Here, Under the Stars

CHAPTER 23

-- MAGUI --

I stared at the bouquet of flowers as Ashi greeted me with a happy birthday. It was already 12 AM. I slowly took the bouquet from her and smiled bitterly.

It's my birthday.

It's dad's death anniversary.

I forgot.

"Magui?" Ashi called for me when she noticed that I wasn't happy. "Don't you celebrate your birthday anymore?"

"The last time I celebrated my birthday was four years ago. You threw me a simple celebration. We even went to dad's grave." I tried to smile as I remembered the last time I celebrated my birthday.

I remembered how my 15th birthday was the last and real birthday celebration I ever had. I spent my 16th and 17th at the hospital. Dad died on my 18th. I celebrated my 19th with Ashi. So did my 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. We would just eat or hang out together and finish the day at the cemetery. I stopped celebrating after that.

Who would've thought that I would celebrate it again with Ashi?

"Thank you, Ashi." I hugged her as I felt my tears streaming.

"Are you happy?" She asked worriedly. "If you're uncomfortable, we can cancel this."

"And waste your hard work? I don't think so." I told her.

I pulled her chair to help her sit down. I went to my seat and the waiter served us our appetizer.

"Are you sure?" She asked me again.

"I only celebrate my birthday if I'm with you." I held her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "You're the only person who can make me feel welcome in this world. You know how difficult my birthday is for me. I always question my existence but then I had you. You made my existence worth living."

We started eating. We just talked about random things as we finished a 3-course meal. Ashi planned a lot of things but we weren't able to do it when a hotel staff told us that it was raining. 

Ashi and I looked at each other before we ran outside.

"Unplanned things are always more fun," Ashi told me while we were running.

"It always is."

We went out of the hotel and we let the rain fall into our formal outfits. We didn't care about how we looked anymore. We were just dancing in the rain.

"Can I take this dance?" Ashi offered her hand and I grabbed it.

Ashi placed her right hand on my shoulder while I placed mine on her waist. Our left hands were holding each other as we danced in the rain.

"Sa minsang pagbali ng hanging
Hinila patungo sa akin
Tanging ika'y iibiging wagas at buo
Payapa sa yakap ng iyong hiwaga
Payapa sa yakap ng iyong"

Ashi and I started singing together to make our dance more meaningful. Turns out we didn't need background music at all. Sariling sikap lang, sapat na.