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
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Note1 - just want I imagined the dress to look like
Note2 - The Best of Me by Karylle and Martin Nievera
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