"Last call na, miss."
Oh God, finally. Luna glanced at the wall clock-2:46 AM. Konting tiis na lang, girl. Uwi, tulog, then repeat bukas. Kaya mo 'to. The bar was almost empty, just a few regulars finishing their last drinks and a snoring drunk dude in the corner na akala mo may sariling kwarto.
She sighed and started wiping down the counter. Ang lamig ng basang basahan, ang lamig din ng buhay ko right now. Boredom is real.
Then the door swung open.
Who the fck-? She didn't look at first. Probably isa nanamang basag na lalake. Ayoko na. Pagod na 'ko. Please lang.
But then... the air shifted. No joke. Like may dumaan na amoy mamahaling pabango na may halong confidence at kasalanan.
Her eyes lifted slowly.
Holy. Shit.
He walked in like a scene straight out of a movie. Tall, confident, dark shirt hugging that unfairly fit body. His steps? Relaxed pero powerful. Parang gusto ko siyang sabuyan ng tubig, pero gusto ko rin siyang upuan-Luna, girl, behave.
He sat at the far end of the bar, casually claiming the space like he owned it.
"One whiskey. Neat."
His voice was deep, commanding. Parang utos, hindi request. Luna blinked. Ugh. Great. Cocky. Pero sa loob-loob niya, bakit ang init ng boses niya? Boses pa lang, gusto ko nang bumigay. STOP, LUNA.
"Bawal na magserve ng alcohol after 2 AM, sir," she replied coolly, raising a brow. Huwag kang pa-fall dito. Umayos ka, girl.
He smirked. "Then pretend it's juice."
Tangina. ANG BASTOS NG CHARM NITO. Her lips twitched, fighting the urge to smile. She reached for the bottle and poured it slowly. Ayan na. Isa nanamang kalbaryo. Pero ang gwapo. Ang gwapo talaga. Lord, bakit ka ganyan?
"You're a little bold, huh?" she said, eyes narrowing.
He leaned back, unfazed. "And you're a little beautiful to be working at this hour."
Tangina. Ang lakas maka-wattpad nito. Seryoso ba 'to? Her cheeks warmed but she played it cool.
"Flatter me again, I might just start charging you."
He chuckled, the sound low and wicked. "Name?"
Name mo mukha mo. Teka, wag mo siyang bigyan ng info, baka stalker 'to. Pero parang ang sarap maging stalker niya. LUNA, FOCUS.
She crossed her arms. "Why should I tell you?"
He met her gaze, intense and unblinking. "Because I want to know who's been distracting me since I walked in."
Okay. Okay. Calm down. Baka umapoy na 'tong panty mo.
"Di ako madaling ma-distract," she replied.
He leaned in slightly. "Then why haven't you looked away since I walked in?"
OH MY GOD. LUNAA. Magdasal ka. Gusto ka niyang kainin ng buo at willing kang ipaluto sarili mo. Sira ulo ka na ba?
"...Luna," she said finally, voice softer than intended.
His eyes lit up like he just won something. "Luna." He said it slow, like tasting chocolate. Rich, dangerous chocolate.
Fck, bakit parang ang sexy nung pangalan ko pag siya nagsasabi?*
He sipped his whiskey, never breaking eye contact. Tama ba 'tong ginagawa ko? Baka mamaya may asawa na 'to. Or worse... playboy. Pero something in her gut said-nope, not worse. That's exactly what he is. The kind of guy who ruins girls for all the right reasons.
"You always flirt with bartenders?" she asked.
"No. Just the ones I want to take home."
PUTA. Wag kang tumitig. Wag kang tumitig. Tangina, tumitig ka pa lalo. Ayan, patay ka na.
Luna turned away, pretending to wipe something that wasn't even dirty. Bakit ako kinakabahan? Siya dapat ang kabahan eh. Ako 'yung may hawak ng bote dito.
Then she heard it.
"Luna."
She froze.
Don't turn. Don't you dare fcking turn. GURL. Bakit ka tumalikod na agad?
"What now?" she asked, still not facing him.
"I'm not done yet."
Her knees wobbled a little. PUTANGINA NAMAN. Sino ka ba talaga, demonio?
She turned slowly, meeting his eyes again.
"What's your deal?" she asked, heart pounding.
He smirked, resting his arm on the counter like he had all the time in the world. "My deal is simple-I saw you. And now, I want to know how far you'll let me go before you finally say yes."
Say yes? HA?! Hindi ako ganyan kababa-wait. 'Yung "yes" ba na iniisip ko? Or ibang yes? TANGINA, BAKIT AKO NAGIIMAGINE NA?!
Luna swallowed hard. "I don't say yes. I don't give in."
His smirk turned into a slow, predatory smile. "Then make me work for it, Luna. I don't mind playing the long game."
Shit. Ako 'tong pinapaikot. Ako 'tong iniinitan. At masama, gusto ko pa 'to
Luna could feel it-his gaze still pinned on her like a spotlight.
She tried to act busy. Kunwari pinupunasan ang glass, kunwari sinisilip ang stock ng alak. Pero to be honest, wala akong ibang naririnig kundi boses niya sa utak ko. Parang echo na may kasamang libog. Tangina, paano mo 'ko napa-attract sa loob ng limang minuto?
"Don't worry," he said, casually sipping his drink, "I don't bite... unless you beg."
HAAAA?!
She dropped the glass.
"Shit," she muttered, picking it up quickly.
"You okay?" he asked, lips twitching in amusement.
"I'm fine. Nabigla lang ako sa-"
Sa tono ng boses mong parang sex hotline operator. Tangina, sino ka ba?!
He raised an eyebrow. "Sa?"
Luna gave him a fake-ass smile. "Sa hangin. Malamig eh."
He chuckled. "You sure it's the hangin? Not me?"
PUTANGINA. NAPAKA-SWABE MO NAMAN. Isa ka bang espiritu ng temptation?
"Baka ang yabang mo lang talaga," she snapped back playfully.
"Confident," he corrected. "Big difference."
Luna rolled her eyes. Yup. Playboi nga 'to. Confirmed. Pero bakit ang sarap niyang kausap?
"Wala ka bang ibang bar na pwedeng puntahan?" she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
"Wala ka naman sa ibang bar."
OHMYGOD. OHMYFCKINGGOD. Nagf-flirt siya talaga. At ako rin, bakit ako natatawa? Bakit ako kinikilig? LUNA, THIS IS NOT WHO YOU ARE-CHAROT. Eto na 'ko, Lord. Isama mo na ako sa pagkakasala.
He leaned in closer, and his cologne hit her like a sinful whisper-earthy, woody, expensive.
"I'm Adrian, by the way," he said.
She raised a brow. "Adrian, huh? That your real name?"
He smirked. "Depende. If you want, I can give you my full name, phone number, and location ng birthmark ko."
NAKAKALOKA. GUSTO KO NG BIRTHMARK NIYA. BAKIT PARANG ANG SARAP TUKLASIN?!
"Hmm. No thanks," she replied, biting back a smile.
"Playing hard to get?" he asked, clearly entertained.
She leaned in, her voice low. "Playing smart."
Their eyes locked again. And for a moment, everything else faded. The drunk customers. The ticking clock. The sticky floor behind the bar. All gone. Just him. Just her.
Adrian's eyes dropped to her lips for half a second-barely noticeable, pero she caught it.
Tangina. Gusto niyang halikan ako. Gusto ko bang pahalik? No. Yes? GAGO, STOP THINKING.
"So..." he began, swirling the whiskey in his glass, "do you always work this late?"
"Bakit? Nag-a-apply ka ba?" she quipped.
He laughed-a real one. And damn, even his tawa sounded sexy.
"I'm just wondering if I'll see you here again."
Bakit parang may date proposal sa tanong na 'yan? Ayokong ma-in love sa lasing. Pero ang guwapo talaga. And confident. And tall. And guwapo. Nasabi ko na ba 'yon?
Luna turned away again, pretending to arrange bottles that were already perfectly in place.
Then Adrian stood.
She didn't even realize na kinagat niya labi niya until he stepped closer to the bar, narrowing the distance between them.
"Luna," he said again-so smooth, so dangerous.
She faced him, heart racing. What now?!
"Off ka ba bukas?"
"Bakit?"
"Dinner," he said, simple and direct. "With me."
Tangina. DINNER. Ganoon lang? No 'maybe', no 'if you want', no cute intro? Straight up 'with me'? Lord, ano 'to? Fast-track to temptation?!
"Sorry, I don't date customers."
"Then I'll stop drinking. Technically, not a customer anymore."
PUTA. ANG SWABE MO TALAGA. Stop mo na 'yan. Mamaya, ako na 'yung maglalagay ng sarili ko sa tray at i-serve sa'yo.
Luna was about to respond-probably to say no, or maybe hell yes-when one of the drunks at the end of the bar shouted, "Miss! Isa pa ngang beer!"
She broke eye contact with Adrian. "One sec," she said.
But when she turned back-he was gone.
WTF?! SAAN KA PUMUNTA?
Then she saw it-folded beside his empty glass. A ₱500 tip... and a small card.
She picked it up.
Adrian Reyes
CEO - Reyes International Holdings
Personal: 0917-xxx-xxxx
Back: Text me if you want dessert after your shift.
Luna's eyes widened.
PUTANGINA. CEO? SERYOSO BA 'TO? Anong klaseng hentai storyline 'tong ko?!
She stuffed the card in her apron, heart pounding like crazy.
And that night habang naglilinis na sila ng bar para mag sara she remember the note.
"Text me if you want dessert."
Girl, gusto ko ng dessert. Pero gusto ko rin mabuhay. Bahala na si Batman.
(note: this is a novel I published at wattpad, if you guys like it you can read it there or I'll publish it here.Also this is a taglish story tagalog and english. Please tell me if you like it in straight english.
I'll upload an english version.)
- itsznyxx
