Milena (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER VIII: Twelve Months

Year 2004.

"Happy anniversary baby!"

Azil surprised me this morning. She woke me up and served me a romantic breakfast in bed! Today is our first anniversary. I still remember the day, under the shade of a mango tree. That day she asked me if I could be her girlfriend. I instantly said yes without asking her to court me first. She already courted me and showed me how much she liked me when she gave me her simple notes and gifts every day.

In a year, we became secret lovers, off the radar from our parents and judgmental society. Especially at school, we were extra careful with our interactions. Sadly, our school condemns same s*x relationships. We limited our act as best friends when we’re in public places.

We spend our time together almost every day. That leads us to not have time to our other friends, especially Zec. Azil’s mother was questioning her why she’s always not at home. She’s with me even on special occasions like a family member’s birthday, Christmas and New Year. My father told us, “If you two are always together, you’ll easily get bored with each other. You’ll start arguing. Sometimes, you need some space, to miss each other.” We laughed at that! We’ll never get bored! NEVER! We don’t want to be away with each other because we miss each other instantly when separated, even seconds away.

This special day, we planned to have a simple date. We watched a new rom-com movie showing at the cinema then ate dinner at a restaurant. After our movie and dinner, we took a walk around the neighborhood. We went to the playground with swings and seesaws. We sat on both swings, rocking it silently while holding hands, taking in the beauty of the moon and the starless sky. I gave her a bouquet of blue paper roses. Blue is her favorite color. I attached a note that says, “Real roses will wither and die but not these. Like my love, they will stay forever with you.”

Time flies so fast! After our walk, she asked me to have a sleepover at their house. She’s home alone and that means we own the night! We reached their house at 7 PM. She asked me if I wanted to sleep or if I wanted to watch TV or wanted to play board games with her. I said we can play board games until we get sleepy. We played Scrabble for two rounds then we started making a puzzle. She bought this new puzzle last time we went to the mall. It consists of 200 pieces. We categorized the puzzle pieces by the shades of their color then we started on filling up the corners first. We glued the pieces together and put it in a frame.

Love is like making a puzzle. You will search for that specific piece that will complete you. It may seem like you’ll search for it your entire life but once you discover it, you’ll feel joy. You’ll be proud like you accomplished something that no one can obtain. It will be your greatest achievement.

A yawn escaped my lips after we framed our masterpiece. I felt sleepy. I asked Azil if she could lend me her extra pajamas. I pouted when she gave me a pajama with dogs printed on it. She laughed at my reaction. She knew I hated dogs and I knew she hated cats. I didn’t accept the pajama she’s giving me, so she took another pajama with a different design. I smiled when I saw the cute cat prints! I wore the fluffy cat pajamas and she wore the one with scary dogs on it. After we took a quick shower, another yawn escaped my lips. I removed my eyeglasses and put it on her night stand. I hugged Azil and kissed her goodnight. Azil insisted on humming a lullaby for me before sleeping. I felt like a baby. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

I woke up with a ticklish feeling on my cheeks. I squinted an eye to check what’s that thing rubbing on my cheeks. I smiled when I saw Azil, poking the tip of her nose at my cheeks. My cute little doggy! The only dog I will not fear! I bit her nose playfully. She smirked and pecked a kiss on my cheeks then my lips, "Good morning baby! Did you sleep well?"

Is it morning already? How long did I sleep? I checked the time on her clock. It’s 2 AM!

"Azil! It’s just 2 AM! Too early to call it morning! The sun was still on the other side of the world! I only slept for two hours!”

She adorably pouted and said, “Sorry baby if I woke you up. I can’t sleep. And you’re so adorable that’s why I can’t help myself but to touch you. I love you so much!”, Unconsciously declaring her love. My eyes widened. I cannot believe she didn’t say LIKE! She said that she LOVES me! The sleepiness completely left my system! Realizing what she just said, Azil quickly covered her mouth and her face turned red.

“Ah. Baby Mimi, I should not…Um... I know it’s too soon... You might not yet be ready. Forget what I…”, she mumbled in shame.

I silenced her off by kissing her lips, "I love you too, Azil"