"Back to party!" Sigaw ni Stell, trying to divert everyone's attention. Amidst the commotion, he swiftly snatched the phone from Paulo's grasp, pulling me away from the brewing tension. It was in that moment that I found myself captivated by Paulo's reaction. I couldn't help but gaze at him, observing his response to the unexpected turn of events. Nang maramdamang nakatitig ako ay awtomatiko siyang lumingon sa akin saka ngumiti.
"Are you sure everything is doing fine?" I inquired, my voice carefully measured, trying to cloak my worry beneath a veneer of calmness. Deep down, I didn't want to exacerbate his concerns. I was mindful not to come across as a bratty wife, someone who disregarded his need for privacy. Afterall, it was work related. Even lawyers has this called boundaries between professional and personal lives. Pau is also entitles to it.
"Okay lang." He uttered and hugged me to kiss me on the top of my head. "I guess our former company wanted to force us to—"
"Former?" Tanong ko saka humiwalay sa pagkakayakap niya para titigan siya sa mukha. He doesn't seem to be bothered. Maybe he knows what he's doing after all. "Team tayo, di'ba?"
"You're still recovering and I don't want to stress you kaya wala akong sinasabi." He sighed and cupped both of my cheeks. "I will tell you after this pero mukhang hindi ka na makakapaghintay. Yes, we left the company,"
"—to build our own." Tumingin ako sa pwesto nina Josh. Kumpleto silang apat. Nakaupo sila nang maayos na parang alam nila kung anong pinag-uusapan naming dalawa. Sabay-sabay silang tumango at nag-thumbs up sa akin. "We succesfully established our entertainment company for about a while now. Kahit noon naman kasi ay naka-plano na 'yun. We just thought that maybe, this is the right time. But, I guess our former company is pulling some dirty stunts right now, afraid that they'll suffer a big loss."
"Yabang mo naman." Komento ko saka tumawa. He then laughed with me.
"Matapos mong magdrama, sasabihan mo lang ako na mayabang?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong niya sa akin. Before I could even make a distance, Pau held my waist and tickled me hard making me laugh non-stop.After that, we proceeded with the engagement party that they have prepared.
"Hindi tayo nagkaganitong event noon." Komento ko habang nasa gitna kami ni Paulo at nagsasayaw. Nagtatawanan at nagke-kwentuhan ang pamilya't kaibigan namin habang nanonood. They seemed happy too.
"Because I was a coward back then." Pau uttered making my gazes meet his. "If I was only braver to face the world, I could've gave you the best wedding in the world."
"But fate decided our path." I whispered. "We still ended up together."
He nodded his head and kissed me in my forehead. "If the fate decided otherwise, I am always willing to defy it and fight for you. Guess, I am not afraid anymore. Ganito siguro talaga kapag tumatanda na, you've come to stand firmer with your decisions."
"Stand by those words in your bachelor's party." I hissed and glared at him. Tumawa siya saka ako mahigpit na niyakap.
"Papayag ka ba kapag sinabi ko sa'yong huwag natin gawin 'yung traditional na kasalanan?" Bahagyang kumunot ang noo ko. "Let's travel the world before our wedding." Humiwalay siya sa akin saka ako tinitigan sa mukha.
"Mauuna pa ang honeymoon kaysa kasal?" Nang-aasar na tanong ko.
"Of course not!" He protested. "I just wanted to create memories with you. Marami na tayong nasayang na oras. Syempre gusto kong bumuo ng pamilya kasama ka pero bago 'yun, I wanted to make the most of our time. 'Yung tayong dalawa lang."
