Chapter 3

CAROLINE squinted when the sunlight from the open window reached her eyes. She grabbed her pillow and covered her face. But, as she was about to drift back to sleep, she sensed somebody was standing behind the bed, watching her.

She opened her eyes and slowly removed the pillow from her face. A familiar smiling face welcomed her eyes. She blinked her heavy eyelids, thinking that she was still dreaming, but the look in front of her didn’t disappear.

“Good morning, Tita Caroline,” Anastacia greeted Caroline with a warm smile.

Caroline woke up with a jolt. “Anastacia?” she asked, surprised. “H-how? Where—” She roamed her eyes around the unfamiliar room. “Why am I here?”

Anastacia knotted her forehead. “You don’t remember?”

Caroline’s brows furrowed. She tried to recall what happened last night and how she ended up here. “Gosh…” she whispered and covered her face. “I can’t remember.”

Anastacia chuckled. “Ask dad. He said he was the one that carried you to bed last night,” she said and ran outside the room.

A few moments later, Benjamin appeared in the doorway, dashing and stunning in his comfortable clothes. How could a man be so gorgeous in white cotton shirts and comfy shorts?

“How’s your feeling?” he asked when he reached the foot of the bed. “Does your head hurt?”

As if on cue, her head started to ache in a pulsating manner. She caught her head and flinched in pain. “How I ended up here?”

Benjamin raised his brows. “You don’t remember anything?”

Caroline scowled, not to him, but to the question that has been asked twice. “I remembered Hyacinth tried to stop me from drinking the last tequila shot. And, Lucas snatched the glass from me and drank it…” She frowned on her headache. “I can’t remember anything after that.”

Benjamin shook his head. “You called me last night, telling me that you’re in front of the house. A few moments after, I saw your car pulling over in front of the gate, banging your horn noisily until I opened the door.”

Caroline’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Oh, my God…” she looked down and covered her face, but then her eyes caught the oversized shirt that she’s wearing. She gasped when realization dawned on her. “Did you…?”

Benjamin gazed down at her hands, clutching the hem of her shirt. “You threw up—”

“You changed my clothes?” Caroline asked again, feeling the heat was rising to her cheeks.

“Anastacia changed your clothes,” Benjamin said and looked away. “She woke up when she heard your voice.”

She heaved a sigh of relief. “I thought I did something that could ruin my image.” She lied down again and massaged her head. “My head hurts.”

Benjamin walked toward the side of the bed and sat beside her. “You were so drunk last night.”

“I think so… But, it’s a miracle that I managed to drive from Manila Bay to here without violating any of the traffic rules,” she laughed. “The last time that I drive drunk, I almost hit on—”

The warmth of Benjamin’s hand against her cheek stopped her from talking. “Never do that again, Caroline. It’s dangerous to drive if you’re drunk.”

Her lips parted in surprise with his action. “I’m sorry…” was all she managed to say.

Benjamin smiled. “I’ll prepare breakfast.” He stood up, but Caroline grabbed his hand.

Caroline hesitated to speak. She sat up straight and let go of his hand. “Did I do something… embarrassing last night?”

Benjamin looked into her eyes, and his stare seemed to be penetrating her soul. “Why do you ask?”

She bit her lip. “It’s the first time that I didn’t wake up in Hyacinth’s apartment after getting drunk and wasted all night.”

“Then you must be very drunk last night,” Benjamin said with a shake of his head.

Caroline doesn’t like the feeling that she gets. It was as if there’s something that Benjamin wasn’t telling her. She caught her throbbing head. “I should call Hyacinth. She must be worried about me—”

“She called me earlier to confirm if you’re here,” Benjamin cut off. “She said that Lucas tracked your phone in your home address in Metropolitan.” His voice was low and cold. “That rich guy kept you monitored, huh?”

Caroline shut her eyes and leaned back on the headboard. “For safety purposes. He also installed that tracker to Hyacinth’s phone.”

“Safety? Then, why he let you left and drove while you’re drunk?” Caroline felt the annoyance in his voice. “What kind of boyfriend is he—?”

“My car has an automatic driving option,” she informed. “And Lucas wasn’t my boyfriend.”

*

“DRINK this. It can help lessen the effect of alcohol in your system.” Benjamin put down the pineapple juice beside Caroline. “Then, after your meal, take this ibuprofen for your headache.”

“Tita Caroline, are you feeling okay now?” Anastacia asked her. “You were so drunk last night. You kept on pulling dad’s clothes,” she added and giggled.

Caroline’s face turned pink. She shyly brushed her hair. “I still can’t remember why I went here—”

“You said that you wanted to see daddy,” Anastacia said and chuckled. “Do you have a crush on dad?”

Caroline dropped the spoon. “I-I’m sorry—”

“I’m just kidding,” Anastacia sniggered. “But, you kept on mentioning secrets.”

She knotted her forehead. “Secrets?”

Benjamin watched Caroline as she tried to recall what happened between them last time. Her beautiful face slightly frowned. Benjamin was sure that she didn’t know what she was doing when she was drunk, just like the night he drove them back to their apartelle in Pampanga.

“I should stop drinking too much,” she said and shook her head. “Too much alcohol intake makes me forget things.”

Antonette snorted. “That was the dumbest reason that I heard. So, are you saying that alcohol can induce amnesia to people abusing it?”

Caroline’s mouth fell open. “Uh…”

“Finish your food, Caroline. Then take your meds,” Benjamin interrupted. He can clearly see on Caroline’s face that she remembers it all. “You can go back to sleep if you still feel dizzy.”

She shook her head. “I have to go to work…”

“In that state?” he countered. “Take a rest. Your body needs it.”

“Yeah. And, daddy didn’t go to the café today because he’s waiting for you to wake up—”

Benjamin cleared his throat. “Anastacia, you don’t have to say those things.”

“I really need to go, Raf,” Caroline said after finishing the food he cooked for her. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

He walked her towards her car, parked in front of the house. “Don’t push yourself if you don’t feel well, okay?”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

She unlocked her car and was about to open the door when he called her. She turned around to face him, and he kissed her cheek. Caroline touched her cheek, and her face was turning red again.

Benjamin suppressed a smile. “Take care."

***