BTW, I have not made any kind of profit in the making, publishing or posting of this story. This is purely for creative purposes.

Plot: His vacation plans went sideways when the country went on Covid-19 lockdown. The girl he literally met by accident is on lockdown with him. How does he avoid cabin fever for 14 days and control the attraction he feels for her? (March 9, 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, Philippines.)

Warning: I use a lot of profanity for this story.

Note: 1. Pedro Pascal is the inspiration for this story. (Of course) 2. I named her Aize /ayz/ or /eyes/ (from parts of my real name)

Please don't get confused by my use of pronouns. This is a semi-blended POV. Thanks! Please give me a review and enjoy!

HIDING PLACE FROM HELL

CHAPTER 15

QD3

(Quarantine Day 3)

She's a combination of sensitive and savage.

-via Quotes and Notes

"Oh, shit! I forgot the time!" It was afternoon again when I finally emerged from my room. Hand in the back of my aching hips. I stopped at the hallway to get the kink out of them.

"What did you do?"

"I finished one play!" Elated, I raised my fists to the heavens only to jerk them back down at the pinch on my side.

"Great! What's the plot?" Aize kept a finger in the book she's reading. I look at that thick book with suspicion. It might be one of the culprits that assaulted my person at the airport.

I came over and sat across her. "About my pandemic saga."

"Really?" she shook her head in amusement and disbelief. "You wrote a play about the pandemic?"

"Yes. I just sent a proposal to the financiers." I smile as my eyes flow all over her. It takes in how she looks today. Mother fucker! This back is such a buzz kill. "Shit!" Groaning, I twist left and right hoping to relax the muscles.

"What's wrong?"

"Back…" I wince with a gesture.

"Cramps?" She tilts her head at me.

"Yes…" I gasped and grabbed the coffee table with a pained grimace.

She held out a hand. "Come here. Let me." Aize waved me over. She sat up from the couch and made a space for me.

"Okay." I nodded and slowly stood but a sharp pain brought me to my knees. "Aah….! I hissed.

"John? John!"

I felt something rush at me then warm hands and arms enveloped my back. "I…I…aah!" I closed my eyes as a volley of stabbing pain raked my back. The coffee table shook at my white-knuckled grasp. "Sh….shhit!"

"Your back….it's all…my God…." Aize began to run her hands firmly on the afflicted muscles. It felt good. But I'm unable to move, and my back is under fire.

"It… feels like the…oh God…. entire slab… of muscle… is being pulled off from my ribs." I explained haltingly almost avoiding a squeak at the end. "There's pain… but there's…there's numbness there…gods….ah…ah!"

I briefly see Aize's face when she bent over to me, "Wait…I have an idea…"

Her soothing hands were gone. "No…Aize…" No. Where is she? I didn't like that she left me. "Aize…Aize…." I could dimly hear some noise in the kitchen. Here comes another wave of pain….! "Aaah….!" Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the arm of the couch as my back further got twisted. I hoped that if I close my eyes and tried to disassociate my agony…. but I couldn't….

A touch. The warm hands. Her voice is a welcome relief, "I'm here…I'm back….relax, John…"

Aize laid something very warm on me. "Oh, that feels good…." I weakly leaned on the seat of the couch groaning from relief. I felt calmer now. She's here. "What is it?" I lifted my head a little.

"It's hot water. It will melt the cramp." She run her hand on my back, slowly moving the heat here and there at the rigid muscles. Oh…it feels sooo good.

"How… how did you…know…" I'm in disbelief that I could move my neck and look at her face again.

"I get cramps every month…."

"Every….oh…! Must be a bitch to endure."

"Yeah, it feels like my guts are melting."

"I didn't know it's that painful." I sighed.

"My mom said giving birth is more painful than a period cramp. Scared the hell out of me."

"Goddamn…" I wince a little. "My sister said the same."

"Mom said I was born after twenty-three hours of labor…" I smiled when her face came into my visual range.

"Shit…" I leaned further into the seat of the couch. "All I know is I was born as the dawn was breaking."

"Wow. You have a way with words, John."

I close my eyes when Aize began to knead the muscle on my upper back. "What time are you?" I huskily asked.

"Born?" I nodded to her. "Late afternoon, I think."

"You were the herald of the night…" she gasped softly at my words.

"That…that was…beautiful…" there was a catch in her whisper.

I turned to her, full of relief for moving better without feeling someone's stabbing my side. "You're amazing, Aize."

"The hot water's amazing." Aize smirked. "How are you?" she continues to move the heat.

"Better." I grabbed one of her hands massaging my shoulder and kissed it. "Way better." I turned her hand over and kissed her palm; my lips grazing the silky soft skin.

"Uh…" Aize froze a little, her breathing a little off. "Can you get up?" She hurriedly put down a flat clear bottle filled with water on the coffee table.

"Had I heard that from another person I'd be thinking of something else." I continue to stroke her hand with my lips and thumb, my eyes not breaking contact with hers.

Aize gave me an eye roll. "Oh, I think you're feeling better." She looked at her hand in mine, "Just get your ass off the floor. Come on." She stood and helped me up. "Sit there. I'm going to get something."

She left me on the couch. Is she angry? Oh Fuck! Have I done it again? I haven't been like this with anyone. I'm not the touchy type. Why am I acting so...

"John?" I looked up as she lowered herself on the couch beside me. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not that much." Indeed, my back feels great.

"Good. Take off your shirt."

I blink in surprise. That was unexpected. "W-what?"

"Take off your shirt." she plucked at the fabric.

"Why?" Let me guess, my stupid grin is back, right?

"I need to massage you." She pointed at the brown bottle on the table.

"Oh…" My grin deflated. "I thought…"

"What?" Aize couldn't stop her smirk. "You thought...?"

"Nothing!"

"You're something else, you know that?" But a devilish smile is on her lips.

Her phone rings from the coffee table. A big surprise came on her face when she saw the caller. "Hey!" She gasped. "Oh my God, Reese!...Where are you?" She slid her legs off the couch suddenly tense. "What?...For two days?!...How horrible! Why didn't you call me soon? Oh my love, that's awful!"

'My love?' My ears pricked in attention.

"Can you come back? No, of course not." Aize paused to listen to this Reese, hand over her mouth. "I know. I know, darling. I'm okay, don't worry about me. I'm more worried about Italy. I heard about it on the news." Her eyes became misty. "Oh my God! Could you please be careful out there? I don't know what I'm going to do without you..." she reached up with a trembling finger and swiped a tear away delicately before it totally fell, sniffling.

Shit. Shit. All the vocabulary in the world fled me. Who is this she shed a tear for?

"Hm? Okay, what is it?" Aize jerked up suddenly alert. "Again? WHAT?! Where? Where?!" She looked at me wide-eyed then quickly got up from the couch and ran like mad, hitching the flared hem of her long dress up.

"Aize? What's happening?" I stood up, kind of worried. With my still recovering back I trotted after. I caught up with her as she enters my room.

"What the fuck Reese?" she rants as she opens my bathroom, stepped on the trashcan, yelped in surprise and grabbed the trash bag. "Anything else you failed to tell me? Oh my God!" she holds the black plastic as if it contains something deadly in it.

"Aize! What's going on?"

Aize whirled around as if she had never seen me before, eyes wide. A finger motioned me to be quiet. "Huh? No one. Just one of the guards..."

I gaped in shock. Me? The hell? Who the fuck is this Reese?

"What are you talking about? Reese! It's nothing!" she shrugged to the mysterious Reese.

"Who is that?" I got shushed again and she moved around me, face splotchy down to her neck.

"Aize! Hey!"

She waved me away impatiently. The hell...! My jaw dropped. Is that Italian? I was left in my room as she takes the small trash bag with the...fuck me! I glance at the now empty bin. Holy...fucking hell! Confused. Dazed. I sat down heavily at my worktable frowning at the closed door. I'm trying to piece together the heck what I heard. Let it go. Yes. Let it go, I tell myself as I call dad on Zoom. While it dials my thoughts are still turning...

"John, are you still safe?" Dad looks as if he's waiting for my call.

"Uh, nothing's changed..." I sighed while raking a hand on my face.

"Did you apologize?" Dad shrugged at my silence. "You didn't."

"No, I think I did..." Dad sighed at my shrug. "I did but, uh, other things got in the way..."

"Right..." Dad smirked.

"Hey, I finished a play!" I check how my back is holding up. Seem to be okay for now. I was so intent on finishing the play and sending the proposal via email I didn't even take a break even when my back was feeling a little off.

"Good! It'll keep you from trouble! By the way, is she there?"

"Aize?" I looked at the door. "She just left the room."

Dad's brows jerked up. "Left your room? Why?"

"It's not..."

"I'm not insinuating anything, John. You seemed tense, what's up?"

"I'm...oh shit." I look away. "Uh, a few days ago I have..." I leaned back in the chair raking my hands in my hair, feeling a little embarrassed. "I found a...a used..."

"A used...? What?"

"I shaved two days ago and when I..." I'm babbling. I threw back my head. "I found a used condom in the waste bin."

"Oh." Dad leaned back. "Whoa!"

"Then she got a call several minutes ago. It's from someone called Reese."

"Her boyfriend?" I shrugged. "Husband, maybe?"

"I don't know!" I threw up my hands. "I don't know!"

"So, why does it bother you?"

"It does not!"

"So you think she and Reese are...? What?"

I echoed dad's shrug, my jaw tense. "I don't know."

"What do you care, son? She's an adult, an independent woman."

"All I know that it makes sense what I saw in the bathroom…"

"What the hell makes sense?"

I slowly turned at the question. Eyes bulging.

Aize.

Did she understand….? FUCK! " Aize..."

"What the hell makes sense, John?"

"I don't know what you mean…"

"I know. I heard you."

I've never seen her upset this way. Gone was the cool exterior.

"Why didn't you fucking ask me?" chest heaving. "So, this is what's been in your mind all these time?"

If those eyes could slice me up…. "Aize, let me explain." I slowly walk to her. I held out my hand like you would a scared animal, afraid it would run away. I tried to forget what she could do to me. I'm not scared of that. My fear is different. I immensely was relieved she didn't storm away. "I saw it the night I shaved. Of course I was shocked but I didn't think I needed to ask you about it..."

"So what went on in your mind?"

I shrugged helplessly, nervous as hell. "I was surprised, kind of shocked..."

"Is that why you've been coming on to me?"

"What? No..." Shit. "That's not why."

"So why?"

"Aize...I...I..."

"He likes you!"

Aize took a step back. "Who was that?"

I sighed. Dad! I clenched my fist. "That was my dad." I hurriedly lowered the screen of my laptop.

"What?"

"My dad and I were talking on..." Well, there's no use hiding, "...on Zoom." I gestured at my laptop.

"You and your dad..." she tried to peek at the screen.

"Aize...please." I gulped. "I wanna explain. Would you sit?" I took her hand and led her to my chair. Thank God she didn't resist! I sit on the bed, my sweaty palms restless on my thighs. "You do not need to explain anything to me. You are an adult and you are a capable woman.."

Aize sighs. "It's not mine."

"Uh..good." I stammered. "Uh...shit. I mean...okay."

"Do you wanna know?"

I tried to look nonchalant, "It's...it's okay..."

"It's from Reese's husband..."

"Husband..."

"Reese is like a sister to me..."

"She's...sis….Okay..." I'm so relieved.

"You have no right to assume whatever it is you think about me."

"I am sorry." I hesitate to hold her hand. Did I just add another spike of the many spikes someone else had plunged in her heart?

"Talk to me. Ask me."

I went to her. I bent my knee. She's…she's….my God. I was still on my knees long after she rose and left. I sat on the chair still with her warmth.

"John…you okay?" Dad asked quietly when I lifted the monitor up.

"Yes, dad." I still face the door.

I looked down at the table. The scraps of paper and sticky notes filled with my notes on the characters and plots and story flow. I want to throw them all. Her eyes seared me in their fierceness. How do I bring that to life? Then I realized that I couldn't.

I can't.

"I'm…." A balled-up fist stopped my lips from further digging my own undoing.

"I know…you also know it."

I gasped.

"You love her."

=O=O=