en·treat·y

/inˈtrēdē,enˈtrēdē/

n. an earnest or humble request.

--oo--

Frozen, lured, hypnotized, and unable to speak, I remained in his grasp.

Uncanny sensation hastened the shivers running through my nerves as he continuously stroked my hair back and forth. I had a hard time formulating the best explanation as to why I remained nailed to the floor, unable to make a single move, and caught up with the thought of how hot – I mean, how strange the guy standing in front of me was.

With sweeping thick eyelashes and bushy eyebrows, his obsidian eyes were screaming lust and desire. His almost-aquiline nose pointed to mine, wanting to be close in contact. The seemingly perfectly carved Cupid’s bow gave his lips a formidable shape with its pale-red color, telling me to kiss it. His masculine jawline formed an emphasized shape as he grinned and darted me with his panty-dropping glare.

I shook my thoughts off when I realized that the man standing in front of me, touching my face and hair, was a menacing stranger. He stumbled when I pushed him away so hard, and I stepped back a little bit to have my distance from him.

“Maniac!” I yelled, causing him to laugh sarcastically.

“Well, from the way you almost drooled when you stared at me for more than a minute, I guess you somehow like a maniac like me,” he boasted, combed his hair to the back, and returned his gaze to me. “Don’t you want to know how good I am in making girls’ panties fall? Or maybe I already made yours fall, and you’re getting wet under there,” he smirked and slowly walked towards me.

“I...I don’t know what you’re saying,” I reasoned out, paying slow steps back to every forward step he did. “Stay away from me,” I warned him as I turned my hands into fists as if I was preparing myself for an epic battle of the era.

“Don’t be nervous. I’ll be gentle at first...,” his evil grin made himself look like a devil – a hot devil. “...then I’ll be rough when you want me to.”

“I said, stay away from me!”

“I won’t bite unless you tell me to do so.” His grin was getting scarier and scarier. 

A sentimental montage flashed in my mind, making me feel nostalgic. It felt like it was my last day on earth, knowing that there was this handsome monster waiting to devour me. 

While keeping an eye on him and tried to predict what he’s going to do with me, I thought of how I was supposed to say goodbye to my mom and Lea. When my back reached the wall, I closed my eyes, covered my arms to my breast, and let miracles do the saving.

Whistles pinched my eardrum as I realized that I was closing my eyes for more than a minute already. I opened one eye and saw no man in front of me, but on my side, leaning on the window and whistling like calling for the wind. My sight pasted on his gentle face, far from how he looked lately. His gaze settled on the outside, and his eyes sparkled when hit by the subtle light of the noonday sun.

“Why are you closing your eyes? I’m not going to rape you,” he muttered. “I am wild, but I’m not a rapist.”

“I...I didn’t say t-that,” I stammered, slowly dropping my arms to the side as I burnt in humiliation. 

“Your gestures did the talking.”

“Because you acted like you are one.”

“Maybe you’re just reading too many novels. I was just walking towards the window.”

I wanted to ask him how did he know that I am a virgin, but fear assailed me. I was afraid that he might just find it hilariously blunt if I ask him that way and laugh at me like how those crazy bastards from my class did. Then I realized that maybe he just heard some of my classmates talking. I canceled my thoughts on that plan. After all, he’s just a stranger.

I couldn’t help my eyes but pin it on him as he took off his shirt, exposing his well-toned body. His tattoos, running across his shoulders, were like artworks that moved as he twitched his muscles with light force. He twisted to throw his shirt to the chair beside him, and my eyes settled on the dragon tattoo on his neck. Then a memory from yesterday snapped in my head: he was the guy yesterday who was slapped by the crying woman. Pitiful.

His sight was still on the outside, and I found my courage to take that as an opportunity to run away. But before I could ignite myself to run as fast as I could, a group of six strange tattooed men were already in the doorway, blocking my only way to escape.

“You’re here, Christian Luis, the heartbreaker,” the guy wearing a black shirt said with his crisp accent. “And you even brought us a present. Questo è eccitante,” he smirked and rubbed his palms together, excited.

“She is not a present,” the ghastly man turned his back away from the window, pulled me to his embrace, and locked me with his arms. “She is my new girlfriend, and she’s for no one but me.” 

“New girlfriend? Devi essere fuori di testa! You just broke up with Cassandra yesterday,” the leader of the tattooed men said, walking slowly inside and leaving the doorway unblocked.

“Well, umm...I guess Cupid really did a good job in finding me a new one,” he reasoned out, slowly dragging me with him to the outside. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, gentlemen. We still have a date today.”

His grip on my wrist tightened as we reached the doorway and ran as fast as we could. The fact that a stranger was holding my hand made me feel nervous, but there was something in him that somehow eased my fear and replaced it with a certain kind of fire that made my heart pump as it has never done before.

We stopped in front of the building meters away from the empty room, and his hand was still on mine, giving it warmth I never felt before. We panted like chasing our breath, and the loud sound of exhales went out from his mouth.

“Are you okay?” he asked, giving me a concerned look.

I bobbed my head to say yes while I placed my hand on my chest and bent my knees to support my exhausted body. “Why are we running from them? Are they bad guys?” confusion wrinkled my forehead.

“More than they could ever be,” he answered and walked away from me. “I have to go now. Take care of yourself. They might look for you,” he yelled when he reached a distance.

“What? Why me?” I yelled back.

“Because you are a girl, I guess. And they like virgins like you!” his voice echoed as he reached the narrow hallway between the large buildings, and gone when I blinked my eyes.

I let a heavy breath out and ambled away from where I was standing blankly. I gazed at my phone to check the time and it was already twelve-forty in the afternoon, almost the time for the Bread and Pastry Lecture. Well, I forgot to take my lunch because of what happened so I just bought a burger from the cafeteria, and then headed to the lecture room.

As I walked at a slow pace, I realized how I acted lately and I palmed my face. I couldn’t believe why I was like that. I was supposed to be not attracted to men, especially when they have tattoos, weird physique, and almost a devilish sense of fashion. But that man was different. He was not like what I envisioned him to be. Well, maybe he was just acting gently. People nowadays are really good at pretending, especially men.

“Oh yes, Christian,” I muttered to myself as I finally remembered his name. I took a deep breath to ease my mind and to bring myself back to my senses. “Eunice, you shouldn’t be behaving like this. You should stay away from that man and never think of him again. Men are dangerous,” I reminded myself.

An elicited range of voices welcomed me as I reached the building, panting a little bit. It felt like I was in my first year when I realized that I was alone without Lea beside me. I admit it, I missed her. I wished she didn’t cut class.

I straightened my posture and tried my best to walk confidently towards the room when Mrs. Castino, the Dean of the Student Affairs and Services, approached me with a huge smile on her face.

“Oh, thank goodness. Finally, I found you, Eunice,” she tucked her eyeglasses back when it slipped on her nose bridge. “I have been looking for you like forever.”

“Why? What seems to be the problem, Mrs. Castino?” I asked, with a face contorted in curiosity.

“Guess what? We received a letter from Yaco International Restaurants,” she answered excitedly.

“For real?”

“Yup, for real. And they will be getting fresh graduate Chefs from our school by 2022. We know that you have been dreaming of this for your entire life, so we decided to put you on the priority list to get this prestigious offer,” exultation surged through her.

“Oh my God! Thank you so much, Mrs. Castino. I don’t know how I could repay your goodness. This is a dream come true for me and...and I don’t know. I can’t explain how grateful I am now,” I felt drunk with happiness, and something inside me stirred up like a caffeine buzz.

“It’s always my honor to help you, Eunice. But we only have one condition for you. Since you are one of the students here in the college who have A-plus scores in all subjects, we want you to maintain that until you graduate. A single decreased score will affect your chance,” she said, her voice shifted from bubbly to serious.

“I promise to do that, Mrs. Castino. I would never let this opportunity to slip out of my grasp,” I replied sincerely.

“Please don’t disappoint me. I know you can do it. I’m rooting on you,” she cupped me in the face and I could see sincerity through her eyes.

“Thank you so much, Ma’am,” I hugged her, and she went back on her way when someone called her from afar. She waved her hand to me before turning his back away.

Working in Yaco International Restaurants, a prestigious restaurant around the world, has always been my greatest dream. I started dreaming about it when I saw it featured in different news and magazines when I was just little. Now that I have the chance to make this dream come true, I will never, ever, let this chance go to waste.

I entered the room, still overwhelmed by what Mrs. Castino said to me, and didn’t pay attention to the people around me. My classmates’ voices charged the room, making the inside rowdy, but it didn’t stop me to continue imagining a wonderful life of me as a chef in Yaco International Restaurants. My sweet imagination snapped off when Mrs. Sy entered the room and started discussing immediately.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Sy,” we greeted her.

“Good afternoon,” she replied. “As a requirement for your upcoming preliminary exams, I will be pairing you by two to make a major project for this subject. You are going to make or formulate your own kind and recipe of bread or pastry, and make sure to provide me the procedure through a video presentation. You still have less than a month to do that, so I will be expecting quality presentations from you. ”

My gaze pinned to her, and I noticed the paper she was holding that says “Proof Of Schedule Transfer”.

She started pairing us, but I didn’t pay attention that much because I was imagining again. I was in the middle of being drowned in my fancy imagination when I heard my name paired to someone familiar.

“Ms. Reyes, your pair will be Mr. Luis,” she announced. “He’s your new classmate. He transferred his Bread and Pastry schedule to this time due to some conflicting subjects. Since you are already well-informed about our lessons, please do spare your time in helping him. He needs help.”

I twisted my body to face the man at the back, grinning evilly at me, and my eyes widened when I saw the ghastly man again, Christian Luis. He winked at me and I rapidly turned my back away.

“Damn! How could this be possible?” I whispered to myself.

Hours have passed and Mrs. Sy’s discussion finally ended. I was on my way to the women’s comfort room to change my sanitary napkin, but as soon as I got to the stairway, I felt blood spit so hard and it goes through my pants. I checked for my napkin in the bag but unfortunately, it wasn’t there.

I paced slowly to the comfort room, walking sideways like a crab to hide the stain of blood on my back. I covered it with my bag but it got worst. My spirit almost separated from my body when I saw Christian leaning in the hallway, facing his phone.

“What is wrong with you!” I suddenly yelled out of shock.

“What’s your problem? I’m not even bothering you,” He faced me with a contorted face, scrutinizing my gesture. “What’s that you are hiding?”

“Nothing.”

He grabbed my bag immediately and saw a bloodstain in it. “What the fuck! Are you having your period?”

Embarrassment consumed me. I grabbed my bag back and walked past him, but I paused when I thought of something peculiar.

“Hey, umm, you wanted me to help you get good scores, right?” I asked.

“I don’t need help from anyone.”

“Well, you do. Mrs. Sy said that you got bad scores. That’s awful, knowing that you are already in the third year.”

“Why? What about it? Are you going to help me?” he asked blatantly, his gaze still on his phone.

“I might be,” corners of my lips raised up. “For one simple condition.”

“What is it?” he shifted his head slowly to me, his eyes were filled with both annoyance and confusion.

“Buy me some sanitary napkins. Now.”