Matt sat among the thousands of adoring fans, feeling both nervous and excited for Sarah to come out.
He had to remind himself to cough once in a while to show his seatmates at the Upper Box just why he needed to wear the ridiculous face mask, and also to make them feel that he was contagious and therefore must be avoided.
Rather than watching from the VIP area where his presence would no doubt spread like wildfire, he thought it smarter to blend in with the unsuspecting crowd. He was enjoying himself so far, watching the fans sit in wait for their idol. He was overwhelmed to see and hear just how many people loved Sarah.
Of course he wouldn't have done this if they already went public with their relationship. They carefully thought about it, weighing the pros and cons of making the announcement now. She was ready to come out, while he wanted to keep it a secret at least for now.
"Pag umamin na tayo, di na natin kailangan magtago." Sarah said as they jogged up the hill, surrounded by a pretty view of Metro Manila, just when the sun was about to dawn.
Matt wanted to make sure that Sarah was in shape for that concert. Apart from singing her lungs out, she also had to dance and jump from one costume to another in a matter of seconds. The concert in itself was an athletic feat.
"Pwede na tayo magsine, pwede mo na ko samahan sa events kesa maghintay ka sa kotse, pwede na kita dalawin sa taping!!!" Sarah said in between breaths.
"Tsaka isa pa, alam ko na nahihirapan ka rin."
Matt admitted that it was not that simple to find opportunities and places where they could be together without stirring up a commotion. But he really did like the challenge. He enjoyed planning the details of every secret date. Plus he knew that no matter what Sarah said, he scored thousands of pogi points for himself for all of his efforts.
"It's not that hard... I think it's actually fun."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "More than one year ka ng nagpapaka-James Bond! Di ka pa ba napapagod?"
"Wala yun no. Basta ma-solo ka lang."
"Sira..." Sarah said, looking a bit embarrassed.
He stopped her from running when he noticed that her shoelace was coming undone. He knelt down to tie it.
"Just give me two more months. Selfish ako pagdating sayo eh. I don't want to share you with the world yet." He said, thinking about the tireless interviews and excessive fanfare that will surely follow as soon as they step out in the limelight.
He wasn't ready to put her through that yet.
He got that wrong with Maya. It was hard to maintain a relationship when so many people who didn't matter kept on coming into the picture. He couldn't get it wrong this time.
And this was better, being with her and doing nice things for her with no one else watching. It was really why he wanted to keep them a secret for as long as possible, that they could live in their own little world without caring about what anyone had to say.
He finished tying the knot and stood up. "I'm really happy that you're willing to admit na boyfriend mo ko sa buong Pilipinas. But first, I wanna make sure that when we face them, buong buo na tayo. Kahit anong gulo ang dalin nila sa buhay natin, hindi tayo magpapaapekto."
One day, Matt will hold Sarah's hand and tell the public proudly that their princess was now his girlfriend. Until that day, he was determined to make sure that relationship will be strong enough to weather the intrigues that will be thrown their way.
Sarah put her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Ano ka ba proud ako sayo no... Pero naintindihan ko at thank you." She said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "For always protecting me... For protecting us."
"Haha... Ok... Wag mo na ko yakapin pawis ako o." Matt was laughing when he tried to unlock her hands.
"Tssss... Ang arte mo. Ayaw mo na magpa-kiss ngayon ha?" She teased. "Ayaw mo na?" She took out a towel, wiped the sweat off his face, and kissed him again and again.
"Nanonood kaya si Matteo?" The girl to his right said. Discreetly, he put his right hand over his face for cover.
"Ewan! Basta alam ko spotted si Bernard sa Patron... Haha... Nakakakilig!!!" The other girl said, excitedly checking her twitter stream.
Matt almost fell off his seat. What the heck was he doing there... Maybe he was invited by Boss Mark, the producer magnate who was the man behind their successful pairing.
He shrugged off the stupid jealous feeling and calmed himself. Sarah loved him. They could do all the publicity stints that they wanted, but he was sure that they couldn't shake her feelings for him. He shouldn't worry.
"Sira! Ashmatt na ngayon no!" The girl beside him said. "Tama!!!" He wanted to say.
"Mali bang umasa na sa hinabahaba ng prosesyon, sa simbahan din ang tuloy ng Ashnard ko?"
Hearing this made Matt cough to the point of choking up. Sarah and Bernard's fans were very much alive. They took the box office by storm with their last movie. People continued to root for them even if they knew that their relationship offscreen has ended already.
"Kuya baka SARS yan ha?!!!" The Ashnard fan said, covering her nose.
She was in a way correct, he was in love sick with a girl called Sars. Her ending up in church to wed another man would practically kill him. Matt lifted a hand apologetically to the girls beside him.
The painstaking wait was finally over. The band began to onboard and the dome was filled with the stinging feeling of anticipation. Any time now and the show would start. His hands were already getting cold from the excitement.
Matt couldn't contain himself when the music blared, and the silhouette of Sarah became visible.
His heart beat wildly as the lights came on and a very beautiful Sarah came down from the platform. He held his breath at the first sound that came off her lips. He was utterly amazed at the way she transformed from a delicate, charming girl to a sexy, fierce performer.
He heard the group of girls around him stir. He knew what was coming. Together they counted to three. He got on his feet with them and shouted "I love you Sarah!!!!" with all the air in his lungs.
She never mentioned his name like they agreed, but she couldn't help share with the audience how happy she was.
"Alam nyo po... Masayang masaya ko ngayon." She was wearing a white evening gown, and she was sitting on a stool at the center of the stage. The crowd cheered, sensing that she was referring to her lovelife. Matt couldn't help but grin.
Sarah was giggling as well. "Assuming kayo ha... Masayang masaya ako dahil nandyan kayo lahat. Mga taong nagmamahal sa akin."
"Wooo!!!! Matteo!!!!" The girl beside him screamed. His heart almost jumped out of his chest.
"Para sa inyong lahat na nagmamahal sa akin... Gusto kong maramdaman nyo na mahal na mahal ko din kayo."
A single spotlight illuminated her face. And then she began to sing, her eyes closed, and every lyric coming from the heart.
When the rain is blowing in your face,
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.
When the evening shadows and the stars appear,
And there is no one there to dry your tears,
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
But I would never do you wrong.
I've known it from the moment that we met,
No doubt in my mind where you belong.
The song set on fire the hearts of everyone who came out to see her, especially Matt's.
----------
Her dressing room was filled with so many flowers and even more fans and admirers who wanted to congratulate her and get their pictures taken. The concert was so successful. She performed to a full house, and felt the delight and love that came from her audience.
Her mom and dad, Shin, and Nay Mayette were all there to give her their heartfelt congratulations.
Her heart was so full of gratitude, for the opportunity to do what she loved most and to be appreciated for it. She was really blessed.
"Si Matt na lang ang kulang," she thought. She kept on checking her phone in between accomodating the people who wanted to greet her. There was nothing. She wondered where he was and when he would come to her.
People immediately fell in order when Mark Villalobos, her big boss entered the room. "Congrats Sarah!!!" He cried heartily and kissed her on the cheek. "You were amazing! You never cease to leave me speechless."
"Thank you Boss Mark! Salamat po nakapunta kayo" Sarah said, feeling really grateful to the man that supported her career all these years.
"Aside from congratulating you, I'm here to deliver this." He held a bouquet of lush yellow tulips and handed it to her. "The sender wanted to make sure that this gets to you so I volunteered to be the one to give it."
Sarah read the card. "You were amazing... Congrats Sasa! -Bernard"
She tried to fake a smile. "Ah... Thanks Boss!"
"Sige, I'll go ahead. Congrats ulit. And don't forget to put those in a vase when you get home!"
She immediately handed the bouquet to Nay Mayette as soon as he was gone. Her face turned sour when she learned who it came from.
"I swear, if he wasn't my boss, kakalbuhin ko talaga sya. Pakialamero palibhasa pinagkakakitaan nya kayo!"
Sarah watched as Nay Mayette threw the flowers into the trash bin. She noticed Bernard watching earlier. Maybe it was just his way of saying that he'd like them to be friends again.
This was a great night, it was a highlight in her life. There was no room for worry.
She longed to celebrate it with Matt.
She was aching to see him, to share with him how happy she was, and to hear what he thought about her performance. She was sure he was there somewhere.
Her spirit began to dampen when they prepared to go home and there was still no sign of Matt. She exited to the corridor, with her mom and dad beside her, Nay Mayette, and her assistants at the back.
She was surprised to find one of her dancers outside. "Congrats daw Sars," she said as she handed her a pink rose. It had a note tied to the stem which read, "Ang galing mo!"
As she walked along the hallway, a dancer gave her one flower, and then another, and then another! Each had a note of compliment. "You were so gorgeous", "Totally nailed the dance", "Best concert of all time".
It was of course Matt's handwriting. She was so relieved that he finally showed up, and she was so happy with the surprise. She couldn't wait to see him.
"Ikaw na talaga te! Ang haba talaga ng hair mo!" Kiara said as she gave her the last rose, which had a tag that read"I love you."
"Hehe... Thank you!"
Finally she saw Matt waiting for her at the parking lot. The happiness on their faces at the sight of each other was undeniable, it was the sort of smile that could only exist between two people that really loved each other.
He took the flowers from her and whispered. "I've run out of flowers, but I'm here to give you the best gift."
"Anong gift na naman yan?"
"Me!" Matt winked and then turned to greet Sarah's parents and Nay Mayette.
Sarah watched Matt with glee. Whatever did she do in her life to deserve someone so sweet and caring?
"Sunod kayo ni Matt pauwi." Her dad said before going into the van.
As soon as they were inside the car, Sarah once again melted into Matt. After that emotional and physical rollercoaster ride, she was glad to have him close, to find rest in his strong arms.
"Para sa akin ba yung Make You Feel My Love?" Matt asked he was still holding her.
"Haha! Syempre! Na-feel mo ba ang love ko sweetie?" Sarah held his face and kissed him on the lips.
Matt looked at her with wonder. "I did. Thank you sweetie."
"Teka nga, where were you seated?" She asked when they broke apart. She realized that her parents would be waiting so they can convoy with them.
"Haha... You wouldn't guess!" Matt was chuckling and shaking his head.
The drive to Sarah's house was filled with laughter. She couldn't believe the crazy things he did, the way he sat among the popsters and enlisted her back up dancers to participate in his trick. But that was Matt, he was someone who would do the craziest things to make people closest to his heart feel loved.
Back home, Sarah was greeted by her family and closest friends. The people she loved were there to celebrate the victory with her.
She sat beside Matt at the table. In the middle of the jokes, stories, and smiles that went around, he took her hand. They looked at each other and smiled.
Matt waited for all of the guests to leave before he said goodbye. Sarah walked him to his car. He gave her the sweetest kiss and locked her in the warmest embrace. It was the perfect reward for a job well done. She couldn't ask for more. He himself was indeed the best gift ever.
Everything was perfect.
Until she returned to her bedroom and checked her phone. There was a message from Bernard.
"Hope you like the flowers. Congrats ulit. Good night." Sarah tried to drown the terrible feeling that things were not perfect after all.