Aftershock

Part 2

 Maine peeled herself from his arms to reach for the  remote control. Alden was already leaning into the side of the couch, looking completely exhausted.

"May movies ako dito. Gusto mo manood?" she asked.

"Mmmhmmm," he mumbled  as he crawled towards her, settling his head on her lap. "Meng, tulog lang ako saglit," he murmured as he kicked off his shoes and lifted his legs onto the couch. In seconds, he had dozed off.

In her lap, Alden's face looked peaceful and content, as if all was well in the world.  His bruises, though, told a different story.

She stared into space as the rain mercilessly beat against the windows. Her heart ached when she realized that she nearly lost him this morning. The possibility of losing him--she had never thought of it before today. How brutal life can be: one moment I'm telling the man I love about my birthday dinner, and the next moment, the man I love has been in an accident.

 The. Man. I. Love.

She loved him. It was crystal clear to her now. She had always loved him. The thought of losing him was too horrible to fathom. She closed her eyes and felt a single tear slide down her cheek. Thank you Lord for keeping him safe, she prayed as she lightly caressed his sleeping face. I wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to him. I would never forgive myself for not telling him how I feel.

Her phone vibrated in her robe pocket, interrupting her thoughts. Alden continued to sleep. Her Twitter notifications exploded, no doubt asking if she knew about the accident. She slowly scrolled down her message inbox to read the messages Alden had sent her earlier.

9:14 am "Meng, I've been in an accident. But I'm fine. Don't worry."

9:32 am "Andito na tow truck. Will be at Broadway soon. OK lang ako, don't worry."

10:12 am "Meng, wag ka mag worry sa pic ng van na nasa Twitter. We're OK. Trust me. See you later."

11:02 am "Meng, can I see you later?"

11:15 am "Meng, now at Broadway. Rehearsals for your birthday tomorrow! Excited ka na ba?"

11:45 am "Meng, nag-lunch ka na?

12:15 pm "Meng, I don't feel so good. Pwede ba ako tumambay sa condo mo?"

1:20 pm "On the way. Taxi lang ako. I just need to see you."

1:47 pm "Can't wait to see you."

2:25 pm "Here na."

Even at his most shaken moments, he was still thinking of her, she realized. She wiped another tear with the back of her hand. She saw all the messages of concern from her family and friends, as well as the concerned tweets of all his fans. They were all as shaken as she was. As soon as pictures of the wrecked car and him sitting stunned on the sidewalk appeared on her feed, she shut her phone.

She rested her head back on the couch. I almost lost Alden today, she painfully realized. What if she did? How would she cope? She was lost in deep thought for several minutes, ruminating the dreadful scenario in her head.

"Meng?"
She looked at him.
"Tulog ka lang, Alden. I'm OK," she whispered, still stroking his arm. "Binasa ko lang mga tweets."

"Gusto mo ba malaman kung ano ang unang naisip ko after nabangga kami?" he asked as he propped himself up. He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. On instinct, Maine drew closer and rested  her head on his chest.
"Ano?"
"Ma-miss kaya ako ni Maine?" he said with a sleepy smile.
She clasped her hand tighter around his and snuggled her head deeper into his chest.

"Kanina," he began. "Sa Broadway, nag pray ako. Lord, salamat na OK kami ni Mama Ten. Salamat at walang nangyari sa driver ng kabilang kotse. Salamat at kotse ko lang ang nasira -- na hindi ako kailangan magpa-ospital. Pero alam mo, ang pinaka-prayer ko kanina......" his voice trailed as he played with her hair. "Salamat, Lord, at makikita ko pa si Maine today."

She found herself sobbing softly, dampening the front of his shirt. He placed his bruised arm around her. "At salamat Lord," he continued, "Na may pagkakataon pa akong sabihin kay Meng na mahal na mahal ko siya." His voice broke with the weight of his emotions. "Mahal na mahal," he repeated, kissing the top of her head.

They sat there in silence, entangled in each other for several minutes until Maine sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"At salamat, Lord," she continued, gazing straight into his eyes, "Na may pagkakataon din akong sabihin na mahal na mahal ko rin si Alden."

A lump formed in Alden's throat as tears ran down his cheeks, amazed at what he just heard.

"Mahal na mahal," she repeated, her voice filled with love and gratitude.

She pulled him closer and touched her lips to his, feathery and tentative at first. Then Alden responded passionately, deepening the kiss and slowly laying her down on the couch. All the speculation, all the doubt, all the suspicions of the way they felt for each other were all obliterated in one long, loving, hungry kiss.

She kissed him as if nothing else mattered in the world.
She kissed him as if they had
been lovers for a longer time.
She kissed him as if she would never see him again.

Because today, she nearly didn't.

___END___

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