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