"How long have you had this car?" Gerald said as he helped Kim move her stuff from the pink '68 Camaro to Gerald's SUV. "This is neat; I've always wanted an old car, in pink too." He joked.

Kim looked at the car and memories rushed back as she told Gerald the story. "It was my dad's present for my 18th birthday. He knew that I dreamt of having a pink car since I was little. He calls it the Barbie car."

"That was sweet of him," He replied as he opened the passenger side door. "Are you the only child?"

She seemed to be thinking of the answer. Her response came a minute later. "No. After my eighteenth birthday, someone came to our house looking for my dad. It was a lady and she had a kid with her and he was about three years old." She paused, wringing her hands. "He was so cute and I even let them in our house. A few days later, I remember my dad arguing with my mom, she and my older sister were getting ready to leave. He had an affair with that same woman and that little boy was my brother. She told the story as if she didn't have any hatred towards her father which shocked Gerald. Putting himself in her situation, he would have been extremely mad. He looked at her with a confused expression and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"And you are totally fine with that? That's something worth admiring." He replied. "Honestly, I'd probably crash the car at my dad's house if he ever had an affair and hurt my mom."

She looked out at the window, though she had no hatred inside of her, she felt lonely and insecure. Feeling helpless, worthless even. She was quiet for a while and Gerald felt uneasy, "Hey, I'm sorry Kim. I didn't mean it. Let's talk about something else."

"It's okay. I feel good talking about it. I don't really have a bestfriend I can trust with all these things. Since my dad left, I didn't talk to anyone." Kim went on and Gerald just listened, letting her vent. He didn't know she carried that much burden. She seemed happy with her life and it wasn't in her face that she had troubles. It is really hard to read a person based on their looks.

The traffic seemed to be slow-moving; they were stuck in the middle of EDSA. "Kim, what part of Quezon City did you say you lived in again?" He waited for a response and what he saw was Kim struggling to stay awake, her head bobbing back and forth. He took her head and rested them on his shoulder. "Sleep well." He whispered.

He admired her even more. She is brave, very kind and strong to be able to keep herself together through the tough times in her life. Being alone and having to keep everything bottled up for years does not seem easy, yet she was able to do just that.

She reminded him of Superwoman.

She must have had to mature early with all the difficulties she had to go through, he thought.

When the traffic eased up and started moving, Kim awoke, unsure of the surroundings. "Where are we?" She asked after looking at Gerald then her reflection on the mirror.

"We're still in EDSA. I was asking you which part of Quezon City you lived in, but you fell asleep on me."

"Sorry, I hope I didn't drool on you." She laughed. Her laughter sounded better, more relaxed than earlier. "I'll point out the way."

Kim stepped out of the vehicle after Gerald went down and opened the door before she could react. "I can open the door, Gerald. I'm not a princess. Don't let me get used to that, I might look for it."

"It's fine. Plus, I want to be a gentleman for my partner. I want to hunt down more thugs with you, even though it's too easy for me." He winked. "Do you need help carrying your stuff in? About your car, I'll take care of it. My friend is a mechanic."

"No, I'll be good. Sorry I can't invite you in; people are sleeping, early day tomorrow." She waved as he got into the car. "Drive safely, okay? I need to have my partner in one-piece tomorrow. Get some rest. Goodnight. Thanks!" Once she was safely inside, he drove off.

The next day, Kim looked over her stuff making sure she got everything from Gerald's car.

Purse, check.

Clothes, check.

Car keys, check.

She smelled her room. It was not its usual scent. She then realized that the scent was coming from her. It smelled manly, but comforting, not stingy. It smelled like Gerald. She smelled like Gerald.

Yesterday was a really good day, Kim thought. They accomplished the mission they have been planning for days and caught everyone, they had a party and she was able to let out her emotions. She doesn't know why, but she trusted Gerald. The moment they were introduced, she had a good feeling about him to be her partner; he made her feel safe. His presence was enough to make her feel comfortable. He is manly, yet sensitive to other people's feelings. Aggressive when it comes to work, but making sure that he always makes the right decision.

She admired him for being humble and not letting the idea of being an agent or having his uncle as head of NBI get into him. He acted as if he was like everyone else, he got along with everyone.

Kim went back to the comment he made last night.

"And you are totally fine with that? That's something worth admiring." He replied. "Honestly, I'd probably crash the car at my dad's house if he ever had an affair and hurt my mom."

Okay, he probably isn't perfect but he's human, she thought. It showed how much he loved and cared for his mother.

And her dad?

Has she really forgiven him?

She hasn't seen him or talked to him in the last five years. She believed she had forgiven him, but she wasn't so sure now. He isn't standing in front of her; she wouldn't know how she'd react.

When she looked out her window, an unexpected visitor was down there, waiting for her.