Gerald asked playfully.

“No, mister, I was asking for the key to our bedroom!” Kim said impatiently, holding out her hand.

“Why would you want the key?!”

“Let’s just say I don’t really trust you that well yet...” Kim said. Frankly speaking though, she didn’t trust herself either.

Gerald grumbled as he rushed out of the room to grab her the key. When he came back, Kim gave him a wry smile.

“Here, happy now?” said Gerald, handing her a worn out key.

“Good...”

“Frankly, Kim, if I wanted to...” said Gerald. “I won’t need a key...and it will take more than just a door to stop me...but only if I wanted to....”

Kim shuddered at the thought.

“You better not pull any stunts, sir!” Kim warned him. “I could seriously hurt you. Let’s just do this just like what we planned. No monkey side business, okay?”

“Okay, fine...” replied Gerald with a groan. “Remember, tomorrow, I have every right to woo you, okay? No more childish protests. You will act as planned. Everything is fair game... Remember, you will officially become Mrs. Garcia by dawn tomorrow...”

“You may not LIKE me acting as HER...” Kim reminded him. “But, that’s the plan...”

“And I’ll do everything to make you change your mind,” said Gerald, moving closer, touching her lip with his finger.

Kim’s heart fluttered. She breathed inwardly, fighting herself not to show any signs of affection.

“Having second thoughts on that goodnight kiss?” asked Gerald.

“Not tonight...but that can wait till tomorrow...” announced Kim, smiling unabashedly.

Gerald eyes lit up. However, upon seeing that Kim would not let him go forward anymore tonight, he decided to forego of his intentions for the time being.

“So, is this goodnight?” asked Gerald.

“Uh...yes...goodnight!” answered Kim.

Gerald leaves with a weak smile on his face. Kim felt almost feint when he was gone. She closed her eyes and leaned on the door for support. His handsome face still played on her tired mind.

“You know, you should have kissed him!” said Lilly.

Kim shot her sister a naughty look and ran to the bed to tickle her. “I told you not to listen when we are having a talk. It’s not nice to listen to adult conversations....”

The little girl giggled as Kim was tickling her on her sides. She rolled over the expansive bed. She then older sister...

“Kim and Gerald, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes baby in a golden carriage!”

Kim laughed.

Moments later, the true weight of the situation began to take toll on her mind. At that point, she felt like a gazelle trapped in the lion’s den. How easy had he made her his prey. The funny thing was, Kim gave him the consent to do so. To put it more bluntly, it was like suicide. However, as long as she had Lilly sleeping with her, she was secured. At least tonight, in this classy bedroom of his, she was safe from his charms...

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Kim had no idea how long she had slept for. What she knew was that she felt rather spent from all the emotional upheaval she had been going through these last few days. She was just glad that she was sleeping on a luxurious bed, whose sheets and bed covers felt warm and velvety to the touch. Her body instantly protested as she was about to get up. The softness of her pillows was lulling her back to dreamland. She rolled on to her side, where her sister was. With her eyes closed, she tapped her. She felt Lilly stir, groan and get up...all of a sudden she let out an ear-deafening scream!

“Ate! Ate! Wake up!” Lilly shrieked. “Look, Ate Kim, quick!”

Kim hastily sat up. She shook her eyes several times.
“What is it, Lilly?”

Little by little, Kim’s vision cleared up. The sight that unfolded before her eyes was enough to give a senior citizen the shock of his life. She could not believe what she saw. It was the most beautiful image her mind had ever captured.

There were flowers everywhere! All around their room!

Everywhere around her was filled with all kinds of flowers imaginable to mankind. There were countless arrangement of roses, tulips, lilies, orchids... their room was filled to the brim. IT was so breathtaking! It was like a page out of a fairy tale. Kim looked down at her sister. She was slack-jawed and dazed as well.

“Wow Ate, look at that!” Lilly said in amazement. “How did those get in here?”

“Frankly, Lilly, I don’t know...” Kim said, excitedly standing up. She moved over to one of the bouquets. She smelled the fresh sweet scent of a combination of lilacs and jasmine. The aroma in the room would be enough to make a young girl’s heart swoon. She felt like she was in a wonderful dream, in her dream she woke up realizing that today, she was a real princess.

Kim and Lilly smelled each of the flowers one by one. Like a pair of butterflies, they hopped from one bloom to another. They excitedly placed flowers by their ears, some of which they thread into their hair. Lilly’s eyes were filled with a sense of joy and wonderment, Kim had never seen before from her.

Both of them suddenly heard a knock on the door.

“Come in...” Kim answered.

The door opened and Thomas came rushing to Kim, giving her a big, bear hug.

“Good morning, Thomas!” greeted Kim.

“Good morning, mommy!” he answered, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Mommy? Kim could not react. She was suddenly taken aback. She looked over her shoulders and then she saw Gerald with a breakfast tray on his hands. She eyed him strangely.

“Breakfast in bed!” Gerald announced.

Kim let out another indolent sigh. His smile alone was enough to rouse up any tired feelings. Kim forced herself not to smile back. She simply tugged Thomas towards the bed.

“Mommy, did you like the flowers?” asked Thomas.

Kim nodded and smiled at the boy. When she looked up at Gerald, she gave him a venomous look. He was quick to dispel her thoughts.

“Look, about that mommy thing, Thomas came up with that himself,” Gerald explained. “Not that I blame him...”

“Really...now!” said Kim, looking sternly at him.

“I told him it’s temporary...” said Gerald. “I told him as long as you’re here inside the house, he can call you mommy. Outside of the house, in public, he should call you Tita Kim.”

Thomas nodded his little head in agreement.

Kim groaned inwardly. Somehow, she wasn’t comfortable with that. It’s not that she objects Thomas calling her mommy but it was more on the fact that it might raise the little boy’s expectations unnecessarily.

“Mommy Kim, look...Daddy cooked all of us breakfast. He said we can eat on the bed!” Thomas said excitedly.

“Thomas, why are you calling my ate, mommy?” asked the nosey Lilly.

“My dad said he is her wife while she’s here in our house, so she’s my mommy too...”

Kim’s jaw dropped to the floor. Oh, NO! How was she going to explain this to Lilly now? Her younger sister's eyes were now as wide as cymbals. Kim looked at Gerald for support.

“If she’s your mommy, that means I’m your aunt. You can call me Auntie Lilly, from now on...” said Lilly to Thomas, who was somehow struggling to make the connection.

“That will make you...old!” said Thomas innocently.

“No, silly!” laughed Lilly. “It’s just pretend...”

“Auntie Lilly...I like it!” Thomas cried out.

They all laughed. Kim was relieved. Gerald then pulled Thomas into the bed. There, they helped themselves to some toast, cereals, pancakes and fruits.

“Do you do this a lot?” Lilly asked Tommy.

“Nope...” he answered, munching on a slice of strawberry.

“We did, Tommy. But you probably don't remember it. You were still a baby then. I would bring Mommy food on the bed when she was tired of taking care of you all night...” Gerald recounted.

Kim’s heart sank. All the while she was thinking he was doing this uniquely for her. How naive of her to think that. She was wishfully thinking it was something he wanted to do for her...just for her. She realized he was doing it, because he saw her as his wife. Like the way they planned it.

“So, how did you like the breakfast in bed, my wife?!” Gerald cheerily said.

“It was okay...” Kim said unaffectedly. She almost dropped her glass of juice when he said “my wife.”

“That’s it? Just okay? Not even...fantastic?” Gerald implored.

“I told you it was just okay...” Kim said weakly.

Gerald merely smiled. For all he knew, Kim was just playing along their game. Maybe it was her way to challenge him.

“See, dad, I told you we should have placed more sugar on the pancakes!” Thomas added, rather bleakly. “Mommy Kim didn’t like our breakfast...”

Kim's heart went out to Thomas. If only he could understand this stupid game they're playing. Kim wanted to hug him. She wanted to shout at them how wonderful she felt...how loved and cared for she felt.

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After their breakfast, Kim and Gerald had a moment to themselves while the kids played at the foot of the bed.

“How did you pull all of these together?” Kim said.

“I called all the flower shops I could find in the yellow pages early this morning...”explained Gerald. “I specifically asked them to deliver all different kinds of flowers in their stock.”

“I can’t believe you did that!” Kim exclaimed. “There must be a lot of disappointed romantics roaming around the city looking for flowers!”

“You said to make an effort, right?!” reasoned Gerald.

“You may think I may have forgotten about it, mister...” Kim said, making a face at him.

“Call me honey, that’s how we call each other...” interrupted Gerald.

“Okay...HONEY! How did you end up sneaking in my room early this morning?” Kim argued. “I thought you have given me the key?”

“Remember you just asked for the key, “ Gerald reminded her. “Not the spare key...” he said pulling out the other key from his jeans.

“You smarty pants...” Kim said. “Give me that, from now on, no more sneaking in, okay?”

Gerald nodded amusingly. He handed her the key. Kim smiled back at him.

“So, what can you say about phase one?” Gerald asked.

“So, THIS is phase one?” Kim challenged him. “Hmmm...the effort was there I can see...”

“Come on!” Gerald cried out. “I woke up at four in the morning to shop for flowers, I deserve at least some merits!”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t good, it’s just that something is missing...a little bit more effort would have done it.”

“Really?” Gerald said. “What is missing?”

“Well, I wish you could have made an effort and asked me what flowers I wanted. Then I could have told you it was white Chrysanthemums. I am happy now, but I could have been much happier!”

“You’re cruel!” said Gerald.

“Hey, you asked for it. I told you I am not an easy woman to please. And so is your wife. Effort is not enough, it takes imagination!”

“Okay, okay...I’ll think of something better...” he grumbled.

“And...it doesn’t have to be expensive...” reminded Kim. “not all things women want are expensive...”

“Yeah...diamonds, cars, trips to Europe...they’re not that expensive...” Gerald said sarcastically.

Kim ignored what he said.

“Your grade for today is B- ,” said Kim, smiling proudly.

“Don’t I get something to keep me going?” said Gerald.

“What did you have in mind?” asked Kim playfully.

“A kiss?” Gerald answered.

“You mean to say, after what I said, you still deserve a kiss?” said Kim.

“At least on the cheek...” Gerald said, holding her hand.

Kim checked first if any of the kids were watching. Seeing that they were too engrossed playing, she moved in closer and planted one on his cheek. “Okay, if you do better, the kiss gets better too...”

“Now that is motivation...” said Gerald excitedly.

Both of them laughed. Her heart laughed with her too. Her earlier apprehensions seemed to have disappeared. She was looking forward to the rest of the day.

Gerald kissed her hand and headed out of the door, carrying the breakfast tray with him.

“Come on, Thomas. We have a battle plan that we need to execute...” Gerald said.

Thomas hurriedly marched towards his dad.

“Tito, can I come with you?” asked Lilly.

“Yep, let’s leave your Ate Kim to her thoughts...” Gerald said.

Lilly excitedly ran up to the pair.

Gerald shot back at Kim, “We’ll call you when were done with the preparations...”

Kim nodded in resignation.

When he closed the door behind them, Kim slumped back to bed. She thought, what has she gotten herself into? She didn’t expect it to be this hard....and their only on phase one. God knows how many phases he had planned to win her heart? Will she have the strength to resist? Kim knows deep inside that he had already won it. She didn’t have to confirm it. But somehow, she had to pretend that she was like his wife...uncaring and unaffected. She needed to temper her feelings for Gerald. He needed to go through this process. It’s more a cleansing ritual for him. More importantly, she just can’t let her feelings be in the way of his healing.

Gerald was still nursing a broken heart, and Kim knows more than anybody that a broken heart heals slowly and that it can’t be rushed.

She closed her eyes and said to herself, “Kimmy, focus. You have to be strong...huwag na huwag kang bibigay ! Huwag na huwag kang bibigay...” (Don’t ever, ever give in!)

Gerald’s strong, masculine face suddenly began to encroach her mind once more. Kim grimaced. IT was definitely an uphill battle from here on. She suddenly remembered a title of an old song which so aptly suited her situation....

Love Is A Battlefield.
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Author's notes:

Very long chap (worth two chaps, I think)....Thanks for reading. Please leave comments...I need to know if you guys are still reading this.

Binggirl --- you have read my mind once more. You exactly knew where this thing is going.

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