Arranged Marriage To Another Juliet (GxG)—[ENGLISH VERSION]

Chapter 19

We eventually fell asleep. Maybe it was because we were both exhausted from everything that had happened. Maybe because, for once, neither of us felt the need to say anything. We simply stayed there, wrapped around each other, our bodies close beneath the sheets. I could feel her warmth against me.

Her breathing was slow and peaceful, and every now and then, I could feel her move slightly in her sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to convince myself that everything was normal.

But how could it be? This wasn't a dream anymore. It was real.

Veronica was really beside me. And for the first time, I wasn't waking up from some ridiculous dream where I imagined what it would feel like to have her this close.

This time, she was actually here.

I didn't know what to do with that thought. And even what I was supposed to feel.

Do I love her? The question had been bothering me for longer than I wanted to admit.

Yes, I liked her. I knew that much. But was it enough to call it love?I wanted to be sure. I didn't want to give her an answer simply because of what happened between us. I didn't want our feelings to become something we were forced to define because of one night. I wanted it to be real. I wanted to know that if I chose her, I was choosing her because I truly wanted her—not because I had gotten used to having her around.

Because the truth was, Veronica had slowly become a habit. A very dangerous habit.

She had become part of my mornings, my afternoons, my thoughts, and even my stupid little worries.

And maybe that was what scared me. I was getting used to her. Too used to her.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was her. Veronica was already awake. And she was staring at me. Not in a creepy way.

Her lips slowly curved into a smile when our eyes met. Before I could even ask how long she had been watching me, she leaned closer and kissed my lips. Softly. Gently. Like she was afraid that one wrong movement might scare me away.

"Good morning," she whispered. I blinked several times.

"Morning." She smiled.

"Thank you." I frowned.

Thank you?

For what?

For staying?

For last night?

For letting her get close?

I had no idea. So I just smiled back. She stared at me for a moment before her expression changed. "Sorry," she said quietly. "I couldn't stop myself." I sighed.

"It's okay. I couldn't stop myself either." She smiled again, but this time, there was something almost shy about it.

"I should've stopped myself from taking advantage of the situation last night," she admitted, letting out a nervous laugh. "But apparently, it's really hard when you're fighting against yourself." I laughed.

"You're really crazy."

"Maybe."

She looked at me.

"But I'm crazy about you."

I immediately rolled my eyes.

"See? There you go again."

"What?"

"You always say things like that."

"Because they're true." I stared at her and she stared back. And somehow, I was the one who looked away first. Damn her. Why did she always have to make my heart do stupid things? There was a brief silence between us. Then she took a deep breath.

"So…"

I looked at her.

"So?" She suddenly looked nervous. That was unusual. Veronica was rarely nervous. She could walk into a room full of people like she owned the place. She could tease me without hesitation. She could say the most shameless things and not even blink. But right now? She looked like someone waiting for a verdict.

"Are we together now?" My heart stopped. For a second, I thought I had heard her wrong.

"What?" She swallowed.

"Are we… you know…" She hesitated, suddenly looking shy. "Together?" I stared at her. Of all the things I expected her to ask that morning, that wasn't one of them. My mind immediately went blank.

What was I supposed to say?

Was I ready?

Did I want to say yes?

The truth was, I didn't know.

I wanted to say yes. But I was scared. Scared that I would say it too quickly. Scared that I would regret it. Scared that I would hurt her if I realized later that what I felt wasn't what she thought it was. I took a slow breath.

"Hmm… Veronica." She waited. "I don't want us to become a couple just because something happened between us." Her smile disappeared slightly. I immediately felt guilty. "But that's not because I don't like you." She looked at me again. "I just… I want to make things clear first. I want to understand what I'm feeling before anything else."

I looked down. "I don't want to wake up one day and realize that I only said yes because of what happened last night." She was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded.

"I understand." She leaned forward and kissed my forehead. It was such a simple gesture. But somehow, it hurt more than if she had argued with me. Because she understood. She wasn't forcing me. She wasn't demanding an answer. She was simply willing to wait.

"Thank you," was all I could say. She smiled. "I'll wait." I looked at her. "Even if it takes years, Angel." My chest tightened. "I know things are hard for you. I know you're confused. But I want you to remember something."

She gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face. "I do love you. Okay?" I couldn't answer. I didn't trust my voice. So I simply nodded.

She pulled me into a hug. And once again, I felt her warmth against me. Her arms wrapped around my body like she was reminding me that she wasn't going anywhere. She kissed me softly. Once. Then again. And for a few seconds, I forgot about all my questions. I forgot about the confusion. I forgot about the fear. There was only her. And me. And the strange feeling in my chest that I wasn't ready to name.

Of course, romantic moments don't last forever. Especially when you're hungry.

"Let's eat." I looked at her.

"Now?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"My stomach is seriously asking for food." I laughed.

We eventually got dressed and decided to eat at Jollibee.

That was when I discovered something I never expected.

Veronica's favorite? Jollibee spaghetti. I stared at her like she had just confessed to a crime.

"You?"

"Yes."

"You actually like their spaghetti?" She looked offended.

"What's wrong with my taste?"

"Nothing."

"You look like you're judging me."

"I'm not."

"You are." I laughed. "Okay, fine. Let's go get your spaghetti."

As we drove, I couldn't stop thinking about us. Our relationship—or whatever it was—was probably the most confusing thing in the world.

We were married. But we weren't together.

She was courting me. But we had already crossed a line.

We acted like a couple. But we weren't officially a couple.

It was confusing.

Everything about us was confusing.

And maybe I was confused because this was all new to me. Veronica was different from everyone I had been with before.

I knew I shouldn't compare her to my exes. I knew it wasn't a competition. But I couldn't stop myself. She was different. She cared. Not just when it was convenient. She noticed things. She remembered the smallest details. She made me feel important.

And somehow, she made me feel safe. Whenever she was around, there were butterflies in my stomach. Sometimes, she didn't even have to say anything. One smile from her was enough to make every nerve in my body go crazy. It was embarrassing. And terrifying.

Because I knew I was falling. I just wasn't sure how far.

It was Saturday, and Veronica decided that we should stay home and rest. I didn't mind. Tito was rarely around anyway, so the house was usually quiet. Dad was barely around too. I hardly talked to him anymore. Whenever I went to his office, he was always gone. Whenever I visited the house, he was busy. He had buried himself in work. Maybe he thought working would make everything easier. Maybe he didn't know what else to do.

Honestly, we didn't even need more money. Not anymore. There were only two of us left after what happened four years ago. Sometimes, I wondered if Dad even realized that money wasn't what we needed. Maybe we needed each other. But I didn't know how to tell him that. I was sitting quietly, staring at nothing, when Veronica suddenly spoke.

"You're thinking too deeply."

I looked at her.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you thinking about last night?"

My face immediately burned. "No!"

She laughed. "Ayieeeee!" I glared at her.

"Shut up!"

"You are!"

"I'm not!"

"Your face is red."

"It's hot!" She looked around the room.

"There's air-conditioning."

I had no answer.

She laughed even harder.

"You're so cute."

"You're annoying."

"Ayiehhh. If you want to do it again, we can."

I almost choked.

"What?!"

"If you want."

"No!"

"Just saying."

"Veronica!"

She laughed.

"Okay, okay."

I pointed toward the driver's seat.

"Just drive."

"Aysus, Mrs."

I frowned.

"Mrs?"

"Yes, Mrs."

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Because we're married."

"So?"

"When you're married, there's a Mister and a Missus." She smiled proudly.

"But we're both Mrs. I stared at her.

"You're seriously crazy."

"Crazy for you?"

"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about!"

"What?"

"I told you to stop messing around."

She laughed.

"What am I doing to your?"

"What are you doing to my—" I stopped. She immediately looked at me.

"Your what?"

"Nothing."

She smiled.

"To your what?"

"Nothing!"

"Tell me."

I shook my head.

"Forget it."

"No, no, no." She was clearly enjoying herself now. "What am I doing to your what?"

I groaned.

"You're so annoying."

She started laughing.

"What? I'm just asking."

"You know exactly what you're doing."

"I don't."

"You do."

"What am I doing?"

"You're messing with my—"

I stopped again.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Your?"

"Nothing!"

She laughed even harder.

"Okay, now I'm curious."

"Forget it."

"No."

"Veronica."

"Angel."

"Stop."

"Tell me." I sighed.

"You know what? Fine. Do whatever you want."

"Ayiehhh," she teased. "So what am I doing to your…?"

I glared at her.

"You're disgusting."

"Me? I'm innocent."

"Innocent my ass."

She laughed so loudly that I couldn't help smiling too.

I lightly hit her arm.

"Stop laughing!"

"Ouch!" I hit her again.

"Hey!"

"You're annoying."

"Stop hitting me unless you want us to die together."

I froze. "What?"

She pointed toward the seat belt.

"You keep hitting me while I'm driving. If we crash, we're both going down."

I rolled my eyes. "Good." She gasped.

"Wow. You want to die with me?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Sure."

I hit her arm again.

She laughed.

"See? You're violent."

"It's because of the things inside your head. I swear, sometimes I want to reach inside and push them out."

She laughed.

"What things?"

"You know."

"I don't."

"Yes, you do." She glanced at me.

"Tell me."

I looked out the window.

"Nothing."

"Okayyyy."

I rolled my eyes.

"Tsk."

There was a short silence.

Then, naturally, she started again. "What was it?"

"Nothing."

"What was it?"

"Veronica."

"I'm just curious."

"Forget it."

"Tell me."

I sighed.

"You always invade my mind." The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Veronica went quiet. I turned toward her. She was smiling. Not the teasing smile from earlier. Something softer.

"Then I guess I have permanent residence there." I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't get too proud of yourself."

"Too late."

"You really are impossible."

"And yet…" She glanced at me briefly. "You still keep me there."

I looked away. I hated that she knew me so well. Because she was right. She was always in my mind.

In the songs I listened to.

In the places I went.

In the little things that happened throughout my day. Sometimes, I would see something funny and immediately think, Veronica would laugh at this.

Sometimes, I would hear a song and wonder what she would say about it.

Sometimes, I would catch myself smiling for absolutely no reason.

And then I'd realize—

I was thinking about her again. She had somehow invaded every corner of my mind without asking for permission.

And the worst part?

I wasn't trying to kick her out anymore. Maybe I wasn't ready to call it love. Maybe I still needed time.

Maybe I still needed to understand what was happening to me.

But there was one thing I was beginning to understand.

I didn't want her to leave.

Not now.

Not tomorrow.

Maybe not ever.

I looked at her while she continued driving, completely unaware of the battle happening inside my head. She was humming quietly to herself, one hand on the steering wheel.

I smiled.

Maybe love didn't always arrive with fireworks.

Maybe sometimes, it arrives slowly.

In stolen glances.

In stupid jokes.

In arguments that weren't really arguments.

In someone remembering your favorite things.

In someone patiently waiting for you.

Maybe love was simply realizing that someone's presence had become so important that the thought of losing them scared you more than admitting how much you cared.

And Veronica?

She had already become that person for me.

I just wasn't ready to say it out loud.

Not yet.

But maybe…

One day.