Until Forever (Published!)

Chapter 37

Naroon siya sa loob ng silid ni Jasmin at inaantay na makatulog ang ina nang marinig ang pagbukas ng pinto. She looked back and saw Micheal. He smiled at her, and in an instant, her heart leaped out of her chest. His dark eyes were sparkling when he quickly entered the room.

Parang bigla yatang sinilaban ang kanyang puwet kaya napatayo siya sa stool na kinauupuan.

"I'm sorry, hon. May mahalaga lang akong bagay na inasikaso sa resort kaya ginabi ako nang uwi," he said as he walked towards her.

Napatingin tuloy siya sa orasang nakasabit sa dingding. Hindi pa naman malalim ang gabi. Mag-aalas sais pa lamang.

Inabot siya nito. His hands snaked around her waist. And before she could say a word, he planted a soft kiss over her lips. She did not expect his chaste kiss. Ngunit bago pa man siya maka-react ay madaling natapos ang halik. But it made her heartbeat palpitate to the point that she had to hold her breath. Mas lalo pa siyang hinapit ni Micheal. Their closeness gave her an exhilirating rush.

May kasalanan pa ang lalaking ito sa kanya kagabi. Pero biglang natunaw ang inis niya nang maghinang ang kanilang mga mata. He was looking at her with his smoldering eyes, eyes that instantly burned the annoyance in her heart.

"How's your day?" malambing nitong tanong habang magkahinang ang kanilang mga paningin. His hands were running over her back, giving her tingles of comfort.

And she found herself smiling. "I'm okay. Halos buong araw kong inalagaan ang Mama." She was really happy the whole day because she was with her mother.

"Yeah, I can see that. Hanggang ngayon ay nandito ka pa rin sa silid ng Mama. But you need to rest now. Tinawag ko na sina Karina at Rosalie upang pansamantalang humalili sa iyo rito."

"O-okay..." iyon na lamang ang nasabi niya. Nahigit na naman niya ang hininga nang muling bihagin nito ang kanyang mga labi. This time, he kissed her deeper, a kiss that showed need and urgency.

And her bones melted. Paano naman siya magagalit sa gunggong na ito kung ganito ito ka-sweet sa kanya?

Kumalas ito sa pagkakayakap sa kanya at nilingon si Jasmin. "Hi, Ma!" Nilapitan nito ang babae at hinalikan sa pisngi. "How are you?" Pero walang reaksiyon mula sa babae. Nilingon siya nito. "How's Mama Jasmin? Hindi ka ba nahihirapan sa pag-aalaga sa kanya?" he asked while his fingers ran through the locks of Jasmin's hair.

"It will never be a burden to me, Micheal. I just wish that she will get better soon," wika niya pagkatapos ay napabuntong-hininga. Sa loob nang maikling panahon ay nakita niya kung paano pahalagahan ni Micheal ang ina. Katulad na lamang ngayon. She could see love and concern in his eyes while he gently stroke her mother's hair with his fingers. Yumuko ito, and whispered something in Jasmin's ear. Pagkatapos ay umunat ito, lumakad palapit sa kanya, and hugged her again, tighter this time around.

"Dalawa na tayong mag-aalaga ngayon sa kanya, so I'm pretty much sure that she'll get better soon, hon. Nag-file nga pala ako ng leave sa resort at magiging effective iyon sa susunod na mga araw."

She swallowed hard. "You don't need to take a leave, Micheal," nag-aalalang wika niya. Kung hindi ito papasok sa trabaho, for sure 24 hours silang magkakasama. And she didn't like that. It was a danger zone that she didn't want to cross. "I can manage here. No one will properly take care of the affairs of the resort if you're not there."

"That's why we have employees," sagot nito. "For them to do the work for us."

"Still, you need to supervise them," she insisted. She really wasn't comfortable with Micheal around her all the time. Hindi kasi siya makapag-isip nang matino.

His lips twitched in a sly grin. "I just want to take a break because I just got married. I want to spend more time with you. I deserve a spousal leave."

Gusto niya sanang maggalit-galitan pero na-amuse siya sa sinabi nito. She couldn't help but smile. Spousal leave daw? As much as possible, she wanted to be cold and formal with Micheal. She wanted to detach herself from him, but her efforts proved futile. He had his own ways to charm her. Not good, she told herself. But she couldn't help it. "Loko!" Inirapan niya ito.

"Sinabi sa akin ni Karina na marunong ka raw magmasahe at hinilot mo ang Mama kanina. At nakita niya kung paano mag-respond ang sirkulasyon ng dugo ng Mama dahil sa ginawa mo. Thank you for that, hon. You just don't know how I appreciate your efforts."

She did not know how to react. Yakap siya ni Micheal at malakas ang kabog ng kanyang dibdib. And he spoke as if he really meant what he said. That he appreciated her care towards her mother. Naninibago siya. This side of Micheal was entirely new to her. She was used to him being arrogant and unaccommodating, and him being sweet, appreciative and caring, were a total surprise. He wasn't a jerk afterall. And he was smiling so often now. A smile that could really sweep her off her feet. His smoldering, dark eyes and dazzling smile was a combo that was hard to ignore. Not when Micheal was looking at her like this with that mesmerizing curves on his lips. My, but she was charmed!

Inilapit nito ang mukha sa kanya. The tips of their noses brushed. With eyes hooding at each other, he spoke. "Thank you for taking good care of Mama Jasmin, Mia," he whispered huskily.

She thought that he would kiss her. His lips were just a few millimeters away from hers. In fact, if she would just tiptoe a bit, their lips would crash against each other. At napuno nang pananabik ang kanyang dibdib. She was carried away by the magic of the moment. Dalawang beses na siyang hinalikan ni Micheal magmula nang dumating ito. Surely another one wouldn't hurt her at all. In fact, she was anticipating for it. She was about to close her eyes to wait for his lips to cover hers when they heard knocks on the door.

"The nurses are already here," wika nito. "Let's go." Pinakawalan siya nito at iginiya palapit sa pinto. Nakakapit ang isang kamay nito sa kanyang baywang. He opened the door. Nandoon na nga sina Karina at Rosalie. "Kayo na muna ang bahala sa Mama, Karina, Rosalie," wika nito sa dalawa.

"Yes, sir!" magkasabay na sagot ng dalawang private nurse.

Kaagad na hinila siya ni Micheal palayo at nilisan nila ang silid ng ina. "Saan tayo pupunta?" she asked as she tagged along with him.

He just sported a mischievous smile. Nakagat na lang tuloy niya ang pang-ibabang labi. Her heart beat faster in anticipation.