She had sun-kissed skin and hazel eyes… Her lips were full and held a glossy color. The ebony hair, that barely reached her shoulders, framed her youthful face as strands of her bangs attempted to hide her flushed expression.

She had a small yet graceful frame, betrayed only by the oversized, navy shirt that she wore. Her folded sleeves revealed her thin arms and the tight jeans she sported traced the outlines of her figure, from the curves of her hips to the shape of her legs.

Beads of sweat trickled down her neck from the heat of the sun. Yet she still emanated a sweet, fragrant aroma. Her breathing felt heavy as her eyes gazed upon the young man that held her in his arms.

Matthew observed her curious expression, unable to ignore her charm. He was sure that had he encountered her under different circumstances—if only they’d met during his morning run by the seaside or even during a quiet stroll down the park… He was sure that he would have definitely fallen for her.

If only he was an amateur casanova, her allure would have reverted his modern brain into a primitive state. His tongue would have knotted and his communication skills would have been impaired. On the off-chance that his voice would come through, he’d fumble and ask for her name, her number, her status… Then, as if possessed by some evil spirit, he'd cross the line by saying something inappropriate. And she, in return, would have no choice but to slap him and brand him a weirdo.

Yet that wasn't the case. Matthew was a proper human being. Instead of asking for her name, he simply requested her to repeat the words she spoke a few moments ago. Why? Because right now, within the current circumstances… Before Matthew’s own eyes… She’s definitely the weirdo!

“Eh? What did you say?” He tilted his head, staring at her eyes in search of reason and conviction.

“Marry me… ” She responded, hiding her expression with her hands as her eyes wavered and avoided his unflinching gaze.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I think I heard you wrong.” Matthew insisted, undaunted by the words that fell upon his ears.

“I said… ” Perhaps she was irritated by the endless repetitions or perhaps she just gave up on her timid facade… Whatever the reason, she coated her words with an alluring tone of voice as she closed her eyes and reached for a finishing touch—a kiss. “Marry me—”

Bam!

The veins on his forehead throbbed as his hands released its grip, dropping the girl like a log onto the concrete floor. His face twitched and his eyes burned in fury. An infant that would stumble upon his current expression would definitely have cried by now…

“Hey! How rude!” The girl growled, caressing her rear. “I was just kidding…” She pouted, sulking like a spoiled child.

“Look, miss, I’ve no time for your stupid jokes.” Matthew sighed at her words, calming himself down as he massaged the temples of his forehead. “Are you hurt or not?”

“Of course I’m hurt, you jerk!” She grumbled with tearful eyes. “First you knocked me down then you dropped me on the floor! And now, you’re dissing me? Waaah! Waaaaah!” She screamed and wailed, shamelessly attracting the passing crowd to come to her aid.

A cold sweat ran down Matthew’s back as countless dagger-like glares stabbed him from behind. But before they could voice a complaint, his instincts of self-preservation had kicked in and his hands had already covered her big mouth. “Shhh! Not so loud…” He warned her and begged her to lower her voice.

Yet upon noticing his panicked expression, the girl brushed his hand aside and flashed a devious grin that drained the color from his face. “Nyehehe… Help! Someone, please help! Save m—”

“Damn it! Will you shut up?” Matthew growled at her, irritated by her childish antics. “What's wrong with you?” He asked as he shook her in an attempt to reboot her sanity, neglecting the crowd watching over him.

“Hey! Leave that girl alone!” A man in a worn-out suit shouted at him from across the street, answering the call of the false damsel-in-distress. “Oh my! Sexual harassment on broad daylight?” A young woman responded and glared at Matthew with cold, disgusted eyes as her friend pulled a phone out of her bag. “That’s it! I’m calling the cops!”

“W-wait—Wait a minute!” Hearing the roar of the crowd, Matthew appealed to them in panic before glaring back at the girl who was about to destroy what little social-life he had left. “Hey, hurry and clear this up, will ya?”

“Don't want to.” She responded, pouting as she avoided his gaze.

“What!” Matthew clenched his jaw, holding himself back from saying something he'll regret. "Why... Not?"

“Well, what’s in it for me, hmmm?” She tilted her head, teasing him further with a childish giggle.

This girl… is infuriating! Matthew’s hand tightened into a fist as he weighed the value of her physical beauty against her wretched personality. I take it back! Nothing about her is beautiful! He thought to himself as he cried a little inside.

Matthew wasn't easy to anger and its a fact that not many people could rile him up. Back then, whenever he played a match, many of his opponents would often taunt him with cheap tricks and snide remarks, testing his temper to shift the tide in their favor. Yet none of them succeeded by using such underhanded means.

Psychological warfare had always been part of the game since before his time and Matthew understood it well. He thought he was used to it… And so it puzzled him as to why this girl angers him so much.

Matthew pacified his rage with a sigh, ruminating his head for a better solution “Alright, what do you want?” He asked her, surrendering to her trivial games. He understood that no matter how ridiculous and twisted her personality seemed, there should be some sort of reason as to why she acts this way. There has to be… He convinced himself—or rather he pleaded to God.

“Oh, my! How forward of you… ” She smirked. Perhaps she was astounded by the boldness of the young man before her or perhaps she found something intriguing about him… Her brown eyes emitted a sharp gleam, like that of a lioness stalking her prey… “Hmmm… Carry me then…” She answered, flashing a gentle smile that belies her true intentions.

“W-what?” Matthew staggered back, surprised by her words yet what truly struck him was something far more devastating. It was a familiar sensation that made the hair on his back stand on end as a faint tremble assaulted his body. Matthew knew it all too well—the lingering sensation of fear.

“Well, what'cha waiting for?” She smirked, taunting him as she relished the tainted expression on his face.

Tch! Reeled by irritation, Matthew gritted his teeth and agreed to her request. “Fine! Just clean up your mess.” He grumbled as he kneeled, carrying the girl back into the cradle of his arms.

“Yay!” She shouted, clinging to his shoulders and snuggling against his chest like a child.

“Y-your turn… ” Matthew stuttered as he avoided her eyes, ashamed of the flustered expression that haunted his face. Yet no matter how hard he tried to hide it, the girl kept an amused smile as her keen eyes relished his conflicted emotions.

Satisfied and well entertained, she waved her hand and hollered at her summoned crowd. “Sorry ‘bout the commotion guys!” She giggled, appealing throughout the swarm of onlookers with her natural beauty and charm. 

“Hubby and I... Well, we had a little disagreement… But good news! We patched things up! Hurray!” She shouted, raising her arms high with flawless enthusiasm that almost seemed surreal.

Matthew’s face twitched as he glared at the girl nestled in his arms. “Excuse me? When did we got married exactly?” He growled at her, tightening his grip on her body.

“Hey, it's the best I could come up with on the spot.” She responded, flashing a teasing grin towards him.

“That’s it… I’m dead…” All semblance of hope vanished from his thoughts as despair seeped its way through. Not even her good-looks could save us now…

“Oh, c’mon, it's not that bad!” She flailed at him, complaining at his obvious lack of faith. “See, they seemed to have bought it… ” She followed, gesturing to the crowd with her eyes.

“Troublesome kids… Don't scare us like that!” The man sighed, grumbling at them for wasting his time. "So it was a lover’s quarrel…" The women whispered amongst themselves, chuckling as they walked away. "Ah, must be nice to be young..."

“Huh?” Surprise lingered on Matthew’s face as he remained slack-jawed, unable to comprehend how they managed to pull the wool over their eyes. W-what the hell! He screamed, unable to accept how easily they bought her cheap words.

“See that?” The girl boasted, grinning from ear to ear as the attention of countless eyes shifted away from them “Now, praise me, hubby!” She shouted, snuggling in his arms.

Matthew sighed as he watched the crowd disperse. “Yeah, yeah… Whatever, I’m just glad I’m not going to jail…” He responded as his shoulders eased and a genuine smile decorated his face. “Hmmm? Why’re you red?” He asked, shifting his attention to the girl who suddenly wore a flustered expression.

“N-no reason…” She stuttered, burying her face in his chest.

Ah, so she can make a cute face after all… Matthew relished her expression and confirmed its authenticity. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on her…  He pondered, collecting his thoughts.

Though her actions caused the misunderstanding, Matthew acknowledged that he was partly to blame as well. Watching her flustered expression made him realize his faults and in the end, he felt a need to apologize for how he treated her.

“Something wrong, hubby?” She asked him, unsettled by his solemn gaze.

“It's nothing.” He answered, shaking his head. “And stop calling me that!”

“Booo!” She sulked.

“To begin with, why did I have to be your husband?” He grumbled as he recalled her words. “Wait! Wouldn’t boyfriend have been enough?”

“Ack!” The girl twitched for a moment, startled by his sudden perceptiveness.

“Don't tell me it was on purpose… ”

“Oops! I didn't think about that… Teehee!” Passing mischief as clumsiness, she scratched her head and appealed to him with a playful giggle only to reinstate the furious expression back into his face.

“You bitch!” He lashed out, unable to hold any longer the words he had kept this whole time from leaking out, as the fragments of his apology vanished in anger.