Runways

Chapter 6

James stumbled through the stone-covered lawn, eyes peeled on finding a familiar name. He breathed a sigh of relief when he finally found the correct marker, crouching down to brush the stray leaves that have settled there. His fingers trace the letters etched upon the stone, rolling his eyes when he finds himself staring at a picture printed on it.

Captain Matthew Montecillo has his picture printed on his headstone and James just had to laugh.

"Ang show-off mo, bro," James tells the marble marker in front of him, shaking his head in amusement. "Hirap hanapin ng bahay mo, 'tol. Bakit ba kasi pare-pareho ng itsura 'to, sana sinabi mo na lang may pa-picture ka para yun na lang hinanap ko agad. 'De, joke lang. Alam ko si Tito may pakana nyan."

This was actually the first time James has come down to visit Matthew's grave. He wishes it didn't take him this long to come down here, but the past is the past and there wasn't anything that he could do. He places the pot of flowers he brought on the ground, scratching the back of his head.

"Dinalhan kita ng bulaklak. I didn't know what you liked, kaya ayan–yellow at white," James looked at the flower arrangement and frowned. "Hindi ko actually alam kung anong flowers yan, basta alam ko hindi yan roses. Maganda naman diba? Magugustuhan mo ba yan? Clueless kasi ako–tinulungan pa ako ni Dani, sabi nya maganda daw yung napili ko, eh parang pare-pareho lang naman itsura nila lahat. Mukha silang bulaklak lahat."

Matthew would be laughing at him right now if he was alive. James shook his head and he sat down on the grass, making himself comfortable. He pulled out a model plane from his hoodie pocket, placing it right beside the pot of flowers.

"May model planes na ang Icon Air. Eto, may dala ako model aircraft nung Airbus na pinapalipad natin dati. Ayun, pink, purple at blue pa din siya," he sheepishly grins, propping his chin on his hand. "Pasensya ka na, bro. Hindi ko alam kung pano gawin 'to eh."

It should be easy, James thought, talking to his best friend he's grown up with for most of his life. But it's not. He didn't know it was going to be this hard, the words he wanted to say failing him at this very moment.

"Tanda mo ba? Sabi ko sa 'yo, wag ka mag-alala kay Dani kasi I'll take care of her," James reaches out to trace Matt's name, sighing quietly. "Mahal ko si Dani, Matt. Mahal na mahal. When I promised you I'd take care of her, I made sure I was going to do it with my life." 

"Matt, I'm going to ask her to marry me. Tulad ng sinabi mo dati, gusto ko sa kanya pa din ako uuwi, kahit san man kami mapunta," he murmurs softly. "Dani has my heart and I will always come back to her. I always want to touch the skies with her, to burst through the clouds with her, and to always land on the ground–to my home, with her."

The sound of a roaring airplane rumbles overhead and James looks up, watching the aircraft cut through a blanket of clouds. He laughs, shaking his head as he stands up, brushing the dirt off his pants. "Thanks, bro. Keep us in your prayers, ha?"

---

Dani doesn't get to do this a lot–watch James peacefully sleep beyond the cradle of the skies. He's passed out on the bed, lips parted ever so slightly, lashes cascading upon pale cheeks in restful slumber. He's beautiful, even beyond his physical attributes (because yes, Captain James Esteban is a man who is so beautiful to look at) and Dani enjoys seeing him like this–carefree, bare and free of all his worries. They're in New York–a surprise two week getaway that James has planned for the two of them. There really wasn't any occasion, he says he just really wants them to spend some time together, out of the skies and on to a new adventure.

Which is why she's here, staring at her boyfriend of two years, but a boy she's loved for more than that. As a pilot, James has forgotten the rules of jetlag and he can sleep immediately as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Dani, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. As a flight attendant, she's used to being up and about to attend to her passengers and now she's still wide awake, watching James Esteban sleep.

"Kanina ka pa nakatitig, di ka pa din natutulog," James mumbled, opening one eye to look at her. Dani smiles as she leans over him, cupping a hand over his cheek to press a chaste kiss on his lips. "Hi."

"Natulog na ako, nagising lang ako ng maaga," she says quietly, resting her head against his broad chest. She could hear the beating of his heart–rhythmic, stable–just like the love she feels for him. James shifts and he pulls her body close, pressing a kiss on her hair. "Ang aga mo magising. Bakit wala kang jetlag?"

"Nakalimutan ko na kung pano ma-jetlag," he yawned, stretching out his arms. "'Di na uso sa piloto yun."

"Yabang mo," Dani sits up from her position, slapping him lightly on the chest.

"Hindi ah, nagsasabi lang ako ng totoo." James yawns again as he sits up in bed, hair sticking up in all directions. "Anong gusto mong gawin today?"

"Ako? Eh ikaw nag-plano ng trip na 'to eh!"

He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Babe, kung ako lang tatanungin mo sa plans ko, alam mo na yon. 'Di tayo lalabas sa kwarto na 'to."

Dani laughed, hurling a down pillow at him. "Gago ka, ang harot harot mo," she makes a face at him and cackles even more when she sees him put on a look of feigned hurt. "Babe, di bagay sa yo."

"Ah, ganon ha?" James lunges at her, pinning her down as he attacked her sides with his fingers, tickling her until she gave in.

"JAAAAAMES, STOP, STAAAAAAHHHP," Dani gasps for air as she laughed, eyes clenched shut.

James looks at Dani beyond the persona of being a flight attendant–bare-faced, rumpled and hair disheveled all over the place–and he can't help but fall even more in love with her. Even now as she sits in the middle of the bed, surrounded in a sea of white satin sheets while wearing a well-worn tanktop and her favorite sleep shorts, James finds her just as fascinating as the first time he saw her. Dani's laugh quiets down and she looked at James, eyes brimming with questions.

"James?"

James blinked and he scampered off of the bed, running towards the hotel closet to rummage through his suitcase. Dani furrowed her brows as she watched him run back towards her, crawling through the sea of sheets and duvet covers. James kneeled in front of her, reaching out to cup her cheek.

"James?" Dani repeats, tilting her head ever so slightly. "What's going on?"

"God, Dani–" James feels his heart jump and he crushes his lips with hers in a kiss so consuming–like fire, searing and burning them. Dani stumbles back in bed as she responds back to his kiss just as fiery, fingers tunnelling through his hair, grasping, clutching on to him. James pulls away, his lips tracing kisses against her jawline and he breathes softly against her ear. "Marry me, Dani. Mahal na mahal na mahal kita. Marry me."

Dani dreamt of being proposed to when she was younger. It was a dream she's always had, almost reaching it when she was with Matthew–but life had a different story for her. Dani once imagined being proposed to in a romantic setting–something along the lines of a romantic dinner date or some cheesy setting on a lawn with scattered rose petals and heart-shaped candles. 

She never thought she'd get proposed to this way–in bed, wearing well-worn sleep clothes and unbrushed hair, but as she laid here looking up at James promising her forever, Dani thinks there is no other perfect way to get proposed to.

She loved Captain James Esteban and everything that was him. That was all that mattered.

James looked at her intently, eyes boring deep in her soul. Dani reached up to cup his cheek, drawing him close as she pressed her lips against his–once, twice... "Yes, Captain."

"W-what?"

"I said yes, Captain," she murmurs softly, smiling at him. "Yes, Captain. I will marry you."

James grinned widely as he fumbled through the messed-up sheets, looking for something. He clasped his fingers over a black box and he flipped it open, a solitaire diamond ring set on platinum, glinting against the light. His hand trembled as he picked up the ring, holding it up for Dani to see, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Fly with me, Daniella," James said as he slipped the ring on Dani's left hand. It was a perfect fit. "Come, fly with me."

She replied with another kiss. "Always."