Chari picked up her jarring phone with her eyes half-closed.

“Chari!” Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized her caller.

“Mom?”

“Nathan told us that your wedding is off, is it true? What happened?” Her mother fired on the other end.

“Mom! Can we talk about this later?” She groaned when she felt the start of a headache. Her head throbbed in pain.

“We are already boarding our plane. We will talk when we get there.” It was her dad who was now talking to her. Her mom must have passed the phone to him.

She closed her eyes when her father dropped the call. It was a full minute before she opened them – shocked when she realized something. Her parents were boarding a plane. It meant that her parents are coming home from Los Angeles, California, where they spent a month on a leisure trip.

“Oh no!” she groaned.

Her eyes widened some more when she felt a warm body beside her. She gulped as it dawned on her.

She and John slept together!

“Gosh, the morning after really sucks.” She muttered under her breath before she picked up her discarded clothes and started wearing them again.

She then nudged John repeatedly to wake him up. “John, John, we have a problem.” She could feel herself panicking with each passing second.

John grunted, but he did not budge. She continued nudging him, much harder this time until he opened his bloodshot eyes.

“What?” He said before he closed them again.

“Hey, don’t sleep on me. Nathan called Mom and Dad, and they are now on their way home.” She announced in alarm.

At the mention of her parents, John sat up. He brushed his face with his palms before he turned to her and smiled. “Good morning, Chari!” He greeted her warmly before he gathered her in an embrace.

Immediately, Chari melted in his warmth but when she remembered their predicament, she started pulling back. John was quick. He clamped his arms around her to tighten his hold, neatly squeezing her.

“Hey, let me go. I can’t breathe.” She protested.

John loosened his hold and she immediately breaks free. She bent over to pick up his clothes and threw them at him.

“Get dressed.

Nathan is probably creating a ruckus right now.”

While John got dressed, she checked her social media accounts and saw her worst fear comes to life.

She handed over her phone so, John could check her timeline.

“The bastard!” John growled. He picked his phone and started calling someone.

“Brown, I need you to put a news blackout on Nathan Martinez. Chari canceled their wedding, and he went to social media to clean his mess.”

Chari looked at John as he barked his orders and she could not help but feel tenderness towards him.

She always admired his confidence and the way he always took care of her. Although he is only 3-years her senior, he took her under his wing and appointed himself as her protector.

In just a day, her hero-worship towards John is back. She could still remember how he used to figure out in all of her girly fantasies, and her expression soured with the reminder.

They were not blood-related, so she thought that there is nothing wrong if John becomes the object of her romantic feelings. There are times that she felt that he shared her feelings, but she thought wrong. He crushed her young heart when he told her that he was dating Lorie, the campus crush.

She was 17 at the time and insecure. To hide her pain and to save face, she started accepting invitations from suitors to go out. She had her first boyfriend after she debuted at 18. Jeremy was a campus jock. Girls chase him and he chased her for months. She reveled in the attention. Their relationship did not last long because she found out that he was two-timing her.

Next came Eric, an ASEAN swimming Gold medalist. A lot of girls envied her before when news about their relationship spread through campus. They broke up after a year when he said that she had become a distraction instead of an inspiration.

When she modeled for a popular clothing line, she started dating Mark, a co-model as part of a deal. She agreed to pose as his front to cover his true sexual identity. In return, Mark will help her fund her campaign for less fortunate kids. It lasted for about two years.

Mathew was a famed Rockstar when she met him. She was attracted to his laid-back and easy-going attitude. He was also a sweet guy.

But she broke up with him when she realized that she only wanted him all to herself and she does not want to share him with his fans.

A string of relationships followed until she eventually got tired of the routine.

When she met Nathan, she thought that he is the one. But she was wrong, again.

She did not realize that she had spaced out until she felt John’s hands on her shoulder. She looked at his hand and then at his face in a query.

“Hey, are you alright?” Worry creased his forehead. At her nod, she saw how his face visibly cleared and relaxed.

“I already told Brown. You do not have anything to worry about. Nathan has already been taken care of.”

“Are you sure?” Doubt laced her voice.

“He came from old-money. He could easily buy your people out.”

“Some trust you have on me, huh? Have you forgotten who I am?” John told her smugly.

The reminder brought a bitter taste to her mouth. How could she forget?

Five years ago, John met his father. He was a dying man whose last wish was to see his only son.

They were surprised to know that John was the sole heir of an American millionaire.

John’s sudden fortune became her misfortune. For five years, she learned to live without John. There had been the occasional video chats and visits, but nothing beats having him around.

“Hey, let’s go eat breakfast,” John told her after a while. He held out his hand to support her. When she was on her feet, she thought John would let go of her hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he laced their fingers together and started walking.

His action confused her. She tugged her hand, but he held on to it tight. She realized that he did not want to let her hand go, so she decided to enjoy the warmth he offered generously.

Over breakfast, Chari sputtered. She turned wide-eyes to John, who watched her expression amusedly.

“Are you crazy?” She scalded her tongue when she suddenly gulped her coffee. Disbelief washed over her face.

“I have never been soberer.” John handed her a cold glass of water to take away the sting.

His eyes never leaving hers.

“John… we’re talking about marriage here.” She could not hide her incredulity from her voice.

“If you feel guilty about last night, don’t.” She told him softly, ignoring the small pain that seared her heart.

“I am not feeling guilty, Chari.”

At John’s admission, Chari turned to him and her heart soared. But her excitement was gone the instant he told her, “I wanted to cover all bases, in case I impregnated you last night.”

There goes her fantasy. Chari felt her heart sank She shut her eyes to distract her from the mental picture she painted in her mind – John dropping her heart with a loud thud.

When she opened them, she found John staring hotly at her. She bit her lip in sudden shyness. His eyes widened and heat flared from them.

“I want you again,” John admitted. This sent warm tingles up her spine making her toes curl.

Before she could make a protest, John already pulled her to him for a hot kiss. When their lips met, all her thoughts disappeared. All she cared about was his taste, his scent.

John’s hands started to explore her back. His touch creating another wildfire, that made her shiver. She felt her body go weak in desire. When John took her to his bedroom, she became pliant in his arms. She could have not said “no” even if she wanted to.