Aftershock

Part 1

Outside, the rain beat down on the windowpanes of her condo unit, soothing Maine as she slept. It was already past two in the afternoon, and since they taped a Kalyeserye episode in advance, today gave Maine a rare chance to wake up late.

Then the doorbell rang.

Miffed, she reluctantly opened her eyes and reached for her phone to check the time. Inexplicably, a horrible sense of dread washed over her, and she found herself suddenly wide awake.

Something was wrong, she thought. Very wrong.

She scrolled down her phone to see fifteen missed calls and twenty unread messages, most of them from Alden. "Sh*t," she muttered to herself. Feeling guilty for leaving her phone on vibrate mode, she immediately called him back.

"Alden? Tumawag ka? Sorry, kakagising ko lang."
"Meng, hey. Sorry, alam mo na ba?"
"Na ano?"
"Um, nabangga ako kanina, eh."

She bolted upright on her bed.

"Kanina? Are you ok? Oh, my God!" Her voice betrayed the panic she felt.

"No worries, I'm fine," he reassured.

"Asan ka ngayon? Are you at the hospital? Are you hurt? Oh, my God..." she clamped her hand to her mouth, her face etched with deep worry.

"Meng, I'm here."
"Where?"
"Sa labas ng pinto mo."

She immediately dropped her phone and ran to the door. She opened it to see Alden, tired and still visibly shaken. "Hey, Meng," he greeted with an apologetic smile.

"Oh, my God, Shokoy..." She locked her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Aray...wait, braso ko..." Alden bristled.
"Oh, sh*t! I'm so sorry!" Maine gasped as she saw the bruises on his arm. She ran her fingers gingerly over the red streaks and patches. "No worries, It's OK," he reassured. "Binigyan ako ng painkillers ako kanina, pero medjo mahapdi pa rin."
Maine's brows furrowed with concern as she led him into her condo. "Halika, pasok ka, I'll get an icepack."

She motioned for him to sit on one of the red dining chairs and quickly walked to the freezer. As she tiptoed to get it, Alden couldn't help but stare languidly at Maine's small, lithe body. She was wearing his old flannel polo shirt, the one he gave her last Christmas when they had to exchange "something sentimental." She had given him a bandana she used back as a cook in New York; he in turn, had given her the flannel shirt he wore to his very first modelling gig years ago.

She wrapped the ice bag in a small kitchen towel. He could feel the trauma of the morning's accident drain slowly away from his system with every step she took toward him. As she gently pat the iced towel on his bruises, he found himself staring at Maine's face, utterly transfixed by her big eyes, messy brown hair, and full lips. Everything about her seemed to suddenly be so...extraordinary. Maybe it was the adrenaline leaving his body, maybe it was the sudden brush with death, or maybe it was hunger, but somehow it seemed like he was seeing her for the first time.

Maine glanced at him, a worried expression never leaving her face. "Sino kasama mo kanina?" she asked.
"Si Mama Ten. Pero OK naman siya, naka seatbelt naman kami. Bigla lang huminto yung kotse sa harap namin. Ewan ko, ba't di ko nakita. Buti nalang yung front lang ang nasira. Hindi naman nabasag yung windshield," he recounted, leaving out the other details so she wouldn't worry more."Alam mo naman Meng. Masamang damo, hindi namamatay."
"Alden, that's not funny."
"Sorry."

She continued to pat the ice-cold towel on his arm. "Sorry din pala, naka-vibrate kasi phone ko kanina. Di ko narinig tawag mo."Alden reached out his hand to cover hers reassuringly. "It's OK, Meng. Nakalimutan ko rin na tulog ka pala. I guess I just wanted to let you know before mabasa mo sa news."

"Well, buhay ka and andito ka and that's all that matters," she said with a smile. "Kumain ka na ba?

"Actually, di pa. Wala akong gana kanina, eh. Dumeretso lang ako sa rehearsals, tapos pumunta na dito. Kakain na lang ako on the way home."

"Ano ka ba?" she admonished him. "It's ok, nagluto ako ng pasta kahapon."

She stood to get a bowl of pasta from the fridge and popped it in the microwave. As they waited for it to heat up, Alden stood and made his way to her small couch. "Meng, tambay muna ako dito ha. Ang gulo kasi sa Broadway. Daming press." He took the remote control and turned on her TV. He proceeded to scan the channels, keeping the volume low.

The microwave dinged. She grabbed a fork and placed the bowl of steaming pasta on the coffee table in front of him. "Gusto mo juice? Tubig?"
"Ikaw," Alden replied, looking at her intently. "Ikaw ang gusto ko."
Maine laughed and playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Ah, ganon. Muntik ka na ngang mamatay, nagjojoke pa rin. Kuha kita ng juice." She walked back to her small kitchen.

"Meng, may tanong ako. Seryoso 'to, ha," he asked as she returned to sit beside him on the couch. "Tapatan mo ako."

"Ano?" she asked in a small voice.

"Nag shorts ka ba ngayon?"

It took a few seconds before she realized what he meant.
"Oh, my God!" she gasped, as she ran back to her room and slammed the door. In her panic earlier, she had forgotten that she was only wearing his polo top and underwear. Alden laughed out loud. "Wag ka nalang magbihis," he joked as he scarfed down a forkful of pasta into his mouth. He didn't realize how hungry he was until he started eating. By the time he finished the bowl of pasta, Maine had come out of her bedroom wearing a thick robe and pajama bottoms that were too long for her.

"Bwisit ka talaga," she exclaimed as she sat down beside him on the couch.
"Sana di ko nalang sinabi," he muttered, pretending to be disappointed.
"Ugh. Basta, ubusin mo yan. You're still probably recovering from shock."
"Yes, babe."
She shook her head. "Sure ka hindi ka nabangga sa ulo kanina? Breezy ka ha."
He laughed and leaned closer to her. "Naglalambing lang, babe. Wala bang kiss? Muntik na akong mamatay kanina, eh."
She playfully pushed his face away. "Aba, aba, aba. Tawagan ko na nga si Mama Ten, sumbong kita." She pretended to get up from the couch, but Alden grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to him. She landed on his lap, where he wasted no time wrapping his arms around her small frame tightly. He breathed her in, reveling in the softness of her robe and the warmth of her body.

"Dito ka lang," he murmured. "Pa-hug lang saglit."

She smiled and turned to face him, reaching out her arms to embrace him back. In response, Alden snuggled into her neck, trying to breathe in the warm vanilla scent of her skin. The truth was, he was so shaken by the accident that he couldn't focus on rehearsals earlier. He couldn't remember his dance steps because his knees still trembled. He was so dazed and unfocused that Jenny, the head writer, advised him to go home to rest. They were to resume rehearsals early in the morning the next day.

"Alden?" Maine's soft voice broke through his thoughts. "Paano ka dumating dito? Kanino kotse gamit mo?"

He only grunted in response, finally feeling the exhaustion of the day's events wash over him.

Proceed to Part 2