Always And Forever

Fridate.

Thursday

Bongbong stood at the reception counter, carefully filling out the reservation form. Somehow, a smile kept finding its way unto his face. He kept shaking his head every time he remembers.

"Excited sir?", the receptionist asked after catching him grin to himself for the nth time that evening.

He lifted his gaze towards the person who asked. "Halata ba?", he chuckled.
"Konti po. Kanina pa kayo nakangiti"
He scratch the back of his neck. "First date kasi"
"Ah kaya pala"

The receptionist accepted his card and swiped it through the terminal. After it turned green, she handed his card back.
"Good luck po sir."
He chuckled to himself again, "Salamat".

A few seconds later, the reservation receipt was handed to him. In which he gladly accepted with both hands.
"All set sir. Beach side dinner. Tomorrow at seven."
Bongbong looked at the reservation one more time, then grinned again like an idiot.

Friday

The waves rolled gently against the shore as the soft jazz swayed through the evening air. Candles flickered on every table, their warm glow blending with the string lights suspended between the coconut trees. Beyond, the sea stretched endlessly beneath thousand stars.

Ferdinand has been there for almost thirty minutes. Dressed in a white linen polo with the sleeves neatly folded to his elbows. Khaki trousers paired with his brown loafers. He sat quietly, absentmindedly spinning the stem of his wine glass between his fingers. His knee bounced beneath the table. Relax, bong. Dinner lang to.

"Everything okay, sir?". The waiter asked after happening to pass by him for the third time.

He looked up and flashed a nervous smile. "Yeah. Kinakabahan lang"

The waiter just smiled, refilled his wine and excused himself.

He looked at the entrance again. And there she was. For a moment, the waves disappeared. Even the conversation from the neighboring tables seemed to vanish.

All he could see was Leonor.

She wore a simple white dress, that danced gently with the evening breeze. Hair brushed lightly against her cheeks as she walked toward him. The warm lights caught the soft smile that she always wore so effortlessly.

Ferdinand simply forgot to breathe.
There you are.

"Sorry", Leni said with a small smile. "Medjo na late". She greeted him with a light beso before setting her purse down.

"Doc?"

It was as if Bongbong's neurons stopped making synapses.

"Hmm?", his voice came out quieter as he intended.

"Okay ka lang?", she frowned slightly. "Parang maiiyak ka"

Without realizing it, he touched na corner of his eye. "Napuying lang." then stood up and walked beside her to pull her chair out. "Andaming buhangin kasi."

"Please", he gestured.
"Thank you"

As she took her seat, he could help but steal another glance.

"You look", Bongbong stopped himself. Leni looked up.
"Hm?"
"You look beautiful"

There wasn't a slightest hint of exaggeration in his voice. Just pure quiet honesty.

Leni looked away first. Which she usually doesn't do. Ikaw ba naman masabihan nang beautiful, aber?

A faint blush reached her cheeks. "Thank you". She looked back at him. "You look nice too".

"Nice lang?". Only if she knew how many outfits Bongbong tried before getting there.

She smiled unto her wineglass. "Very nice"

He placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "Pwede na"

That earned a laugh. The last traces of his nervous slowly disappeared.

The waiter arrived with the appetizers. Giving them a valid reason to look away from each other.

"So", Leni began after taking a sip of her wine. "How long have you been waiting?"

Bongbong checked his watch and thought. "Past seven mga fifteen. Officially, 30 minutes"

"30 minutes?!", her eyes widened. "Dapat pala di na ako nag tanong"

"I got here early"
"Ferdie..."
He chuckled, "What?"
"You should've informed me"
"I didn't mind", he shrugged. "I got to see the sunset"

A comfortable silence settled between them.

He learned back and started at the vast sea, "Worth it naman".

Leni smiled to herself. She wasn't sure whether he was talking about the sunset. Or about waiting for her. Deep within her thoughts, she silently hoped it was the latter.

Their night continued to carry on. Appetizers were placed with the main course. Topics jumped from one to another. While the jazz and the waves continued to fill their background.

"Can I ask you something?"
"Mhm", he just nodded after sipping his wine.
"Why don't you have kids?"

The question lingered in the air. Bongbong looked down at his plate. A faint smile appeared.
Leni noticed the sudden shift.

"Sorry", she said softly. "You don't have to answer if its too personal"

He shook his head. "Hindi" and leaned back, eyes wandered briefly to the sea then back to her.

"I've always wanted children. I still do"
He smiled to himself.
"I like the idea of coming home and hearing little footsteps running towards the door".

"Feeling ko I'd spoil them too much"
Leni smiled. "You probably would".

He laughed quietly before the smile faded. "But", he rested both forearms on the table. "I don't want to raise them alone."

His fingers absentmindedly traced the stem of his wineglass. "I want them to grow up knowing what love looks like."

She was silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I want my children to have a mother who's patient...kind"

His gaze landed unto her. "I'd like to think she'd make me a better man too"

Leni looked at him quietly, his eyes full of sincerity. "Have you found that someone?"

He simply looked back.
Yes
She's sitting right in front of me.

god knows how badly he wanted to utter those words.

"I hope so", he smiled before taking another sip of his wine. "Maybe one day".