Fever
Flashback
It was that day when Arthur was actually growing fond of the woman Alfred brought with him. He didn't know much about her but she had this exotic beauty that caught his eye the moment he saw her. He had never seen women like her in his country. Hopefully, she didn't catch him staring.
"Hey, Arthur! This is Maria." Alfred grinned, wrapping his arm around her in a...friendly way. "She's from the Philippines! You know, somewhere around the Pacific Ocean or something..." He gave him a thumbs-up.
"Is alright if she stays here for a while? Your house seemed to be the perfect place and...don't worry, Matthew's staying here, so...wait. Is he even here? Hmm, is he that guy who..." he went on and on, until Arthur stopped listening.
He looked at her with piercing eyes as she stared back with equal innocence. Now, what was he suppose to do again?
"Pleased to meet you, Maria." he bowed down, executing his always polite manners.
She returned him a smile. An unusually bright, sunny smile. "H-hello, po."
He blinked twice in surprise. She tipped her head in a confused angle.
He cleared his throat, averting his eyes away from her.
"I suppose...a welcome celebration is...is in order." he looked back at Alfred in turn to regain his confidence. "...It shall take place tomorrow night."
"Seriously? That's so awesome!" he cried out of joy, holding her by the hands, grinning to no end. "Narinig mo yun, Maria? May handaan bukas! Maghahanda si Kuya Arthur para sa iyo!"
Arthur twitched. What nonsense was he spitting out now? Is this some unknown magical spell he's casting on her or something?
He saw her smile once more, even better than before. Glowing with happiness she said, "Salamat, ho...pero hindi naman kailangan gawin ito lahat para sa 'kin..."
She was saying something nice. He can tell with her smile. Was she saying thank you?
"Ehh? Sige naa, Maria-!" he whined, leveling his height with hers.
Okay, that wasn't a good sign. What's happening to Alfred? Did she say something that upset him?
"What...what is she saying?" he demanded, feeling completely left out.
Alfred looked at him. "Oh...well, she said 'Thank you, but you don't have to do all that for me...' Hahaha! Maria's too modest! Antonio must have raised her strictly,"
Ah. That's never happened before. No woman ever rejected anything he offered.
"Tell her it's alright. It's nothing to be too embarrassed about." with a tight nod as he looked at her, he excused himself to make the preparations.
End of Flashback
Okay, now he knew there was something wrong with him. It's hardly been a day and he felt like he'd been in love with her ever since! It's like...he'd seen her before. He shook his head. Impossible. With a woman like her, why could he forget?
Her lips were so tempting but he couldn't let Alfred see him like this. It would destroy his...manly pride. He took another long sip from his wine. This party was for her. It was just an ordinary party. Alfred invited many other counties to come so that they could get to know her better.
He bit his lower lip. Just once would he have wanted to taste her lips. She didn't have to love him back.
It wasn't like he'd expect her to,
He drank another glass of wine. His mind was almost stirring into madness but he managed to control it after all those past hangovers.
Hold it...hangovers, huh...?
He took his last glass and wiped the small drops left on his lips. He could look like he was drunk and...he'd have an excuse to kiss her, right?
It was a stupid plan.
But it actually made sense.
He laughed softly. Could he really do it? It was funny when he'd feel her under his arms, squirming at his touch.
He caught his breath and slapped himself.
He was such a pervert.