Top model Valerie

Valerie.

"What wolf?" She replied, totally confused.

"No Mom, forget it," I told her, so as not to confuse her any longer. It wasn't as if I knew what to say if she remembered. I can't possibly heard the wolf howling again last night. That would be totally weird. She would never believe me.

"Are you okay? Val, honey?" She asked again.

"I'm fine Mom, seriously. I just hope Jack picks my call. I'm flying into San Jose tomorrow. I don't want him to be surprised, so can you brief Jack about the gala before I arrive?"

"Sure, I'm sure he will be interested to go with you. I'm also sure he will be happy to see you after a very long time."

My face fell upon hearing her last statement. I would have agreed with her if this was a week ago, but now, I'm confused, Jack might not even want to see my face. "I hope so, mom, I missed him. I miss you guys." I sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall as my heart clenched in discomfort. It's been two years, two whole years since I've left home.

Two years since I've been working my ass off.

I heard my mom sniff back her tears too before she replied on the phone. "I know I might not say this as much as I should but, I know you are doing everything you can for this family, and I appreciate it. I know your brother will also realize it too, soon." Her voice came out softer than it was, and it instantly forced the tears out of my eyes.

"Mom…" My heart tightened as I felt the triggering emotion burst inside my chest.

"It's okay, hon. He will surely come around." My mother consoled and comforted me till I fell asleep with my phone in my hand.

The next morning, I woke up to Lydia's shrieks, and I almost thought my house was burglarized until I dragged myself away from the comfort of my bed and into the sitting room.

I saw a slightly embarrassed Luke, who was only in his briefs, and a stunned- no, horrified Lydia, who was looking at me as if I just had an alien in my house. I can understand that since I've never dated anyone since we met two years ago, but that doesn't justify that I'm asexual, right?

Oh my God, what am I thinking!

I bit my lips nervously and looked at Lydia, how do I explain the situation to her without her thinking I'm crazy?

"Valerieeee?" Lydia cocked a brow at me as she dragged out my name.

"Lydia, this is Luke. He uhmm…"

"She saved me a few days ago, I apologize if I'm the cause of any inconvenience," Luke spoke fluently beside me, and I turned around to see an awkward look on his face.

I opened my mouth to tell him he wasn't inconveniencing but Lydia's words cut me off.

"Can you tell me what the hell is going on, Valerie?" Lydia interrupted sharply before I could heave a sigh of relief.

I turned to face her with a look of apology on my face. "I'm sorry Lydia, I can't possibly explain everything right now, but I will once I have a shower and decent food in my stomach."

Lydia's curious eyes left Luke for a second before she nodded her head and went to the kitchen to make our breakfast. Shit! I totally forgot that I didn't meet up with her at all yesterday. The day just went by faster than I thought.

One minute I was waiting eagerly for the injured unknown man that I saved to wake up, and the next, I was going to school to fix my examination schedule. I just couldn't keep track of the day at all.

"I think I startled your friend." I heard Luke's gentle yet bold voice speak. The tenderness in his voice surprisingly calms my disturbed mind.

I couldn't stop the smile that stretched my face. I sat on the couch and nodded. "You sure did. I've never had a man sleep over in my apartment ever since I moved here." I explained, forcing myself not to look below his neck as I answered him. This man is built like a sin. Even Marlon Teixeira doesn't hold a candle to him.

"What about Blake?" He asked, his voice a bit denser, and I felt the reaction on my face as the heat spread across my cheeks.

I subconsciously raised my hands to my cheek to feel the heat before replying. "Yeah? What about him?" I couldn't look straight into his eyes anymore.

"He doesn't-

"No, he doesn't sleep over. Only Lydia sleeps over sometimes and that's when she had to leave early for the store." I cut Luke off before he could say any more embarrassing words. I'm sure I'm red as a tomato right now.

I watched his facial altered from a curious one to a pleased one. I have no idea what he was pleased about but when his dark encroaching eyes settled on me, I became self-aware of what I was putting on.

Holy shit!

"I uhm, I should freshen up." I let out before scurrying back to my room but the moment I entered, I recalled that his shower was broken, and my room was the available room for him to take his bath.

I had the utility company disconnect the water and the electricity in other rooms since I wasn't using them except in the guest room in case Lydia had to sleep over. Now, I have no choice but to invite him to have his bath in my room.

I held my cheeks in my mouth, and breathed out before undressing and going into the bathroom. All through my bath, I couldn't stop my mind from reminiscing about the past two days. From the night I saved Luke to the very moment. The view of his perfectly sculpted body kept popping in my head until it was all I could think of.

Aside from the cold shower running over my skin, I could feel the sudden heat rising beneath my tummy. Who is this strange otherworldly handsome man and why do I feel extremely attracted to him?

I wanted to stay a few more minutes in the cold shower but when I remembered that Lydia was in the kitchen and Luke was probably still sitting in the sitting room, I knew I had to force myself out of the bathroom.

When I came out of the bathroom, I realized that Lydia had been in my room. She had picked and carefully spread my outfit for the day on the bed. I chuckled softly as I dried my hair. Even though she was stunned by this morning's event, she still did her work properly.

I can't be more proud to have her as my assistant and also a friend.

A few minutes later, I styled my straight brunette hair into a ponytail and then put on the off-shoulder bodycon gown. I noticed it was one of Moria's last year's designs and it still fitted perfectly on me. I guess I haven't added at all. Thanks to Lydia's strict diet.

My eyes briefly went to the wall clock as I applied my lip gloss. I could see that I was running out of time because I still had a plane to catch after my appointment with Angelo. What am I going to do with Luke? I can't possibly ask Blake to look after him, right?

Blake would be so busy preparing for exams. And I'm pretty sure he will just advise me to lodge him in a hotel or something.

What am I to do? I asked myself in the mirror but, I could only see a confused me looking back at myself. I breathed out, exasperated by my lack of ideas on how to sort out my new responsibility before I picked up my black Louis Vuitton bag to match my outfit.

The moment I walked out of my room, I felt Luke's sharp intense eyes on me. It was hot and it made me excited. That unmistakable heat started forming beneath my stomach again when our eyes met.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered in his deep bold voice, the underlying tenderness was too obvious to go unnoticed by me.

"Of course, she's beautiful. She is Moria's top model." Lydia's mezzo-soprano voice countered before the words 'Thank you' could roll off my tongue.

I rolled my eyes at her before turning my apologetic face to Luke. "Don't mind her, she's just too much sometimes." I tried to lessen the embarrassment, but he looked at me confused.

"What is a top model?" He asked, looking at me curiously with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

I was almost losing myself in his ash golden iris when his question ransacked my brain. Wait, did he just ask what a top model is?

Lydia and I stared at him with utter shock written on our faces, but she beat me to the next words. "You are kidding, right?" She asked, perplexed, equally for me.

Luke shook his head and asked again. "What does it mean to be a top model?" The curiosity never left his voice. It was both cute and surprising.

I was about to explain what a top model is to him until I guessed that he might not understand what a 'model' is, so I decided to start explaining fully from scratch.

". . . So, top models are more highly paid than A list models."

"And you are a top model?" He asked, that same underlying admiration in his voice.

"Fortunately, I guess." I shrugged off, trying not to make it seem like a huge deal as I diverted my eyes away from him. "You should also freshen up. You can use my bathroom." I added, before walking toward Lydia, who was still staring at him in shock.

"Okay." I heard his hoarse voice behind me as he stood up, and I tried as much as I could, not to look after him.

Immediately I heard my door slam shut, I breathed out in relief, but it was short-lived.

"Who is that extremely handsome man, Val? We didn't see each other for just a day, and you already have a godlike man gawking at you as if he can't wait to eat you up." Lydia countered before I could take a seat at the dining table.

"You noticed that too?" I turned to her with my mouth agape. I almost thought I was being ridiculous anytime I noticed him staring at me like that.

"It's obvious, Val. But that's not the question. The question is who is he and what is he doing here?" She asked again, settling the table with the breakfast course.

"To be honest, Lydia. Who he is and what he is doing here is the least of my problems right now. He is injured, and I can't leave him by himself while I fly to Vidin." I disclosed my current predicament to my assistant in hope that she can save me from this too.

For a split second, Lydia looked at me confused. "He is injured like that?" She asked, and I was about to nod in agreement until I remembered that he had healed up all of a sudden.

"Yes, I mean…" I started filling her in about how I saved Luke, and how he had quickly recovered.

"It's just. . . I'm just not comfortable leaving him here by himself."

"And why is that?" Lydia asked, giving another confused expression.

"I- I… I don't want him to be alone." I found myself confiding in my friend about what I felt deep in my heart before I could stop myself.

Lydia only looked at me as if I had gone crazy before we both heard the sound of my door opening. The moment Luke stepped out of my room, my eyes instantly glued to his ethereal body, which had droplets of water on them. He looked so sinfully attractive and all I could do was stare.

Instantly, everything became blurry. Leaving only him in my line of sight. Only him, and the sizzling attraction between us.

Until then, I noticed that the bath towel wrapped around his waist was my blue towel.