“WHERE are you taking me?” Janessa asked to Ardin when she noticed that they’ve been driving for almost an hour.

“Getting-to-know stage,” Ardin answered, not taking his eyes off the road. “You can take a nap, I’ll just wake you up when we get there—”

“Where are we going?” she asked again, starting to get nervous. “Where are you taking me? Are you abducting me? Don’t you dare, Mr. Cardiente, my Kuya Viktor is a soldier. He will find you and kill you. You won’t get away with these. You’ll be convicted—”

“Are you crazy?” Ardin asked. He’s looking at her as if she’s out of her mind.

Janessa closed her eyes and breathe slowly. She’ll soon be crazy because of this man. She has to calm down because if she didn’t, she might throw this man out of the car window.

“Can you please just tell me where the fuck are we going?” she asked—for the third time.

“I told you already,” Ardin calmly answered, oblivious in her rising temper. “Getting-to-know stage, I know where you work, it’s time for you to know where I work.”

“What?” She frowned. “Where you work… Wait, you’re an embalmer, right?”

This time, Ardin looked at her. The lines in his forehead were back again. “Where did you get that fake news?”

“You deal with corpses—”

“For your awareness, Miss Janessa Bosetti, Pathologist and Embalmer are different professions. They’re both surrounded by corpses, but their responsibilities and job descriptions are quite different.” Ardin cut her off. “We, Pathologist, examine and determine the cause of death, while Embalmers, prepare the corpses for the funeral.”

“But you both touch, smell, and spend time with corpses.” She insisted.

Ardin shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m having this kind of conversation with you.”

“Getting-to-know stage,” she said. “You’re forgetful too.”

The man glared at her before stepping on the accelerator. Janessa wanted to laugh. One point for me! She said in her mind.

“So, are you ready?” Ardin asked.

“Ready for what?” she asked.

“For your tour.” And just after answering, the car pulled over in front of a vast building.

Janessa read the brick signage beside the wide gate. “Manila Coroner’s Office?”

“Yup. Welcome to my working place.”

Janessa fell silent. She held on her seatbelt. “You’re kidding, right?”

Ardin arched a brow. “Why should I?”

He reached on her seatbelt, but she pushed his hand away. “Don’t touch me!”

“As my future wife, you have to be aware of my work.”

“Who says that I’m going to marry you?!”

Ardin laughed. “Your Lola Imelda.”

“She’s desperate. Oh, my God, I don’t want to do this. I never dreamed of entering that horrible place!” she said while trying her best not to peek between the gates.

“Nobody wanted to be inside that place, except us, because it’s our job. That is technically our second home,” Ardin said, he unlocked his own seatbelt.

“I don’t care. Now please, drive me back to the café.”

“Who says that you’re not coming with me?”

“Mr. Cardiente, I have no time for this fucking childish matter,” she said earnestly, but it looks like that Ardin is not buying it. “Please don’t do this.”

“We have to, woman.” He reached to her closely. She can feel the warmth of his breath in her cheeks. “Are you afraid?”

Janessa couldn’t answer. Her eyes focused on Ardin, his face was just inches apart from her. Janessa’s heart started to beat faster than usual. She can smell his musky odor. Janessa closed her eyes to simply inhale his manly scent, she doubted she would forget that smell. It was so enchanting like a dream that she didn’t feel his hand had unfastened her seatbelt.

“If you get off the car now, the morgue tour will be done in thirty minutes,” she heard him said from a distance.

Janessa opened her eyes and found that she was alone in the car. Ardin was already standing beside her. The car door already opened. “Son of a bitch,” she murmured.

“I heard you,” he said. “One more curse, and I’ll punish that sinful lips of yours.”

Janessa did not answer, she felt embarrassed. Did she catch me, daydreaming? Did I drool over him? She simply reached for her mouth and felt relieved to touch nothing.

“Ardin, I don’t want to enter that place.” Her voice is low, almost a murmur.

Ardin’s expression changed, but before she could take advantage of that, it quickly vanished. “I’ll call your Lola. I’ll tell her that you don’t want to participate in this—”

“That’s it! This was Lola Imelda’s plan.” She cupped her forehead. “I can’t believe it.”

“This was our Lola’s plan,” he said. “Can’t you just participate? For their sake?”

Janessa doesn’t know what to say. She didn’t expect those words from him. It’s like he cares too much to her Lola. And Janessa finds it cute. She looked Ardin, who is now also looking at her as if waiting for her answer.

When Ardin’s eyes suddenly shifted down to her lips, Janessa felt her heart leap again. This man is making her heart beat fast—in an exciting way.

“So what now?” he asked when she remained silent—or speechless, perhaps.

“I-I like it…” she said while looking at his lips, and regret it. “I mean, I-I don’t—”

“We have to give it a try, Janessa.”

Janessa didn’t expect that. She looked at him with a surprised look. “Try? What do you think we’re doing? Going in an audition?”

“Janessa…” He called her name using his low baritone voice. “Let’s just do it for our grandparents.”

She wanted to laugh. “Are you serious?”

When Ardin’s expression became deadly serious, the fear in her chest was back again.

“No. I’m not going to enter that place!” she said and reached for the door handle to close it, but Ardin was fast, he held the door open. “Fuck! Let go, you—”

Janessa wasn’t able to finish her words. Ardin shut her mouth with a kiss.

***

Author's note: The word 'Kuya' is a Filipino term for older brother.