Stay With Me

LAST CHAPTER (PART ONE)

Ara's POV

Binuksan ko ang ilaw at humikab, tinignan ko si Matthew na mahimbing ang tulog at saka ako lumapit kay Baby Mateo na iyak ng iyak. 3:21 AM pa lang at nagising ako sa iyak ni baby.

"Aish, Mateo, what happened?" sabi ko habang kinarga siya. Hindi ko na alam kung anong nangyari pero iyak siya ng iyak, parang may hinihingi. Inisip ko baka gutom, kaya pinatong ko siya sa crib at naghanda ng gatas. Pero kahit anong gawin ko, hindi siya tumitigil.

"Pssh, stop na baby please..." sabi ko, nilalaro ang buhok niya pero wala pa ring epekto. Habang binabaybay ko ang mahabang gabing ito, naramdaman ko yung pagod sa katawan ko. Lahat na yata ng posisyon, ginawa ko, pero ayaw pa rin tumigil sa kakaiyak.

Ang tanging nakikita ko lang si Matthew na tulog na tulog sa kabilang side ng kama, mukhang hindi yata naririnig ang iyak ni Mateo. Naisip ko, baka na-stress din siya sa mga past days, kaya baka okay lang, he deserves to rest. Pero ang sakit din sa katawan na ako lang mag-isa sa ganitong oras.

"Shh Mateo, okay lang, don't cry, please," bulong ko habang binubuhat siya at niyayakap ko ng mahigpit. Nakaupo na kami sa rocking chair, tinatry ko siyang patahanin. Pero lalo lang siyang humihikbi.

Habang kinakalma ko siya, naramdaman ko na parang gusto ko nang mag-breakdown. Pagod na pagod na ako, at hindi ko alam kung paano ko na kaya. Minsan gusto ko na lang mag-quit, pero ang tanga ko naman pag ganon hindi ko kayang hayaan si Mateo na mag-isa.

Nasa ganung mood ako ng biglang magising si Matthew. "Baby?" tanong niya, medyo groggy pa.

"Shhh... he’s still crying," sabi ko na lang, but hindi ko kayang magsalita nang maayos, parang gusto ko na mag-iyak.

Hindi na siya nagdalawang-isip. Tumayo siya agad at nilapitan kami. "Ara, let me take over," sabi niya, while gently taking Mateo from me.

Hindi ko alam kung anong naramdaman ko—relief ba? Or guilt na nagpatuloy siya? Pero pagkatapos nun, nakaramdam ako ng konting katahimikan. Si Matthew na ang nag-alaga kay Mateo, at sa wakas, tumigil din siya sa kakaiyak. Hinaplos ni Matthew ang ulo ni Mateo, and in just a few minutes, nahulog na sila pareho sa mahimbing na tulog.

Nang makita ko yun, parang ang bigat ng katawan ko, na-paralyze ako sa pagod. "Thank you, Matthew," sabi ko, pero he just smiled at me.

"Don't thank me, baby. We're in this together," sagot niya, gently wiping the sweat from my forehead. "You’re doing great."

Pumikit ako ng saglit, pero hindi ko kayang magpahinga agad. Lumingon ako kay Mateo, na tulog na tulog sa mga bisig ni Matthew. "I love you both," bulong ko.

Matthew smiled, then whispered, "We love you too."

That moment felt so peaceful. Kung may isang bagay na hindi ko kayang i-take for granted, it’s that, even though we are exhausted and at times feel overwhelmed, as long as we have each other, we can do anything. Together.

---

Kinabukasan, nagising ako ng maaga, nag-stretch ng konti, at napansin ko na tulog pa rin silang dalawa ni Matthew sa sofa. Ang cute nilang dalawa, honestly. Hindi ko kayang i-explain kung gaano ko kamahal si Matthew at kung paano siya naging katuwang ko sa buhay na ito. Hindi ko na rin inisip kung ilang hours na akong puyat. The sight of them made me feel so thankful, like everything we were going through was all worth it. I’m exactly where I want to be—in Matthew’s arms, with Mateo by our side.

I stood up quietly, and after a few minutes, I started preparing breakfast, trying to keep the noise low para hindi magising si Matthew. Nang matapos ko na ang lahat, narinig ko siya mula sa living room.

"Baby, we need to talk," sabi niya, looking at me with a soft smile.

Lumapit ako sa kanya, feeling the warmth in my chest, and sat down beside him. "What’s on your mind?" tanong ko, habang nakatingin sa kanila ni Mateo.

He smiled at me, brushing Mateo’s little hair, and then looked me in the eyes. "I know it’s been hard lately. No sleep, late nights, dealing with everything. But you need to know—you’re doing amazing. We’re doing this together."

Naluha ako sa sinabi niya. Hindi ko alam kung anong nararamdaman ko. "I don't know how I would do this without you, Matthew," sabi ko, looking down at Mateo’s peaceful face in his arms.

Matthew just hugged me. "We’re in this together, baby. Always."

I smiled through my tears. From that moment on, I knew that no matter how many sleepless nights, no matter how many struggles ahead, we’ll be fine. Kasi magkakasama kami. And that’s all that matters.

~ END ~ (PART ONE!)

A/N:

Hi Moonie’s!!! 😭 Huhu, hanggang dito na lang muna tayo for Part One ng kwento ni Ara at Matthew, and wow, sobrang overwhelmed ako sa support na ibinibigay ninyo! Seriously, ang saya saya ko kasi nakikita ko na grabe kayong nagmamahal sa story na ‘to! Like, every comment, like, and message na natanggap ko, ang saya ko! Alam ko, parang minsan super predictable yung mga twists and turns, pero I love how engaged you all are! Hindi ko kayang mag-thank you ng sapat sa inyo, promise. 😭❤️

Kahit gaano kahirap mag-isip ng mga next scenes, nakakagaan ng loob na makita kayong tumatangkilik sa kwento. And really, I feel like we’ve all been on this journey together na! From the angsty moments, to the kilig, and syempre, mga dramatic scenes… we’ve come so far, and I’m really, really grateful na nandiyan kayo!

Naisip ko nga, if it weren’t for all your feedback, comments, and suggestions, baka hindi ko pa natuloy-tuloy ‘tong story na ‘to, kaya once again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU so much sa bawat isa sa inyo!!! I seriously feel blessed that you’re all a part of this. And I promise, hindi ko kayo bibiguin. Part Two is coming soon and it’s gonna be full of surprises! Like, there’s gonna be more drama (as if wala nang enough drama, right? Haha!) and syempre, more kilig moments for Ara and Matthew, kasi I know you all live for that!! 😏💕

So, ayun, kahit sobrang saya ko, medyo naiinip na rin ako to write the next part!! Gusto ko pa kayong mapatulala with all the twists and turns. I just really hope you’ll continue to support the story, kasi I’m working hard to make sure that it gets even more exciting as we move forward. Kumbaga, tapos na yung intro and now we’re about to dive deeper into the real feels, mga chismis, at mga ‘huh?’ moments na hindi nyo pa inaasahan.

And I just wanna say, I’m seriously so thankful for how kind you all are! For those who’ve been sharing your thoughts and theories about what’s going to happen next, I seriously LOVE reading them! Nakakatawa kasi minsan, parang kayo pa yung nagiging inspiration ko sa mga susunod na events sa story. Haha, kaya if you want more twists, make sure to stay tuned! 💖

And last but definitely not the least, I just wanna thank each and every one of you who’ve been here from the start! If you’re new here, welcome to the family! You’re definitely gonna enjoy the upcoming chapters, promise! 🌟 Thank you din sa mga nagbabasa silently, kasi I appreciate you guys so much, kahit hindi kayo nagko-comment. Alam ko nandiyan kayo and it means a lot!

So yeah, see you all in Part Two!!! 🌸 I’ll keep working hard on the next chapters, so keep on supporting and keep on reading, okay? Please leave your thoughts, comments, or just random kilig reactions below, I’d love to hear them!!! 💖 Thank you, thank you, thank you again for being with me on this journey. I love you all, Moonie’s!!! ✨

Love
Melodymooniee