Worthy

Serendipitous

"Can I help you with anythi—" He stopped midsentence as Maine allowed herself to fall back again towards the water to hide her body.

OH MY GOD THIS IS WHY I HAVE TRUST ISSUES. OH MY GOD, she secretly hyperventilated.

"I'm so sorry! Susmaryosep, are you okay?" He walked towards the water.

"DON'T!!!" Maine yelled, causing the guy to stop in his tracks.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER, PLEASE." She told him, her voice slightly quivering now from the cold.

"Is there anything wrong, Miss Maine?" he finally asked.

"Can I trust you?" she replied in question.

Bewilderment mixed with sincere worry shone in the guy's earnest eyes.

"You can trust me." He confidently answered, extending his hand to her.

"Will you let me borrow your clothes?"

After a few heartbeats, an understanding finally came into the stranger's mind.

"I can go back to my hotel room to get some clothes for you," he offered.

Maine shrugged her head to disagree. "No. By the time you come back, people would already be here. I'm not even sure if you're going to come back for me."

"I will come back, I promise."

"No. Save me now. Please, Kuya."

"What do you want me to do? Strip naked here?"

"I won't look if you're shy. Don't worry, Mr..." she smiled, proud of herself for using his words back to him, letting the sentence hang unfinished in midair.

The guy turned his back on her.

"Get up. Tell me when you're out of the pool," He told her aloud.

Maine successfully resurfaced out of the water and clutched her breasts with her bare hands for cover. She stopped a few feet before the stranger, reading the print on the back of his shirt and thinking how vaguely familiar it sounded.

"Thank you, Mr..." she whispered, hoping he would finally give her his name.

"Alden." He finally told her as he turned, as they stood inches apart face to face, his eyes respectfully avoiding her half exposed chest. Without any further prompt, he started undressing: first, his faded dark blue shirt with Shuffle Tournament Cup 2010  printed at the front, then his gray sneakers, and finally his black cargo shorts, revealing only boxer trunks that could thankfully pass as swimwear.

"Pasensya ka na, it might stink of my sweat since I just finished my morning jog," he warned.

Maine was too grateful to complain. She turned her back on him and eagerly wore his shirt and shorts, inevitably inhaling his muscular and exquisite scent.

"Hindi naman, ang bango mo nga eh," she exclaimed, belatedly cringing at the words that carelessly slipped out of her mouth. Alden courteously ignored her remark to save her from further embarrasment and jumped towards the pool to take a swim.

"I...would you like me to get you a dry towel and change of clothes from your room?" she offered.

"You can just come back and return my clothes to me after you've changed into your clothes,"

"No, I'll have this sent to the laundry. Basa na eh. It's the least I could do to thank you,"

He smiled. "My hotel key card is in the left pocket. Room 1022."

"Really? Thank goodness, our rooms are almost next to each other pala. I'm in Room 1024!" She exclaimed.

"Wow, okay."

"Balik ako agad, Kuya...uh..Alden." She cheerfully sauntered towards her drenched yellow dress and towel and her plastic pouch where she kept her hotel key card, phone and toiletries.

"No rush."

"Thank you," she meaningfully smiled at him before skipping back to the hotel.

"You're welcome. Always welcome." He smiled back, never wondering why the instant familiarity between them seemed so natural. As if they've always known one another even though they've laid eyes on each other for the first time today.

Three days later, a scandal will break out.

On every tabloid and entertainment pages, on the 6pm news and on every social media site, both locally and internationally, two photos will go viral: one of Alden halfway out of his cargo shorts, caught in the act undressing in front of Maine who was clutching her breasts and visibly topless. And another stolen picture of Maine entering Alden's hotel room, wearing his jersey shirt, on its back, FAULKERSON 02 printed in white bold letters.

All the headlines will read: Reigning Miss Universe Nicomaine Dei Mendoza spotted hooking up with Laguna Governor Richard Alden Faulkerson Jr.

Author's Note:Una sa lahat, babasagin ko na kayo lol. This is a story written by a person suffering from a very intense case of MMI (May Maisulat Lang) syndrome. Lowkey pambawi sana for FYEO pero wala namang maniniwala sakin haha. Some of the things here will be intentionally...uh...questionable and shallow kaya wag niyo pong seryosohin please. Sana rin po wag kayo mag-expect ng OMGWTF levels ng plot twist dahil walang kwenta yung plot nito kaya wala rin kahit anong twist, I swear. Tinadtad ko 'to ng cliché hahahaha ang saya. Pordalab of GV wooooo! Sixteen chapters. Alam niyo na. Labyu.