Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Pervert!" The woman screamed at me. Lucky for me, there wasn't a person close by to hear her.

"It wasn't me!" I said in defense.

I turned to Claire looking at her with pleading eyes. My eyes are screaming "Oh, come on! Quit acting. Save me!". She opened her mouth to speak but for another purpose.

"How could you deny that? I'm right in front of you." She said still feigning shock.

Oh God! This is hopeless.

I looked back at the woman. She was looking at me in disdain. Lucky for me, she walked away but not without shouting "Shameless pervert". When she was out of earshot, I looked at Claire with a very offended face.

"Why did you do that!?"

"Well... you were eyeing her. I thought I could give you a hand. Who would have thought you'd react in that way?"

Wait... what???

"What do you mean you gave me a hand?"

"Well, it seems like you were attracted to her. I thought if I got her attention, you'd grab the opportunity. But instead, you panicked."

I placed my hand on my head as I groaned internally. My head ran through all the things that made this so wrong. When I got everything sorted out, I put down my hand and looked at her.

"First of all, I don't like her. Just because I looked at her, it doesn't mean I like her." Claire didn't speak. It's not because she's speechless, but because she knew I have more to say. So, I continued.

"Second, if, just for argument's sake, I do like her, what made you think I'd hit on her at the spur-of-the-moment? Besides, you're with me. She doesn't know who we are. God knows she might think we're dating. She'd think I'm some sort of playboy who flirts with others even on a date."

Again, she didn't speak. But she had a very amused smile on her face. Sometimes, this woman's reactions are off the mark. Nevertheless, I still proceeded to my last point.

"Lastly, what made you think whistling at a woman would amuse her? You had seen her reactions. She was furious at me. I wasn't even the one who did it."

"Well... maybe if you just owned it and continued flirting, she might have a more pleasant reaction." She countered.

"That's not how it works. Whistling at women is disrespectful to them. And it doesn't get you the girl."

"Yes, it does. It works for me every time."

My jaw dropped. Is she telling me that there are women who return this cheap gesture? Is it less disrespectful if a woman did it instead of a man?

"But still, it's disrespectful."

"But not to everybody. Believe it or not. Some women like being disrespected and violated. Some call it a "kink"."

"Okay! I don't like how this conversation is going. Should we go back to my apartment now?" Claire was amusingly stunned at first. But eventually, she laughed it off.

"Okay. If you say so. Let me just finish my Mango shake."

I let her finish her drink that is already half-empty. I wasn't offended by her pranks. By now, I'm already used to it. Though Claire didn't apologize if she ended up offending me, she never did it again. If she sees I didn't find her pranks amusing, she'll never do it again. Besides, according to her, apologizing for something you enjoyed doing is very ingenuine.

"Finished! Let's go." She said as she put down the glass.

We both stood up and made our way to the exit. I didn't see how it happened. But when I heard a collision, I turned around. A waitress bumped into Claire. Lucky for her, her tray was empty and Claire was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked.

The waitress looked at Claire with wide eyes and mouth hanging open. I took a good look at the girl. She's petite, young, and by the looks of it, clumsy.

"Y-yes. I-I'm fine. T-Thanks." The girl stuttered. Her face was slightly flushed.

Claire helped the girl steady herself. Then, she let her go, but not without something to say.

"A cute girl like you should be careful. Not everyone can catch you when you fall."

The girl was now blushing furiously. She was smiling shyly as she tucked a hair behind her ear. Are they flirting right in front of me?

"However... if you feel like you are falling, you can give me a call. And I'll be there to catch you."

As Claire said that, she tucked another strand of hair touching her forehead, ear, and then cheek.

WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!!

I didn't know what got into me but I decided to interfere in this flirtatious display.

"Oh, look! She's alright now. Let's go!" I said as I grabbed Claire's hand and dragged her away.

I heard Claire yelp in surprise. It made me turn my head to her. However, I only saw her wave at the girl. And the girl was waving back with a big smile on her face. I turned away and walked faster, crossing the street towards the parking lot.

"What are doing? I was about to get that cutie's number." Claire said the moment we entered the parking lot.

I stopped and let go of her hand. Dear God, what am I doing? I turned to Claire still bearing an annoyed expression.

"We need to go now. I had things to do at home." I said.

"Okay. But why do you look upset?" Claire said with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm not upset!" I said sounding upset even to myself.

"Well... you look like you will take long if I didn't stop you. I had other things to do. And you are my only ride back." I explained though I didn't have anything that urgent to do at home.

"Okay." Claire simply said. Then she started walking towards her motorcycle.

I wasn't certain if she bought my excuse. But I'm glad she didn't push it. And with that, we left the place. But still...

WHAT WAS I THINKING???

When I stepped out of the mall's entrance, the sunlight almost blinded me with its brightness. Raising my arms over my head, I shielded my eyes. I made my way to the parking lot. There I spotted Claire leaning by her motorcycle parked under a tree.

How could someone look so beautiful by just leaning on a motorcycle? She's even wearing something that hugs her body well, revealing her curves. Like damn... why isn't she into men?

Soon enough, she noticed me. But instead of waiting for me to reach her, she met me halfway. I was about to ask why. But when she reached me, she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck. Our proximity shocked me.

"W-what are you doing?" I asked eyes wide and very confused.

"You know... I have been thinking about your behavior lately." She said eyeing me with amusement.

What???

"M-my behavior? What do you mean?"

"I noticed some things... like you always forgive me even if I offended you. You also don't hang out with other people apart from me. And every time I flirt with someone, you would suddenly get mad at me."

Damn...

"And when you look at me, your eyes shine with admiration as if I'm the most beautiful person you have ever seen."

I gulped.

"I was confused at first. But like what I said, I had been thinking. And I came to a realization."

"What realization?" I asked as I started to panic. It doesn't help that she's so close to me right now.

Claire looked straight into my eyes with a teasing smile.

"You like me... and I don't mean in a friendly way."

Damn! Is she right? Do I like her in that way?

"Oh, look at you! You're blushing. It seems I'm right."

Claire raised her hand and placed it on my hair. Slowly, she trailed her fingers at the side of my face, from forehead to chin. The gesture only made my heart beat faster.

"But you don't like me... you like girls!" I blurted.

Claire giggled.

"That's a funny thing to say." She purred as her thumb grazed at my lower lip. "Especially since I already had a taste of this."

I didn't have the time to react as she brought my face closer to hers. And once again, I felt the softness of her lips on mine. I couldn't pull away. Well heck... I didn't want to!

I kissed her back closing my eyes and just feeling the kiss. It was feather-like at first. But then, it grew intense. Claire took the lead in this kiss. I wanted to think about where she got the experience. It made me mad for a bit. But it didn't matter. What mattered was now.

But the moment was interrupted when a blinding flash took place. Then I heard a shutter sound followed by someone cursing.

Then I opened my eyes...