Mula sa opisina niya, at sa biyahe, para siyang timang na paulit ulit na tinatanong sa akin kung talaga bang girlfriend niya na ako ulit.
She was holding my hand while the other one is on the steering wheel. No matter how hard she tries to stop herself from smiling so wide, she can't hold it.
"Tangina..." she uttered again.
At katulad kanina, ngiti lang rin ang nagawa ko at hindi na nagsalita. Nakakabaliw ang mga nararamdaman ko. Parang sasabog yung puso ko sa sobrang saya.
"Seriously," she laughed for the nth time. "I can't wait to tell this news to our daughter."
The air still smelled faintly of the perfume she kept on her desk, the one I’d always recognize as hers. Everything felt strangely calm.
It wasn't the kind of calm that comes with peace, but the kind that settles in right after something big shifts.
We had just decided to try again.
Possibilities scares me, of course, but knowing that this time, everything is official, it gives me the assurance that I need.
No more almosts.
No more pauses.
The engine purred beneath us, smooth and powerful, just like her. The leather seats were cold against my skin, and my heart hadn’t quite caught up with the moment yet.
Janine looked calm, collected, like she always did.
But I knew her well enough to see the tightness in her jaw, the way she blinked slower than usual, the way she gripped the steering wheel a little too hard every time we stopped at a red light.
I couldn't help but let go of a soft chuckle.
"It's overwhelming," I uttered, lips rising.
"I know, my love..." She stated, almost like a whisper.
And to be honest, even as I sit here beside her, watching the road blur past, I can’t ignore the way it still burns inside me.
It makes me wonder, would girls actually stop flirting with her once they figure that I'm dating her?
I can't ignore the feeling of not being chosen.
That feeling I get every time I see the way people look at her.
Especially women.
The way they circle around her like moths, reckless and desperate, as if being near her is enough to make them feel more alive.
Some of them work with her. Some have known her longer than I have. Some pretend to be subtle, but I see it. I see it all.
I don’t want to sit quietly while women chase after her like they don’t care who she loves. I don’t want to feel this tightness in my chest every time someone else tries to claim what I already hold.
"I hope I don't receive any news about you being around the people that I don't like." Marahan kond sabi, pinapanalangin na sana ay maunawaan niya ang ibig kong iparating.
"It would help, actually, if you would give me a list." Sagot niya habang dahan-dahang iniikot ang manubela, kumukuha ng tamang bwelo sa pag park.
"We should invite Reese over dinner." sambit ko habang bumababa dahil nasa tapat na kami ng grocery store, ignoring our ongoing topic.
She seem to understand what I did, and so she didn't prolong the conversation about it.
"Sosolohin muna kita ngayong gabi." sambit niya bago ako lalong ilapit sa kanya pagkatabi niya sa akin.
BINABASA MO ANG
CAPTIVATED
General FictionEMPIRE SERIES #1 How do two hearts that once beat the same find their way back after everything broke? And if you're already okay now, living fully without them, is going back still worth it? This is a story of what stays, what fades, and what love...
