The Bridesmaid [MaiChard AU]

Confessions

RJ
They break away breathless, smiling from ear to ear, his hand still cupping her jaw. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of kissing you." He whispers, his warm breath fanning her cheek.

She gently pushes his chest in response, her cheeks once again crimson. "Must you be so blatantly honest? Maawa ka naman sa puso ko."

He only laughs. "Yes I am. I always try to be. And speaking of honesty, I have a confession to make." He pauses, gauging her reaction.

"You're married?!" Maine feigns disdain and gasps out loud.

"Of course not! I will not dare kiss you if I am." He says defensively. "Nor do I have a girlfriend, a child or a boyfriend."

"Wow! kinumpleto mo na ha."

"But..."

"Oh no..."

"I was supposed to have a date tonight..."

"What?!" RJ is alarmed at the sound of her voice he almost regrets the way he started his confession.

"Wait lang po. I called and cancelled na. Hep, wait nga lang kasi!" He pleads when she tries to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"This better be good, Faulkerson." She crosses her arms across her chest, glaring at RJ, yanking her elbow away when he tries to touch it.

"I promise. My friends are in the habit of setting me up for blind dates since after Mia happened. So it's kind of a regular thing that they force me to do. I go to these dates but wala eh. Walang spark. Sabi ko naman kasi itigil na nila."

"And when did you find time to cancel this date, aber?"

"Kanina pa. Before I let you borrow my phone to call Patty." He smiles in relief when he sees her try not to smile. She stays quiet for a few heartbeats so he starts the car as he waits for Maine say something.

"Why did you cancel your date?" She starts again as RJ's car emerges out of the parking lot and into the highway.

"Ano bang tanong yan, Maine?" He laughs. "And I canceled because I like you."

"But have you met her? Your date tonight? How sure are you na wala kayong spark? Paano kung sya pala ang hinahanap mo?" Her questions are valid really, but why would you look somewhere else when what you're looking for is already right here in front of you?

"No, I haven't met her in person. I only saw photos of her that Mark showed me. I didn't look into her socmed either. I never do sa mga nirereto nila saken. Pero kung spark din lang. Wala. Pero yung satin, fireworks agad agad eh."

"Hoy! Wag kang mayabang." She laughs softly, pinching his forearm.

"Aray! I'm not saying na pati ikaw. Pero ako, I saw fireworks when I held your hair back while you vomiting your guts out."

"Nangaano ka, Faulkerson. Muntanga ako nun o." Her voice sounds calmer now and sweeter to his relief.

"I'm being honest, Maine." He says sternly, looking intently at her.

"Jusko, RJ! Eyes on the road! Fine, fine! I believe you! But who is Mia?"

"Mia is, paano ba? Di ko sya ex pero muntik ko na yata sya maging girlfriend I think?" He hesitates, what he had with Mia is something he couldn't really label but he'll try if only to make Maine understand.

"Uhm, paano?" She asks and he tells her about Mia, how they kissed years ago and how for months he was hung up on her until she shows up with a boyfriend that is not him.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She reaches out, caressing his shoulder in sympathy. "So anong ginawa mo? Anong nangyari after? Did you guys even talk after that kiss?" How he is still able to function and drive properly is beyond him when Maine's hand is practically making love to his shoulder.

He clears his throat when he realizes Maine is waiting for him to answer his question. "Hindi. She didn't give me a chance and ayun nga, may boyfriend na sya so anong pang point? Kaya ayan sina Gerald at eto ngang si Mark and my other friends take turns in finding me a date once in a while."

"So what if magkita kayo ulit ni Mia?"

"That was a long time ago. Maybe 6 or 7 years? Ok na ako. Tsaka andyan na ka." He says nonchalantly.

Maine rolls her eyes incredulously at him. "Hay nako, kelangan mo talaga ng kape." She laughs. "But because I already have my minaudiere, I mean, clutch back, may pera na ko ulit. Coffee is on me. Hep, wag na magreklamo, aapila pa e. Also, can we drop by somewhere so I buy some clothes muna? I wanna buy shorts. Ang init nitong dress na to eh."

"Hmmm, okay. Tamang tama Sunday ngayon, may bazzaar sa Blue Bay Walk just a few minutes from here. "

"Yay! And since you've already told me about Mia, I might as well tell you the whole story about Henry."

"Hey, you don't need to. Ang mahalaga saken, ex mo sya. Nyahahaha."

"Hoy, makatawa ka naman. But I want to."

"Maine, it's all good. Basta ang mahalaga, ako ang kasama mo today."

"Hay, Richard. Where have you been all this time?" She asks rhetorically, pinching his cheek and laughing when he tries to laugh and wince in pain at the same time, his whole face red.

It's one thing to be found when almost all hope is lost, but to be found by this certain doe-eyed human being who basically entrusted her life to him is, for lack of a better word, divine.

***

A/N:

Hi Fam! Short update muna habang nakapila for ADNFest fest registration. 😁

Been busy with work lately but thankfully I was able to find time to get back into my writing zone. Salamat po sa paghihintay.

As usual, non-beta'd and non-proofread. Let me know what you think by tweeting me at @bankingonkismet or commenting below.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post another update next week, after ADN Fest.