FRAGMENTS: Scenes

EIGHT: At dawn

Dawn intended to sleep off her belated weekend.

She had been gone shooting for three straight days, tossing from one location to the next, surviving on catnaps and desserts. By the time that the crew was really packing up, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and curl into a ball.

She knew this was something that Richard understood, being an actor himself. She knew he wouldn't take it personally that when she arrived at 1AM, she just walked right past him in the sala, where he had fallen asleep waiting for her.

That was why she was surprised -- and slightly irritated -- when she felt him shake her awake, then wrap his arm around her waist.

"Don't," she mumbled. "Unless it's an emergency..."

He pulled at the collar of the blouse she had fallen asleep in and planted a kiss on her collarbone. "Bangon na, mahal ko," he whispered against her skin, trailing kisses up her neck.

Have I been sleeping that long? she wondered, making her open her eyes a bit. She looked at her wristwatch and sighed.

"Babe, it's 4AM," she said with a grunt.

"I know..."

She felt him slide an arm under her, pulling her on top of him, and she pushed him away. "Richard, wala ako sa mood..."

He sighed. "Ibabangon ka lang, feeling mo 'yon na." She felt his weight inching off the bed. She let out a stubborn "Richard!" when he began pulling at her feet. She held on to the pillow, but to no avail.

"Ito na, ito na!" She sat up, giving him an evil stare. "Anong problema mo?"

"Bumangon ka na diyan, may pupuntahan tayo."

"At four in the morning?!"

"Yes." He leaned down and tapped her bare leg. "Okay na 'yang suot mo, just bring a jacket."

"Saan ba tayo pupunta?"

"Malalaman mo din, love. Sa kotse ka na matulog."

"Just to let you know," she said aloud as she went to the bathroom to wash her face, "I'm not going to be bugnutin because of this!"

~~~

With Dawn sleeping through the ride, Richard popped a tape on the cassette player, which played Apo Hiking Society's hits in low volume. He hummed as he sped through an almost empty highway, the window on his side open. Never mind that he hadn't slept well either; he was just too glad that his girlfriend was home with him -- finally, he told himself, as if she had been gone for months.

It was an easy drive and in just an hour, he stopped the car along the Tagaytay Ridge and gathered her in his arms.

"Love," he whispered as he turned her face and planted a kiss on her lips. "Wake up..."

There was a certain lightness that he felt as he watched her open her eyes. He couldn't help but smile and kiss her again.

"Na-miss ko 'to!" she said, finally smiling back, pinching his cheek. "Na-miss kita."

He kissed her forehead, then let her go. "Tara, baka ma-miss natin..."

"Ang alin?"

"Basta, put your jacket on and join me outside."

He got out of the car and sat on its hood. He took a deep breath, then looked behind him as he heard the other door close.

It was the first time that he had seen her in light that week -- she was clad in a leather jacket one size bigger than she was (it was his; she picked it up out of habit), which almost hid the denim shorts she was wearing. Her blouse was crumpled, her hair in a messy ponytail.