Everglow

March 20, 2015: Remember all the Memories

A/N: First and foremost, sorry for the late update! I actually had this chapter written and finished two days ago, but with someone's help, I decided to rewrite the whole thing, hopefully this complete overhaul will serve the story better than its original. 😅 I previously mentioned how November was taking such a toll on me--reality bites. But now that's its over, hopefully, I could update more often.

Next, THANK YOU! The last chapter had a lot of comments, and I read each and every one of them. It legitimately warms my heart how you all are rooting for ficRichard and ficMaine. Salamat po sa mga comments, no matter how short or long. Like I said, I do take your emotions into consideration.

Also, there are around 5 chapters or so to go. So please hold on. 😄

Thank you <3

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"Richard?" Maine calls out, "Rj, ikaw ba yan?"

His back turned, Richard could hear Maine as she ran towards him. He sighs deeply and turned around--she had this smile plastered on her face. He knew exactly what that smile meant.

See how incredibly amazing you are, Menggay? You just bawled your feelings out, you were crying because of me, and yet you refuse to let me see you cry.

She finally reached him and embraced him into this tight hug, "Have you been here long?"

"Menggay, we need to talk."

This is it, Richard. Fess up.

"What did you hear exactly?"

"That doesn't matter, Maine. I really, really need to talk to you. Please."

"It does matter Richard." She sighs, looking down at her feet. She grabs his wrists and practically yanks him back to the reception area, "Can you talk about this later, Richard? You missed half of the party."

It was clear she didn't want to talk about the things she assumed I heard.

"This is important, Maine. Please, I think the party can wait." His eyes practically begging.

"I've waited seven years Richard, I think you could wait until the party's over."

Fuck. That fucking hurt.

Richard felt like he was punched in the gut. He knew Maine like the back of his hand, he knew when she was trying to avoid something and he knew when to stop pushing--and now was the time to stop. So he kept silent and let himself be dragged back inside the hall. He followed closely behind her as they walked towards their friends and let himself engage in small, meaningless conversations with them. All that time, she was standing beside him, trying to look like she was having the time of her life, when he perfectly knew that she wasn't.

When the group dwindled down, they sat by the bar and she ordered them a couple of drinks. They sat in comfortable silence and Richard wanted to desperately talk to her, but he knew Maine well enough to give her a little bit of time. She had this look on her face when she was thinking up a storm. A couple of drinks between them later, she spoke up, "How was your drive? Was traffic that horrible? How did Mr. Manalo's hearing go? Did you see Pauleen? Didn't she look stunning?"

Wow. It was obviously clear she had no plans on talking about what happened at the beach.

"Who was that guy you were talking to at the beach?"

"Ah, wala naman, Carlo. Pauleen's cousin."

"He was a bit handsy, no?"

Richard had his mouth set on a thin line, and she noticed. She noticed his brows furrowed, looking as if he was in deep thought. But Maine knew better--this is Rj trying his best to control his emotions.