"On the 1st Day, She Said Goodbye"
She barely slept. The huge, comfortable bed did not make a difference. In fact, she spent countless hours just rolling in it, too happy to sleep.
Last night was magical. The beautiful ring with a solitary yellow diamond sitting prettily on top of a thin silver band is proof of how breathtaking last night had been.
Yesterday, Alden picked her up from her condo and brought her to Pico de Loro. She was surprised to find that her family was already there.
He booked a room for the night and he surprised her with that gorgeous ring during dinner.
Maine was still trying to absorb everything when she heard a soft knock. She opened the door to find a smiling Alden, with his duffle bag over his shoulders. He's leaving for Canada in a few hours and she'll miss the hell out of him.
"Good morning, sunshine." She did not even bother with words. Maine closed the gap between them a planted a soft kiss on his lips.
Alden's smile grew wider. "Ang sarap naman. Pwede ba araw-araw ganito?"
Maine sighed and hugged him. She doesn't want to make things more difficult but she couldn't help but be clingy. After all, he will be away for seven days.
"Aalis ka na talaga? Talagang talaga? Dito ka na lang, please?," she whined.
He finds clingy Maine adorable. This is the side of her which not many people are fortunate enough to see. He loves it when she's like this.
"Naku, Maine. Wag ako ha. Wag ako."
She knows he's serious but she knows that work is work. They are both consummate professionals and they have both agreed on priorities. For the meantime, everything else comes in second.
"Joke lang, eto naman," she changed gears. "Give me two minutes, magbibihis lang ako then hatid kita sa kotse mo."
"Naku, wag na. Go back to sleep, or to whatever it is you're doing. Sa laki ng eyebags mo, I don't think nakatulog ka kagabi," Alden teased.
"It's just the start of many more paandars, Maine. Trust me. So pa'no, alis na ako ha? Nasa airport na sina Mama Ten."
"Ingat ka dun ha. Be good."
"Oo naman. Ako pa."
He kissed her goodbye and walked toward the elevator. Maine stood outside her door, wistfully looking at his retreating back.
"I love you, RJ," she called out.
"I love you more, Maine-always, always more."
*****
