Bongbong fetched Leni early from her house to bring her out for a date to celebrate their anniversary as a couple. She was busy browsing her social sites on her phone when she suddenly passed through a photo that got her to look twice. It was a photo of Bongbong at a party with his ex, Louise. Despite that he asked for her permission to allow him to go to the party last night, it was inevitable for her not to get jealous of her, besides, Bongbong didn't tell her that she would be there at the first place. The more that it made her feel jealous after realizing that he didn't leave any message or calls since she said good night to him last night.
Suddenly, she became quiet. "San mo gusto kumain? Chinese cuisine? Italian? Japanese? Ano?" He asked and held her hand as he stopped before the traffic light. "Kahit saan." She retorted coldly. "Ayan nanaman yung kahit saan. Saan ba yang restaurant na yan?" He joked but she didn't even smile.
"May problema ba?" He asked as he felt sensitive with her sudden coldness. It took her a while before she had the courage to bring it up. "Nasa party pala si Louise kagabi." He finally knew why she was acting cold.
"Ah, oo, I didn't expect her to be there too." He chuckled. "May picture pa kayo sa instagram." She added and looked straight at the road. "Nagseselos ka ba?" He asked with a laughing tone to ease the tension but she seemed quite serious. "Uy, sorry I didn't tell you about it immediately pero wala naman 'yun e." He explained and kissed her hand flashing a sweet smile to her but she refused to look.
"Bakit hindi ka tumawag saakin kagabi? Not even a message." She questioned, he was guilty as charged for missing to text her. "Sorry, sobrang napagod lang ako kagabi..." He retorted. "I mean, sa party. I got tired, napaidlip ako sandali kaso dumiretso na sa tulog." He clarified, she still won't look at him.
"Mahal, wag ka na magalit." He pinched her chin but she removed his hand away. "Bong naman kasi e." She blamed him for her sudden jealousy. "Sorry na, sige na, it's my fault. I should have told you, I shouldn't have had a photo with her kaso mapilit siya eh, gwapong gwapo yata saakin hanggang ngayon." He joked.
"Bong naman e, alam mo naman na hindi ako comfortable having Louise around you, tapos ito pa ang makikita ko today. Tapos sasabayan mo pa ng hindi pagtetext saakin. Anong gusto mong isipin ko?" She complained. "Jusko naman, you don't have to be jealous, there's clearly nothing to be jealous about, Leni." He retorted hating the fact that she is questioning his faithfulness.
Leni has always been wary of Louise,she's an Araneta, someone from a rich and powerful family and she was also his ex. She always made her feel insecure.
"Tsaka 'yon? Pinagseselosan ba yon? Ikaw nga yung mahal ko 'di ba?" He followed trying his best not to get mad. "Ang hirap kasing maniwala agad, alam mo 'yon? Louise yan e, Araneta yan e, ex mo yan e," she began. "Eh ako? Sino ba ako compared sa elitista mong ex?" She brought up her point. "She's an ex na nga diba? She's an ex for a reason and I am here with you. This is not even a worthy topic to argue about, sus naman Leni." He refuted confident of his faithfulness to her.
With the annoyed tone in his voice, she felt so small; it came to her like she didn't have the right to be jealous and it hurts her.
"Balik mo nalang ako sa bahay, please." She requested. "Bakit? Leni naman. Let's not make a big deal out of this." He replied. "Kung ayaw mo, itigil mo nalang yung kotse. Bababa ako." She counter offered. "Leni, come on. Hindi kita iiwanan sa kalsada." He retorted.
"Magtataxi ako pauwi. Just stop the car." She insisted, in distaste to argue with her, he just drove her back to her house not wanting her to have the need to take the taxi anymore.
As soon as they arrived at her place, she immediately went down of his car without uttering any word, he immediately followed her down. "Leni, don't get mad at me. Leni-" She shut the gate close to him, he tiptoed to peek at the low height of the gate to see her.
"Hindi mo ba talaga ako kakausapin? Leni naman."
"Umuwi ka na." She uttered as she headed inside, her sister, Lourdes, wondered what was the commotion all about. "Anong nangyare?" She asked bothered by Bongbong pursuing her sister outside. "Long story. Hayaan mo na siya diyan." Leni replied and headed to her room.
Bongbong sat down at the porch's elevation outside her house and waited for her to come out, still trying to call out her name from time to time. Suddenly, it started to drizzle, he ran to his car to get his umbrella, he thought it was the perfect time to consistently call after Leni thinking she would pity him as he struggle to pursue her in the rain.
"Leni! Kausapin mo na ako, please. Ang lakas ng ulan oh." He begged, despite that she worried for him, she tried to stay tough.
The drizzle turned into some strong rain, his umbrella was somehow deformed due to the wind, the rain drenched him inevitably. "Ate, papasukin na natin si kuya Bongets, kawawa naman oh." Lourdes has been close to Bongbong after he started dating her sister, Leni. She liked him for her ever since causing a great friendship to sprout between them — she even calls him by his nickname "Bongets."
"Hay nako, Des." Leni replied. "Ang lakas na ng ulan. Ate Leni naman, 'di ka ba naawa sa tao." She retorted. "Bahala ka, papasukin mo yan pero ikaw bahala dyan, di ko yan aasikasuhin." She dared but Lourdes was certain, she went out to put him in, Leni went to her room upstairs.
Lourdes handed Bongbong some towels to dry himself. As soon as they passed by Leni's closed room, he attempted to knock on her door but Lourdes suggested him to fix himself first.
After a while, Lourdes knocked into her sister's room to talk. "Mm? Ba't ka nandito? If you're going to ask for help about him, ask someone else." She stated. "Ate talaga, nandoon siya sa kabilang room. Ayaw na nga lumapit sa'yo. Nahihiya na yata." She shared. "Eh di mabuti. Ayoko rin naman siya makita." She got her sight back to the television and ate her Cheetos puffs.
"Hmm, hard to get ha." She retorted. "Pero 'di daw siya aalis until kausapin mo siya." She followed. "Wow? Ginawa pa niyang hotel 'tong bahay. Kapag elitista talaga." She rolled her eyes. "Hayaan mo siya diyan, manigas siya kakahintay." She remained tough all throughout.
Bongbong patiently waited at the room until he finds a chance to talk to Leni but she locked herself in the room and it was just Lourdes who assists and talks to him.
As the night deepened, Bongbong started to feel a bit cold, he began to feel a bit ill. Lourdes checked on him as she was about to get some water in the middle of the night when she noticed him shivering at the bed and curled inside his blanket. "Kuya Bongets, okay ka lang?" She gasped as she held his forehead, he was badly sick.
She rushed to Leni's room to inform her. "Baket?" She asked wiping her eyes as her sleep got interrupted. "Si kuya Bongets, nilalagnat, medyo mataas yata yung lagnat niya." She confided to her. "Ha?" Leni suppressed her worry but she knew she had to check on him. She laid her palm on his forehead and neck confirming that he was badly sick.
"Kuha ka muna ng thermometer tsaka towel and bowl, lagyan mo ng cold water." She instructed Lourdes.
"Naman kase, magpapaulan-ulan tapos hindi naman sanay, ayan, nagkasakit pa tuloy." She scolded him but he was too sick to respond. Lourdes immediately handed her the things she asked for. Leni checked on his temperature confirming that he was really sick. Lourdes left them for some privacy. Leni took off his shirt and started to wipe his body with some cold compress making him feel a bit better.
Halfway when Leni was about to finish wiping him with compress, he smiled at her and held her hand lightly. "Sana lagi nalang akong may sakit." He stated. "Ano?" She retorted furrowing her eyebrows. "Para lagi mo akong inaalagaan." He threw a line, she had to suppress her blushing. "Sus, diyan ka magaling e." She fixed the things up and stood up ready to leave.
"Aalis ka na?" He panicked a bit. "Oo, mukang okay ka na naman e. May masakit ba sa'yo?" She asked. "Meron." He replied, she strode towards him to check on his temperature again, "ito masakit oh." He pointed at his chest, she paused for a moment. "Dami mong arte noh? Kung wala ka lang sakit kanina pa kita nasaktan." She retorted and headed outside, he chuckled as he felt her anger fading away. "Matulog ka na diyan." She demanded, her hand held the switch of the lights. "Okay ma'am. Good night." He smiled.
Just as she was about to turn her head away from him, "I love you, mahal." He uttered. "Matulog ka na." She closed the lights and walked out blushing herself out as soon as she entered her room.
Little did she know that Lourdes was in her bathroom, she just went out spotting her sister squirming on the bed — kilig na kilig.
"Ay taray, teenager lang?" She uttered surprising Leni. "Ha? Hinde. Wala, ano kase..." She stammered. "Deny pa, sige. Wag ako ate, wag ako ha." She countered.
"Mahal mo?" She asked. "Ano?" Leni laughed trying to deny it. "Alam mo bakit ka ba nandito? Lumabas ka na nga." She questioned in a joking tone. "Masama ba? Walang tubig sa faucet doon sa kwarto ko, nakigamit lang." She walked towards the door. "Labas, labas!" Leni drove her out. "Sus, landi mo ate." She joked. "Ewan ko sayo." She replied and closed the door next to her.
—
After a couple of weeks, things got back to normal between them, Leni just signed out of the office as her working hours ended, Bongbong surprised her as he waited for her outside to fetch her.
"Anong ginagawa mo dito?" A smile immediately flashed on her face upon seeing him and kissed him cheek to cheek. "Para sunduin ka?" He retorted and took her by her hand as they headed outside.
"Uuuh? Okay? Bakit hindi mo ako tinext?" She asked. "I wanted to surprise you." He opened his car's door for her. He drove her somewhere she doesn't know.
"Saan ba tayo pupunta?" She kept asking but he just won't give a definite answer. "Basta, relax ka lang diyan." He held her hand and resumed driving.
He parked the car at a parking lot near the coastline and blindfolded her, she wondered what he was up to. He guided her towards their private yacht where a romantic dinner was set up.
"Ano ba talaga 'to, mahal? Bakit may blindfold pa? Baka naman madapa ako nito ha?" She joked. "Basta, just follow me." He finally stopped and went behind her to remove her blindfolds.
Her eyes were blinded by the light for a second, she was dazzled by the view as she realized she was standing at the yacht and facing the great view of the sunset on the sea. Her mouth dropped slightly in amusement of the beautiful view, she always loved the nature. "Surprise." He uttered softly.
She didn't know how to begin speaking in amusement. "Wow. It's so beautiful." She described and turned to him.
"Parang ikaw." He complimented making her blush. After a while of feeding their eyes with the beautiful view, they proceeded having their dinner together. The waiters served their meal and stood beside them ready to offer assistance.
"Grabe naman, sobrang pangmayaman naman 'to. Elitista ka talaga noh?" She remarked facetiously. He reached out for her hand and gazed into her eyes. "Ikaw rin, malapit ka nang maging elitista." He retorted making her chuckle.
"Nako, malabong maging elitista ako, napakasimple lang ng pamumuhay ko compared sa'yo." She replied. Bongbong looked at the waiter sending a signal, the waiter revealed the covered plate in front of her revealing what's underneath.
It was a ring box.
Leni was blown for a second as she looked into the box, she looked back to Bongbong in shock, he smiled before he stood up taking the ring box and kneeled beside her. She couldn't even speak in such surprise, her heartbeats resonated in intoxication and astonishment.
"Leni, mahal, we've been together for so long and we've been through a lot already. I've thought about this for a long time kase gusto ko sigurado ako and walang nang balikan, gusto ko plakado lahat kase ayokong i-fail ka..." He began, she was just listening carefully with her eyes entranced by his efforts and romantic gesture. "One year na tayo pero pakiramdam ko parang mas matagal na naging tayo and I wanna move forward and keep counting the days and years that I'm with you..." He continued.
"So... Mahal, will you..." He blushed for a moment. "...marry me?" He dropped the question.
"Oo naman! Yes! Oo!" She squealed and hugged him tight. He, himself was astounded by her acceptance but it meant the world to him. He placed the ring on her finger and kissed the back of her hand as he gazed into her brown eyes.
"Pero, mahal... Sana pag-planuhan natin 'to ng maigi. Wag naman tayong magmadali." She requested.
"Oo naman, I won't rush you, if you're not yet ready, it's okay. I can wait until handa ka na, ang gusto ko lang masigurado na pareho tayo ng vision sa future natin... Yun bang, magkasama tayong dalawa sa future na navivision natin." He elaborated. "Yes, exactly." She exhaled in happiness and hugged him so tight.
"Salamat, mahal. Sa pagmamahal mo. Gosh, ang drama ko pero mahal na mahal kita." She professed. "Ano ka ba, mas salamat sayo sa pagmamahal and all. You have no idea how much you make me so happy and complete, basta nandiyan ka sa tabi ko feeling ko okay na ako, feeling ko perfect ako, you make me feel so sure of myself that's why I'm so sure na mahal na mahal na mahal na mahal rin kita. To the moon and back, 'til death do us part." He retorted.
To be continued...