White Lies and Smiles

45

"Are you happy?" Ethan asked while we were staring at our wedding rings.

"Sobra.. I cried so hard nga kanina. I love you, my husband." I caressed his jaw. His hug around my waist tightened. He pulled my body closer to his...

"I love you more, wife." He kissed the side of my neck. "Let's stay here for another hour-"

"Ayaw mo bang pumasok sa loob? Malamig dito.. Ayaw mong magpainit?" Natawa ako nang bigla siyang tumayo habang yakap-yakap ako. Nang makatayo kaming dalawa, binuhat niya ako at walang pag-aalinlangang pumasok sa loob ng bahay.

Ethan massaged my whole body after making love to me. I was so tired that I couldn't move a single muscle. I opened my eyes when a phone rang. We had a deal that none of us will use their phone tonight. We just got married, we should dedicate this time for us...

"Is it your phone, Ethan?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'll just turn it off. I'm sorry." He reached for his phone to turn it off. "It was Atty. Valencia..."

"'Yung humawak ng kaso mo noon? Bakit siya tumatawag?" Tumihaya ako upang makita ang reaksyon ni Ethan.

Tinitigan ko siya at ramdam ko agad ang pagkakataranta niya. Bakit naman siya natataranta? May ginawa ba siyang masama? Pinaningkitan ko siya dahil mas lalo akong nagduda. Hindi dapat ako nagdududa, lalo na't bagong kasal lang kami.

"Annulment papers ba, Ethan?"

Kaagad siyang umiling, "No, of course not. She's... She's been texting and calling me since I had a consultation with her. I already rejected her a long time ago... There's nothing to worry about. Let's not spend the night fighting-"

"Package deal ka kasi. Sino bang hindi magkakagusto sa 'yo?" Napairap ako sa huling sinabi. "I'm not mad, and we won't fight."

He kissed my lips and massaged my thigh. I pushed him lightly after the kiss. I caressed his face and smiled. Everything happened faster than I was expecting. Ethan's here with me now. He's officially my other half. Ethan pressed his body on mine. I automatically wrapped my arms around him. I felt him kissing my neck. When he stopped, he buried his face on my neck.

"Ethan, roadtrip tayo?" He distanced himself from me. He smiled and nodded. "Now na sana... I don't want to sleep, I just want to spend the rest of the night with you."

"I would love to spend the rest of the day with you too. Let's go, Aia. Wear pajamas, it's cold outside." He kissed my forehead before going off the bed to get his car key.

He handed me his phone while he was driving. I scrolled through his Spotify and played I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys. It was one of my newest favorite songs. Ethan was focused on the road but he still managed to give me some of his attention. And it was enough.

I felt bad when I started crying. Yesterday, I found out that Ethan once said that he wanted to have kids.. All his friends know that. I won't deny that I am guilty of deciding for us. How about Ethan? I should consider his plans too. I should always consider what he has to offer and to choose. I hardly exhaled when I felt a hand on my thigh. I looked at Ethan and cried more. My lips were trembling as I was sobbing.

Ethan maneuvered the car to the side of the road. He placed his hands on my cheeks and started wiping off my tears using his thumbs. Not feeling any better, I hugged Ethan's neck and said "I love you". He hugged me back and caressed my back.