Little Things in a Forbidden Love

III. MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN

RICHARD GOMEZ.

Finally! I made it to Araneta. Because a friend handed me a pass, I was able to get a good seat for myself. It was close enough to the stage that it was impossible for Dawn not to notice me.

Some of my friends in the industry were surprised to see me. "Oh Richard. Aren't you supposed to be in Ormoc right now?" most of them asked. "I just took a break. Sometimes we need that you know," I responded with a smile as I rushed to my seat. Right at the moment I sat down, Martin Nievera introduced his co-host.

I remember how the crowd reacted. People were screaming. Ordinary fans, celebrities, and even the Bb. Pilipinas candidates were obviously stunned by the woman who wore a black see-through gown. Her hair, her eyes, her nose, her lips. Just perfect. I wanted to get onstage and say hello to Dawn, tell her that she has always been the most beautiful woman, hug her so tight, and kiss her tenderly. But no, I couldn't do any of those. What I had to do was wait.

So I saw all the 50 candidates. But I didn't care. My eyes were just glued to Dawn, who unfortunately had no idea that I was already there. I reached for my phone in my pocket and sent a message to her, hoping that she would be able to read it during the commercial break.

HI, DAWN. I AM ALREADY HERE LOOKING AT YOU. YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. SEE YOU LATER.

For quite a long time, I didn't see Dawn anywhere. I thought maybe she had to change her gown or something else. As I waited, the contestants came back in their swimsuit. Though that was probably one of the highlights of the night for many, I didn't pay real attention for I was busy sending Dawn another message.

DAWN, WHERE ARE YOU? HAVE YOU SEEN ME? I'M BEHIND THE FORMER BINIBINIS. CAN I GIVE YOU A RIDE HOME? I'LL WAIT AT THE SOUTH GATE PARKING LOT. :)

DAWN ZULUETA.

"Oh my gosh, Dawn! You're clearly outshining everyone," my team cheered as I was getting ready with my second wardrobe. I gave all of them a big smile as a sign of appreciation.

And so I waited for the next spiel. As I did, I remembered Richard. I was too busy during the day that I no longer had the time to text or call him. "Is he here?" I wondered. I then asked my make-up artist to hand me my pouch where I put my cellphone. I needed to make sure Richard landed safe and that he was there waiting for me.

"Thanks," I said as I reached for the pouch I asked for. Upon unlocking my phone, I saw two messages from Richard. 

The first message was:

       HI, DAWN. I AM ALREADY HERE LOOKING AT YOU. YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. SEE YOU LATER.  

And just like that, I screamed for joy deep inside. Only Richard can make me feel that way. I had such a big smile on my face which turned even bigger when I read the second one:

      DAWN, WHERE ARE YOU? HAVE YOU SEEN ME? I'M BEHIND THE FORMER BINIBINIS. CAN I GIVE YOU A RIDE HOME? I'LL WAIT AT THE SOUTH GATE PARKING LOT. :)

"He'll wait for me?" I murmured. I liked the idea but at the same time got worried that someone would find out. I thought of the people around, and Anton, and the kids.

"Dawn, let's go! You're next in a few minutes," called my manager Vivian. "Okay, I'll be there in a few," I responded. I didn't have time to think anymore so I quickly sent a message to Richard: Something I truly meant.

OK. I'LL BE THERE AFTER THE SHOW. SEE YOU. :)

RICHARD GOMEZ.

"Hi, Richard. So how's your campaign going?" asked some friends of mine as the candidates ramped onstage. "Good. I hope everything's going to pay off," I replied. I heard more words from them but honestly didn't give my full attention. All I did was respond with a smile, for what I had in mind was Dawn.

 So I got my phone to check if Dawn replied. AND YES SHE DID! "She said yes. I'm going to see her," I murmured and smiled. And just a few seconds after that, I saw Dawn back onstage. She wore a nude pink gown. My jaw literally dropped as I looked at her from head to toe. She was just lovely! Her hair, her sweet smile, her delicate skin, her shoulders... Everything was in place.

As Dawn finished reading her lines, she looked at my direction. She waved and gave me such a lovely smile, letting me know that she already saw me.

That moment, they were ready to announce the top 15. People were cheering and excited for their own bets while there I was, glued to the most beautiful woman - DAWN. When she left the stage, I immediately grabbed my phone and sent her another message:

    YOU ROCKED THAT PINK GOWN, DAWN. YOU'RE REALLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU. :)

After sending that, I logged in to Twitter. It was crazy! Dawn was trending. I got a lot of tweets from her fans and of course our CharDawn penguins. One of them even teased me with Dawn's last wardrobe. It was a blue see-through lace gown. I immediately imagined Dawn wearing that one.... and I couldn't stop myself from smiling. I even typed, "At the BBP coronation and I agree, Dawn Zulueta is the loveliest!" But when I was about to click tweet, I remembered my wife Lucy. She knew I flew to Manila but I didn't tell her about watching BBP and seeing Dawn. Though how much I wanted to tell the world how mesmerized I was with Dawn's beauty, I had no choice but to keep it to myself.

Few more minutes passed and we were almost at the end of the pageant. Dawn was back onstage, wearing her third gown, the blue see-through one. I said "Wow" as I saw her perfect figure emphasized by that gown. Yes there were so many beautiful ladies that night as it was the 50th year of Bb.Pilipinas, but it was only Dawn who captured my eyes, my mind, and my heart.

Next thing I remember - I was at the parking lot waiting for Dawn to come out.

*Author: Do you want to know what happened next?!? Should I update? VOTE to let me know. :)))*