The Billionaire's Contract Wife [COMPLETED]

Twenty-Three: Getting to Know Him

“Rafting, scuba diving, paragliding, ice climbing, bungee jumping, name it. I’ve tried them all. But the most memorable for me was when I went skydiving in Dubai with my college friends! It was definitely the best thing I did in my whole life. ‘Yong adrenaline rush, grabe. It was beyond words,” Louie recalled excitedly. 

Katatapos lang naming mag-parasailing. Nasa beach na kami at naglalakad pauwi. Medyo madilim na din ang paligid. 

Kanina pa ito parang batang nagkukuwento. And it shocked me how talkative he could be. Like you wouldn’t really think that he was the same Louie I was with a few hours ago. 

“Talaga? Ganoon ka ka-adventurous?” sabi ko. Hindi pa rin kasi ako makapaniwalang ginawa niya lahat ng iyon.

“Why? Hindi ba kapani-paniwalang may times din na 'di ako ganito ka-boring?” 

I slowly nodded. “Uhmmm.. yeah…”

Tumawa ito. “I’ve been on that stage, too. I dunno. Part din yata ng pagri-rebelde ko sa pamilya ko. You know, the typical teenage rebel stage. Although it went a little past my teenage years.”

“And guess what,” he continued. “Hindi alam ng mom ko ang mga pinaggagawa ko. Ta’s makikita na lang niya sa mga online news portals."

Malakas itong natawa. It was music to my ears. 

Ewan ko ba, parang in a span of a few hours, biglang nag-iba ang tingin ko sa kanya. 

“I grew up sheltered as you probably know by now,” ang sabi pa nito. “Lumaki akong laging may kasamang mga yaya at bodyguards. Sa dami ba naman ng kaaway ng pamilya ko. That’s why when I had the chance na makalayo sa pamilya ko, I grabbed the opportunity. I went to the UK to study. That’s when I discovered what freedom really is. I never wanted to go home since then.”

“So hindi ka talaga umuuwi ng Pinas?” ang sabi ko. 

“Umuuwi din naman. Pero bakasyon lang. Although my parents had been doing everything they could to make me come home for good.”

It surprised me how easy it was for him to share such personal information to me. ‘Yong Louie na halos ayaw akong kausapin dati, kusang nagkukwento ng buhay nito ngayon. 

“Pero bakit?” sabi ko. 

“Anong bakit?”

“Bakit ayaw mong umuwi ng Pinas?”

“It’s suffocating.”

“But how?”

But instead of giving me an answer, he just reached for my head. At saka nakangiting ginulo nito ng bahagya ang buhok ko. 

I took as a sign na hanggang doon lang ang kaya nitong i-share. And I respect that. He had shared so much information to me already. 

“I’m hungry,” sabi ko. “Daan muna tayong resto for dinner?”

“Nah. Let’s just eat at the villa,” sabi nito. 

He must be tired kaya mas gusto nitong magpa-room service nalang. Which is okay for me, too. 

Then bigla kong naalala, last night na pala namin dito sa Bali ngayon. Babalik na kaming Beijing bukas. Bigla tuloy akong nalungkot. 

Sayang naman, kung kailan nagkapalagayan na kami ng loob. 

“Wait. Why is the whole villa dark? Brownout ba?” sabi ko noong palapit na kami sa villa namin. 

“Pero imposible,” ako na rin ang sumagot sa sarili kong tanong. “May ilaw naman ‘yong ibang villa na nadaanan natin, ah. Bakit sa atin lang madilim?"

“Careful,” ang sabi lang nito. 

Inilabas ko ang cellphone ko para sana gamiting flashlight pero naalala kong deadbatt na pala ito kaka-picture at video ko kanina. 

I almost tripped on the way, buti na lang napahawak ako sa braso nito. 

“I told you be to careful,” ang sabi nito sabay hawak sa aking kamay. 

At ewan ko ba, pakiramdam ko’y biglang bumilis ang tibok ng aking puso noong hawak na nito ang kamay ko. 

Alam ko namang walang malisya 'yon pero sa hindi ko maipaliwanag na dahilan, tila ako kinikilig na ewan. 

“Wait. Let me open the door,” ang sabi pa nito noong papasok na kami ng villa. 

And shocked was an understatement when he pushed the door open. Tumambad sa aking paningin ang nakahilerang mga scented candles sa sahig. They’re creating a pathway towards a spot decorated with balloons and fairy lights. 

But what caught my attention the most was what’s written using letter-shaped balloons. 

WILL YOU MARRY ME? 

“Huy, gagi. Ano ‘to?” ang tanging nasabi ko. 

Malakas itong natawa. Then without letting my hand go, he led me there. 

Noong nasa gitna na kami, binitawan nito ang kamay ko. At pagkatapos ay may dinampot ito somewhere. It’s a small velvet box. 

Everything felt surreal. Hindi ko na alam ang aking nararamdaman. Kinakabahan ako na naiihi na naiiyak.

“Gagi, ano ‘to?” ang tanong ko ulit sa kawalang masabi.

He kneeled on one leg right in front of me, opened the small box, and popped the question. I automatically recognized my own engagement and wedding rings.

“Will you marry me, Aera?” he asked in his deep voice. 

And I realized that that was the very first time that he called me by my name. And hearing him say it for the first time brought knots in my stomach.

“Anong will you marry me? Eh, kasal na nga tayo, ‘di ba?” ang naiiyak kong sabi. 

“But I never got to ask you that question,” anito. Nakaluhod pa rin. 

“Gagi, yes, syempre. Baka bawiin mo pa ‘yong 10M," biro ko kahit technically, wala pa naman talaga sa akin 'yong pera.

Malakas itong natawa bago tumayo. He took my shaking hand and slid both of the rings on my finger. 

Kaya pala nito kinuha ang mga iyon kanina. 

“Nag-recycle ka pa ng rings,” sabi ko upang takpan ang tunay na nararamdaman. 

Muli itong natawa. “I had no time to get you another one. This wasn’t planned.”

“Kaya pala ang tagal n'yong nag-usap nung staff kanina, ano? Kinuntsaba mo pala.”

Natawa lang ulit ito. 

“Dahil ba ‘to sa kinuwento ko kagabi tungkol dun sa marriage proposal sa may bar?” sabi ko. “You didn’t have to do this, really. I was just drunk. ‘Di ko alam ‘yong mga pinagsasabi ko last night.”

“Nah, you were actually right. You deserve this,” ang sabi nito habang nakatitig sa aking mga mata.

At hindi ko alam pero naiiyak na naman ako. Ta’s biglang hindi ko na napigilan ang aking sarili, talagang naiyak na ako. 

“Gosh, why the hell am I crying?” sabi ko sabay pahid ng gabutil na luha na nag-uunahang maglandas sa aking mga pisngi. 

“At least you are now crying because of your own marriage proposal and not because of someone else’s.” He was teasing me. 

Natatawa na lang din ako na naiiyak. Para akong tanga.

“Let’s go eat. You were hungry, right?” anito.

He led me to the poolside kung saan naka-setup ang candle-lit dinner. I was so touched. 

Lutang ako the whole time even when we were having our dinner. 

Ewan ko ba, alam ko naman kung bakit ginawa ni Louie ang lahat ng ito. Na-guilty marahil ito dahil sa mga pinagsasabi ko kagabi. Pero hindi ko pa rin mapigilan ang aking sariling kiligin.

Jusko, Louie Alexander del Rosario, isa kang dakilang pa-fall!