To Love the Dawn

43

"Palala nang palala cravings ko, Mavi. Gusto ko ngayon na makita si Xhaiven."

David stopped whatever he was doing on his desk. He looked at me with his brows furrowed. But I could see humor in his eyes.

"Are you teasing me, Sol?" Right! Karibal niya nga pala si Xhaiven noon!

"Huh? Hindi! Bakit ko naman gagawin iyon?" Ginagawa mo nga ngayon, Sol! "Gutom na ako..."

"And you're craving for Xhaiven?" He turned his chair to me. His eyes squinted a bit. "Why don't you crave and thirst for me instead?"

"Mamaya pa ako magc-crave ng isang David. Sa gabi pa, Mavi-"

"Daddy! Daddy!" Tahlia came running. She went inside our room and rushed to David. Kaagad naman siyang kinarga ni David at pinaupo sa mga hita niya. "Can we see Rapunzel now?"

"Lia, Daddy's-"

"We will see Rapunzel, baby." Tiningnan ko nang masama si David. Alam kong kailangan niya pang bawiin iyong pera ginastos niya sa preparations at sa mismong kasal namin! He smirked at me. "Lia, I'll teach you something. When Mommy and Daddy aren't around, or when we can't see you, don't let anyone kiss or touch you. If they do, tell us, okay? Or if there's a person who can help you, tell them."

"Why can't they kiss and touch me, Daddy?"

"Because it's bad to kiss or touch someone without permission. Do you remember the parts of your body where it's not nice to be touched?" Lia nodded at David. "Only mommy can touch you there, okay? Because mommy will never do any harm to you."

"How about you, Daddy? Will you do something bad to me? Why can't you also touch me there? Don't you want to bathe me?"

"Baby... No man can touch you there. If I touch you there when you take a bath, you might think that it's okay to let men touch you. So to avoid that, you will not let any man touch you in your private parts. Let's practice that, hmm?" Bumangon ako mula sa kama at lumapit na sa kanila. Kinarga ko si Lia at ako naman ang kumandong kay David. Natawa si David sa ginawa ko. Si Lia naman ay nakaupo sa mga hita ko. David wrapped his arms around us. "Do you understand now, Lia?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Humalik sa mga pisngi namin si Lia bago siya nagmamadaling umalis nang marinig ang boses ni Marinel. Manonood pa raw sila ng Cinderella.

"Lia is a smart girl. Nagmana siya sa 'yo, David!" David didn't respond as he was busy kissing my collarbone and shoulder blade. "Buti naman at nagmana sa 'yo. Sa ating dalawa, ikaw iyong mas matalino."

"Mas wais ka naman, Sol." He kissed the side of my neck. I felt his hot breath there.

"Mas maalam ka, Mavi."

"Mas kaya mong lagpasan ang mga problema, Sola."

"Mas maraming nakapila sa 'yo-"

"Pero ikaw ang gusto ko. No other options... No other choices, Sol." Hindi na ako nakatiis. I kissed his lips. I shifted my position. I put my legs on his sides. David sucked on my lip softly. I stopped him from kissing me by pulling away. My hands slid inside his shirt, caressing his chest and abs. David was watching me intently. "I never got to ask you this... What's the meaning of the tattoo on your side waist?"

"It's in Japanese, Mizu Ni Nagasu. It's like letting the water flow or letting it flow in the water. In English, it's the saying "Water under the bridge" which means to forgive and forget, and to let things go." David caressed my waist while still looking at me. He was so attentive! Something that I have liked about him ever since I met him.

"When did you have it?"

"When I was eighteen... You probably didn't know that because I kept it a secret to everyone."

"I noticed it, Sol. But I didn't want to ask because it might be something big for you." I caressed his soft stubble. His hands held my wrists while I was carefully caressing his cheek and jaw. "My heart... burns for you, Solana."

"Dahil sa 'kin, nagka-heartburn ka pa," natatawang sagot ko. Hindi rin nakapagpigil si David at natawa rin.

"Please don't take my sunshine away. You're that sunshine, Sol," napapaos na saad niya.

"But seriously, I wouldn't be here if I didn't love you beyond the burns and the tears." Pumungay ang mga mata ni David. Nang ngumiti siya ay kaagad niyang ibinaon ang mukha sa dibdib ko. "When you get tired of anything, please take a rest with me, Mav."

Mula sa pagkakabaon at pagkalugmok, muli kaming tumayo ni David. Nagkaroon kami ng sariling physical store para sa business ko at iilang franchise ng mga nauusong pagkain at inumin.

Today, we are visiting our newest milestone. The governor, Gov. Ponce de Leon, signed the papers last month. And David's finally inheriting one of his companies. Sa haba ng termino ng gobernador dahil sa pagmamahal sa kaniya ng mga tao, ay nakapag-invest siya sa iba't ibang kumpanya. Naging major shareholder siya sa marami o naging may-ari.

David didn't really want to inherit the company. Bukod sa hindi naman iyon nakalinya sa kursong natapos ni David, ay wala rin naman daw siyang gaanong kaalaman sa pag-handle ng companies. But thankfully, he found a way to make the company bloom in the future.

A man entered the glass doors. The cameramen and the media immediately turned to him. He's wearing an ash-black coat with a white plain v-neck shirt underneath, which is paired with black slacks and white sneakers. It looked casual but because of his different aura, it looked attractive. He took off his sunglasses and smiled at the cameras. He waved his hand a little before walking toward us. His bodyguards immediately followed and protected him from the media people.

"Dr. Ponce de Leon," bati niya kay David bago naglahad ng kamay. Kaagad naman iyong tinanggap ni David. He smiled at me to acknowledge my presence, so I smiled back. "My apologies, my woman has some things to do, she couldn't make it here-"

Naputol ang sasabihin niya nang magkumpulan ang media sa pintuan. A woman wearing her black turtleneck bodycon dress and black big square sunglasses. She smiled a little bit before walking away, with her chin up and her posture that screamed elegance. She's a model, and there's no doubt about that.

"Sorry, I bought cake pa kasi! Hi, Xzavi!" She kissed Xhaiven's lips. And then she turned to us. Nakipagbeso siya sa amin ni David. "Hello, Solana and David! It's such a pleasure to be part of your company!"

"Let's talk about it in my office, shall we?" Everyone agreed with what David had said.

__________________________________