Absinthe

"Stop touching your lips and daydreaming about Jiwoo!"

"Agghhh!" I screamed as I fell off the edge of my bed, startled because Derrick had come into my room uninvited.

"Pathetic," he murmured as he helped me back to my feet. "Where's the remote? You need to see something."

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and my nervous system was still on haywire after Jiwoo's gentle kiss. I couldn't do anything, not even get out of bed. I wasn't able to have breakfast or lunch, either, and to think that it was now way past noon.

It hadn't been a sexy kiss. Jiwoo's lips had barely touched mine, and no tongue had been involved. So I couldn't explain why I was still replaying everything in my head over and over.

"What's wrong?" I asked while pointing at the TV remote in response to Derrick's question.

"Eeeeew," Derrick said, covering his nose and mouth. "Did you even brush your teeth?"

I was unable to do that, too.

Derrick turned the TV on and flipped to a local news channel.

"Was there any casualty?" the news anchor asked, clearly worried.

"No, Purina. There were no casualties. Mrs. Gonzales was not injured," replied the field reporter while the camera panned to Faye's Range Rover. The car had minor dents and a cracked windshield. The other car, a Toyota Vios, was totaled beyond salvation.

"And the driver of the other car? Look at that—the damage is something else!"

"Yes, Purina. Eyewitness accounts have confirmed that Mrs. Gonzales' car rammed into the smaller Toyota Vios more than 10 times. Her Range Rover is definitely sturdier, so the smaller car stood no chance."

The camera panned back to the field reporter.

"Mrs. Faye Gonzales, wife of pharmaceutical tycoon Henry Gonzales, was seen slapping and kicking the driver whom we identified as a certain James Marco Rodriguez. We are in the process of obtaining video—"

"Holy hell, what the fuck is happening?" I asked Derrick, suddenly finding the strength and willpower to stand up. "Where's my phone? Let's call Faye right now!"

"Do we know the motive behind what she did?" It was the news anchor once again.

"Witnesses state that they heard Mrs. Gonzales shouting expletives at this James Marco Rodriguez. As of now, we don't really know the background story. Both Mrs. Gonzales and Mr. Rodriguez are in police custody for investigation."

"Thank you very much, Kierran. Viewers, that was Kierran Davila reporting live. Stay tuned for more news in the metro after this break."

"Live?" I asked.

"The live broadcast was yesterday. This was a replay."

Derrick handed over his phone, where a video clip uploaded on Facebook was playing. It was Faye going ballistic on JM, scratching his face, kicking his shins, and slapping the shit out of him. She kept shouting strings of insults, ranging from "pathetic loser" and "gold digger" to "a fucking callboy."

"I can buy you, your family, and this building!" screamed Faye in the video, with the person recording saying Oh my god hysterically.

Derrick and I looked at each other. "You think she's out of jail now?" I asked.

"She was never in jail, idiot," Derrick replied. "The police probably just asked her questions about the whole thing."

"Who's representing her?"

"Rob? Anyway, go get dressed. Let's go to her

surely get back at me for it in the future, but it was a small

case. He said there's nothing to worry about legal-wise. But it looks like

everyone was saying by

company has a team of publicists

the parking lot, my phone

casually. "I baked

emergency right now," I said, keeping pace with Derrick as we headed toward his Aston Martin Rapide. "One my friends got into something serious. Can

good, so you

my stomach growled. Derrick raised an eyebrow and mouthed the words

and turned to Derrick. "Are you hungry, too? Jiwoo said

"Where?"

phone. "On second thought, my friend and I are starving. Where are you now? Is

you weren't talking about

said. "It's the other one. The

"Derrick, was it?"

met him that day you lashed

forget about the past. I'm

along our route. I'll call you

Rapide, I couldn't help but

I told Derrick as he started the engine

mom and dad when I topped the licensure test,

I said. "It's

amazing as your Benz

that's also a gift

was outstanding. It's also the same as if you

I said shyly. "It was my boss'

Derrick said. "He was bribing you so he could

few minutes before Derrick

totally masculine," he said with a chuckle. "If we were straight, models would be

guys line up to sleep

hard but still had his eyes on the road. "Faye's pretty slapping JM the

land herself in trouble all

his head. "Knowing Faye, I highly doubt

said, getting more and more scared as I imagined what else Faye

intimidate

something she would do," I said, shuddering at the memory of the video

boy toy now.

said, rolling my eyes. I rang Jiwoo's phone and asked him to meet us in front of

standing there when we arrived, handsome in his plain white shirt and faded jeans while carrying a big-ass box filled with God-knows-what. He nodded at us in greeting as Derrick rolled down the window from my side

"Hop in!" I said.

as he gave me the box.

greeted back. "Hmmm, that smells

"Yeah, enjoy!"

with us?" I asked