The Bridesmaid [MaiChard AU]

Tension

RJ
"Ready?" He laces his fingers with hers and takes her to the direction of the bedside table. It amazes him how incredible it feels to finally hold her hand like this but it feels even more incredible that she's not pulling away. "Wait, I have your uhm- clutch? Wallet? Purse? Pouch? Ewan kung anong tawag dito. Here. Wala akong ginalaw dyan ah."

"Talaga! Oh my god! Thank you! I thought I lost this. Birthday gift to ni Nanay saken eh." She exclaims. In her relief, she kisses his cheek and envelops him in a tight embrace that got him dazed and reeling. It took a few seconds for his brain to catch up but when it finally does, his arms are wrapped around her waist in a matter of seconds.

They stay like this for a few more heartbeats until Maine speaks. "Uhm, RJ? Can't...breathe."

"Sorry. I got carried away." He explains as he loosens his arms and brings his hand hand on his nape, his head leaning down a little, his eyes looking up at her from under his lashes. He hopes that passes off as a smoulder.

"That's okay." She laughs softly as she takes the shimmering accessory from his hand, turning sideways probably hoping he wouldn't see her blush. "And this is a crystal-studded minaudiere."

He isn't sure what he looks like but when Maine looks at him again, she suddenly bursts out laughing and his heartbeat seems to dance to its rhythm. "Huy, makatawa ka naman." He pouts, feigning offense.

"Yung mukha mo kasi, kala mo naman nakarinig ka ng alien language." The she laughs again until his face turns serious. "Fine, it's a clutch." And she laughs once again.

Jusko Maine, tama na kakatawa. Baka sa ancestral house namin sa Laguna tayo mapalunch nyan.

"Grabe ka. Halika na. Baka ma-traffic tayo."

She puts her phone inside her clutch and hands it back to him. "Let's. Gusto ko ulit ng kape. By the way, could you hold on to this muna? Palagay na lang sa bag mo. Baka ma misplace ko ulit eh."

"You trust me that much?" He furrows his eyesbrows in confusion. It overwhelms him how that she does.

"Yeah. Surprisingly, I actually do." She says casually, without any hint of jest.

He doesn't care if his smile could render Maine temporarily blind or if it could light up a small island for a night, he's too happy to even mind.

***

Maine
She waits for the warning bells to ring inside her head when RJ intertwines their fingers again but she hears nothing. If anything, she only feels secure so when he asks him if she trusts him, she answers yes in a heartbeat. She doesn't feel the need to hold back the truth. And yes, she could be wrong. After all, it's only been hours since she met him but at this point, she is done over-thinking.

She couldn't help but smile as she looks down at their joined hands. She tries to pull her hand back as they step out of the suite so he could close the door properly and carry their stuff but he only tightens his grip.

She just shakes her head and chuckles. "Hindi po ako aalis. Kung gusto kong umalis, kanina ko pa ginawa." She somehow feels the need to assure him.

"Naninigurado lang ako. Baka makawala ka pa eh." Try as he might, he says those words as casually as he could but his ears never fail to give him away.

Hand in hand, over whispered conversations and soft laughter, they walk down the hallway and wait for the elevator door to open, both looking up as they watch the numbers on the indicator ascend to their floor. As the elevator cab climbs higher, the tension between them simultaneously escalates. She can feel it thick in the air.

G...He squeezes her hand.

2... She squeezes back.

4... They look at each other and their smiles reach their eyes.

6... They giggle and she playfully slaps his bicep.

8...He softly pinches her cheeks and she crinkles her nose adorably, both of them flushed pink.

10...His thumb draws circles over the back of her hand and her breath hitches.

12...She drums her fingers over his knuckles in return and he takes a deep breath.

14...He looks at her, seeking for permission. She closes her eyes in response and throws caution to the wind.

15...He closes the gap and their noses touch, her head tilting to the side to finally meet his lips. Just a hair's breadth of space now and she can almost taste him, his warm breath tickling her lips.

*Ping* "Sixteenth floor." Says that blasted recorded voice.

She has never loathed elevators in her entire existence until now.

They jerk away, standing up straight but he only grips her fingers tighter, making sure she doesn't pull away. She doesn't plan to. She needs something to hold on to because her knees are turning into jelly and if it isn't for RJ, she might have already fallen on the floor.

She surveys the inside of the cab and breathes a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, there isn't anyone else in the elevator.

He lets her enter first, his free hand on the small of her back until and they are once again enveloped by silence as the door closes. It only lasts for a few seconds because it gets broken by Maine's soft giggles.

She's not sure why she's laughing, really. She just finds the last 16 hours funny and exhilarating and liberating that she feels...happy. She's never done anything remotely close to this and she's glad she's sharing all this crazy, spontaneous moments with RJ.

Her shoulders shake until she couldn't contain it anymore and she laughs heartily. She checks on him only to find him already looking at her, laughing with her, their giggles echoing through the four walls of that confined space.

***
RJ
He lets her hand go when she leans her head on his shoulder and if his heart could beat any faster that it already does, it would have. He lets go of her hand because he wants to, no, needs to hold more of her do he places one hand on her waist and pulls her closer that her face is now against his chest, the warm floral scent of hair wafting through his nose. His whole being vibrates from her laughter, his heartbeat like horse hooves on a race and realizes he wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

When their laughter finally ebbs away and they are left breathless, she tilts her head up, her chin resting on his chest, both her hands now on his waist. "Thank you." She whispers.

He stops laughing and looks down at her and he is lost in her specks of gold and caramel in her eyes. "Ako yata dapat magpasalamat sayo. The past 16 hours or so has been nothing short of a glorious surprise."

They stare at each other for a few more heartbeats before he leans in and (cue in a choir of angels singing) he swoops down and meets her lips. Hands down, they are the sweetest lips he has ever tasted. He closes her eyes when he feels her freeze and braces himself for a slap on the face but the choir of angels only keeps singing their sweet melodies.

He sighs in relief when she finally responds, nibbling on his lower lip as if encouraging him so he moves his free hand to cup her jaw and deepen their kiss, their lips melding as she slides her arms up his muscled shoulders and his tighten their grip around her waist, their collective moans filling the cramped space.

He isn't sure how long they've been kissing. He won't be able to count the seconds even if he tried anyway. His senses are busy etching every minute of this kiss into his memory.

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A/N:

Eto na. Nakacheckout na sila. Happy 114th weeksary! Salamat sa paghihintay. I was gonna post this yesterday kaso adulting got in the way so ngayon ko lang natapos.

Let me know what you think ha. I'd really appreciate it. Baka naman may suggestions din kayo. Hehehe.

Unbeta'd, unproofread.

Just tweet me at @bankingonkismet or comment down below. Thank you so much for reading!

📷© DTBY