But Not Me (GxG)

BNM-37

Quentin Leilani Agape

"Where are we going?"

I heard her voice behind me so I turned around over my shoulder to look at her. She's a little behind me.

This is the first word she uttered after the incident in their house. It's been what? Three days? And yes, she's been quiet since then. She became distant—even with me. I don't know how to approach her anymore. It's sad on my part, but I understand her and I appreciated that she wasn't shutting me out completely.

"We're heading to my sanctuary," I replied, offering a reassuring smile as I shifted my focus back to the path ahead.

We are walking towards my safe haven now. Nasa probinsya kami ngayon. Dinala ko siya rito sa isa kong rest house and now we are walking in a somewhat secluded place where someone is waiting for us at the end.

We're still inside the perimeter of my property. Ang daan papunta sa aming pupuntahan ay napapalibutan ng mga puno. Tahimik at maririnig mo lang ang tunog ng mga ibon, nakikipag-usap sa hangin.

"Pagod ka na ba?" Tanong ko habang nakatanaw sa naglalakihang puno nang mapansin kong hindi na siya muling nagsalita pa.

Seconds ticked by and she still hadn't responded, prompting me to glance back at her. She remained lost in her thoughts, gazing into the distance. It seemed like she sensed my constant gaze, so she met my eyes.

"No," she replied softly before returning her gaze to the path ahead.

I let out a resigned sigh and mirrored her actions, silently wishing I could read her mind.

Hindi naman nagtagal nang makarating kami sa lugar where I have long wanted to introduce Noelle to.

"We're here!" Pinasigla ko ang boses ko habang nakalahad ang kanang palad ko sa gilid ko, gesturing towards the back.

Dahan-dahan napunta ang nagtatanong tingin niya sa akin. I signaled with my head to look behind me. It took her a few seconds to understand, so her eyes pierced towards the back. A realization hit her, kaya't mabilis na bumalik ang tingin niya sa akin.

"Is she your baby?" Isang bulong ang lumabas sa kanyang bibig as she looked at my buried baby.

"Yes." I smiled softly and took a step closer to her, reaching out her right hand to pull her towards the grave.

"Hi baby Queeni, how are you?" I said as I knelt down. "I want you to meet my other half," I glanced slightly back at the person behind me, who was looking down, and slowly pulled Noelle to sit beside me, which she immediately followed. "She's my little dwarf, Noelle and—"

"Hi Queeni," Noelle cut me off. "I'm Noelle, your mom's future wife."

I heard her giggle, so I turned to look at her while she was looking at my baby. And for the record, she is now smiling. Hindi tulad ng mga nakaraang araw na tila wala sa sarili.

I felt a lump form in my throat habang pinagmamasdan ko ang eksena na nagaganap sa harap ko. Halo-halo ang nararamdaman ko. I couldn't quite put into words. Noelle's sweet gesture of acknowledging my baby, her genuine smile, and the way she introduced herself as my future wife touched a part of my heart that I never knew existed. Alam ko naman na noon pa ay tanggap na niya ang nakaraan ko pero hindi ko inaakala na ganito kasarap sa pakiramdam. Me, her and my baby in front of us.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at Noelle, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love for her.

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice cracking but I couldn't care less. "Thank you for accepting this part of me, for being here with me in this moment."