I watch her sleep. My eyes tracing her form - from her flowing, brown hair, that I ran my fingers through, countless times last night;
to the crease between her brows, which makes we wonder if she was having a bad dream; I want to wake her but I stop myself and let her rest;
to her perfect little nose, which I love to kiss even when there are people around;
to her full, luscious lips, that I kiss as often as I could; I am the luckiest of men to have the liberty to do so.
Our blankets cover most of her body, exposing only her flawless back, and her legs - two of my most favorite parts of hers.
Who am I kidding, I love everything.
I'm not so sure how I got so lucky. One day, I was this cadet, about to graduate from the academy, unsure whether I would be accepted into any of the institutions of the military. To pass time, and to reduce the stress of worrying, I logged on and watched this viral dubsmash video and there she was.
Nicomaine Dei.
One hilarious video after another, I knew I was hooked. She was gorgeous, but she also made me laugh and... well, there was something about her that drew you in. So, even though I felt like a crazy, stalker person, I sent her a message in her social media account.
"Hi Ms. Nicomaine! I'm Alden. Alden Richards." I started my message and told her that I was graduating that year and hoping that I get into the Air Force or the Army. "I hope you don't find this message too forward and I honestly do not mean to scare you. But, in times of uncertainty for me, I want to say thank you for giving me a moment where I can just laugh and forget all my worries."
I'm sure she got tons of messages, yet she still replied.
"Grabe ka naman. Ginawa mo pa akong clown. Thank you for your message! It also gave me a reason to continue doing this. Minsan kasi hindi ko alam kung nagaaksaya lang ako ng oras dito sa pagvivideo ko ng ganito."
We started chatting and exchanging photos, and a few months later, in the middle of my first deployment in the South, I said to her, "I'm in love with you Maine."
And she says, "Baliw ka ba?"
She gave me a long lecture about the dangers of a relationship that started with chatting, and how we haven't met and how I don't really know her yet and she wasn't sure I was even real... so I told her that I'd meet her the next time I'm on leave from work. "When we meet, ibibigay ko sa'yo lahat ng credentials ko so that you can check."
Our first meeting: awkward.
She couldn't look at me, which made me wonder kung napangitan ba siya sa akin? Hindi ba niya ako type? Did I disappoint her in some way?
Ako naman, wala... natulala lang din ako. She's much prettier in person. Ang liit ng mukha and ang ganda ng mata.
Since then, I would spend most of my breaks visiting her and asking her out on dates if her parents would allow. And when she finally said yes to be my girlfriend, I told her iderecho na naming kasal... she said yes, again.
I can't tell you much about our first two years. Mahirap kasi I had to be deployed most of the time, which worried her to no end. I know that she wanted me to quit and stay here where it was safe, but she never asked because she knew that this was what I wanted to do: serve our country. Siya naman, she is now one of the most famous bloggers in the country and a social media celebrity.
Whenever I'm home naman, siyempre bumabawi ako sa -
"Hey, what's that smile?"
I look at her again and gising na yung maganda kong asawa. She's clutching the sheet to prevent it from falling. I can't help but bite my lip at the sight. "Wala naman. I was just thinking how you haven't gotten tired of me kahit three years na tayong kasal."
