One and Only XIV

They were quick to share the news with their families as soon as they got home but they choose to bide their time in telling anybody else about the good news. They’re sitting in his living room with wedding magazines scattered everywhere making plans for their wedding.

“Beh beach wedding kaya? O mas gusto mo ba na traditional church wedding?”

“Church wedding sana pero beh ayoko nang masyadong malaking kasal gusto ko yung simple lang. Ayokong pagpyestahan yung kasal natin, I want it to be intimate and solemn...”

He nods his head in agreement as he continues to flip through the magazines. She moves closer to him and leans her head onto his arm looking over at the magazine he is reading.

“Beh paano kung sa ibang bansa tayo magpakasal?” she looks up to him with a smile on her face.

“Oh akala ko ba simple lang ang gusto mo?”

“Oo nga. Pwede naman yun diba? Maliit na kasal lang kasama ang pamilya at malapit nating mga kaibigan. Kasi naisip ko lang mas madali kung sa ibang bansa tayo magpakasal para wala masyadong attention gets mo?”

“Gusto mong ilihim yung kasal natin?”

“Hindi naman sa gustong ilihim ang gusto ko lang eh yung maging atin lang yung moment na yun. Ayoko nung lahat nang tao pinapanuod yung bawat galaw natin na parang pelikula. It’s not that I don’t want to share the moment with them ayoko lang nung live yung coverage... gets?“

He nods his head understanding her request and then asks “So saan mo gustong magpakasal?”

She flashes a bright smile at him. “Sa London,” then winks at him.

He smiles remembering all the great memories they had in London and gleams with excitement. He agreed with her suggestion and the two started to plan out the wedding and how they were going to go about keeping it a secret from the public.

Sarah wore her engagement ring on her neck to hide it from the public and they only told a selected few about their upcoming wedding. They planned for the wedding to take place six months from now and they had already arranged with their managers for their schedules to be cleared during this time. With their managers they came up with ways to throw the public off from catching on about the wedding. They came to an agreement with ABS-CBN to do coverage of their wedding to be shown after they made their big announcement after their honeymoon together. Some of their friends made arrangements to clear their schedules so that they could join them on their wedding day. It was carefully planned so as not to draw any suspicion and attention to them.

Finally it was the week before their wedding and everybody who knew about it was excitedly preparing for this day. Some of their friends had left in advance stopping in other cities making it look like they were just going on vacation. Their managers were very helpful in arranging a show in Europe for some of their friends so that they could segue to the wedding afterwards without people wondering what they were all doing in London.

From the moment she said yes to his proposal the two of them agreed not to kiss till their wedding day so that their first kiss as husband and wife would feel more special. And, for a whole week the two have not seen each other face to face, primarily because they were both so busy with last minute wedding preparations. John Lloyd arrived in London before Sarah and he went ahead and checked out the venue for the wedding making sure everything was perfect. She arrived in London the day after him. She’s unpacking all of her things when her phone rings.

“Oh beh napatawag ka?”

“I miss you...what if dito ka na lang matulog tonight?”

“Miss na din kita pero beh isang araw na lang at araw araw na tayong matutulog nang magkatabi, konting tiis na lang.”

He groans at her determination to stick to their deal and she laughs at him imagining his face right now. He then smiles upon hearing her laugh and says “Sige na nga pero lagot ka sa kin pagkatapos nang kasal.”

She laughs nervously and swallows hard. She can’t deny that she’s nervous and anxious about the wedding and about their first night together as husband and wife. Unable to think of something to say to him she changes the topic. “Beh tulog na tayo, pagod pa ako from my flight, usap ulit tayo bukas...”

“Sige magpahinga ka na. Good night bebe ko, I love you”

“I love you too, good night beh.”

She puts her phone down and walks over to her luggage to pull out a small gift bag that was given to her by her good friends. With the words “lagot ka sa kin” rolling around in her mind she pulls out the itsy bitsy piece of garment from the bag and holds it in front of her. She bites her lower lip and closes her eyes imaging how ridiculous she would look in this. She opens her eyes and takes a deep breath still staring at the gift. “Bahala na si Batman” she says to herself as she puts it back into the bag and goes to the bathroom to wash up before going to bed.

The next day they were both super busy making sure everything was ready for their big day tomorrow. She spent the day running errands and making sure they hadn’t missed anything – the flowers, the church, the restaurant, their rings, and so forth. He on the other hand spent his last day as a single man with his good buddies. Both retired back to their rooms early in the evening making sure to get enough rest for their big day. But, even if he was ready to just pass out onto his bed, he made sure to call her before the night ended. She’s curled up in bed, music playing softly in the background, getting ready to go to sleep when she hears her phone ringing. She excitedly picks it up and before she could say hello he started to speak.

“Good night soon to be Mrs. John Lloyd Cruz” he says with a smile.

She giggles, tickled with excitement, at the sound of him calling her Mrs. John Lloyd Cruz and says “Goodnight Mr. Sarah Geronimo”

He laughs at her statement before saying “I can’t wait to see you pakiramdam ko ang tagal na nating di nag kikita.”

“Alam ko yung feeling. Kahit isang linggo palang tayong di nagkikita parang ang tagal na and to think na minsan halos 2 months tayong di nagkikita pag may tour ako...”

“Pag magasawa na tayo sa tingin mo mas mahirap pag umaalis ka nang ganun katagal kasi diba masasanay tayo na magkasama araw araw...”

“Ewan ko, siguro...” she says before yawning out loud.

He looks down at his watch upon hearing her yawn and exclaims “Oh Beh late na matulog na tayo maaga pa tayo bukas. I love you.”

“I love you too.” She says before they both hang up and go to sleep.

The next morning was frantic. All of the girls were in her room helping her get ready. People were in and out of the bathroom, curlers, and make-up brushes everywhere. Amidst this chaos Sarah was sitting calmly as her sister did her make-up and her friends helped her mom pull the curlers out of her hair. It was near noon when they had finally finished. The wedding was to start at two o’clock in the afternoon so as soon as they were done everybody, except Sarah and her parents, headed over to the church where the wedding was going to be held. Sarah is standing in front of the mirror unhooking her necklace to put her engagement ring onto her finger and her mother is standing right behind her, tears starting to pool in her eyes. Sarah sees her mother’s misty eyes and quickly turns around to face her.

“Oh ba’t ka umiiyak...?” she asks worriedly.

Her mom just shakes her head as she wipes her tears “Masaya lang ako para sa yo, para sa inyo ni Lloydie...”

Sarah sensing that it was more than just tears of joy takes her mom’s hand in hers and looks over at her dad, who is sitting by the window wiping away his own tears, and says “Ma, Pa, hindi ako mawawala sa inyo. Kahit kasal na ako at may sariling pamilya, walang mawawala in fact madadagdagang pa nga ang pamilya natin eh kaya wag ka nang umiyak sige ka baka pati ako maiyak nyan masira pa make-up ko.”

Both her parents smile upon hearing her reassure them that she wasn’t going to leave them. They hug their daughter tightly before leaving for the church as well.

Everybody is anxiously waiting at the church for Sarah to arrive. John Lloyd is at the altar, his mother and father standing next to him, looking down at his watch and taking deep breaths.

“Anak relax konti na lang...” his mother says placing her hand onto his cheek.

He smiles and takes his moms hand in his “Excited lang talaga ako.”

His mom nods her head to show that she understood how he felt and his dad joked “Excited na din kaming magka-apo.”

The three of them are sharing a laugh at the front of the altar when they hear the whispers in the crowd. Sarah had arrived and the ceremony was about to begin. His parents took their seat and the music started to play. As some of their friends and family made their way down the aisle John Lloyd grew more and more anxious. Then finally she appeared at the church doors with her parents at her side.

She was wearing a simple ivory strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and a tulle shrug with crystal sleeves (Note1: http://www.jlmcouture.com/assets/JimHjelm/br/large/8106.jpg). The dress fit her perfectly hugging her curves in all the right places and she looked celestial as she walked down the aisle, her curls perfectly framing her face. John Lloyd couldn’t contain his tears as he watched her slowly walk up the aisle with a smile on her face. He didn’t think she could get any more beautiful but today she was beyond words. Their eyes were locked onto each other the whole time; it was as if no one else existed in the room. At the altar John Lloyd kisses her mother’s cheek and gives her dad a hug before her father gave his daughters hand to him. He held her hand in his, both shaking, as they positioned themselves at the altar. Throughout the ceremony they would steal glances at each other and smile. At last it was time to say their vows. John Lloyd pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket and looks up at Sarah as he carefully recites his vows.

“I’ve made mistakes in the past and one of the biggest mistakes I made was letting you go. Nung una palang kitang nakilala I already knew you were something special and pinagsisisihan ko na hindi kita pinaglaban noon. Pero by some twist of fate we found our way back to each other and from the moment I had you back in my life pinangako ko sa sarali ko na hinding hindi na kita pakakawalan pa. It doesn’t happen often in our lives na nabibigyan tayo nang pangalawang pagkakataon kaya sobra akong thankful because I got a second chance to be with you. You’ve made me face things that I use to run away from, you made me appreciate things I use to take for granted and greatest of all you made me love again. I can’t promise to be perfect but I want you to know that I will do my very best to be the best husband to you and father to our children. You are the greatest thing to ever happen in my life and for the rest of my life I vow to make you feel my love every day.”

He places her ring on her finger and mouths “I love you” to her before she goes ahead with her vows. She takes a deep breath before she speaks.

“Wala akong sinulat na vows kasi gusto kong sabihin sa yo kung ano yung nararamdaman ko, straight from my heart, at this very moment. Hindi nagging madali yung journey natin to get to where we are today pero dahil doon confident ako na wala tayong hindi makakaya in the future. Before you I was always too afraid to fight for what my heart desired but you give me a strength I never knew I had. Alam ko na marami pa tayong pagdadaanan and marami pang pagsubok ang naghihintay sa tin pero basta’t nandito ka sa tabi ko hindi ako natatakot. Nung mga panahon na nagkasama tayo dito sa London almost two years ago I let go of all of my fears and put my trust in you and I’m so thankful I did. There are still a lot of things I need to learn in order to be a good wife to you and mother to our future children but there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you and for our future family. Nearly two years ago I gave you my heart and today I give you my whole life.”

Every now and then as she said her vows Sarah would pause to clear her throat and wipe away the tears that were running down her cheek. She looked lovingly at John Lloyd as she placed his ring on his finger and smiled her sweetest smile. The ceremony was finally coming to an end and it was time for them to kiss for the first time as husband and wife. Sarah was leaning in for a kiss but John Lloyd surprised her as he swooped her up in his arms and tilted her back a little as he kissed her passionately. He stands her back up before pulling away and naughtily smiles at her. She is blushing as she playfully slaps John Lloyds shoulder, the people in the crowd cheering them on.

After the ceremony ended they took pictures at the church and then headed to the restaurant for their reception. The wedding turned out exactly how they had wanted it to and they couldn’t be happier. After dinner they had their first dance. He led her to the dance floor as “The Best of Me” started to play in the background.

(Note2: http://youtu.be/PO1NIn80ZAk)

So many years gone
Still I remember
How did I ever let my heart believe
In one who never gave enough to me
And so many years gone
With love that was so wrong
I can’t forget the way it used to be
And how you changed the taste of love for me

You were my one more chance
I never thought I’d find
You were the one romance
I've always known in my mind
No-one will ever touch me more
I only hope that in return
I might have saved the best of me for you

And we’ll have no ending
If we can hold on
And I think I’ve come this far because of you
Could be no other love but ours will do

You were my one more chance
I never thought I’d find
You were the romance
I’ve always known in my mind
No-one will ever touch me more
I only hope that in return
I might have saved the best of me for you

No-one will ever touch me more
I only hope that in return
No matter how much we have to learn
I saved the best of me for you

She rested her arms on his shoulder and laced her fingers together just behind his neck and he held her close to him by her waist. He places his head just to the side of hers and whispers in her ear “I love you Mrs. John Lloyd Cruz and hindi ako magsasawang sabihin sa yo yun...”

She closes her eyes and smiles before she moves a little to look at him face to face “Mahal na mahal din kita hubby.”

He smiles from ear to ear and just stares at her lovingly. He then whispers into her ear again “Excited na ako for later.” And then naughtily winks at her.

She looks at him then out at their friends and family who now have joined them on the dance floor. She looks back at him as she swallows hard and bites her lower lip. He’s smiling eagerly at her and she just smiles back nervously before resting her head onto his shoulder.

The night was perfect and they couldn’t have asked for things to have run more smoothly than this. They say their goodbyes before leaving the restaurant and heading back to their hotel room.

He’s showering her with kisses as he unlocks the door to their room. Once they get inside she pats him on the shoulder asking him to slow down a bit. He stops, his forehead against hers, he stares into her eyes lovingly. It was finally sinking in, this was his wife, the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with and it just made his heart skip a beat.

“I love you Sarah Geronimo Cruz...”

She closes her eyes just basking in the moment loving the way that sounded.

She puts her hands on his face “Isa pa nga, say it again...”

“Sarah Geronimo Cruz...”he whispers softly with a seductive smile.

She can feel the warmth of his breath on her bare face as she opens her eyes and looks straight into his. He’s just about to kiss her again but she pulls away.

“Sandali lang, maliligo muna ako...” she says shyly

He slouches and scrunches his face at her “Mamaya na, sabay na tayo...”

He moves closer to her trying to hold her in his arms but she puts her arms out.

“Teka lang, behave. Sanadali lang ako promise.” she then walks closer to him and places a soft kiss just on the side of his lips, making sure she only grazes the very outer corner of his lips and then whispers in his ear “Relax ka lang...”

She needed to buy some time, her heart was racing and she was sweating from head to toe. After a quick shower she stares at herself in the mirror for a bit wearing only the tiny piece of garment given to her by her friends. She grabs her robe and ties it tightly around her waist as she takes a deep breath, she looks at the door just about to open it but then stops. She looks back at the mirror and takes another deep breath.

“Relax...” she says to herself. She puts her hand back on the door knob and slowly pushes the door open. He’s standing at the end of the room staring out into the beautiful city remembering how it all began here. She slowly creeps up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist.

“Anong iniisip mo?” she asks on her tip toes.

He turns his head slightly catching a glimpse of her as he pulls her from behind him and moves her in front, her back against his chest. He wraps his arms around her waist as she leans her head back to rest onto his chest. He leans his head onto hers and she puts her hands over his.

“Iniisip ko lang how we started, yung takot na naramdaman ko when I first got here almost 2 years ago, afraid of what could happen. Alam mo when I came here to follow you I had no idea what I was doing, basta ginawa ko lang kung ano yung tingin kong tama. And when I first saw you as you came down to the lobby napuno ako nang takot because I knew that that was my last chance and if I couldn’t win you over then it really was over and I’d lost the chance to be with you...”

She can hear his heart beating and she just closes her eyes “Marami na tayong pinagdaanan but look at where we are now” she looks up at him “it was all worth it.”

Just then he softly kisses her on the lips. She spins around and faces him; she can feel the warmth of his breath as they lovingly and passionately stare at each other. She puts her hands on the back of his neck and he can feel them shaking. He smiles at her and then moves in closer to kiss her again. Slowly everything around them seems to disappear, her anxiousness and fears all banish and she surrenders herself to him.

She wakes up early in the morning her head resting on his arm. She looks up at him fast asleep and smiles. She lies there for awhile just staring at him. She didn’t think it was possible to be more in love than she already was but as she lies there watching him sleep she feels like she is floating on air. She softly places a kiss on his lips then takes some sheets from the bed and wraps herself in them. She stands by the window watching the sun rise. She looks down at her wedding ring and places her hand over her heart. Words couldn’t explain how happy and excited she was for all the mornings that would be just like this.

From the bed she hears him softly say “Good morning.”

She turns back and smiles at him. She walks back over to the bed and leans forward to kiss him. Just as he’s getting into the kiss she pulls away and smiles at him.

“Good morning Beh” she cheerfully whispers

He smiles at her and then pulls her towards him laying her back down on the bed.

“Ikaw ha, kahapon mo pa ako tinutukso...”

She’s laughing at him and he watches her thinking about how lucky he is to have the chance to hear her laugh everyday of his life. He’s just about to kiss her again when she pulls him towards her and kisses him first. He’s starting to lose himself to the moment again when she pulls away and moves closer to his ear.

She places a soft kiss just to the side of his cheek towards his ear before whispering “Halika maligo na tayo, marami pa tayong gagawin today”

He quickly picks her up in his arms and carries her into the shower....

TBC

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note1 - just want I imagined the dress to look like

Note2 - The Best of Me by Karylle and Martin Nievera

Where Do Broken Hearts Go IV

He’s already on the set, talking comically with the staff, when she arrives. She’s singing to herself, rehearsing her song numbers for ASAP tomorrow, as she walks over to where they are. She was so preoccupied with other commitments that this scene slipped her mind. They smiled at each other when she reached his side but before either of them could say one word their director was all set to go.

“Okay game, start na tayo.” Their director walks over to the two of them and moves them around trying to figure out the blocking. As she does this she briefs the two about what she wants from this scene.

“Lloydie pag hawak mo sa mukha nya I want to see your longing, yung conflict sa puso mo. Tapos Sarah gusto kong makita yung galit at takot, yung struggle mo. Remember turning point tong eksena na to so we really need to do this perfectly. And Sarah pag lapat nang mga labi nyo dun ka magstart umiyak.

Sarah then abruptly turns to her director realizing that this was the kissing scene they were shooting.

“Oh my. Kissing scene nga pala to, hindi ko...”

“Hindi mo...?” their director asks worried that she didn’t know her lines.

“Hindi ko napaghandaan...” she whispers as she turns to look at Lloydie who is trying to stay calm despite the fact that he was shaking inside.

“Hindi mo alam mga linya mo?” she asks clearly disappointed.

“No direk alam ko, hindi lang ako ready... oh forget it bahala na” she finally says realizing they couldn’t afford to waste any time.

So they start. Their director yells out action and they go ahead and exchange lines. She says her last line before the kiss and he slowly starts to move in for the kiss. Her lips were trembling, in fact she felt like her entire body was shaking in nervousness. Time seemed to be running so slowly. She can feel his warm breath caressing her skin as she closes her eyes. He closes his eyes, forgetting the rest of the world, and lays it all on the line right now. This may be the one chance he gets to make her feel his love, the one time he can freely love her. Finally their lips meet.

At first they are both stiff, neither of them making even the slightest move. Unknowingly tears start to roll down her cheeks. They weren’t acting anymore, this was for real. As he eased into the kiss he pulled her a little closer and she responded to the movement of his lips. They shared an intimate passionate kiss, one that only two people in love could possibly share. She runs her fingers through his hair and grasps the back of his neck. She isn’t thinking anymore she is just following her heart. The scene was perfect, exactly what the director asked for.

“CUT!” their director yells out loud but they are both deaf to the rest of the world. All either of them can hear is the pounding of their hearts in perfect harmony. The staff members all look at each other unsure of what to do. Truthfully they wanted this for the two of them because they all longed for what could have been for these two. Everybody’s whispering amongst themselves as the two continue to divulge in this kiss.

After a moment of shock their director gives it one more shot. Yelling at her loudest into the megaphone she says “CUT!!”

She heard it this time. Her eyes quickly open and she sees his face barely an inch from her face. She cuts the kiss off and quickly pulls away from him, trying to catch her breath. His eyes fly open when she pushes him away and he looks around at the surprised faces of everybody then back at Sarah. She has one hand over her heart and the other grazing her lips. She feels short of breath, like she just ran a marathon, her heart is racing and her breathing heavy. She’s looking down at the ground trying to comprehend and soak in what just happened. Her entire body is shaking and he starts to worry about her.

As he extends his hand to hold onto her arm he calls out her name softly, almost whispering “Sarah...”

She looks up at him, still in shock. She takes a step back from him and takes a deep breath before uttering “I’m sorry...” Tears are still running down her cheek as she turns around and runs away from him, away from this place. He wants to run after her but he didn’t know what he would say or do. He knew very well that this was going to explode into a big mess; this is what neither of them wanted to happen.

She stops running and takes a seat beneath a tree tears still pooling in her eyes. She hugs her legs tightly towards her chest and buries her face in her arms. She doesn’t know why she’s suddenly such an emotional mess.

“Ano ba? Ang tanga mo bakit ka nagpapadala sa emosyon mo...” she thinks to herself. She was tormented by the conflict she felt inside her heart. She and Jacob had shared several kisses in the past but he didn’t make her feel weak in the knees like John Lloyd just did.

“Mahal ko sya...” she finally admits to herself. But he was in love with someone else; the timing could not be any worse. She believed in signs and if she interpreted the signs right now then nothing was working in their favour. She continues to cry unsure of what to make of her current situation. She is struggling, struggling to figure out whether or not there was any chance that she could still salvage her relationship with Jacob. Maybe, one day, she could learn to love him the way she thought she did, the way she loved John Lloyd. She carried such a heavy weight in her heart because Jacob was perfect but she knew, in her heart, that that didn’t make him the right one for her. So where was she to go from here? She and John Lloyd could never be but now neither could she and Jacob. She could never look at him the same anymore. Every time they’d kiss, every time she’d say “I love you” she knows that she would only be fooling herself and that wasn’t fair to him. She had been cheated on before and even if she wouldn’t pursue a relationship with John Lloyd she’d still feel like she was being unfaithful to Jacob. All she ever asked for in her relationships was honesty and she knows she owes this much to Jacob.

She sits there alone and lost; all she can do is to cry. She doesn’t know what is right or wrong anymore all she knows is that it is John Lloyd that she loves, it always has been. But, it wasn’t right for them years ago and she’s afraid it still isn’t right now.

TBC

Where Do Broken Hearts Go III

The next few workshops went smoothly and she was finally getting comfortable with the emotions she needed to convey. It didn’t take very long for their friendship to pick up where it last left off years ago. Soon they were joking and playing around like they use to in the past.

This was it. A week of workshops and now they faced their first shooting day. She’s sitting in her tent, her hair and make-up done, when he walks into the tent. She is sitting slumped on her seat, script in hand, with her eyes closed. He smiles upon seeing her and quietly takes the seat next to her. Feeling his presence beside her she takes a peek with one eye and laughs softly when she confirms that it indeed is him sitting next to her.

“Halata bang kinakabahan ako?” she asks him as she opens both her eyes.

“Not at all” he answers in an attempt to ease her nerves.

She shakes her head aware that he was saying that in an attempt to calm her nerves. She takes his hand and places onto her chest just over her heart. Her hands are cold and shaking as she holds his against her chest, her heart pounding against her chest.

“Thanks for trying pero kahit ano pang sabihin mo kinakabahan pa rin ako... ramdam mo?”

He wasn’t nervous at all, acting was his thing, but suddenly he felt the same nervousness as her but for different reasons. He’s sitting still in his seat staring at his hand on her chest, his heart beating just as quickly as hers now. He’s gone somewhat pale and she quickly notices it. Taking her hand away from his she places the palm of her hand onto his cheek.

“Lloydie okay ka lang? Namumutla ka ata...” she asks worriedly. He looks up at her, his hand still placed over her chest and she stares at him wide eyed awaiting his response.

The rest of the world disappeared when he had his palm over top of her chest, feeling her heart beating just beneath his palm. In that moment he heard nothing but the lub-dub of their hearts. He didn’t understand the things he was feeling and he didn’t have the slightest clue as to what to make of it. He may not have known, or was in denial, why he felt this way but his heart did. Their hearts seemed to be speaking to one another, moving one step faster than their minds. He hasn’t said a word or moved for minutes now and she starts to really get worried. She places her other hand on his other cheek and gives him a soft shake trying to get his attention.

He finally comes to his senses and removes his hand from her chest.

“Ha? Ah... oo okay lang ako. Ikaw kasi eh, nakakahawa yang kaba mo...” he answers maing up an excuse for his blunder.

“Ikaw kinakabahan? Kinakabahan pa ba ang isang John Lloyd Cruz? Wag kang ganyan say o lang ako umaasa, hindi ka pwedeng kabahan.” She says removing her hands from his face and claping them tightly together onto her lap.

She was keeping her cool but she felt it too. When he had his hand on her chest, their skin touching, she felt a jolt of electricity running through her body routing from her heart. Her heart was beating fast even before he came close to her but it just started racing when she felt the warmth of his hand on her skin and it showed no signs of slowing down.

Both fall silent, both thinking about what was happening between them. It wasn’t long before their director walked in and called John Lloyd over for his first scene. Alone in the tent she looks at herself in the mirror and puts her hand over her heart, in the exact same place he had his hand earlier, and shakes her head. It was all coming back to her, the memories and the feelings. But things were different now they were both involved; she already gave her heart to someone else. She refused to fall into this mess, not now, not now that she was happy again. She made a commitment to her boyfriend and she was standing by her commitment. She was safe with Jacob, she was happy with him and she was sure that she could be happy spending forever with him. She continues to stare at herself and takes a deep breath before uttering “no” to herself as if speaking to her heart.

She exits her tent and makes her way over to where her director would be sitting. She takes a seat beside the monitor and watches as their director gives John Lloyd some instructions. She watches his every move, watching the way his lips moved, the way he intently listened to every word their director uttered, the way he carried himself confidently. And unknowingly she smiles. She couldn’t see anyone else but him and all she could hear was the sound of her heart beating. Clearly her heart wasn’t listening to her and it continued to make it’s point to her.

That night she was tossing and turning in her bed. This can’t be, she thinks to herself. She sits up in her bed and looks over at her bedside table picking up the picture of her and Jacob. She runs her fingers over the picture and then holds it tightly in her arms, just over her chest. She gave her heart to this man and they both worked so hard to make this relationship work. For a long time she wasn’t ready to fall in love again but when he came into the picture he made her believe in love again, he woke up her sleeping heart. She couldn’t envision ever leaving him especially for someone who had hurt her once upon a time. However, she can’t escape all the things she is feeling inside. She puts the picture back down and leans her head against her headboard and just stares into the darkness. Her mind is drawing a blank, she didn’t even know what to think at this moment, her heart had just shut down her mind. After moments of silence she picks up her phone unable to bear staring at the darkness any longer. She dials his number hoping to speak to him tonight. Three rings – no answer. She is about to hang up when he suddenly answers.

“Oh hun, napatawag ka?”

She smiles upon hearing his voice, her heart starting to settle down.

“Wala na miss lang kita... busy ka?” she asks softly.

“Hindi naman nagaalmusal lang. Miss na din kita.”

Feeling somewhat at ease now she starts to relax as she slides back down in her bed. “Di ako makatulog kwentohan mo naman ako...”

He softly chuckles before he starts to tell her about his day. She closes her eyes and just listens to every word he says. He did this for her often; whenever she had trouble sleeping she would call him and he would tell her stories till she fell asleep. She always felt at ease whenever she would hear his voice; she found it soothing and it would always help her sleep soundly which always led to good mornings.

For the next few days she made it a point to communicate with Jacob every day, making sure to tell him that she loved him. She wasn’t normally this way, she wasn’t clingy or showy the way she was lately. She and Jacob had a stable relationship that allowed them time for themselves without the need to constantly remind each other of their love. But, for reasons she refused to understand, she didn’t feel so secure about their relationship if she didn’t say “I love you” to him out loud every day. She didn’t realize that every time she told him that she loved him she was saying it half for him and half for herself. It was as if she needed to remind and convince herself that she did indeed love Jacob and only Jacob.

Shooting days were difficult because her feelings for John Lloyd were strongest then. Yet, she found ways to deny these feelings and carry on with her work. He was just as conflicted as she was and, maybe, if she wasn’t in a relationship as well he might have had the courage to leave his girlfriend and fight for Sarah. But, as far as he knew Sarah was very much in love. He would often hear her on the phone with her boyfriend during breaks and she always looked her happiest when she was talking with him. Little did he know that she needed to do this to keep her feelings for him in line. It also didn't hurt that the majority of the scenes they were shooting were challenging and they managed to distract her and take her attention off of John Lloyd. They were on a very tight schedule and this really limited the amount of time she and John Lloyd had to just talk and hang out, which worked in their favour. Truthfully, it didn’t work in their favour it worked in favour of their current relationships, something they both were having a hard time saving.

Then the day finally came, the day they had to shoot their first kissing scene. Neither of them ever brought this scene up in the past, and to be perfectly honest, neither of them really thought about this scene. At the moment, as far as they each were concerned, this kiss was the least of their worries or so they thought...
TBC

Where Do Broken Hearts Go II

She’s sitting in the centre of the room her face in her hands. She’s thinking deeply trying to internalize but to no avail. She yells out softly in her hands out of frustration. They had been at this for almost two hours and she was starting to get frustrated with herself because she couldn’t channel the right emotions. She’s tired and she’s starting to think that maybe she was biting off more that she could chew. Who was she kidding, she thought to herself, she's completely out of her league. In that very moment she starts to believe that this was a complete and utter mistake.

John Lloyd and their director are sitting together at one end of the room just watching her. They silently watch her, giving her an opportunity to soak in her frustrations. They both had complete faith in her, they knew she was capable of delivering a stellar performance and they knew that this frustration she was feeling would help her trigger the right emotions.

Suddenly she yells out loud “Ayoko na!” with her face still buried in her hands.

Their director is about to approach her but he raises his hand signalling to her that he would handle this himself. He then approaches her and takes a seat just across from her. He sits there for a moment contemplating his next move. Finally, he pulls her by her wrists and forces her to look up at him. She has her lips pouted as she stares at him like a child lost at a grocery store, her tears and make-up smudged across her face. He removes his hands from her wrists and starts to wipe her face trying his best to clean up the mess her tears and make-up had made. She is still sobbing as he wipes her tears and she takes quick short breaths trying her very best to control her sobbing.

He remains calm and reassuringly tells her that this was going to work. “Tama naman yung emotions mo eh, kailangan mo lang matutunang kontrolin yung mga emosyon mo. Kaya nga tayo nagwo-workshop, diba, para magawa natin nang maayos pag nasa harap na tayo nang camera. Kaya mo to, I have faith in you. Ikaw pa eh ikaw na yata ang pinakatalented na taong nakilala ko.” He smiles at her hoping this was enough to calm her down and give her the much needed confidence that she lacked.

Success – just like that he managed to turn her frown upside down. She lifted her hand up to her face and placed them over top of his. She held his hand in hers as she removed it from her face, gently squeezing it, and placed it on her lap.

“Salamat, it means a lot to me knowing you have faith in me. Alam ko naman na hindi mo kailangang gawin to. John Lloyd Cruz ka na eh, award winning actor, you shouldn’t have to put up with amateurs like me... kaya salamat kasi pinagbigyan mo ako”

He bows his head down as he shakes it; their hands still clasped together on her lap “It’s an honour and a privilege working with you... Hindi ka pa rin nagbabago hindi mo pa rin narerealize kung gaano ka kasikat at kagaling. Isa lang naman ang kulang sa yo eh, tiwala sa sarili...”

Their director is just watching them from afar with a smile on her face. As she watches them she shakes her head feeling somewhat heartbroken for what could have been between these two. She wishes she didn’t have to ruin the moment for the two but they were on the clock and time was running out for them. She breaks up the moment and resumes the workshop trying to guide the two in the right direction with regards to their characters.

It was a long and tiring day for the both of them but having each other to feed off of made things somewhat easier for them both. After today she was reminded of why it was such a joy to work with him in the past and she is quite pleased with her decision to work with him again. He too is reminded of the ease she brought to him and he can hardly wait for their next acting workshop together. They are happily talking about sweet nothings as they walk out of the room but their conversation is cut short when his phone rings.

It was his girlfriend returning his call from earlier today. As he talks with his girlfriend on the other line Sarah awkwardly listens to his side of the conversation, as she continues to walk by his side with her head bowed down.

“Sige magiingat ka. I love you.” He says before hanging up his phone.

Upon hearing their conversation end Sarah looks back up and paints a smile on her face trying to not look so disappointed upon being brought back to reality. For a moment, before his girlfriend called, it felt like the way it was before. For a moment, she forgot that they were both in serious relationships. But now she remembered and she felt confused as to why his girlfriend calling him upset her.

“Ano nga ulit yung pinaguusapan natin?” He asks nonchalantly.

“Uhm...ano nga ba?” she asks back not being able to recall what they had been conversing about. She was so bothered by what she was feeling that she couldn’t think straight.

He laughs out loud at the fact that neither of them could a recall a conversation that occurred just minutes ago and scratches his head as he says “Pagod na nga siguro tayo...”

She softly chuckles and just as she is about to say something someone calls out for her. She looks up and sees her boyfriend waiting by the exit for her. She makes her way over to him with John Lloyd walking behind her.

“Oh. Anong ginagawa mo dito? Sabi ko naman sa yo magpahinga ka na lang kasi maaga pa yung flight mo bukas...”

“Yun na nga eh maaga yun flight ko so hindi na tayo magkikita, one month din akong mawawala kaya I wanted to see you first.”

She gushes over his cheesiness and sweetly smiles at him as she takes his hand. John Lloyd who is standing closely behind her whispers under his breath “Ang corny ha...”

Sarah then turns around, upon hearing him mumbling, and remembered that he was with her. “Sorry, nawala sa isip ko na kasama kita. Uhm, John Lloyd si Jacob, boyfriend ko. Jacob, si John Lloyd.”

Jacob extends his hand to John Lloyd as he says “It’s nice to meet you.”

John Lloyd takes Jacob’s hand and shakes it “Yea, nice to meet you...” he says faking a smile.

After a brief moment of silence Jacob puts his arm around Sarah’s shoulders and they say their goodbyes before making their way outside of the building. John Lloyd watches as they walk away together and again that pang of jealousy makes its way back into his heart.

He spends the night tossing and turning in bed. He didn’t understand the things he was feeling, it didn’t make any sense to him. He couldn’t be jealous, why should he be jealous? He was in a happy relationship too, he too was in love, or so he thought. He opens his eyes in frustration, unable to sleep, and lays flat on his bed staring at the ceiling.

I’m not jealous he thinks to himself.

“Kaibigan ko si Sarah and I’ve seen her get hurt in the past. Concerned lang ako, that’s it I just don’t want to see her get hurt again, kasi she doesn’t deserve it....” he spends the night talking to himself, trying to convince himself that he was just looking out for a good friend and not jealous, not jealous at all.

TBC

Where Do Broken Hearts Go I

Where do broken hearts go
Can they find their way home
Back to the open arms
Of a love that's waiting there
And if somebody loves you
Won't they always love you
I look in your eyes
And I know that you still care, for me

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their third movie together – finally. After several years of waiting and wondering if this movie would ever push through Sarah finally agreed to star alongside John Lloyd in a movie again. She had never closed her doors on the possibility of working with him again but she long delayed their reunion, waiting for the right time. He was very vocal that he anticipated working with her again because working with her was one of the best experiences he ever had and finally the waiting had paid off.

For weeks their had been rumours circulating the business that they were going to reunite but he refused to believe it till he heard it straight from his bosses. It had been a long time since they last spoke to each other. Occasionally they would share a casual conversation when they’d bump into each other during ASAP but they hadn’t had a chance to speak for months now, not even a hi or hello. She had just returned from her 2 month long concert tour when she finally made her decision to work with him again. The people behind their two blockbuster movies were surprised to learn that the movie was finally a go because everybody thought the movie was never gonna push through. He was on vacation with his girlfriend when he got the call from Star Cinema informing him that the cameras would start rolling upon his return.

But what made now the right time? No one really knew what had been keeping her from doing a movie with him again. Whenever people asked her about the possibility of working with him again she would just smile sweetly and answer ambigiously. What really went on between the two of them remained a mystery.

After a long while of mending her broken heart she had finally opened her heart again to love and was exclusively dating someone. She was proud to tell the public of her relationship but still played it safe by keeping much of it as private as possible. So, did that make this the right time? Did the fact that they were both in serious relationships seal the deal for her? She may not have known it at the time but truth is that really was what made now the right time. She believed that there was no chance of rekindling any feelings she had for him in the past now that there was someone special in her life and in his. She long avoided working with him because she was afraid of history repeating itself, she was afraid of falling for him again and being burned in the end.

He was running a tad late for their story conference and when he arrived everyone was already in the conference room. The room was filled with familiar faces – with people who for years anxiously awaited this movie. But despite all of the people his eyes drew to her almost automatically. She was sitting near the window, her head bowed down looking at her phone and with her hair neatly tied back the light from the sun framed her face perfectly. She had this endearing smile on her face and a sparkle in her eyes that instantly brought back good memories. For a moment he was just lost staring at her till he heard their director call out his name, which caught everybody else’s attention as well. She looked up in his direction and caught his gaze. She stared back at him for a brief moment before her phone beeped and she looked back down at it. As she looked away he searched the room for an empty seat only to find that the one beside her was the only one available. He apologized to everyone for his tardiness as he made his way over to his seat. Once he sat down she quickly shut off her phone and looked up at her director giving her full attention. The meeting went on for a long while, prepping everybody for the workload that awaited them in the months to come. There was so much going on that they didn’t even get a chance to speak to each other. They were on a tight schedule thus immediately following the story conference the two had acting workshops to attend to.

It was a new story, something very different from their past two movies. She had always said she wanted to do something different and that she wanted to leave Miggy and Laida as is. Those two movies held a very special place in her heart and she didn’t want to tarnish the wonderful memories she had of Miggy and Laida. This was something completely out of her comfort zone, for the first time in her acting career she was stepping outside of the box and doing something she has long wanted to do. She wanted to venture out into drama, to prove herself as a dramatic actress and as if that was not enough of a challenge she wanted to give this a shot with one of the greatest dramatic actors of their generation because she had already built rapport with him and she trusted she was in good hands. No one could tell but inside she was terrified. She could have taken the easy way out, she could have chosen to star alongside him in a romantic comedy, which was her forte, but she felt it was time for her to grow as an actress.

She had seen the script prior to this meeting, in fact she choose which script would be most fitting for the two of them. He, on the other hand, was learning about the movie for the first time here today. The movie called for a lot of things that he didn’t realize she was ready to tackle. When he first received the news of a forthcoming movie with her he was expecting something light and fun but to his surprise the movie was more mature and dramatic. As he listened to their director addressing everybody in the room he flips through the script for the first time. He pauses for a moment and looks up at Sarah, who has her back turned to him listening to their director speak. He bites his lower lip then looks back down at his script – a kissing scene. Was she ready for this or were they going to cheat it somehow? After contemplating in his mind for a moment the possibility he shakes his head and just continues to read. Another kissing scene. A second one? She surely had to know that cheating more than one kissing scene in a movie kind of ruins the point of having them in the first place. Maybe there were still revisions to be done. But then again how could there be, the kiss was a pivotal moment in the film, you really can’t establish the characters emotions without it. He scratches his head unsure of what to think. Their director notices the confused look on his face.

“Oh Lloydie may problema ba?”

She turns around to face him, as does everybody else, curious to know if he had any issues to address. He looks at her with his lips parted as he slowly brings his hand down from his head.

“Ah wala, may iniisip lang ako, go ahead continue...”

Their director continues but Sarah is still looking at him. She raises her eyebrows as if asking him if he was sure nothing was wrong and he just nodded his head. She shrugs her shoulders and turns her back on him again.

He continued to read the script only to find that there were several other intimate scenes in the movie. This really was different from their past movies together and unknowingly he smirks somewhat pleased with the turn of events. What prompted her to take this huge leap of faith he hadn’t the slightest clue but as early as now he had a good feeling about this movie.

The meeting finally comes to a close and they have an hour to have lunch before their first workshop together began. They are two of the last people in the room and she stands up before him. She begins to gather her things and as she searches through her purse for something he finally looks up at her.

As he starts to pack up his things as well he asks her “Nabasa mo na ba yung script?” curious as to her take on the storyline.

She nods her head and with a smile she answers “Ang ganda noh?” She looks over at him, her eyes full of excitement “Sana I can do it justice...”

Feeling her excitement he suddenly feels giddy and can’t help but smile himself. As she continues to search through her purse he takes her hand and she looks back at him.

“Don’t worry hindi kita pababayaan, aalalayan kita the whole way through” he tells her reassuringly.

She smiles at him as she puts her other hand onto his and moves it away. As she zips her bag up and picks all of her things up, without looking at him, she says “Alam ko naman yun eh, kaya nga ako pumayag na gawin tong pelikulang to, I know I’m in good hands.” She then looks back at him and flashes him one more smile before saying her goodbyes and leaving the room.

As she disappears into the hallway he can hear her cheerfully conversing on the phone with someone, most likely her special someone, discussing where to have lunch.

A pang of jealousy. What was the root of this jealousy – he wasn’t sure. He didn’t know it was possible to feel this way with regards to her, he can’t possibly feel jealous because of her, it just wasn’t right. He shook his head forcibly denying his jealousy and texts his girlfriend: “I miss you.”

His girlfriend is out of town and he had no one else to have lunch with so opts to eat alone at a nearby restaurant. To his surprise she was having lunch at the same restaurant. Unfortunately for him, however, she wasn’t alone. Just as he had assumed she was having lunch with him...

So this is the special someone in her life, he thought to himself, as he secretly gazed at them together. He nods his head and thinks to himself “Not bad, gwapo naman, I guess if that’s her type...” He couldn’t take his eyes off of them and when his thoughts started to get too far he shook his head and whispered to himself “Ano ba Lloydie, may girlfriend ka.” He does his best not to look in their direction again and he manages to place his order and wait alone for a good 10 minutes just looking out the window.

Laughter – he hears her laugh out loud and like a magnet his gaze immediately gravitates towards her. His heart melts as he listens to her burst of laughter and watches as she covers her mouth and looks around the restaurant embarrassed of the attention they were drawing. He watches as she playfully slaps his shoulder and he laughs along with her. She was glowing and cleary she was very happy. Again his jealousy made its presence felt and he forcibly turns away trying to find ways to bury whatever it was he was feeling at the moment. She continues to burst out laughing every now and then and he couldn’t take it any longer. He couldn’t resist his urge to get up and make his presence felt to her. So, he calls for the waiter and asks for his food to be packed up so that he could eat elsewhere. As he is leaving the restaurant he feels guilty about the things he was feeling so he takes his phone and dials his girlfriend’s number. No answer. He tried again but still no answer. She must be busy at the moment he thought to himself. He made his way back to ABS-CBN and he heads over to the room where their workshop was going to be held and had lunch there.

He was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed at the back of the room reading his script when she entered the room.

“Kanina ka pa?” he hears her ask from the door.

He looks up and sees her walking towards him, her script in hand, and answers “Medyo, dito na ako kumain eh ikaw?”

“Ha? Kakarating ko lang...” she answers not realizing that wasn’t what he had meant.

He chuckles at her response before rephrasing his question “Saan ka kumain?”

She covers her face with her script embarrassed, now realizing how foolish it was to think he was asking about how long she had been there. With a soft giggle she answers “Oo nga naman noh? Obviously kakarating ko lang...” she looks over at him and loses her train of thought as she looks back at him intently gazing at her. He's smiling at her waiting for her to respond to his question. Getting a hold of herself she closes her eyes tightly for a moment and then answers "Uhm, saan ako kumain? Jan lang sa tabi tabi..." She turns away again blushing, embarrassed of what had just happened.

He’s just about to aske her who she had lunch with but decides not to because he honestly didn’t care to hear her tell him plus he already knew who she was with so why open up the topic. He also secretly feared that it may cause the conversation to focus on this special someone of hers and he really didn’t care to hear her gush about him.

There is an awkward silence between them for a brief moment. She’s biting down on her lip and fiddling with her fingers while he has his head bowed down as he flips through his script. She clasps her hand together, unable to bare the silence any longer, and sighs out loud. He looks over at her curiously and she coyly smiles at him. He smiles back at her briefly then looks back down at his script. She purses her lips as she looks back down at her watch praying that time would move faster.

10 more minutes – 10 more minutes before their workshop was schedule to start. He continues to read his script and she leans her head back on the wall trying to think of ways to pass time. It was only ten more minutes but it felt like a lifetime. The silence just got too unbearable for her so she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

“So, anong bago...” she begins.

But then she was interrupted when their director walked through the door and said out loud “Oh. Nandito na pala kayong dalawa, shall we begin?”

Sigh of relief. Time to get to work.

TBC

O&O and a new story

Just wanted to post a quick update. There is still more to come for One and Only my laptop is just down and is currently being repaired. I've also been working on another story and once I get my laptop back I'll get right to updating One and Only and posting the new story.

Thanks again to everyone following my fanfic :)

One and Only XIII

It was a beautiful morning when they awoke. The sunshine greeted them a wonderful morning and they shared a peaceful conversation during breakfast. Everything felt right, waking up beside each other in this secluded campsite, no cameras, no fuss. The whole day through he carried the ring in his pocket contemplating when the perfect time to propose would be. They went hiking and when they reached the top of the hill, overlooking the entire campground, he was just about ready to ask but suddenly chickened out. He couldn’t get the words out. She was at his side with her arms around his waist looking out at the scenery and he had his hand in his pocket rolling the little box around. The moment was perfect, in this moment they were just Sarah and John Lloyd, just a man and a woman madly in love. Yet, he couldn’t figure out how to ask her to spend forever with him.

“Sarah will you marry me?” he thought in his head “No, too simple – how about...uhm...will you spend forever with me?” he shook his head inadvertently. "It just doesn't have the right ring to it."

After standing there for a moment she turns to him and takes his hand.

“Balik na tayo, nagugutom na ako...”

He nods his head and forcefully smiles at her. Once she had her back turned to him he closed his eyes momentarily and shook his head, dismayed that he wasn’t able to ask her at that moment.

Just as they arrived back at their campsite he sighed disappointed in himself and anxiously wondering when the right moment would come.

After lunch they went for a swim and he was somewhat disengaged trying to feel for the right moment. She noticed he was quiet and tense the whole day. As they are drying up and walking back to their campsite she leans in closer to him and looks up at him.

“Okay ka lang? Parang wala ka sa mood...”

He looked at her and saw the concern on her face so he kissed the top of her head and leaned his head onto hers “Okay lang napagod lang siguro ako, kulang na ata ako sa exercise”

She pinched his side and said with a smile “Oo nga medyo tumataba ka na...”

Laughing and joking around they walk back to their campsite.

They’re sitting down just outside their tent watching the sunset. She’s tired after their long day of hiking and swimming. She is sitting just between his legs leaning her head onto his chest, he has his arms wrapped around her and is silently thinking to himself.

“Thank you...” she softly whispers.

“Para saan?” his thoughts suddenly disturbed.

She turns her head and faces him. “Para sa lahat, sa lahat nang ginagawa mo for me. Alam kong hindi madali ang mahalin ang tulad ko, alam ko na kahit hindi mo sabihin nahihirapan ka din minsan kasi marami akong pagkukulang, may mga bagay akong hindi maibigay sa yo na kayang ibigay sa yo nang iba... Salamat kasi despite everything mahal mo pa rin ako...”

He pulls her in closer and leans his head lower, his lips at the level of her ears. “Diba sabi ko naman sa yo kagabi wala kang pagkukulang sa kin, wag mong isipin yung mga bagay na hindi mo kayang ibigay sa kin kasi hindi ko iniisip yun. Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat nang kaya mong ibigay sa kin, nagpapasalamat ako dahil alam kong mahal mo ako at sapat na yun sa kin. Hindi ka mahirap mahalin, at kahit kailan hindi ako mapapagod na mahalin ka...”

She closes her eyes and nods her head basking in the moment. They sit there in silence for a moment – she is just enjoying the simplicity of this moment and cherishing the feeling of being in his arms while he is still debating when and how he should propose to her. He feels her weight starting to rest onto his chest and he looks down at her with her eyes closed.

“Antok ka na ba?”

She smiles softly before opening her eyes “Medyo...”

“Halika na, doon ka na matulog sa loob.”

“Pwede dito na lang muna tayo, let’s just stay like this for awhile. Please...” she pleads smiling at him sweetly.

He nods his head and she leans her head back down onto his chest.

After a moment of silence she makes a request “Be kantahan mo ako para makatulog ako nang mahimbing...”

He laughs thinking that she’s kidding but she turns around and looks at him expectantly.

“Please” she says pouting her lips.

He gives in. “Sige na nga pero wag mo akong sisihin pag binangungot ka, ikaw ang humiling na kumanta ako...”

She excitedly nods her head and turns around again to lean her head on his chest. He takes a deep breath and starts to sing.

There are times when I just want to look at your face
With the stars in the night
There are times when I just want to feel your embrace
In the cold night

I just can't believe that you are mine now
You were just a dream that I once knew
I never thought I would be right for you
I just can't compare you with anything in this world
You're all I need to be here with forevermore

All those years, I've longed to hold you in my arms
I've been dreaming of you
Every night, I've been watching all the stars that fall down
Wishing you would be mine

He feels her weight settling onto him so he stops and looks down at her, her face so peaceful.

“Bukas aalis na tayo...di ko pa natatanong yung kailangan kong itanong sa yo...” he whispers.

He closes his eyes and shakes his head laughing softly to himself “Haay Lloydie... will you marry me lang di mo pa masabi...”

Just then she lifts her head up at him with a shocked expression on her face.

“Ano yung sinabi mo?”

He looks at her wide eyed surprised that she was still awake. “Ha, ah... sabi ko...”

She looks at him anticipating his response but he is at a loss for words.

“Sabi mo....” she repeats with a huge smile on her face. She heard what he had said, she was just waiting for him to say it again and this time to say it directly to her.

He puts his head down and grabs something from his pocket. He lifts it up for her to see and says “I wanted everything to be perfect pero narinig mo na, so I guess this is as good a time as any.” He pauses for a second and then looks straight into her eyes “May pinaplano sana akong romantic na proposal, gusto ko yung tipong sa pelikula mo lang mapapanood, I didn’t want to ask you like this, kanina...”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence because she shut him up by kissing him. She keeps her eyes closed as she pulls away from him then slowly opens them up smiling at him. He still has his eyes closed and his lips pursed, hoping there was more. She laughs at the way he looked and he suddenly opens his eyes.

“Marami ka pang sinasabi... hindi ko kailangan nang mala pelikulang eksena... I just want to hear you say it.”

He nods his head and simply asks “Sarah, will you marry me?”

It was like music to her ears. She closed her eyes, bit her lower lip, and tilted her head back a little smiling at the sound of him asking her to marry him, for her there was no better time.

As she opens her eyes she nods her head “Yes, yes, I will marry you.” she says excitedly putting her hand out waiting for him to slip the ring onto her finger.

His hands are shaking as he slips the ring on her finger and once he had it on her finger he pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly. They were both on cloud nine and neither of them could wipe the smile off of there faces. Nothing could compare to the happiness they felt at this moment, nothing could feel more right.

She looked at her ring finger as she hugged him and smiled knowing that this was the start of something even better.

She never imagined that things would happen this fast, she never thought it was possible to be this crazily in love with someone. Before Lloydie she never would have imagined getting engaged so soon but really she wouldn't have it any other way. She always believed that there was no use getting into a relationship with someone with whom you could not see forever with. Thus, from the moment she committed herself to John Lloyd as his girlfriend she believed and knew deep in her heart that she was going to marry him one day. And that day was coming, finally.

He was right. This was his best surprise and it definitely was worth the wait.

TBC

THANK YOU

just wanted to say a quick THANK YOU to everyone who is enjoy One & Only, I appreciate the support :)

I hope it's living up to expectations :P

...and sorry for the delay of part 12.

One and Only XII

With the traffic it was a long drive to the campground and the whole way through Sarah was making kulit about his surprise. She normally wasn’t anxious like this but for some reason today she just couldn’t find it in herself to be patient. Luckily John Lloyd managed to be patient with her and was being playful with his answers. They had a playful conversation in the car – Sarah, trying to squeeze his surprise out of him and John Lloyd misleading her about his surprise. When they arrive at the campground Sarah looks around and then back at John Lloyd who is standing right behind her.

“Ano to? Magpipicnic tayo?” she asked him confused.

It didn’t occur to her that they were camping because as far as she knew she had to get back to work the next day and he had a movie that he needed to finish shooting. But the truth was her mom was in on the surprise and Sarah didn’t really have to get back to work yet, in fact she had a week vacation, as did John Lloyd.

He moves closer to her, his arms around her waist. “Diba magcacamping tayo to celebrate?”

She looks up at him still not figuring things out “Pero may trabaho na tayo bukas, ano yun one night camping trip tapos bukas nang umaga uwi na tayo?”

He laughs as her as he takes her hand and leads her to the trunk of the vehicle “Hindi 3 days tayo dito...”

“Ha? E paano yung trabaho ko, Lloydie may prior committments na ako...” she says stopping in her tracks.

He shakes his head at her and jokingly says “Eh ano ngayon? So you miss a pictorial and some meetings, pwede namang ireschedule yun eh, pero tong anniversary natin hindi na, 2 weeks delayed na nga eh...”

She looks at him earnestly “Seryoso ka? Lloydie hindi pwede take me back home right now, I refuse to be unproffesional para lang makapagcamping tayo.”

He’s starting to walk away from her as he mutters out loud “Oo nga pala, I forgot I’m last on your priority list diba? Alam mo minsan pakiramdam ko your taking me for granted eh.”

He has his back turned to her and the whole time he has a smile on his face wondering how long he can keep this up. She stomps in frustration and scratches her head.

“Alam mong hindi totoo yan, Lloydie kailan pa naging isyu ang trabaho?”

“Nakakapagod lang na lagi na lang ganito, na lagi na lang tayong nagaadjust para ma accomodate yang schedule mo.”

“Schedule ko? Eh ikaw din naman ah” she says now agitated.

He starts to walk over to his door “Ayokong mag away kaya halika na iuuwi na kita...”

She follows him to his side of the vehicle “Hindi. Paguusapan natin to ngayon din.” she says sternly as she takes his hand and pulls him to a nearby bench.

As they are walking he can’t contain his laughter anymore. She turns around and faces him, cleary irritated already. “Anong nakakatawa?”

He pulls her closer to him and brushes her hair away from her face “Wala ka pang trabaho bukas, kahit tawagan mo pa mommy mo, pinaniwala ka lang nila na may trabaho ka na para ma surprise kita...” he says calmly.

She’s silent for a moment just staring at him her frustration slowly starting to fade. She makes a face at him then slaps his shoulder playfully.

“Best actor ka talaga, malapit na sana akong mainis sa yo eh.”

They both start laughing as he pulls her towards the trunk of their vehicle to gather all of their things. After unloading their vehicle the first thing they do is try and pitch a tent. She is sitting on a log with the instructions as he is trying to put all the things together.

“Be, hindi ata ganyan eto o nakalagay dito dapat...” she says trying to help him.

“Be okay na, kaya ko to, I don’t need the instruction guide.” he says confidently

She puts the instruction guide down and rolls her eyes “Sabi mo eh...”

15 minutes later and the tent is still no where near being done. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and fans himself quickly, cleary getting tired and frustrated.

She sees him struggling with the tent and from where she is sitting she mockingly asks “Okay ka pa? Baka gusto mong tulungan kita...?

He turns back to face her and bitterly replies “Okay lang ako, diba sabi ko kaya ko? Kaya ko.”

She puts her hands up as if trying to tell him to relax a little “Okay kaya mo, I wont say anything more.”

Another 15 minutes pass, she has her elbows on her knees and her face cupped in her hands. She doesn’t dare speak again but in her head she’s praying that he give up and just ask for help already. She’s getting bored waiting for him so she starts to hum to herself.

He turns around and ruffles his hair. Giving up, he says“Okay sige na, tulungan mo na ako”

She lets out a sigh of relief and then quickly gets up. She takes the instruction guide with her and within minutes they have the tent up. She claps her hands together when the tent is finally up and smiles at him as she walks towards him. She stands to his side and wraps her arms around his waist. He puts his arm around her shoulders.

“See we work much better as a team...”

“Oo na, tama ka na, wag ka nang mangasar. Halika na kain na tayo, gutom na gutom na ako”

She laughs at him and answers “I bet.”

He brashly glares at her and she smiles innocently at him as she puts her hands up in surrender. He laughs at her and holds her tighter in his arms.

This is exactly what made their relationship so easy, what made them work – their playfullness. At the end of the day it didn’t matter how successful they were or how many awards they had under their belt what mattered was they had fun together and they made each other laugh. They complimented each other very well. He was the serious and wise kind of guy while she was playful and sometimes childlike. In a relationship it is important to be madly in love but love sometimes isn’t enough, most times you need more than love. And their relationship was far beyond just love, it wasn’t just destiny or fate that brought them together it was also choice, they choose each other because they brought out something in each other that no one else could.

It’s late in the evening and their is a cool breeze as they are sitting in front of the campfire, sharing a blanket, under the enchanting star covered sky. She’s quitely sitting there listening to him as he makes kwento about things that happened while she was on tour. With her head leaning on his shoulder she is half listening to his story and half thinking about what he had said earlier that day. She wondered whether or not he sometimes felt as though she was taking granted of him.

“Be...” he says softly after she doesn’t reply to a question he asked.

Suddenly snapping out of her thoughts she looks up to him and smiles “O ba’t ka tumigil?”

“May tinatanong ako sa yo, hindi ka naman sumagot, antok ka na ba?”

She shakes her head and lays it back down on his shoulder “Hindi may iniisip lang ako, sige na you have my full attention. Ano ulit yung sinasabi mo?”

Uninterested to continue with his ramblings he asks “Anong iniisip mo?”

She sits up and turns a little to face him “Minsan ba, kahit minsan lang, naiisip mo ba na I take you for granted?” she asks bowing her head down feeling kind of guilty.

He closes his eyes and softly smiles feeling guilty for putting that thought in her head. He lifts her head up and shakes his head “Kahit kailan I never felt like you were taking me for granted minsan nga pakiramdam ko ako pa yung mapansamantala eh. Nasabi ko lang yun kanina but I didn’t mean it and I’m sorry for making you think that.”

“Sigurado ka? Kasi naisip ko lang na tama ka, madalas schedule ko naman talaga yung sagabal eh at madalas ikaw yung nagsusuffer nang consequences...”

He pulls her in close trying to reassure her that he didn’t feel that way and that she didn’t need to feel guilty.

“Ano ka ba? Bago pa naging tayo alam ko na kailangan kong makihati sa trabaho at pamilya mo and kung isyu yun di sana matagal na tayong nagkaproblema. Yung dedication mo sa trabaho mo at yung pagmamahal mo sa pamilya mo, those are all the things I love about you kaya kung nawawalan ka man nang panahon for me dahil sa kagustohan mong maging mabuting anak at artista, I get it and I love you for all that you are. At kahit di tayo magkasama lagi, kahit minsan lang tayong magkachance na makapag sama nang ganito, kahit kailan hindi ka nag kulang sa kin...”

Relieved she returns his embrace and wraps her arms around him, she lifts up her face just inches from his and stares deeply into his eyes. Softly she says “Kahit kailan ayokong maramdaman mo na huli ka sa buhay ko because that’s not true... mahal na mahal kita...”

Just then she moves in closer and softly places a kiss on his lips. With the stars and the moon as witnesses they share a passionate, slow and lingering kiss - the sweetest thus far.

The night was perfect, it was better than he had hoped for and more than she could have ever dreamed up. But if only she knew that this was just the beginning and John Lloyd had an even bigger surprise for her, if only she knew it only got better from here.

One and Only XI

It’s been a wonderful first year for the two fo them and for the most part it was smooth sailing. Sure they had their arguments and petty fights but they always found a way to patch things up. They had long been planning a little camping trip together to celebrate their first anniversay but unfortunately work got in the way. She was on tour for their anniversary and wasn’t going to be home for another 2 weeks. He wanted to join her on her tour but there was just no working around his busy schedule so they just agreed to celebrate their anniversary when she got back home.

She’s laying in bed when she notices her phone blinking.

“Happy Anniversary may surprise ako for you check your email.”

Curious she quickly rushes to the desk where her laptop is and takes a seat. She opens up his email and sees a video attatchment.

“Happy Anniversary Bebe ko” he greets her with a smile. “Miss na kita and I can’t wait for you to come home para makapagcelebrate na tayo. Marami akong gustong sabihin sa ‘yo pero mas maganda kung sabihin ko in person so hurry back home wag ka nang mageextend ha. Anyways this is just a little something for you na ginawa ko enjoy and I love you. Mwah!” the video pauses for a second before it continues. He put together a slide show of their pictures, telling their lovestory. She’s teary eyed as she is watching this missing him even more. She doesn’t realize right away that it’s his voice singing in the background. She smiles hearing him singing, maybe he didn’t have the greatest voice in the world and he didn’t have a nack for singing but to her his voice was the only one that could melt her heart.

She watched that video everyday, counting down the days till she saw him again.

The week before she came home he spent most of his free time at her house with her family. He would spend all the free time he could with her mom learning how to cook her favourite dishes. Two days before her returns home he’s in the kitchen with her mom standing over the stove. He takes the lid off the pot and takes a taste of it.

“Tita okay na ba to?”

She turns around to face him and takes a taste for herself. He’s looking at her anxiously awaiting her verdict. He’s been trying to perfect this for over a week now and he really needed to get it right now. She’s standing there silently taking her time and then finally she looks at him and smiles.

“Na perfect mo na din, masarap.”

He smiles at her relieved and as she is turning her back to clean up a little bit he asks “Pasado na? Pwede na akong magasawa?”

She quickly turns back to face him shocked at what he just said, she wasn’t sure if he was just joking around or if he was serious. He’s just smiling at her.

“Seryoso ka?” she asks him as she leans against the counter.

He nods his head. “Kinausap ko na po si tito. Alam kong medyo mabilis ang lahat nang pangyayari pero I don’t see any reason to wait any longer. Mahal ko po si Sarah and nung una pa lang po akong nagpaalam sa inyo alam ko na po na sya yung gusto kong makasama habang buhay. Tita with your blessing I want to ask her to marry me.” he says pulling the ring out of his pocket to show his future mother in law.

Her mom is standing still thinking quietly to herself for a bit when a tear rolls down her cheek. He sees it and suddenly gets worried.

“Tita okay ka lang? Tita kung hindi pa kayo ready I can wait...”

She looks up at him wipes her tears away and smiles “No, okay lang, you have my blessing. Hindi ko lang naisip na ganito kabilis mangyayari ang lahat. Pero nung tinggap kita bilang boyfriend nang anak ko pinagdasal ko na dumating tong araw na to kasi ayoko na syang makitang masaktan ulit. Lloydie, salamat, salamat kasi alam kong nasa mabuting kamay ang anak ko.”

Everything was set. He had been waiting all week for this moment. He checks his watch every few minutes impatiently waiting for her flight to land. He had lunch ready at his condo and everything they needed for their camping trip was all packed up and ready for them when they departed after lunch.

Her plane has finally landed and he’s waiting outside the gates for her. She is one of the last people to exit and once he sees her he calls for her right away. Upon hearing his voice her face lights up and like a kid she jumps up in excitement. She had been gone for almost two months and they both couldn’t wait to see each other. She makes her way over to him and quickly places a kiss on his lips. Shocked he stands still for a moment. She must have really missed him because it wasn’t in her personality to be so affectionate in public, she was always very careful to keep their PDA at a minimum.

She’s holding his face in her hands and is leaning her head against his with her eyes closed still “I missed you.”

She finally opens her eyes and looks at him lovingly with a smile on her face. He takes her hands from his face and holds them in his own.

“Na miss din kita...”

After retrieving all of her baggage they head out to the car and go on their way.

She’s looking out the window as he drives, her hand in his.

“Teka, saan tayo pupunta, hindi naman ito yung way papunta sa bahay ah?”

“May surprise ako para sa ‘yo...”

She looks back at him curious as to what the surprise could be. She’s silent for a moment trying to be patient but she can’t hold back her curiousity.

“Kailangan bang surprise pa yan? Sabihin mo na sa kin please, please.” shes now turned facing him in her seat making lambing to him as he drives.

He looks over at her pleading with him like a child and laughs.

“Hindi pwede, matagal kong pinaghirapan tong surprise na to kaya wait ka lang malapit na naman tayo eh.”

She pouts at him and says “Sige na pleeeaaaseee” as she showers his face with kisses.

He’s smiling from ear to ear trying hard to concentrate on the road “Sandali lang, Be, nagdadrive ako baka maaksidente tayo...”

She gives up he wasn’t budging so she turns back in her seat and just has her eyes on the road.

Traffic. She’s sitting there her head leaning back her eyes fixated on the heavy traffic they were stuck in.

“Be, sige na, tingnan mo o ang traffic matatagalan pa tayo, sabihin mo na kung ano yung surprise mo...”

He looks over at her and can’t help himself from smiling at her making pacute to him.

“Ayaw mo talagang magantay? Pinaghirapan ko to and I really wanted it to be a surprise, pero if you really want me to spoil it then...”

He’s just about to cave and tell her already when she stops him

“Wag, sige na okay na I’ll wait, mas exciting kung surprise sya...” she says smiling with excitement.

Relieved he pinches her cheek softly and says “Ang kulit mo talaga”

She shrugs her shoulders at him and just smiles before leaning her head onto his shoulder. They finally make it to his place and just before they step out of the car she looks over at him.

“Diba surprise wala bang pangtakip nang mata?”

He laughs at her and she smiles at him eagerly.

“Ganito na lang” he says as he helps her out of the car. He stands behind her and covers her eyes with his hands. He opens the door and leads her up to his suite.

“Dahan dahan, sandali lang buksan ko yung pinto ipikit mo na lang yung mata mo.”

He unlocks the door as fast as he can and takes her by the shoulders, her eyes tightly shut. Okay wait ka lang may aayusin lang ako.

She stands by the door as he rushes to the window and shuts the blinds. He lights up some candles and then tells her to open her eyes.

She waits awhile before she finally opens up her eyes. He’s standing before her in anticipation of her reaction. She looks around the room and puts her hands over her chest then looks at him.

“Be...” was all she could say.

He makes his way over to her and leads her to her seat.

“Mas maganda kung gabi sana para matanaw natin yung mga bituin pero I couldn’t wait for dinner tsaka may iba pa akong surprise for you mamaya...”

“Meron pa? Lloydie nagabala ka pa, alam mo naman na hindi ko kailangan nang mga surprises like this, alam mo naman na just being with you is enough for me.”

“Alam ko pero first anniversary natin so I wanted to make it extra special and I have a feeling na magiging sobrang special nitong celebration natin” he says with his hand in his pocket holding the box in his hand.

Just then her stomach grumbles and she looks at him shyly “Kain na tayo...”

He smiles at her and takes his seat. As they are eating he would look up at her every few seconds to see if she was enjoying her meal. She catches him staring at her.

“Bakit? Masyado na bang madami yung nakakain ko kaya tingin ka nang tingin?” she says looking down at her plate.

“Hindi, hindi, kain ka pa, tinitingnan ko lang kung nasasarapan ka... masarap ba?”

“Hindi pa ba halata? Saan ka umorder?” she asks him with a smile.

“Ako nagluto...”

She looks up at him surprised.

“Nagpaturo ako sa mommy mo.” he says proudly.

She puts her hand out onto the table and he places his hand in hers “I love you.” was all she could say at the moment. They sit there silently stealing glances from each other when they catch each others eyes and start laughing.

“Ano ba? Para tayong mga tanga, ba’t ganyan ka maka tingin?”

“Namiss lang talaga kita... eh ikaw ba’t ka ganyan maka tingin”

“Wala... iniisip ko lang na ang swerte ko sa yo...”

He laughs softly looking down at his plate “Ako nga yung swerte sa yo eh. Alam mo if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be like this naman eh. You’ve made me want to be a better person...”

After lunch he collects all the dishes. She’s standing behind him just watching him, imagining in her mind what life would be like if they got married. He’s just about to start washing the dishes when she walks up beside him.

“Tulungan na kita.”

“Wag na ako na, kaya ko na to.”

“Sige na tulungan na kita, it’s the least I can do.”

He looks over at her and is about to argue that he can do it when he sees her tying her hair up.

“Sige na nga...” he conceeds.

They finish washing the dishes and she turns back to the table to blow out the candles. She then walks towards the window and is about to open up the blinds again when he stops her.

“Iwan mo an yan aalis na din naman tayo, halika na.” he says with his hand out waiting for her to walk back to him.

She walks over to him and takes his hand “Saan tayo pupunta.”

“Secret muna yun...”

He’s smiling mischievioulsy at her and she frowns at him as she leans her head onto his shoulder.

Whining she says “Nanaman...”

He kisses the top of her head and says “I promise it’ll be worth it”

She pouts her head still leaning on his shoulder and she whispers to herself “It better”

TBC

One and Only X

It’s Sunday morning and they arrive at the studio together. They’re sitting down at centrestage on the staircase talking about sweet nothings not realizing that everyone is watching them.

“Okay guys halika na start na tayo” Teacher Georcelle calls out “Kanto boys kayo muna”

He kisses her forehead before he jumps up and joins the rest of the boys on stage who are all looking at them. They didn’t need to say anything everybody figured it out and they all thought it was about time, the Kanto Boys especially. She quickly stands up and moves to the sidelines to watch him from there. She’s so focused on him that she doesn’t even realize that Christian is standing right beside her.

From just behind her he whispers right into her ear “Finally...”

She looks over at him and smiles “Ano?”

“Finally pinakingan nyo na pareho yang mga puso nyo...”

She looks back out at John Lloyd and smiles as she bows her head down slightly.

“Kuya thank you. Salamat kasi pinarealize mo sa kin na hindi ako dapat matakot magmahal ulit. Kung hindi dahil sa yo baka nakawala na sya...”

“You’re welcome pero alam mo pakiramdam ko hindi naman sya mawawala sa yo kahit na pagantayin mo pa sya eh, kasi diba sabi mo true love waits... pero mas okay na hindi mo na sya pinagantay nang mas matagal, kasi kung hindi eh di sana hindi kita nakikitang ganyan ka saya ngayon.”

She laughs to herself and blushes “Obvious ba?”

He laughs as he puts his arm around her shoulders “Medyo, pero bagay sa yo...”

It didn’t take long before more and more people learn about the two of them and soon enough the press people were all over them. They didn’t deny their relationship but they didn’t flaunt it in public either. They both choose to keep the relationship as personal and private as possible because they wanted to protect it from the prying and malicious eyes of showbusiness. They limited their public appearances together and tried to find ways to spend time together without the public watching them.

She was in the recording studio waiting for her cue, her eyes closed and her hands over her headset. The melody is softly playing in the background, she was in her comfort zone and she looked so relaxed and serene. On the other side of the window is her voice coach, the composer of the song, and the sound engineers. They’re all listening in waiting for her to finish the song. He walks in quietly and right away is captured by the her voice. This wasn’t the first time he’d hear her singing but everytime she would send chills up and down his spine. He’s staring at her in awe, she looked her most beautiful when she was at her simplest.

He’s standing still just watching her in her element when the song comes to an end. She smiles before opening up her eyes. She turns to face the people on the other side of the window and signals a thumbs up.

“Perfect Sarah, mag lunch ka na then after irecord na natin yung next song.”

She takes off her headset and is just about to exit the studio when she notices him in the back of the room. She squints her eyes and stands on her tip toes.

“Lloydie...?”

Everybody turns around and finally acknowledges his presence. He waves at her and smiles at everybody else in the room.

She quickly rushes out of the studio and walks straight over to him.

“Hindi mo naman sinabi na pupunta ka today? Diba eto lang ang free day mo, dapat nagpahinga ka na lang you have a long week ahead of you...”

“Kaya nga ako nandito eh, kasi ngayon lang yung free day ko and I wanted to see you.”

She shyly smiles at him, touched at his gesture. She looks over at the clock and then back at him.

“May two songs pa akong kailangang irecord baka mainip ka dito.”

“No okay lang, sobra nga akong nageenjoy habang pinapanood ka doing what you do best. Pero kung top secret pa tong nirerecord mo I’ll go.”

“Hindi, okay lang mas okay nga na nandito ka, mas feel ko yung kanta.”

They have a brief lunch together and then she gets back to her recording. When she finishes recording she walks back over to him and takes a seat beside him.

“Tapos ka na?”

She nods her head “Antayin lang natin kung okay na ang lahat, pag okay na then we can leave.”

“Saan mo gustong pumunta?”

“Ikaw?”

“Ikaw na, ako na yung pumili last time diba?”

She sits there thinking to herself of what they should do. She then gets an idea.

“Kuya may gagamit ba nang studio pagkatapos natin dito?”

“Wala na.”

Her face lights up “Pwedeng gamitin muna namin yung studio?”

He looks over at the other people in the room and no one sees why not so he lets them stay and tells them to make sure to turn off all the lights and equipment before they leave.

He looks over at her confused, “Anong gagawin natin dito?”

She smiles at him mischieviously and answers “Akong bahala, just trust me.”

Everybody leaves the studio and it’s just the two of them now. She takes him by the hand and leads him inside. She pulls out some music sheets and places them in front of him and then hands him the headset.

“Pakakantahin mo ako?”

She looks around her then takes a deep breath “Dito sa studio, habang nagrerecording ako, this is when I feel most alive. This is like home to me, eto yung comfort zone ko, eto yung mundo ko... Pag nandito ako at nagrerecording nothing else exits, no one else exists, it’s just me and the music. Dito ko nakakalimutan lahat nang mga problema ko and I want you to be a part of that world, I want you to exist in the place where I am happiest and most at peace.”

She’s never let anyone into her life like she let him. With him she wasn’t afraid to show her vulnerable side and to share her most intimate thoughts. At this moment she was laying it all on the line, with him standing there she was surrendering herself, heart and soul.

He smiles at her knowing that this was a big step for her. He pulls her into an embrace and whispers to her “Salamat, kasi pinagkakatiwala mo sa kin ang lahat nang ito.”

This no longer was a world that she secretly kept to herself, it was now their world, a world where no one but the two of them existed.

She’s sitting on the other side of the window watching him as he takes on the song that she put out in front of him. He’s having fun with it dancing along to the song and she’s enjoying herself watching him. The song ends and he quickly turns to face her.

She claps her hands and says “Yes naman, iba ka talaga, sumosonger ka na ngayon.”

He laughs at her and shortly comes out and joins her on the other side. She’s doing some finishing touches to the song he just recorded before she plays it for him.

“So yun pala yung feeling na magrecording? Nakakarelax, parang pag suot mo yung headset nawawala lahat nang nasa paligid mo it’s just you and the music, mas maganda nga lang siguro kung sadyang may boses ka”

She looks over at him and laughs “Mabuti naman at nagenjoy ka, ang sarap mo nang panoorin eh”

“Frustration ko talaga yang pagkanta eh, wish ko pag nagkaanak na tayo mamana nila yung ganda nang boses mo”

“Anak? Masyado ka namang advanced kung magisip...” she answers still staring at the computer screen editing the song.

“Bakit? What’s wrong with that? Hindi mo ba naiisip yung future minsan...”

“Diba ikaw yung nagsabi na lets live in the moment?”

“Dati yun...”

“Bakit anong nagbago bakit ngayon okay lang na isipin natin yung future?”

“Kasi noon magulo pa ang lahat, hindi pa natin alam kung saan papunta ang lahat but now, now we’ve figured things out. I want you to be the last, yung makakasama ko habang buhay. Ikaw na yung one and only ko.”

She can’t believe what she’s hearing. It was still so early in their relationship but she couldn’t deny that she felt the same for him. She use to dream of her first being her last but since that didn’t work out she’s always prayed that the next time she fell in love it would be with the man she would spend forever with.

He’s looking at her intently and she looks over her shoulder at him. He brushes her hair away from her face and nods his head.

“You’re the one for me, ikaw na talaga...”

She closes her eyes feeling the warmth of his palm on her face “ikaw na yung forever ko”

She opens her eyes and sees his pinky sticking up in front of her, she looks at him wondering what he’s doing.

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise what?”

“That this is it, na tayo na hanggang sa huli.”

“Ano to proposal?” she asks him

“Hindi, alam ko naman na it’s not the time to propose and get married, I just want you to know that I’m serious. Someday magpropropose ako sayo at pakakasalan kita but til that time comes gusto kong panghawakan mo tong pangako ko.”

She has always hated promises, especially ones like the one he was making but at this moment she just let her heart take control. She put her pinky out and locked it with his. Everything felt perfect at this moment, nothing could ruin their mood tonight. With their pinkys locked they kiss for the first time.

TBC