GIRL FRIDAY (Completed)

Chapter 17 - Last Hurrah

Good morning my dears! Maagang update ulit because it will be another busy day.  Grabe comments sa last chapter, thank you! I love it. Thanks for the enthusiasm. Let's continue that kilig here in this chapter. 

May mga nagrequest ng momol so you know me, mapagbigay, hahaha. It's the last night given to Richard before they will be going back to just plain boss and secretary so he will be making the most out of it. Not that Maine doesn't want  this moment too, but she is the more realistic and pessimistic between the two of them, so see how she handles their time in her apartment, just the two of them. 

Can't talk much, haha, siningit ko lang ito, need to prepare for work na. Hope you like this chapter as much as the last one :) 

Maine finally stopped crying. She looked in panic at his barong, stained with her tears and make-up. She frantically tried to wipe the stains with her handkerchief but the stains just got worse.

"Sir, I stained your barong, I'm sorry. Pa-dry-clean ko na lang po."

"Ok lang Maine, I wanted to take it off na anyway. Lika na, let's get you home. I want to be with you away from this circus."

They sat at the back seat together, her head leaning on his shoulder. He liked the feeling of her being dependent on him, not as a sign of weakness but because he liked to feel needed, he liked that she needed him too. Tomorrow, they would be back to being boss and secretary again, no more innuendos and flirting, because he promised her that.

When they arrived at her place, he was reluctant to let her go. She felt it in the way he looked at her with his sad eyes and the lingering touch of his hand on her waist.

"Sir.....you want to come up with me muna?"

"Yes, very much."

She pulled his hand and led him inside the building. Inside the elevator, there were no other passengers, just the two of them. She was standing in front of him, about a foot away. His arm scooped her to close the space between them, letting her rest her body against his.

The elevator door opened and Maine led him to her unit. It was a simple studio unit with a couch, LED TV, a table with two chairs and a bookshelf that served as a wall to give her privacy for the bed space. The unit smelled nice, it was neat and tidy.

"Sir, upo ka lang, I'm sorry my place is small."

"It's ok. Don't mind me, I'm sure you want to freshen up, dito lang ako."

He sat down and checked his phone for calls. He noticed three missed calls from Tania, and text messages containing an apology for insulting Maine. He set his phone for an alarm to remind himself to have his number changed, to avoid Tania for good.

After fifteen minutes, Maine was out of the bathroom in yellow short onesie, her face make-up free. Richard was mesmerized, she still looked beautiful even without the make-up.

"Ang ganda mo naman."

"Sir.......you don't need to say that."

"Why not? It's true. In fact, I'll take a photo of you."

He took out his phone and snapped a photo of her.

"Yuck, sir burahin mo yan! Ang pangit ko, maga pa mata ko kakaiyak."

"Hindi naman eh. I like you his way."

"Ugh, sir."

"Come here, wala pa tayong picture together."

He patted the space beside him, asking her to sit close to him for a selfie together. She sat down beside him, so aware of his nearness all the more when his arm came around her shoulders. He snapped a photo of them both, with her nestled close to him. It was heady to have him so near to her like this, smelling so good. She needed a distraction to move away from him.

"Sir, are you thirsty? You want something to drink?"

"No. Pwede bang ganito na lang muna tayo? I will be leaving in a little while because I want you to have enough sleep."

She rested her head against his chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart while he played with her hair. She did not notice that her hand was on his arm, squeezing it from time to time.

"I want to kiss you, Maine. Pwede ba?"

She lifted her head to look at him, and slowly, her mouth gravitated towards his. He leaned towards her, making her lean backwards until she was lying down on her couch with him on top of her. Her arms rose to link her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer, giving him license to deepen the kiss.

Their tongues swirled against each other, and soon his mouth moved to kiss her cheek, her jaw, and press kisses against her neck. She felt like her skin was on fire, she opened her legs to let his body lie closer. Her hands were on his shoulders, eyes closed she moaned when he started sucking the soft skin of her neck. She felt the stiffening hardness in his pants rub against her apex, and suddenly her inner alarm bells rang. 

"Sir......"

Reluctantly he stopped, dropping his head on her shoulder, his mouth moving against her skin as he talked.

"I lost control, I'm sorry."

He slowly got up and ran a hand through his hair, his breathing ragged. He helped her up, fixing her hair then cupping her chin, gauging her mood. She tried to stifle a yawn but he noticed.

"Sleepy ka na. Sige, I'll go ahead."

Wag muna. I will miss this, I will miss us like this.

But he already stood up and was pulling her up. He looked reluctant to go, his hands still holding both of hers.

"Maine, I'm going to keep my distance like you asked. I won't get in the way of your studies and dreams. I'll prove to you that I can wait."

"I won't hold you to that sir. If you meet someone else who's ready to commit to a relationship now, ok lang po sakin. I have no hold on you, I will not stop you from pursuing happiness with someone else."

"I understand. Pero sana Maine, sana whatever feelings you have right now for me, sana hindi mawala. I know you have feelings for me kahit paano. Sana you won't let anyone else in. Ako lang, please. Maine ako na lang."

She tiptoed to kiss him gently on the lips. It was supposedly just a touching of mouths, but he pulled her closer and cradled her head with one hand, his other hand on her back. The kiss deepened, her arms wrapped around his neck. Her body pressed against his, and all the pent-up feelings she tried so hard to hide went into that kiss. He responded just as intensely, dropping his restraint completely.

He reluctantly pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, noting that she was also out of breath.

"I love you, Maine."

With one last lingering kiss on her mouth, he disengaged and walked out of her unit, leaving her with her heart still beating erratically.