After We Ended

23.

"Ready?"

Napangiti ako sa tanong ni Sorin at tumango. Naramdaman ko namang tinanggal niya ang panyo na pinantakip niya sa mga mata ko. My eyes widened when I saw a romantic dinner table set up right in front of me.

"S-Sorin, ano 'to?" gulat na tanong. He chuckled and kissed my temple.

"Surprise, Eli ko. Happy 3rd Anniversary." he whispered and hugged me from behind. Napangiti ako at hinaplos ang braso niyang nakapulupot sa baywang ko at sumandal sa dibdib niya.

"You prepared this for me?" I asked and tilted my head to look at him.

He nodded. I bit my lower lip and tiptoed to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, Sorin ko. Happy Anniversary."

We ate happily while telling each other random stories. It was such a fun night. Well, being with him is already wonderful, the dinner was just a bonus.

"I have a gift for you." I told him and reached for my sling bag. I took out a small black box and handed it to him. He smiled and opened it.

"A necklace... thank you, Eli ko. It's beautiful." he smiled and took it out of the box. Tumayo ako at lumipat sa likod niya.

Nakaupo pa'rin siya sa upuan niya kaya yinakap ko siya mula sa likod, sa may bandang leeg at balikat.

"You like it?" I asked.

"I love it. And I like the pendant." tumango siya at hinaplos ang pendant.

The necklace's chain was thick, pang lalaki ang itsura, and it had a star pendant with tiny diamonds around it. I

"My first name, Astra, means 'of the stars'. So I chose this one. Para kapag makikita mo 'tong kwintas mo, maaalala mo ako." I giggled.

"May naka-engrave din diyan, tignan mo." dagdag ko at pinakita ang likod ng kwintas.

My name, 'Astra Elise', was written in tiny letters. Hindi mo makikita kung hindi mo titignan ng mabuti.

"Isuot mo nga sa'kin, Eli ko." he munbled and handed it to me. Excited ko 'yong kinabit sa leeg niya.

"Bagay sa'yo, Sorin ko." I mumbled and kissed the top of his head.

"Thank you for this, Eli." ngumiti siya at yumapos sa bewang ko.

Three years with him were the best years of my life. It felt so unreal. Our relationship wasn't perfect because we still had petty fights, but that's just how it works. At the end of the day, one of us would always make a move to say sorry.

"I love you, Sorin ko." I whispered while caressing his hair.

"Mahal na mahal kita, Eli ko." he replied.

He was the perfect guy for me. I knew then on that I will never let him go. He's clingy, understanding, caring, loving. He valued respected, and loved me so much and I couldn't thank him enough for that.

"Ano kayang buhay natin after 5 years?" I asked out of the blue. We're done eating now and we're just relaxing while staring at the sky. Nasa upuan pa'rin siya habang ako ay saklot na niya.