2021

A Shot at Forever

"For the third straight conference, ladies and gentlemen!! Your PBA finals MVP..."

His name was yet to be announced but the Elasto Painters already carried player number 21 up in the air with smiles on their faces.

"...Jeron Teng!!!"

The arena was filled with claps and howls as Jeron received his trophy. The PBA Commissioner's Cup just ended and his team won the championship.

"Big game, big season for Jeron Teng!", the host continued to say.

The former King Archer has experienced a lot of wins in the past, but this one's different.

Ito lang yung laban na kahit naipanalo na nila, kinakabahan pa rin siya. Dahil hindi pa tapos ang dapat niyang gawin ngayong gabi.

Jeron's heart beat more rapidly as he reached for the mic to deliver his speech.

"Thank you... First of all, I want to thank God, because none of this would be possible if not for Him...

Thank you sa teammates ko... Coach Yeng... the whole staff... And to all the fans! You're the ones who brought us here. It wasn't an easy journey pero hindi kayo bumitaw. Thank you, sobra. Part kayo ng victory na 'to as much as we are.

To my family... Pa, Ma, achis and ahia... Thank you for all the support! I love you!

And uhm..."

Jeron exhaled deeply, trying to shake off the nervousness in his body.

"There's someone... who's really special to me here tonight...

I know she's... she's gonna hate me for saying this pero malaki talaga yung contribution niya sa finals series na 'to... I gave my best because I want to uh... I want to have this chance to speak.

I want to talk about the person... who gave me the best five years of my life...

She's here tonight and..."

Jeron swallowed hard as he tried to suppress the tears that started to form in his eyes.

"She... She always complains... always complains that I never talk... that I don't care... I never tell her how I feel...

Well, tonight, I want to let everybody here know how I feel.

She's given me the best five years and... it changed me. It changed me a lot. She makes everything better for me...

So..."

Jeron let his eyes roam around the arena, trying to find her.

"Where is she? I can't see her.", he blurted out.

Mika's anxious face was flashed on the screen at once and everyone in the place shouted in glee.

Jeron let out another deep breath before finally calling her name.

"Mika...

I..."

He paused and wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks.

"I want...

I want to wake up every morning seeing your face..."

A combination of loud shrieks and awww's filled the place upon hearing the MVP's words.

"I want you to... I want you to nag me every night, ask me where I am...

And I want to make lots of... little Jeron's and little Mika's..."

The people let out a laugh and his teammates cheered for him.

"I should go up there, right? I should go up there."

It's as if the ground would shake any moment at the squeals and screams of the fans as Jeron walked towards where Mika sat.

Once he reached her, he stood in front of her and began to speak again using the mic.

"So uhh...

I want to take care of you for the rest of my life...

And I was just wondering if... you know..."

Jeron fumbled through his pocket and brought out a small box. He opened it, took the diamond ring and knelt in front of his beloved.

Mika covered her mouth in shock, as she couldn't believe that this is happening.

She has always known her boyfriend to be the quiet one. But here he is now, telling the world how he feels about her.

"I love you, Mika...

...Will you marry me?"

Mika wasn't able to contain the tears of happiness that flowed from her eyes. Unable to speak, she nodded her head in response and enveloped her man in a tight embrace.

All the people in the arena cheered for the couple, as cameras focused on them.

They moved away from each other, and Jeron inserted the ring on Mika's finger.

"She said yes, by the way.", Jeron said playfully on the mic and the people laughed while crying in celebration for the ship that once began in the UAAP.

Now they're more real than ever, finally finding each other after all the heartbreaks they've encountered along the way.

Before the night ended, Jeron posted a picture of Mika's hand as the ring shone on her finger, proudly announcing that she's taken, and can never be taken away.

@jeronteng: She said yes. :) And I'm the happiest man alive. #finalmvp

Author's Note:

Based on a real proposal :) Isang shot para sa TeamRT! XD

Eto muna. Happy Friday! :)

PS. Forgive my poor photo editing skills hahaha