Althea heard the tell-tale clicking of a woman's heels against the marbled floor moments before she shifted from the instrument she was playing to face the intruder.

Imagine her surprise, a pleasant one if she's being honest, when she discovered a certain heiress standing few feet away and looking so damn adorably nervous. It took all her will-power not to giggle out loud. No, that would be extremely rude.

"Can I help you?" She repeated her question, head tilted to the side.

Finally, Jade snapped out of her self-induced reverie but only for her to stutter in reply. "Uhh, I uhh," she cleared her throat to gather her composure but only managed a single word out. "Lipstick."

"Lipstick?" The corner of Althea's lips began to twitch but she held her amusement back. After all, this woman was Pearl's future sister-in-law; she couldn't antagonize a client's relative now, could she? "And what about.. 'Lipsticks', Miss? Do they bother you so?" Her own play of words had Althea's poker face on the verge of crumbling.

Now she could see Batchi and Wila's influence on her. Damn them.

Jade, bless her adorable as a newborn pup yet clueless soul, mirrored Althea's head tilt. The apple of the Tanchingco's eyes had no idea what Althea was talking about. She was only asking for her lipstick, right? Granted, she could've been more articulate but still. "Huh?" She uttered out, feeling slightly dumb for not understanding what Althea meant. Jade shook her head. "Nevermind. Uhm, I came back to find my lipstick. It's an Estée Lauder and the last shade of pink they have.." She absentmindedly bit her lower lip, starting to dart her eyes from the dimly-lit function hall and completely missing the way Althea's immediately focused at the action.

Althea realized she was royally screwed, a wry grin spreading on her lips before she fished the lipstick she had found earlier. It seemed like someone― may it be a god or just some bored cherub with a stupid arrow― wanted to fuck with her head.

"Here. Is this yours?" The femme lesbian fished the cosmetic out of her purse and dangled it in front of the heiress. A delighted squeal left Jade's lips and she moved to make a grab for it with both delicate hands.

It was a thoughtless action. An impulse. And by giving into it, her slender digits were now clasped around Althea's.

The next thing they sure knew, something akin to electricity flowed through their veins.

A spark?

No, it seemed more than that.

Light mocha eyes met pitch black orbs. They held their gazes, searching for answers to puzzling questions. Answers they're not sure if they're ready for. Again, the magnetic pull they had felt during the wedding rehearsal was stronger than ever. Jade could only watch with wide-eyed wonder as Althea closed her eyes with a smile on her tempting lips.

Wait.

Tempting?

"Whoa whoa whoa," Jade muttered out loud, eyes still fixated on Althea but the crimson flush across her defined cheeks were pronounced. "What's going on?" She shifted on the balls of her feet, a sign that there was a nervous wreck going inside her mind. The fact that you're still holding her hand doesn't help one bit, yes? A voice in her head cackled gleefully. Jade hastily curled her fingers slowly, as if to capture the woman's warmth, before she pulled away.

Althea's eyes fluttered open then she grinned slyly. "Relax," she cooed in a soothing manner, leaning once again but this time, she only did it to remove a wayward rose petal from Jade's perfectly styled curls. "See? This. It was distracting." Althea held the petal close to her lips then blew it away, keeping her mouth pursed as she returned her gaze back to the heiress.

Jade was sure she felt her heartbeat stop for a few seconds. "Oh." was her breathy reply, a shaky chuckle escaping and her eyes were darting to anything but the woman in front of her. Althea joined her laughter, though her laugh was full of genuine mirth. "I just thought you.." Stop! Don't you even dare continue what you're about to say. "Nevermind. But thank you. For, you know, the petal and finding my lipstick."

"You're welcome." Althea nodded, all smiles and dark eyes sparkling for something Jade could not decipher. The heiress got her answer when she saw Althea's grin melted into a mischievous smirk. "Though I don't think we've officially met earlier. I'm Althea, by the way. Althea Guevarra."

Face.

Fucking.

Palm.

Jade literally had to curl her hand into a fist mid-air before she could smack her face due to her flightiness. Seriously. She took a deep breath then closed her eyes; she could also feel the burning sensation on the tips of her ears. Not good. She's most definitely blushing so hard right now. "Jade Tanchingco." She choked out.

"I know that. You were the woman of the hour, despite Pearl and Gab's upcoming wedding. The precious jewel of the family, or so I've heard." Althea shrugged while she made sure she wouldn't leave something before grabbing her purse from the piano bench. "See you around, Jade." She winked saucily at the young Tanchingco then started to saunter away.

"Wait!"

Batchi ran a slightly calloused hand across her face. The day was over; the rehearsal went well, Althea found a straight woman to lust after for and she was coming home to her family. Despite her exhaustion, a winning smile broke through her charming features.

Her family. By gods, the butch lesbian thanked all the Power That Be for bringing them into her life. Abby and Marinelle were the light she needed in her life. There was a pep in her step whenever she thought of them. A random fist bump to anyone she saw― most of the time it was Leo or Althea to be honest― because Batchi The Fucking Bomb Luna didn't do hugs unless it was really called for.

No.

She's a badass.

Except when it came her babies. Marinelle was the apple of her eye. She would do anything for the kid. When 'Nelle called her 'Daddy' for the first time, she never thought she could be any happier. Abby? She was Batchi's world. That's that.

But she's still a badass.

Even Althea said so.

Batchi nodded to herself and pushed the door to their home open. She was too tired to even notice why it wasn't locked. Bespectacled eyes were fixed on the ground, silently kicking her shoes off then glanced up and expecting Abby waiting for her by the stairs.

She was right, in a way.

Abby was sprawled on top of the stair's steps, legs spread, and a man butt-naked between them.

"What the fuck?"

"Wait!" It took a moment for Jade to get her bearings back then her beautiful aristocratic features morphed into one of indignation. She whirled around and followed Althea with long and purposed strides. "Just wait a minute. Did you just imply that I'm a spoiled brat?"

Spoiled.

Jade was used to that term. They're just jealous, her Mama would say. People like them want the life you have. Perfect. Just like you. To her credit, Jade only took those words with a grain of salt. She was not rich― her Dada and family were. Somehow, coming from Althea it hurt more than those other times.

Althea stopped on her tracks but didn't turn around. "I didn't say that," she said calmly, knowing that if she tried to defend herself aggressively, she would lose the connection she sought from the Tanchingco's. And Jade. That's one connection Althea wanted to explore first. "You're jumping to the wrong conclusion here. What I said was that― you're an important member on your family." She expelled a soft breath from her lips then continued on her way.

Her control was slowly slipping.

The sound of heels against the floor continued to follow her, albeit in a slower pace.

Help. Me. God.

They were outside of the venue and a good twenty metres away from her trusty CR-V when Althea felt a soft hand around her wrist.

Pleasant shivers ran down her spine.

"Althea…" She could feel Jade's breath against her nape. She was that close, and Althea was about to turn around and throw the caution to the wind when Jade's next words hit her.

"Can we be friends?"

A/N: Aaaaaaand CUT! LUH! Hahahaha. So, to everyone who still give two-shits on this story, thank you! It took a while before I found my muse to write this chapter (Jack Daniel's, thank you so much for the extra push tonight awoo!).

Detailed reviews are MOST welcome! Also criticism. You can also throw tomatoes at me until GMA properly acknowledge RaStro as THE LOVETEAM OF THE YEAR. Sooo yeah. Unlimited tomatoes for everyone, yay!