A Very Good Place To Start

Doce

"Kinahihiya mo ba ako?" he teases with a shit-eating grin but she shakes her head.

She tuts. "Of course not! You have been by my side and in my life since we were kids. Do you think I would think that way?"

"But?" he continues, still teasing but quite amused that his usually very quick fiance hasn't caught on yet but at the same time, he is curious to hear what she has to say.

"But... I like keeping something that only the two of us know. It's something that I want to hold on to for a while. I mean, everything that has happened between us for the past few days has been life-changing, and I just want to process things and savor every bit of it. I promise, I'll tell Ate when we get back to Boston."

"So, in five days?"

She giggles. "Maybe. Why are you so worried about this?"

"Because..." now he winces for real. " I'm scared of Ate Lorna. I didn't even ask for her permission..."

Lea laughs and pushes at him playfully. "Oh my god naman! Ang tanda tanda mo na and you're still scared of my Ate?!"

He scoffs. "Nakita mo ba kung paano tumingin si Ate Lorna ng masama? Parang huling araw mo na sa Earth. Tsaka I didn't get to ask permission from her."

She bites her inner cheek to keep herself from laughing because otherwise, she will just keep on picking on him. Honestly, she never quite understood why he was afraid of her Ate when they were younger and now, she's not quite sure if he's being serious or not. Nonetheless, Lea is touched at the thought that he got over his apprehension or fear or whatever. The proposal was really spontaneous, and he didn't even get to ask permission from their parents or whoever is the de facto guardian who just happens to be her Ate at the moment, which is traditionally expected, but Lea doesn't care. With or without permission, she knows her answer, and she'll choose him over and over again.

She tilts her head and reaches for his lips, giving him a soft peck. "You don't have to ask for her approval, Ian," she tells him when she pulls away. "With or without Ate's approval, I'll say yes."

Ian's heart melts. It wasn't the most gentlemanly thing to do, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity given to him. He gives her a kiss. "Well, even if you say no, I'll make sure it's a yes because you're stuck with me forever."

They share another kiss and only pull away when they hear Mason's voice approaching them.

"Tamy! Dada! Look!" Mason is running toward them, holding a bag of treats, with another kid trailing behind him.

"Hey, what have you got there, bud?" Ian asks, inspecting the plastic that his son is holding.

"My new friend gave it to me! He said he is giving out treats because it's New Year's. Right?" Mason looks at the boy behind him.

The boy nods and shows a toothless smile. "Yup! Those are my favorite candies. Mason said he likes candies, but I don't know if he can eat peanuts. My mama says to always ask"

"I can, right, Dada? Because I eat peanut butter!"

"That's my favorite!" The boy exclaims. "I love peanut butter."

Ian chuckles while Lea is amazed at how Mason was able to socialize with another kid. "Yes, anak. You can eat peanuts. But did you say thank you to your new friend? What's your name, buddy?"

"Oh! I'm Theo, and I'm six and a half years old!" Theo replies with a big grin.

"You are a tall one for a six and a half-year-old." Lea replies, noting the half part of his age. "Thanks for sharing your candies with Mason. That's so sweet of you."