Back to You || Maiden/Aldub

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"Tama ka." He sighed, taking a seat next to her - staring down at his hands before looking back up at her. "It's not the same love as you felt. Pero Meng, that doesn't mean na wala ka'ng pwesto dito sa puso ko. You mean so much to me at ayaw ko na mawala ka sa'kin just because I was too selfish."

Maine was caught off guard with Alden's sudden change of character, expecting this to be yet again another tear and yell fest.

"You messed up. A lot." She began.

"I know kaya-"

Maine held her hand up, stopping him. "Hindi pa ako tapos." She licked her lips, debating whether she should say the next few words to him or not. "You messed up, but you mean a lot to me too. That's why I'm forgiving you."

A smile began to form on Alden's face, pulling the girl into his arms - hugging her tighter than he's ever had. "Thank you." He repeatedly mumbled into her hair, a few tears escaping his eyes.

And although Maine had been waiting for this moment since the first time he had broken her heart, she surprisingly didn't feel the way she had expected to. Sure, she was happy that he finally recognized what he had done to her these past few years and apologized for it. But she also realized one thing once she was back in the arms of the guy she used to dream of spending the rest of her life with.

She no longer had that strong wanting of being his.

If this moment was to happen a year ago, or maybe five or six months ago, Maine would have savored each second he held her. The past Maine would have spent the rest of the night cherishing this one small moment because she knew that this was the closest thing she got to calling him her's.

But now it was different. Now, she has come to terms that they wouldn't be that couple she and the rest of the world had dreamed of. And surprisingly, it felt good.

Maine no longer felt tied down to an emotion that could easily make or break her day. It was as though she had finally taken a breath of fresh air after being trapped in that love-spell these past three and a half years.

"Can we go back to the way we were?" Alden asked hopefully, pulling away. "I know that I ruined your trust, pero willing ako gawain lahat to earn that back."

"I- It's going to take some time." Maine said slowly.

"Okay lang. Basta maging okay lang tayo, I won't mind."

He had such sincerity in his voice, she couldn't help but feel all too new to it. She hasn't seen this side of him in such a long time it had become a new experience.

All of this was definitely going to take some time to get used to.

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(txt) Alden: No shoot today :) Pick up kita after All For Juan?

Maine stared at her phone in hand, not knowing whether she was going to agree to his offering.

He was trying, very hard to be exact, and there was no doubt that she appreciated that. But she also had a life now. One that didn't have him because of the choices he chose to make in the past.

This life was in perfect order, and the thought of Alden coming back to it was still a hard concept for Maine.

She had just gotten used to how perfectly in-sync everything was in her life and she knew that once she welcomed him back, it would all be different. Her schedules, her routines - all changed.

But Maine was also not cold-hearted enough to deny Alden back this position. He still means something to her, and she saw the sincerity in his actions. It was the question of 'How long will this all last?' that was haunting her. It was all too good to be true. There has got to be some type of catch to why everything in her life was once again her favor.