The Rules We Break

After we were both finished, I just lay beside him. I stared at the ceiling, trying to catch my breath. I got up to get dressed; I wanted to go home to our house in Bulacan. I could still catch a ride, even though it was already late at night.

"You still haven't answered my question from earlier, will you be my girlfriend, Kyla?" he asked, his tone serious and sincere.

I paused briefly as I was putting on my pants. But I chose not to answer that question. The question I had longed for him to ask me, but now I preferred not to hear. It was so confusing. I remained silent, finishing dressing in front of him. I was about to walk out the door when he asked again.

"Are you even capable of loving, Kyla?" he asked, his voice sad, but I could feel the disgust in his question.

It hit me. It hurt so much. That was the second question I wasn't expecting tonight.

I took a deep breath because I was on the verge of breaking down. "No. You know the rules about these things, Yuhan. Sex is all I could offer. It's all about sex," I answered without hesitation.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Please lock the front door when you leave," he said, and then he lay face down on his bed. I just stared at him, one last look before I left the room."