Just For Us

Part 1

It's been 4 months since Alden officially started courting Maine. Tama si Joey De Leon, di na nga umabot ng Pasko kasi it was December 23 when Alden went all the way to Bulacan para ipaalam sa parents ni Maine na manliligaw siya. No one was surprised. Sa ipinakita ng dalawa sa TV the past few months, they all saw it coming. Mahirap talagang itago ang genuine feelings. So yeah, RJ has been patiently pursuing Maine for the past 4 months and he's everything that she expected as a suitor and more: attentive, considerate, thoughtful, sweet, understanding, and a perfect gentleman. And this is why he's having a discussion with their director right now.

"Direk, kailangan ba talaga may kissing scene?" Alden asked.

"I wouldn't ask you to do this kung hindi importante sa flow ng story," sagot ni direk.

"Pero direk kasi I don't want Maine to be uncomfortable. Alam niyo naman yung situation namin. Nililigawan ko po siya. Hindi pa kami. Parang awkward lang po kasi diba," Alden insisted.

"I know. I understand where you're coming from but I really need this scene. It's a pivotal part of the story. Why don't you two talk about it. You're a professional, she's a professional. I'm sure you can work something out," said direk before he stood up to leave. He patted Alden's shoulder before walking out the door.

Alden sighed and put in his earphones. Music usually calms him down and he wants to be calm before he goes and talks to Maine about their impending kissing scene. Of course he wanted to kiss her! Of course! Some days, he has to muster all his self-control to keep from kissing her. He wants to kiss her when she's looking particularly beautiful (which, in his eyes, she always is). He wants to kiss her when she says something really witty or exceptionally funny (which she does every single day). He wants to kiss her when she's being adorkable (which she is all the time). In other words, kissing her is never far from his mind. But he wants to kiss her when she wants to kiss him too. He wants their first kiss to be a mutual decision made out of love, not a scene that's being dictated by someone else.

Alden didn't hear the knock on his dressing room door because he still had his earphones on. He was resting his head on the back of the couch with his eyes closed so he was startled when he felt a hand touch his arm. He opened his eyes and immediately sat up when he saw it was Maine. As usual, when he saw her, his heart did a little leap of joy. Kahit halos araw-araw na silang nagkikita dahil sa work and when they go out on dates, seeing her always makes him feel giddy.

"Meng! Akala ko tulog ka sa dressing room mo."

"Pinagising ako ni direk. May pag-uusapan daw tayo? Anong meron?" She sat on the chair in front of him.

"Direk talaga oh. Sana pinatulog ka muna niya. Puyat ka kaya!" He pulled her chair a little closer to his because he just likes it when she's near.

"Ok naman ako. Ako pa ba? Nakatulog naman ako ng 30mins. Keri na yun! Ano ba pag-uusapan natin?"

Alden took a deep breath and told Maine about the kissing scene dilemma. Maine listened intently and when Alden finished talking, she laughed.

"Grabe ka sakin! Ganun ba ko ka bad breath at ayaw mo ko i-kiss?" She joked.

"Oo eh. Di ka kasi nagtotoothbrush!" Alden said laughing.

"Nagtotoothbrush ako ah! Once a month para tipid sa toothpaste. Taghirap kaya ngayon," said Maine.

"Pwede naman asin na lang ipang toothbrush!" countered Alden.

"Sige ittry ko yan. So ok na? Wala na tayong problema? Ikikiss mo na ko?" said Maine laughing.

Alden turned serious. "Alam mo naman yung reason ko diba Meng?"

Maine smiled because she knew. They've declined kissing scenes before because of their situation. She knew they could both do it if they had to. They were professionals, after all. Pero iba kasi when there are feelings involved. She knew that Alden wanted their first kiss to be special. She knew that he wanted it to be something that they shared just between them when the time came. Kung tutuusin this would be a huge score for him kasi mahahalikan niya yung babaeng gusto niya but he never thought of it that way because he loved and respected her too much. Not once did he ever try to take advantage of her and she loved him even more for it. Oo, mahal na niya si Alden. She's just waiting for the right time to tell him that she feels the same way about him.

In the meantime, she wanted to give him something for his patience, for always putting her feelings before his wants and for being just him.

"I think we should do the kissing scene," said Maine.

Alden's eyes widened. "Sigurado ka? Meng first kiss natin yun (he gulped at the thought) and there will be people watching. Are you sure you want to share our first kiss with other people?"

"Actually, no. I don't want to share our first kiss with anybody else," said Maine.

Alden looked confused. "So what do you..."

But before he could finish his question, Maine scooched forward, put her hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes.

"RJ, this one's just for us."

And, as Alden's heart jumped out of his chest, Maine touched her lips to his. He automatically put his hands on her waist and, like a scene straight out of his dreams, kissed her back.
Kissing her was not how he imagined it would be. It was so much better than what his imagination could ever have come up with. It was like drinking in pure sunshine, just full of warmth and happiness. It was full of hope, love, and the promise of more kisses in the forseeable future.

The kiss only lasted about 15 seconds. It was short but sweet. When they pulled apart, Maine was smiling and Alden was dumbstruck. He looked drunk with happiness. That kiss was a long time coming. But just like Maine, it was worth the wait.