Love and Resilience

If She Wanted To, She Would

SERENA’S POV

The soft murmur of the gala echoed from inside the venue, but I stood outside, leaning against the railing of the balcony. The cool night breeze felt refreshing against my skin, though it didn’t do much to lift the heaviness in my chest. It was the second night of the gala, and everything had gone well so far, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of sadness that lingered.

It was Jovana’s and my second monthsary today. Normally, we would have celebrated it together maybe gone to our favorite café or spent the evening just relaxing in each other’s company. But instead, I was here, consumed by work, miles away from her. It was bittersweet. The gala was important to me, but not having Jovana by my side on a day that meant so much made me feel… incomplete.

I took a deep breath, gazing out at the city lights twinkling in the distance. I tried to push away the ache, convincing myself that it was just one day and that Jovana understood. We’d celebrate once I got back. She’d been nothing but supportive, always encouraging me to focus on my career, and I was beyond grateful for that. Still, I couldn’t help but feel guilty for not being able to see her.

As I stood there, lost in thought, something caught my attention a pair of headlights coming toward me. My heart skipped a beat. That car looked… familiar. No, it couldn’t be. Jovana was swamped with her duties at the hospital, and I knew her schedule had been hectic lately. She wouldn’t have had time to leave and drive all the way here.

But as the car pulled closer, my heart started racing. I’d recognize that car anywhere. It was Jovana’s.

I watched in disbelief as the driver’s door opened, and there she was Jovama, stepping out of the car, looking as beautiful as ever, even though she seemed exhausted. Before I could even process what was happening, my feet were moving, and I found myself running toward her.

“Jovana!” I called out, my voice thick with a mix of surprise and joy.

Jovana barely had time to react before I threw myself into her arms, hugging her tightly, not caring about anything else in that moment. I could feel the warmth of her body against mine, the familiar scent of her perfume filling the air around me. I pulled back just enough to look at her face, and without thinking, I pressed my lips to hers, kissing her deeply.

She kissed me back, her arms tightening around my waist. It felt like all the distance and the stress of the past few days melted away in that kiss. When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless, my heart thudding in my chest.

“You’re here,” I whispered, still in shock. “I didn’t think... how did you... why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

Jovana smiled, though I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. “I couldn’t stay away, love. Not today.”

“But your schedule, your work… I know you’ve been so busy.”

Jovana shrugged, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I was busy, yeah. But it’s our second monthsary, and I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing you today. So, after my shift, I decided to drive over. I know I’m probably not thinking straight I’m tired but I just… I couldn’t not be with you today.”

I stared at her, my heart swelling with so much love for this woman in front of me. Jovama always put others first, always gave so much of herself, but she’d made time for me, even when she was exhausted. I cupped her face gently, running my thumb over her cheek.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jovana chuckled, leaning into my touch. “You’re worth every second of it, love. I wasn’t going to let our monthsary go by without seeing you.”

I hugged her again, holding her close, resting my head against her shoulder. “I missed you so much,” I admitted. “These past two days have been crazy, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to be with you. I felt so guilty that we couldn’t celebrate together.”

Jovana stroked my back gently, her voice soothing. “Hey, don’t feel guilty. You’ve been doing something amazing here, and I’m proud of you. We’ll always have time for each other, love. Today, tomorrow, whenever. But right now, I’m here. And that’s all that matters.”

I pulled back, looking into her eyes. “You’re right,” I said, a soft smile tugging at my lips. “You’re here. And I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

We stood there for a moment, just holding each other, the world around us fading away. It didn’t matter that we were standing in a parking lot or that we were both exhausted. All that mattered was that Jovana had come to be with me, and that alone made everything feel right again.

“So,” I said after a moment, a playful glint in my eyes, “what do you want to do? It’s not much of a celebration, but I can sneak away for a little while. We could grab some late-night food or take a walk.”

Jovana chuckled softly. “Honestly? I’m exhausted. But I wouldn’t mind sitting with you for a bit. Just being together is enough for me.”

I nodded, taking her hand and leading her to a quiet corner of the balcony, where we sat down on one of the benches. The night was calm, the city lights twinkling in the distance, and for the first time in days, I felt completely at ease.

As we sat there, I leaned my head on her shoulder, and she wrapped an arm around me, holding me close. We didn’t need to say much just being together was enough. It was simple, but it was perfect.

“I love you,” I whispered after a long stretch of silence, the words coming out naturally, without hesitation.

Jovana smiled, turning her head to press a soft kiss to the top of mine. “I love you so much, Serena. So much.”

And in that moment, everything felt right. Even with the craziness of the gala, even with the distance between us over the past few days, I knew that we could handle anything as long as we were together. Today wasn’t about grand gestures or big celebrations. It was about showing up for each other, even when it wasn’t easy.

And Jovana had done just that.

For the rest of the night, we sat there together, under the stars, wrapped in each other’s warmth, celebrating our monthsary in the best way we could by simply being there for one another.

Girls remember! If he wanted to he would!

Sana all kay Serena, sana magkaroon din ako ng sarili kong Jovana 😃