OIKOS: MaiChard Drabbles

17. Lemon

"Dad, mababaliw na ko. Di ko na kayang itago yung nararamdaman ko."

"E bat di mo pa kasi aminin kay Maine."
"Dad naman. What if she doesn't feel the same? Baka mawawala sya saken."

"Mahal mo ba?"

"Opo, mahal na mahal."

"Yun naman pala e. Ano nang gagawin mo ngayon?"

"Di ko po alam, Dad."

"Pagisipan mong mabuti. Ang akin lang anak, may mga pagkakataong binibigay sayo ang tadhana na kailangan mong irecognize. Kasi baka mamaya yun na ang susi sa kaligayahan mo."

/

"Ate Nikki, I'm so confused. kasi tong si RJ, nililito nya ko. Tingnan mo, ako lagi ang priority nya. Laging ako ang tinatakbuhan nya pag may problema sya, happiness ko lagi ang iniisip nya, lahat ng manliligaw ko, di pumasa sa kanya pero ayaw nya namang magapply. Ayokong umasa pero, Ate, do you think..?"

"Kung meron ba, bibigyan mo ba ng chance?"

"Oo naman, Ate. Bakit naman hindi."
"Hay nako kayong dalawa. Magtaguan pa kayo ng feelings. Susmaryosep."

"Ha?"

"Haynako, kung sino sino kinakausap nyo. Kayong dalawa kaya ang magusap?"

/

The following day, after Matti's birthday party, RJ invited the Mendoza siblings and their respective partners for drinks at a bar near the party venue. After all, RJ had been a permanent guest at every Mendoza family event, the same way Maine was with the Faulkersons. They met in freshman college and they've been inseperable ever since. Both families hoped that they end up together, but for some reason, after five years of knowing each other, they still were just friends.

They were all buzzed with beer and currently on their second round of tequilla when Coleen suggested body shots. Everyone on the table were couples anyway (well, except for them):
Nikki and John: married for 3 years
Coleen and Mike: couple for 2 years
Nico and Cami: couple for a year
Dean and Joni, dating for 8 months
RJ and Maine? Friends since 2011.

All the other pairs picked up a shot and a slice of lemon and discussed who'd go first. RJ and Maine on the other hand were awkwardly looking at each other with furrowed eyebrows and whispering.

"San ko ilalagay yung salt sayo? RJ asked, winking.

"Huy, gago ka! Umayos ka, Faulkerson ha." She said blushing as she playfully hit his bicep.

"Makapalo ka naman. That was a legit question."
"Bahala ka na." Was all she could say, suddenly feeling warmth course through her cheeks at the thought of RJ's lips on her skin.

"Game, kayo naman. Ikaw muna RJ." Coleen said, snapping Maine out of her wayward thoughts.

"Okay." He said in a husky voice that Maine had never heard from him before. He kept her eyes on her as he coated his forefinger with salt and spread it onto Maine's lips. Maine's breath hitched at at the touch of his finger on her lips and the realization of what he was about to do. Her eyes widened when he slowly inched his face towards her, closed the gap between them. He nibbled at her salted lips then took his tequilla shot without breaking his gaze.

Everything stopped for a few seconds as she came down reeling from his kiss, trying to calm her wildly beating heart. Then she heard her sisters shrieked and whooped while his brothers clapped and pat him on the shoulder, laughing.

"Sa wakas, RJ. Body shots lang pala ang susi. Sana matagal na nating ginawa to. Whooo!" Nico cheered as he lightly punched his arm.

"Ikaw naman, Meng! Daliii!" Nikki said, a little too excitedly.

Maine couldn't believe that her siblings only watched as her best friend practically kissed her in front of them so she decided to kill everyone's buzz and just sprinkle salt on the back of her hand rather than on RJ's. She was about to pick the last slice of lemon when RJ beat her to it and quickly put it between his teeth. Another round of screams and whoops came from around the table. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she took the shot.

Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest as she inched closer, gingerly bit on the lemon and squeezed it with her teeth. RJ however, loosened his bite on the fruit and captured her lips instead.

It was tantalizingly slow, and sweet and oh so familiar as if kissing him was as natural as breathing even if it was their first, how his lips moulded with hers, how his hands cradled her face and how she found her hands already on his nape playing with his hair. They only pulled away when they felt the need for air, both of them smiling like idiots as the others from the table threw discarded lemon slices as them.

"Whooo! Sa wakas. Nag-aminan din ng feelings. Hala, dun kayo sa labas at pagusapan nyo yan." Her Kuya John urged.

They realized that they were already holding hands as they walked out of the bar. They both leaned against the hood of RJ's car.

"Maine? I'm sorry."
Maine felt her heart drop from the heights his kiss brought her to.

"Wait, Let me finish." He said, seeing how her smile vanished. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But I'll never be sorry about kissing you."

"Find out what?" she said, feigning innocence.

RJ just chuckled. "Ang cute mo. If it's still not that obvious, mahal na mahal kita, Maine. Ever since I asked you out on a date nung college tayo. I would also understand if you don't want to ever see me again after tonight. I just needed to let you know. Mababaliw na kasi ako e."

"RJ? Sa tingin mo, pakakawalan pa kita after mo kong halikan ng ganon sa harap ng mga kapatid ko? Neknek mo. At oo, mahal din kita."