Artificial Horizon - A César Fernando Basa x Reader story

II - Squawk

Ano pa ba ang nangyari kagabi?

Did I even sleepwalk, and find myself here with Elian? Like, the fuck... is that the very reason why he is right here, lying down on the same bed as I do, watching me wake up all the while he is half-naked?! I mean, did we even... The probability for that is close to zero! I am not drunk to do something so stupid as such, and yet, even though I can say that I am perfectly clothed right now, I didn't remember having such a lacy nightgown!

The better question to ask than what happened last night is: Anong lugar ba ito?

Suddenly, Elian laughs.

Wait, what?

His eyes narrow with great mirth when he does, and he is beaming. It is a strange look for a man I've known to be so reserved with his expression; that even when his team won the championship back then, he wasn't seen this happy. However, seeing him laugh is refreshing, and my heart skips uncontrollably at the sight and the sound. He then leans his forehead against mine and says, "Walang nangyari sa atin, okay? Halatang-halata na kung ano-ano ang iniisip mo. Whatever the case was, rest assured that it didn't happen. Yet."

B-Bwiset talaga itong lalaking ito!

I unconsciously slap him on the shoulder that only makes him laugh much more, and for some reasons, the action is definitely one out of instinct. But even his reaction is weird, because knowing the man himself... such a man as Elian Basa will not even let me smack him at all.

He presses a soft and chaste kiss against my eyebrow. "Don't worry. You are to become my wife, after all. At talagang wala pang nangyayari, nagpropose pa lang ako sa iyo kagabi."

If that is meant to assure me, then he is seriously mistaken. Okay, knowing fully that I still have my virtue is an ideal concept concerning how weird all of this seems to be; but how much percent shall I be assured by the prospect that we are recently engaged? And fuck it all, I can't even remember what transpired last night for such.

As proof that he is saying the truth, a vintage yellow and white gold diamond hearts engagement ring is around my finger. Unassumingly there as if it had been always there; and yet, according to him, it had been only last night.

Pareho ba kaming baliw para maging engaged kaagad-agad? Tangina, (Y/N). Ano na naman itong pinasok mo?

"Sinong mag-aakala?" he whispers, an inquiry I am not sure if it is addressed to me or had been his self-reflection alone. "That someone as I, César Basa, would have the intention of settling down."

César Basa? Sino 'yon?

And I stare back at him with one question turning into hundreds then to thousands. Then, I take in my surroundings again and the entire situation on hand. The fact that this man appears very much like Elian, but is acting weirdly different from Elian...

Oh, I get it now. This is what a dream looks like. This is my first time seeing one.

The man snaps his head to the direction of the opened windows and then to the bedroom door, and before I can even ask what is going on, he presses a finger against his lips. In return, I instantly cover my mouth to follow his command of keeping quiet. And amidst the noise from outside, it seems evident that he senses something else.

Finally, whoever or whatever he earlier realized, makes their presence known. The call is audible amidst the rest of the sound, shouting, "César!"

This man isn't really Elian, isn't he? But another who shares the same face, physique and voice as him named César, right?

He sighs heavily as he closes his eyes and smiles, rather than be irritated for being called or whatsoever. "'Yong mga iyon talaga..."

"César!" another voice adds. "Tama na 'yan, 'oy! Maawa ka naman kay (Y/N)!"