Playing For Keeps (Book 2 & 3)

3. Chapter 14.

 "In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."

Drei gave herself another moment to do a final check on their suitcases that lay open on the bed. She started with hers, carefully rummaging through the pile of clothes that were neatly arranged. Then she stumbled upon her small pouch that contained her undergarments and a vanity kit for her toiletries. After making sure that all she needed were already there, she closed her suitcase and went to the next.

“Pajamas… sleep suits… rompers… shirts… diapers…” she muttered to herself as she went through the second suitcase where Matty and Zooey’s clothes were.

They were spending a weekend in Tagaytay. It was a last minute plan that Alex had told her about earlier when he and Matty picked her up from work. And Drei agreed on the spot without any hesitation. It was only the second week of July and yet everything was already hectic for them.

She was swamped with accreditation proposals, license renewals, upcoming preparations for another inspection from the Department of Health and the never ending meetings that took up most of her time. Alex, on the other hand, is having a quite a handful of work himself. After starting out with two clients last year, he took in two more. With four clients on his hands now, he had to balance the workload he’s been getting and seeing to it that he meets his deadlines by 10 pm, Manila time.

And with this toxic environment they’ve been having since the last week of June, they haven’t been doing their usual bonding activities during the weekend with the kids. Instead, they opted to stay home. But this spur of the moment idea from Alex was a great one because they needed this so bad. They needed to unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of their real world before they burn out.

“You all set?” Alex asked.

She looked up to find him standing there at the bathroom door while he was drying his hair with a towel. He was naked, let alone that towel wrapped on his waist. Even if she had seen him countless of times in all his naked, Greek god-like glory, still, she gets this unsettling flutter at the pit of her stomach whenever she sees him like this. How could she ever get so lucky? She suddenly felt her throat go dry and she bit her lip. If she could only see what’s underneath that towel –

“You like what you see, bubba?” she heard him say, obviously interrupting her mini daydream.

She shifted her gaze to meet his. He stopped drying his hair, hung the other towel on his shoulder and was now posing like he’s in some kind of a Calvin Klein advertisement. She’s been gawking at him like a rabid fan girl. Alex cocked his head on one side and smiled at her smugly as the pink stains appeared on her cheeks.

“Oh puhlease!” she said, rolling her eyes. “The ego!”

“You realize you’ve been staring at me, don’t you?”

“I was not!” Her nostrils flared and Alex chuckled.

“Oh yes, you were!”

“I was not, you egoistic beast!”

“That’s sexy, egoistic beast to you, Miss!” he gave her a half lidded gaze and he started to walk towards her. “You were ogling at me, babe! I saw that!” then he wiped something on the side of her mouth. “Kita mo oh, naglaway ka pa!”

Did her mouth water? Her forehead creased in alarm and suddenly she did the same just to check if she momentarily did. She didn’t. Thank God, she didn’t.