Chapter 5. She Said Yes

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CHAPTER FIVE: SHE SAID YES

LOVE ANDREI LEE

Isang buwan na simula nang ligawan ko si Aria. I know I shouldn’t have, but I chose to follow what my heart wanted. And that was to be with her.

At first, she was shocked—and she rejected me right away. She brought up my family’s tradition of arranged marriages, something she was well aware of. Matapos kasi ang pangalawang kasal noon ni Faith at Poppy ay lumabas ang isang article, na lahat kaming magkakapatid ay arranged marriage ang uuwian. And she said she didn’t want to ruin a union that had already been planned long before.

Ipinaliwanag niya rin sa ‘kin ang sitwasyon ng buhay niya. Ang sabi niya malabo raw kami dahil langit ako at lupa siya. Inopen niya rin sa ‘kin na ulila na siya at ‘yong pinanggalingan niyang angkan ay walang sinasabi sa buhay. Kahit may ilan pa siyang kamag-anak, walang tumutulong sa kaniya o nagmamalasakit kaya pinilit niyang maging iskolar ng mayor sa bayan nila para lang makapag-aral. Baka magsisi lang daw ako sa huli kung manliligaw ako sa isang tulad niya.

Isa pa, hindi naman daw boyfriend ang ipinunta niya rito kaya siya umalis sa probinsya nila. Gusto niya raw makatapos kaya siya narito. At ‘yon ang lalong naglapit ng loob ko sa kaniya.

For reasons I couldn’t quite explain, para bang gusto ko siyang alagaan at suportahan. I wanted to be the one to care for her, to love her, and to be the one she could lean on. I wanted to be someone she could count on, someone she could call her partner, not just for now—but for the rest of her life.

One week ko siyang kinulit na bigyan ako ng chance at kapag nag-work ang relasyon namin, e ‘di good. Kung hindi naman, nangako ako sa kaniya na susuportahan ko siya hanggang sa makatapos siya ng pag-aaral kahit pa wala kaming anumang relasyon.

Sabi niya pag-iisipan niya kaya naghintay ako. Matapos ang tatlong araw, she sent me a message na pumapayag na siya. Anyway, nagpalitan kami ng number matapos niya ‘kong pakainin ng adobo sa apartment niya. Ako ang unang nanghingi ng number niya at ang palusot ko pa noon ay dahil gusto kong magpaturo ng recipe niya ng adobo. F*ck. Kapag naaalala ko ‘yon, nahihiya ako. Pinagtawanan niya kasi ako noon, mukhang alam niyang palusot ko lang ‘yon. Pero binigay niya pa rin ang number niya.

And yeah, pumayag na siyang manligaw ako, pero ang kondisyon niya ay maging sikreto lang ang tungkol sa amin. And that was the happiest day of my life.

Kilala ko ang sarili ko. I’ve never been the sweet type. I’m not vocal about my feelings, and I’ve always been more reserved and serious. But when it comes to her, I’ve become something else entirely. Around her, parang nagiging maamong tuta ako na uhaw sa atensyon niya.

Hindi ko rin akalain na magiging sobrang clingy ko sa kaniya lalo na kapag kami na lang dalawa ang magkasama—kapag sinasadya ko siyang huling palabasin sa lecture hall sa tuwing mag-che-check ako ng attendance at kapag nasa loob kami ng sasakyan ko sa tuwing ihahatid ko siya sa apartment niya.

Kapag nagda-drive ako at nasa tabi ko siya, lagi kong inaabot ang isa niyang kamay at hawak ko ‘yon hanggang sa makarating kami sa apartment niya. Hahalik din ako sa ibabaw ng kamay niya bago siya bumaba sa sasakyan. Minsan naman kapag wala siyang masyadong gagawin at hindi ako naghahabol ng oras, iimbitahin niya ‘ko sa taas at ipagluluto niya ako ng adobo.

Gano’n ako kapag magkasama kami, it’s as if I transform into a lovestruck teenager, craving her attention and presence more than I’d ever admit to anyone else. But when we’re apart, I go back to being the usual me—calm, strict, and composed.

She’s changed me in ways I never thought possible. And for the first time in my life, I feel like I’ve found something worth risking everything for. Kabilang na ro'n ang arranged marriage ko na alam kong nalalapit na.

“Love… ano’ng nagustuhan mo sa ‘kin?” tanong niya habang magkatabi kaming nakahiga sa kama niya rito sa apartment. Naka-extend ang isang braso ko, nakaunan siya ro’n at pareho kaming nakatihaya, nakatingin sa kisame niya. Glow-in-the-dark stars scattered across the surface, with a larger crescent moon glowing faintly in the middle. Wala na siyang klase at wala rin naman akong schedule sa ngayon kaya nag-stay muna ‘ko sa apartment niya matapos ko siyang ihatid.

Love. Ang totoo, ayokong tinatawag akong Love. It always felt too feminine, and I preferred Andrei or Dr. Lee. But ever since Aria started calling me by my first name, something changed. From her, it didn’t sound like just a name—it felt like an endearment.

“To be honest…” I let out a soft sigh, the faintest smile tugging at my lips. “Unang meeting pa lang natin sa lecture hall naagaw mo na atensyon ko.”

“Bakit?” Sumulyap siya sa ‘kin.

I chuckled lightly, keeping my eyes fixed on the glowing stars above us. “Out of everyone in the class, you were the only one who seemed completely uninterested in me. While I was standing there talking, it felt like you were bored out of your mind. Unlike the others, who couldn’t seem to look away, you… barely even paid attention.”

Her brow arched slightly, and I continued, my voice growing softer. “It made me wonder what was going on in your head. Did you not think I was good-looking? Or… did I do something wrong? Did you hear something about me that made you uninterested? I don’t know. But for some reason, that indifference of yours… it stuck with me. Lalo na at parang nasanay ako na lahat ng babae, sa tingin pa lang nila parang sinasamba na nila ‘ko.”

Binaling ko ang mukha ko sa kaniya at naabutan ko siyang nakangiti. Sa totoo lang, simula noong inimbita niya ako sa apartment niya noong pinakain niya ako ng adobo, naging komportable na kami sa isa’t-isa. Dahil na rin siguro medyo mahaba ang naging kwentuhan namin noon at na-realized kong mali ako ng first impression sa kaniya.

“Alam mo kung ano’ng tumatakbo sa isip ko noon?” she said with a laugh.

“What?”

“Ang guwapo mo pero wala kang fashion sense.” Muli siyang natawa. “Hindi ko makalimutan ‘yong suot mong necktie no’ng araw na ‘yon. Hindi talaga bagay sa ‘yo. Bukod sa ang dilim ng kulay, ang OA pa ng design. Buti na lang talaga sinunod mo ‘ko kinabukasan at nagsuot ka ng light color lang.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Actually, I wasn’t planning to wear a tie at all that day. But on my way to school, bigla kitang naalala. So, I stopped by a boutique and bought the lightest-colored tie they had. I didn’t want to get pink, but that was the only option.”

She snorted, trying to stifle her laughter. “Really?”

“Really. Takot ko na lang sa ‘yo.”

Lalo siyang natawa. “So, kapag pinagsuot kita ng light color na dress, susunod ka rin?”

“Depends,” I said, smirking.

“Depends on what?” she asked, her laughter fading into curiosity.

“Depends on the relationship we have. If you were my girlfriend, I wouldn’t hesitate to do even the weirdest things just to make you happy.”

Her laughter stopped completely, her eyes locking with mine. Nagtitigan lang kaming dalawa at hindi ko alam kung ano’ng tumatakbo sa isip niya. Hanggang sa unti-unting nabanat ang labi niya sa pagngiti.

“Then… stop courting me.”

“What? No. Why would I?”

“Ayoko nang magpaligaw.”

I couldn’t stop the slight panic that crept up on me, my thoughts racing as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Meanwhile, she just smiled faintly, her expression calm and unreadable.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something you didn’t like?” I asked, frowning as I studied her face.

“Wala. Basta stop na.”

“Aria—”

“Stop ka na dahil sinasagot na kita.” I froze, my mind momentarily blank. “Mula ngayon girlfriend mo na ‘ko at boyfriend na kita. So, be ready. Malay mo sa unang monthsary natin pagsuotin kita ng dress.”

I was stunned. Hindi ko agad naproseso ang sinabi niya. Nakatitig lang ako sa kaniya, tulala. Panaginip lang ba ‘to?

She waved a hand in front of my face, laughing softly. “You okay, Love? Did I break you?”

I blinked, finally snapping out of it, but the words still echoed in my head: Mula ngayon girlfriend mo na ‘ko at boyfriend na kita.

She said yes.

“Are you serious?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Her smile widened, and she nodded. “Oo. Bakit? Ayaw mo ba?”

And just like that, everything around me faded. It was like the universe itself had tilted, aligning perfectly just for us.