Just Live

Chapter 9

"Sarah?"

"Hm?"

"Tulog ka na."

"Ayoko pa."

"How come?"

"I don't want this night to end, Matt," Sarah whispered as she tightened her hug on his arm.

"I'd freeze time for you if I could, Sarah," Matteo said softly while slowly rubbing her arm.

They were seated on an outdoor couch on their hotel balcony and it was already four in the morning, but Sarah had no intentions of going to sleep. She wanted to stretch the night for as long as possible because she didn't want it to end; she didn't want her time with Matteo to end.

He took the top of the comforter and brought it up to cover her body all the way to her chin to keep her warm even with the morning mist from the ocean. They started on opposite ends of the couch but as hours went by, they inched closer and closer to each other. Sarah was currently leaning on his shoulder, her arms circling his right arm while he put his left hand on top of hers under the comforter. For the two of them, they could stay like that for days on end, just enjoying each other's company and warmth.

"Do you, at least, want to go inside? You might get sick," Matteo asked quietly, his head leaning on hers.

Sarah shook her head and they stayed out on the balcony with just each other and the sound of the waves from the ocean. Neither of them said a word but it was a comfortable silence until Matteo noted tear stains on the comforter just below her chin.

Slowly lifting his head up to look at her, he saw tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey," Matteo softly called her attention and pulled his right arm out of hers to wrap it around her shoulders, his left hand reaching for her face to wipe the tears. "Why are you crying?"

Sarah looked up at him and smiled as tears kept falling from her eyes. "Halo halong dahilan. I've been thinking a lot about the past two weeks we spent together. Ang dami nating nagawa, ang dami nating nakita. Hindi ko in-expect ma-eexperience ko lahat ng toh at a time like this. Words aren't enough to describe how grateful and happy I am to have all our memories to keep, Matt. Yung happiness ko sobra sobra, abot langit."

"Tears of joy?" Matteo asked while carefully wiping her tears dry.

"Mhm," Sarah replied as she looked out into the darkness, taking a deep breath as she snuggled closer to him.

"What else, Sarah?" Matteo asked, knowing that there was something else bothering her. Call it crazy, but the past two weeks with her felt like years to him that he now knew her well enough to notice when something was bothering her.

"Contentment, Matt. Yung feeling na, sobrang kontento ako kasi tulad ng sabi ko, I didn't think that I'd be able to experience all of this sa panahon na napaka-sensitive, napaka-importante. But here I am with you, punong puno ng happy memories yung puso ko. Pero Matt," Sarah said softly as she looked up at him, her eyes now filled with sadness. "Sa sobrang memorable ng trip natin, it left me wanting more."

Matteo understood her, and her last few words made his tears fall from his eyes.

"It left me wanting for more and I don't want it to end here. I want more, Matt, more of this, more of us. Natatakot akong umuwi and start the process, start the fight na hindi buo ang loob ko because I'm yearning for this; yung tayo na nag-eenjoy, yung tayo creating memories together."

"Sarah," Matteo held her chin in his hand and looked in her eyes. "This doesn't end here. It doesn't have to end here."

Sarah reached for his face and wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks. "Matt, I'll forever be grateful for everything I experienced because of you. Lahat ng yun, lahat ng toh, I'll treasure them for eternity. Ganun ka-special. Ganun ka ka-special."