"Zade, what are you doing?" natatawang sabi ko. He put a finger on his lips as if to say shhh. So I shut my mouth and just waited. He unbuckled his belt and removed his pants. My cheeks were blazing as I stared at his boxer shorts. He started flexing his muscles and I laughed at him.
"Macho dancer ka na ngayon? Akala ko nerd ka lang?" Nagpipigil ang ngiti na pang-aasar ko. "Zade Gulapa."
He snickered. "Ako ang macho dancer ng buhay mo."
Napahagalpak ako ng tawa sa sinabi niya pero agad din iyong natigil nang magsimula siyang magsayaw. Ginaya niya ang mga sayaw ng mga lalaki sa bar. Sa kalagitnaan ng sayaw ay tumigil siya para dilaan ang pang-ibabang labi.
"Parang may kulang," he commented and I frowned.
"Ano naman 'yon?"
"Wala akong poste, babe." And all of a sudden, his face lit up. "Sandali lang."
He hurried toward his mini bathroom and when he went out, he was already holding a mop. Tawa ako ng tawa nang sayawan niya ang walang kamalay-malay at kaawa-awang mop na kanina ay nananahimik lang.
"You're so unbelievable, Andeng!" Naiiyak na ako dahil sa sobrang pagtawa pero tuloy pa rin siya sa ginagawa niyang pag-giling.
He is by far the hottest macho dancer ever, I'll give it to him.
"Tinatawanan mo lang naman ako, Maria Samantha! Sayang ang effort ko," wika niya bago isinandal ang mop sa dresser. He dropped himself on the bed next to me.
"Nakakatawa ka naman talaga. Saan mo naman 'yan natutunan?"
"Tinuruan kami ni Vane."
"That's insane."
He was catching his breath while I just lay there and listened.
"When do you want the wedding to happen?" tanong niya.
"Mmm..." I paused to think. "In a year?"
"Isn't that too long of a wait?"
"You want to get married na ba as soon as possible?"
"I do," he replied confidently. "I am sure of us."
"Gusto ko na rin naman. Kaso Zade, hindi ka ba nahihiya na—"
"Ayan ka na naman." Nabakas sa tono niya ang pagtatampo. "Sam, babe, how many times do I have to tell you na hindi kita ikinahihiya o kahit kailanman ikahihiya. I don't care what other people think, what other people say. It's not their happiness at stake. It's mine, it is ours. So, no, I don't give a shit about them. You're the only one I care about."
"Thank you for loving me the way you do. And I want you to know that I am as sure of you as you are of me, Zade."
"Do you want to get married pagkatapos ng therapy?"
He said it in a casual tone, the way one would ask a friend out to dinner. And I had tears in my eyes as I nodded and agreed, the way one would when you have no plans for the night. All in all, this was a beautiful moment and it is something I never ever want to forget.
Tumahimik ako. Instead of saying anything, I just gazed up at his ceiling.
"Do you remember the last line of Michael Faudet's Smitten?" He asked randomly.
YOU ARE READING
Love Until It Hurts (Monteverde Series 4)
RomanceZade does not believe that first love never dies. For him, no matter how fervent love is, if you don't nurture it, you'll eventually fall out of it. Sam does not believe that time heals all wounds. For her, no matter how many times she runs away f...
