Neighbors | Maichard

XVIII. - You -

Song for this chapter:

1. Start Of Something New - HSM

--

I like you Maine, I like you a lot

The second those words escaped his mouth, the entire world stopped spinning. The only noise he could hear was the sound of his heart drumming against his chest. He kept his eyes on her and she looked back with an interesting expression on her face.

"I said it, I finally said it." He thought to himself. Richard may have established a reputation of being a proud and obnoxious guy, but when it comes to expressing his feelings, he turns into a shy little boy. Suddenly, Maine started giggling.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Joker ka talaga. Tara na nga."

Stunned, Richard removed his hand from her arm. Maine gave him a smile and left the car without saying a word. He gulped and followed her outside as well.

"Maine ..."

"Joker ka. Tara na."

Thinking that it would be better to just talk about later, Richard took her hand and they walked towards the entrance of the building. Camera flashes and loud voices greeted them. He placed a hand on her back and they posed for some picture. A few moments later, they went inside the building and headed straight towards the event area.

"Good evening Ma'am! Good evening Sir!" the lady by the door greeted.

"Good Evening!" they said at the same time. They were then assisted towards their seat. Richard adjusted the chair so Maine could sit.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Oo naman."

"Maine ..."

"Mamaya na, start na oh."

--

The first hour of the event went by quickly. Maine managed to put the words he said at the back of her mind. Her heart stopped beating for a moment after she heard his surprising statement. And since she knew dealing with that will ruin the rest of their night, Maine decided to take it as a joke and delay the serious part for later.

"Now, may we call on Mr. Faulkerson to give a few words about the cover and the experience of working with her photographer girlfriend, Ms. Nicomaine Mendoza?"

Richard got up and walked towards the stage. The smile on Maine's face faded. She fixed her sitting position and diverted all his attention towards him.

"Good evening everyone. I thought maybe I could give a short speech so here it is. First of all, I wanna say thank you to YM magazine for giving me the amazing opportunity of being their cover boy for this month, truly a great honor. Next, I wanna say thanks to the team. You guys are the best. And lastly, I would like to thank my girlfriend, Maine Mendoza, for making this shoot the best experience ever."

Maine's heart started going wild after realizing all eyes shifted on her. She gave them an awkward smile and did her best to concentrate on Richard. Someone from the front line then raised his hand and Richard acknowledged him.

"Hello Mr. Faulkerson. My name is Kenny, I'm a reporter. Gusto ko lang tanungin kung ano yung naramdaman mo nung malaman mo na yung girlfriend mo yung photographer for the shoot?"

"Kenny ... Hi ... I ... of course na-excite ako." He replied and looked at her. Maine shook her head from side to side and grinned at him.

"Na-excite ako kasi ... never ko pang nakita yung portfolio niya ... ni hindi ko nga alam kung magaling siya. But she surprised me. She pleasantly surprised me." He answered and gave her a sweet smile. Butterflies invaded her stomach, Maine felt a bit weirder after hearing those words come out of his mouth.

"Isa na lang pong question. Gaano niyo po kamahal si Ms. Mendoza?"

"I love her with all my life."

--

The event reached its end right before midnight. Richard and Maine posed for more pictures before they went to the parking lot.

He took a deep breath and opened the door for Maine. She got in without saying a word. Richard closed his eyes for a moment before making his way towards the driver's side. The entire drive home was filled with nothing but silence. Richard took a deep breath and stopped the car right in front of her house. Maine got up and he followed her move.

"Goodnight, Richard." She said.

"Wait!"

"Bakit?" Maine asked. Richard summoned very ounce of courage he has in his body and walked towards her side. He held her hands and squeezed them.

"I meant what I said earlier. I like you Maine ... I really do."

Time once again stopped the second he said those words. Right at that moment, nothing else mattered. He kept looking at her eyes, her big, beautiful and expressive eyes, and saw nothing but their future together. Maine did something to him that even science won't be able to explain. She did not just unknowingly found her way to his heart; she also left her presence in there.

"Richard ...."

"No... Maine, listen to me. I know magka-away tayo before ... I know nainis ka sa akin. Pero hear me out on this one, something has changed. I can't get you out of my head. I tried to stop thinking about you ... about us ... about everything that happened since I got here. And it only made me realize one thing. I can't imagine my life without you."

He instantly felt better after letting everything out. He gulped and looked at her shocked expression. Slowly, her mouth opened.

"Richard ....  Enebe? Emeghed."

--

Maine froze. The inevitable moment she's been avoiding the whole night has finally arrived. His hands felt warm, the pleasant kind.

"Too late." She thought to herself. Her Titanic finally hit his Iceberg. Everything started falling, including her feelings.

"I will do anything you want. Just please, give me a chance."

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I just need you to smile. Smile that beautiful smile and I know we're gonna be okay."

She squeezed his hands tighter and smiled. Richard smiled back. The two hugged before parting ways for the night.

*

The next day, Maine was awaken by the sound of her mother's voice and Gabbi's constant knocking on her door. Irritated, she sat up and asked them what's wrong.

"Bumaba ka ... bilis." Lthey replied at the same time and left the room. Thinking that something had gone wrong, Maine quickly combed her hair and went downstairs ... only to see a very pleasant surprise waiting for her.

"Good Morning." Richard greeted and placed a bowl full of scrambled eggs right on top of the table.

"Richard? Anong ginagawa mo dito?"

"Isn't it obvious? Nililigawan kita."

--

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