Taped-Up Heart

XLIX. Almost Everything

Chapter Forty-Nine

Almost Everything

Four years ago...

"Good morning, baby," he said with a smile.

I immediately covered my mouth with my left hand. He just chuckled at my initial reaction. It was the first time I woke up in his arms—and hopefully, it wouldn't be the last.

He smiled while looking at me, halos mawala na ang mga mata niya kapag ngumingiti siya sa akin. It was one of the things I loved most about him.

"You still look cute even when you just woke up," he said.

Who would've thought that the once-snobbish Chinese guy could be this sweet, corny, and loving?

I squinted my eyes at him. "I know."

Tumawa lang ulit siya bago niya ako niyakap. "I'll always be the big spoon," he said, tightening his embrace.

Dinama ko lang ang yakap niya sa akin. I inhaled his scent and as usual, he smelled like strawberries.

I knew that his perfume was strawberry-scented.

"Kanina ka pa gising no?" I asked.

"Nope, I just woke up," he said, but I knew that he was lying.

I knew he always woke up thirty minutes earlier to prepare our breakfast.

"You swear?" I asked, looking up at him since I was resting against his chest.

He gave me a lopsided smile. "You know me too well, Asia."

I smiled back. Parehas na kaming bumangon na dalawa at nagpunta sa banyo. I grinned when I saw the charcoal toothpaste. I looked at him. "You know me too well, too, Achaia."

We brushed our teeth together. Looking at our reflections in the mirror, I sometimes couldn't believe that we were here—that I was in a happy and healthy relationship with him.

Nagmumog na ako at nanatili lang nakatayo habang pinagmamasdan siya dahil hindi pa rin siya tapos.

I also knew that because of your mild OCD, you brushed your teeth three times just to make sure that they were perfectly clean.

When he finished, we both headed to the dining area and sat down. As usual, siya ang naglalagay ng pagkain sa plato ko.

"Kaya ko naman, you don't need na lagyan pa ako palagi," I said.

He looked at me and smiled. "I know, but I want to."

"Baka masanay ako, mahirap na..."

He stopped, set the utensils down and instead he held my hands. "I'm in this for the long haul, Asia. So you should get used to this—to me—because I'm not going anywhere."

I bit my lower lip to stop myself from tearing up. Being with Achaia was like watching the waves; it was calming. I never worried about him because he constantly proved how much he loved me.

That's why I'm not scared, because I know that he loves me for real. I can feel it. And I love him too, I've never loved anyone else before, only Achaia.

"I know I'm corny," he frowned. "If my brothers heard me right now, they'd tease me to death. I swear."

I smiled hearing him say that. I knew that even though he always pretended to be annoyed by his siblings, he loved them dearly. Alam ko rin na close na close sila kaya nga walang sikreto sa kanilang magkakapatid, lahat tungkol sa isa't-isa alam nila.