Euphoria (AU MaiChard Fanfic)

Chapter 4

24 December 2015

Maine is not used to waiting.

Three hours had passed, and RJ's still not here.

She had been sitting in the same spot for hours, trying to keep herself entertained by making faces at other people. So far, most of them thought that she was a lunatic. What was she supposed to do? She was really bored. If she could, she would even dance. She would literally do anything while waiting.

She sat down and looked at her watch. She sighed. Should I call him? I have to leave in a few hours. She only came here to give RJ her gift before Christmas. It wasn't much, just a new pair of sunglasses that she saved up for. She was also planning to confess her feelings.

She nearly did tell him the last time they met but she always chickened out at the last minute. It was frustrating.

In the distance, she could see someone coming towards her. She squinted and tipped her head to one side. Upon realizing that it was RJ, she stood up and waited until he reached her.

"Sorry, Maine," he said, panting while bent at the waist. He was trying to catch his breath, his hands resting on his knees.

He took a big breath and stood up straight. "I'm really sorry. I had to swing by PAL to get the new ticket for my trip tomorrow. I didn't tell you because I was in a rush."

She waved off his apology. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

He looked around and saw Maine holding a blue plastic pitcher. "Ano iyang hawak mo?"

"Ha? Ano, regalo ko sa iyo. Ito oh."

"Seryoso ka ba?"

"Oo nga! Iyan nga regalo ko sa iyo."

Once RJ accepted the gift from her, he noticed that the container wasn't empty as he previously thought. "Bakit parang may laman?"

"Buksan mo kasi!"

"Wow! Salamat ah,"he said with a big smile on his face. "Ang tagal ko ng hinahanap iyung ganitong style ng sunglasses."

"I know. Ganyan iyung nawala mong sunglasses nung nasa Rome ka 'di ba?"

"Oo! Thank you talaga, Maine." RJ reached out and pulled her into a hug. She laughed, hugging him back.

"Ito naman, sunglasses lang iyan. Maliit na bagay."

"Hindi ah! Gusto ko talaga itong regalo mo. Iyung regalo ko pala sa iyo...pwedeng pagbalik ko na lang?"

He gave her an embarrassed smile.

"Ha? Ano ka ba, okay lang! Kahit 'wag mo na akong bigyan ng regalo," she assured him. Ikaw lang, sapat na. Pwedeng ikaw na lang ang i-regalo mo sa akin?

RJ shooked his head. "Hindi pwede. May nabili na akong regalo para sa iyo. Hindi ko lang nadala kasi hindi ko na nadaanan. Diretso kasi ako dito galing sa office ng PAL."

"Okay lang nga! Teka, saan ka pala pupunta?"

His eyes lit up and he gave her his most brilliant smile.

"Oh! I didn't tell you about it. I'm going to Mt. Huashan in China," he said. "I'd probably spend a month or two there preparing for the hike."

Maine gave him a wane smile. "That's great! And you're leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes, I wanted to spend Christmas there with a few of my friends. One of my friends is getting married so we are planning to celebrate that too."

"Oh, I see. I'm sure, it will be quite a celebration," she said, trying to keep a cheerful smile on her face.