Dirty Little Secret (GxG)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Lia's POV

A few days had passed since that phone call with Sandra. Alam kong hindi niya direktang sinasabi, but I could still feel the tension—her jealousy lingering beneath the surface. It wasn't like her to get that insecure, pero naiintindihan ko. The situation was complicated, and there were too many moving parts: the engagement, the secret, and now, Luna.

Kaya naisip ko, maybe what Sandra needed was some time away. Just the two of us. No work, no Luna, no distractions. Just... us.

That morning, habang tinatapos ko yung last email ko for the week, I texted Sandra.

Lia: "Day off ko tomorrow. Gusto mo bang mag-date? Just us, away from everything."

I watched the three dots pop up, signaling she was typing a reply. My heart skipped a little; we hadn't had time to just be ourselves in what felt like forever.

Her reply came almost instantly.

Sandra: "A date? Just us? I'd love that. What do you have in mind?"

I grinned, leaning back in my chair. Perfect. Now I just needed to plan something special, something na siguradong makakapagpakalma sa selos niya.

The next day, I made sure everything was ready. I wanted to keep it simple but meaningful—something na hindi magpaparamdam kay Sandra na she had to compete with anyone. So, I planned a picnic at this secluded spot sa labas ng city, away from prying eyes. Tahimik, simple, at private.

She picked me up in the early afternoon, and as soon as I got in the car, I could already see her mood lift.

"Wow," Sandra smiled, a rare softness in her eyes as she buckled her seatbelt. "You really went all out, huh?"

I gave her a playful shrug. "What can I say? Gusto ko lang pagaanin ang loob mo. You've been stressing too much lately."

Her smile faltered slightly, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. "Lia, about—"

I reached over, squeezing her hand gently. "No more worrying today, okay? This is just about us."

Sa mga sandaling iyon ay binigyan lamang niya ako ng magaan na titig, then she sighed in relief. "You always know how to make me feel better."

The spot I picked was perfect. It was a small clearing by a quiet lake, surrounded by trees, with just enough shade to keep us cool but enough sunlight to make everything glow. I laid out a blanket while Sandra helped unpack the food. It felt like a scene from a movie—just the two of us, no one else in sight.

Nang makaupo na kami, Sandra leaned back on her hands, pinagmamasdan ang mapayapa at tahimik na lugar. "This is... perfect."

I smiled, watching her relax for the first time in a while. "You deserve a break. We've been through a lot."

She turned to me, a look of gratitude and love in her eyes. "Thank you, Mahal. For this. For everything."

I reached for her hand again, lacing our fingers together. "I love you, Sandra. And gusto ko lang malaman mo na... kahit anong mangyare. You're the one I choose every time."

Nakita ko naman ang paglambot ng mga titig niya na para bang nakuha na niya ang mga bagay na gusto niyang marinig sakin netong mga nakaraang araw. 

She scooted closer to me, at inihiga ang ulo niya sa balikat ko. "I believe you," bulong niya. "It's just... hard sometimes. Seeing how easy it is for people to be close to you."

Nagpakawala ako ng buntong hininga, atsaka hinalikan siya sa tuktok ng kanyang ulo. "I understand. Pero wala kang dapat ipag-alala. I'm with you, Sandra. And I'm going to keep choosing you, no matter what."