Chapter 5

She cleared the lump in her throat before saying a word. She told herself to get angry by his insult, but shyness crept in her whole system.

“Uhm, hi? If I am not mistaken, you must be Simone's older brother, Apollo right?,” her presumption and pre-introductory question to catch a conversation with him.

He takes a sip on his mug of hot chocolate before glancing back at her. Every little detail like how his goddamn Adam's apple moved make Emily anxious. How come that she has to notice that small yet unnecessary of a detail? Even him licking the bits of liquid below his luscious lips that escapes from his mouth. She shook her head. To distract herself, she swims toward the lounger where she placed her nightgown.

Apollo only looked at her. Everything seems so seamless. Like the way she goes upward from the water. She reaches the railing of the pool and gets out from there. Then decided to cover and dry off herself with the nightgown.

“I am glad to finally meet you,” that made her flinch. Apollo so near talking to her is such a moment that sent shivers down to her spine.

She stood up and faced him.

“Yes, you are right awhile ago, I am Apollo. Your soon-to-be-fiance's older brother,” he added then moved his hand forward.

Their eye contact is as solid as a prey-predator encounter—very watchful yet careful for some unprecedented move.

“I assumed you knew me already, Apollo,” she softly said and accepted his hand.

He smiles then chuckles.

“What if I don't?,” he playfully asks.

“Then I guess, it's better for me to introduce myself to you.”

“Please?,” she lost it when he pleaded like a child with his tone.

She distances her eyesight from him and combs her hair instead.

“I am Mary Emily Trañilla. The daughter of Mr. Adam and Mrs. Gretha Trañilla.”

He nodded.

“Are you not swimming back?,” he asked as he looked at her from head to toe. He must have noticed her with her expensive nightgown on.

“Yes, I am kind of feeling cold already. I really enjoyed your swimming pool here.”

Happy is an understatement to describe Apollo's face at the moment. Though, she did not feel any harm from him, she has decided to leave.

“I am gonna leave you now,” she hears nothing back but a nod.

Few steps from where she was standing awhile ago, he shouted out an apology.

“I just teased you earlier. I'm sorry if you feel bad. You can even wash your clothes here in the pool.”

That stopped her from walking. For the ninth times, her jaw-dropped and rolled her eyes in disbelief. Should she take it positively or the opposite? She shook her head. She just don't know now how to feel about it. A part of her is at ease that he made it clear that he was just teasing her, not literally insulting her. But his last line is quite embarrassing, who does the washing in the pool?

“No worries, Apollo,” she shouted back.

“Anyway,  I am also delighted to meet you, Big bro,” she added with a golden smile.

She scolded herself on her way back inside the mansion. It was not intentional for her to say that at the end, but she just cannot help herself. It was what her mind told her so.

She did not catch his reaction because she swiftly turned her back and walked away hugging herself as the wind blew.

He smirked before diving his back first, like free-falling in the pool.

“How was it?,” asked Simone as she got inside the room. He's well-awakened, but still on the bed.

“Pretty good,” she simply said as she passed by his bed and went inside her room.

At the shower room, the first encounter with Apollo rules her thinking. She can't resist his aura that is totally screaming with power, and there is something else with his crystal blue eyes. The longer she stays there, the hotter she feels inside of her which is quite ironic because the water is cold. She bites her lower lip as she reaches for the brownish bath towel.

Facing the mirror with only a towel covering her body, she checked out her reflection and smiled.

After getting dressed, she opened her cellphone to browse on her social media accounts.

“Lana Del Rey will be dropping her new album on the 13th of December,” she reads the caption on a pop-culture account's tweet on X (Twitter).

Her eyes zoomed like an owl's and squealed in excitement.

“Oh my goodness! Really!?,” she exaggeratedly said.

“Del Rey claimed in an interview with Good Morning America (GMA) that it would be a pop album which features Sabrina Carpenter, Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, Lewis Capaldi, The Weeknd, and Harry Styles, her first genre-shift after years of making indie and alternative music,” she continues reading.

As she her heart's jumping out of being thrilled, she jumped off the bed and runs to Simone's whereabouts.

“Have you heard the news?,”

Simone who is tying his necktie looks at her with his clueless reaction.

“What news, Emi? You seemed drooling? What was it?,” he uttered.

“Queen Lana will be releasing a freaking pop album,” that made his eyes twinkle. He is in fact a Lana stan too. That is why they bonded so well, because they are like having the same tastes on almost everything.

“When will it be dropped?”

“Oh, dear. You would not believe this even more,”

“Just spill it.”

“It's on Taylor Swift's birthday.”

Now that he heard it. He looked at her with an are-you-kidding-me-look.

“December 13 is surely a holiday since she was born, and now? There are more reasons to officially celebrate it,” he declares in disbelief.

A loud knock coming from the main door interrupted their fan-moment conversation.

“Come in.”

“Good morning, Mr. Simone and Ms. Emily. Sorry to interrupt you both, but the morning meal's ready at the dining room,” the house helper formally informed them.

“Good morning too, Mrs. Reyes. Thanks for letting us know. We'll be downstairs in a minute,” Simone politely said while Emily's all smiles on her.

After she bids her goodbye, the two continue talking about the details of the album and its official collaborators. Even in the dining table, the subject of the conversation between them did not change at all.

As Mrs. Ramos filled their glasses with grape juice, Simone asked her about Apollo's old motorcycle that both of them will be riding on to visiting their family's famous flower garden.

“Thomas has prepared it at the garage, Sir.”

“But the way, Sir, I am about to tell Sir Apollo that you are coming to the garden this afternoon. Is it okay with you?,”

The both of them looked at each other before he answered.

“No, Mrs. Ramos. It would be a surprise for him if we arrive unnoticed,” Emily remained silent as Mrs. Ramos and Simone exchanged words.

Right after finishing their meals, both went to the garage. 

“Are we seriously riding this, Simone?”

She is still hesitant to get on the motorcycle. She never tried that before.

“Do not tell me you are scared, Emi?,” he teasingly asked. She just rolled her eyes.

“What are you waiting for? Ride at the back of me. Let's see how's my brother doing at the garden.”

As the engine started, her heart beats faster than the normal. It is not only because of the pressure on riding for the first time on his motorcycle, but it's probably because of encountering Apollo again.