a's

despite barely

iling, thinking about Adonis again-Adonis, the

shattered it, some stubbor

me, and I pushed

, careful not to wake Mary

, but I still preferred wa

e on the water bill-i

itu

r, always cool and clean thanks to the to

ir clothes along the riverbank,

of me-like m

e, a soft knock echoe

iana's cheerful voice gr

, a racerback top, and rubber shoes, her

stepped out of a lifestyle

g, too," I s

his early?" She grinned an

g and thought I'

there's nothing like t

ite me in?" I stepped aside, tr

ss times, but I never got used to th

ion with chandelier

ment walls-but never once ha

down com

ou off to?"

day." "What?" Her ey

u serio

e a wat

clothes in the stream." "I like it

r's fresh

bill." Ariana stared at

e impo

m helping you

Y

un

r perfect hands

hter of Don Miguel Monleon doe

an

ve b

taught me the basic

emem

f rice." "And now I make cupcakes li

e need a g

arty-just our usual cr

meant

dn't wan

lothes, the mood...

to remind me,"

n different from t

I'm beneath you." "And I ne

ur jog before the sun

oking around with a

it her

k, Paris, Manila-I always lo

sugarcane and soil... It keeps me

the banana and pineapple plantations stretching far bey

iful-simple,

n was b

randfather and Adonis's as we

haci

nd coffee p

fact

, he remained grounded

he roots of his e

sity, our family had

e was ours, granted to my grandfather Be

iguel's father, and now

llege, become a civil engineer, an

ver worked another

voice snapped me

you

away." I shook my

m f

thi

ld go,

ting me at the flower fa

y in our est

here

"You know I love working w

eady committe

and Lisa-I promise." Ariana

'd b

She hugged me before jogging off down t

with a smile tu

n my hip, and began the familiar walk to the stream-h

the mist still clung to the tree

et, almost sacred

nd, and I was thankf

eded

and turning all night with

h

o the cool water, scrubbin

always been my

efle

ning, I wasn

rest

gr

fter everything, my heart still bet

heard

ic

voi

os

cl

y stif

my task, I hadn't n

ir sh

owly, and my breath

s Mon

cousin

ter bottles in hand, and wea

cause for a moment, I tho

seeing him like this, half-naked and gleaming in th

tall, with an easy g

was carved from som

darker,

e it was sculpted f

rising with slow,

d before I cou

ourse, h

you see, Maya

oo

oga

little to

d not

could

n to him like a moth to a flame, even

ser, eyes neve

you're here,"

ng loud and clear: ther

ear-it was a mistake

't stop

that kiss." His eyes narrowed, his lips curling into

't get a

size about

erated your stares." Every

crush," he added with a mock laugh, tossing th

p dreami

t inte

even offer so

re p

that beautiful?"

ped the shirt

eart pounding in my

trembled-but

h r

thinking, I raised my

a

d through the tr

linc

rker, my handprint bloomin

struck any

felt like the most natu

k to me like that," I

I was

eved i

something good beh

u know

nk

ctly what kind of monster you

rky co

ruel

her first kiss," I con

ondering what it wou

me, I hoped-it wo

that

ant n

you're h

oga

man you pretend to be." I too

but I've earned

or every inch

t have

t have

won't let you take that to

urned out to be the

d y

se." I could see it then-t

cked the win

eren't cru

re... c

t,

didn't

anym

donis turned arou

a

running fr

out a low

n, M

look of impressed disbelief b

y,

d then I was

wn to my knees, m

skin, but it was nothing com

, Adonis,"

ate

d off the trees and the water like a

my own surpri

cr

at o

ime, I wasn't the girl

irl crushed un

too

ught

, it fe