Married Mr. Nerdy

The Start of Something

"WHERE have you been?!" Nakapameywang na tanong ni Victoria kay Noah nang makauwi ito ng bahay.

"You've been gone for a night. Alalang-alala ang parents mo." She frowned.

"Working." He sounded bored. Nilagpasan lang ni Noah si Victoria.

When he passed by Victoria, she took him by the hand at hinarap siya sa kaniya. "What happened?" She asked.

Umiling si Noah. "Nothing." He rested is body at the sofa and covered his face through a pillow.

Victoria grunted and aggressively took the pillow. "Hey, isang gabi kang hindi nagpakita at halos mahimatay ang mga magulang mo sa kaba tapos babalik ka dito na parang wala lang? You made them worried!"

Noah breathed heavily and took the pillow from Victoria's hand. He's not in the mood to talk. Not even open his mouth.

"Ako ang sininghalan ng parents ko. They keep telling me that I'm a careless wife. You should be the one to explain to them."

"Not now, Ms.Victoria." Giit niya.

"No, you talk to me! Bigla kang nawala tapos ngayon babalik ka? Really, what happened?" She snapped.

Noah didn't reply and Victoria just fumed in anger. She was scolded by everyone last night for being a careless wife dahil wala pa ang asawa niya pero mahimbing na ang tulog niya. She even made dinner last night in hopes of Noah coming home.

"Noah!" She shouted. Galit na galit na siya. She really hates it when she is being ignored. 

"Hey, Noah-" Victoria stilled and stared at him. Sinusuri niya ang kabuuang mukha ni Noah sa kung saan maraming pasa ang naroon na hindi niya nakita kanina. His right eye is slightly purple and his cheeks are covered with cuts and bruises.

When silence entered the room, Victoria just left. She's irritated and anger is consuming her core. Akala ni Noah ay hindi na babalik si Victoria kaya naman pinikit na niya ang mga mata. He wants to sleep all his problems away.

Hindi pa siya tuluyang nakakatulog nang may maramdaman siyang malamig na kung ano sa mukha niya. Minulat ni Noah ang mga mata at nakita si Victoria na ginagamot ang sugat niya sa bibig. Her face is red and eyes were puffy. May mga namumuong luha sa mga mata nito.

"N-No one ignores a Victoria Salvador." She uttered while pressing on his wound harder.

Noah hissed. "Ouch!"

Victoria sniffed. "That's what you get for not coming home last night. Dahil sayo nasigawan ako. My grandma almost freeze my accounts last night. They said I was a careless wife."

Noah stared at her intently. "I don't think you're careless." He answered and much to his surprise, Victoria did not reply and instead pressed on his wounds harder. 

Napaigtad siya sa sakit. "Ouch." He uttered silently. 

"Shut up, nerdy. You look like you're hurting so I took the initiative to treat your wounds."

Manghang tumitig si Noah sa asawa. "Are you a nice person?" tanong niya, parang isang batang inosente at walang kamuwang-muwang.. 

She pressed his wounds harder. "Ah!" Noah exclaimed.

"I'm not nice. It's just that, hindi ako mapakali kapag may nakikita akong taong may problema o nasasaktan. If I see that person problematic, I always help them. Stranger or not." She explains.

"Why?" Noah asked curiously.

"It's because I grew up problem-free. I have people who'll solve my problems for me. I have money, fame and friends. What's there to ask, right?"

"Dahil lumaki akong walang pinoproblema, I want people to be like me. Problem-free. Kasi ang problema diba, it drives us crazy. Kapag may problema tayo, we sometimes let our emotions be in control. Magagalit tayo agad dahil lang sa problema na may simpleng solution."

Noah blinked a couple of times before answering in a monotonous tone. "That's not nice."

"Ha?"

"Don't meddle in other people's lives. Let them solve their own problems."

Victoria groaned and pressed Noah's wounds harder and harder. Noah hissed in pain. "Ow!" He shouted. Hinahawakan niya ang kamay ng asawa para ilayo ito sa mukha niya.

"It's called helping, you idiot." Giit ni Victoria habang dinidiinan ang paggamot sa sugat ni Noah.

"No, it's not. You're making them become dependent on you." 

Victoria furrowed her eyebrows. "Bakit mo ba ako dinidiktahan? Ha? First, you ignore me and now pararangalan mo ako. Alam mo ba na wala pang nakakagawa niyan sakin?"

Noah's stoic face remains as he answers. "That's called a privilege."

"Privilege of what?"

"Of being your husband." he innocently said while still holding her hands.

Namula ang mukha ni Victoria sa galit at nilagyan ng alcohol ang cotton. Ilalagay sana niya ito sa sugat ni Noah nang pumalag ang asawa. Tumayo ito at tumakbo pa-ikot sa sala.

"Come back here, you nerd! Akala mo tapos na tayong mag-away? Ha? Our fight won't end unless you say 'I'm sorry and I give up.'"

Noah stopped running. "I'm sorry."

"W-Why are you saying sorry? Tinaasan mo na sana pride mo!"

"I'm sorry." Ulit ni Noah.

Victoria groaned and started chasing her husband who's like a kid running away from her.

Pero habang tumatakbo at hinahabol ang asawa, her foot hit the coffee table and fell. Nakapikit lang ang mga mata ni Victoria at iniintay ang sakit sa pagkakahulog. Pero ilang segundo sa pagkahulog, nothing happened. She didn't feel any pain but rather it felt like she fell on something slim yet muscular.

Out of curiosity, she opened her eyes and her face immediately turned red. Not from anger but from shyness and nervousness!

She's on top of her husband.

"Are you okay?" Noah asks.

Victoria can't find the words to say. She's embarrassed and this is not like her!

Galit na hinampas niya ang dibdib ni Noah at umupo sa hita nito habang si Noah ay nakahiga pa rin.

"It was an accide—"

"D-Did we disturb something?"

Victoria faced the door. It was her mother with her older sister!

Nakaupo pa naman siya sa hita ni Noah habang si Noah ay nakahiga. It looked like they were doing something naughty!

Mabilis na umalis si Victoria sa pagkakaupo sa hita ni Noah at tumayo sa harap ng pamilya. Noah also went beside her.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" She asks, as if nothing happened but she is sure as hell that her face is as red as scarlet.

Rita grinned. "Why? Ayaw mo ba? Were we disturbing something earlier?"

Ngumiwi siya. "It's not like that—"

"Oh my, I'm so excited for my first granddaughter. We're gonna name her Valerie and I'm gonna train her to become the Miss Universe—"

"Mom!" Victoria shouted. "Nothing happened, okay? Ano bang ginagawa niyo rito?"

With her question, her mother grinned widely and showed her two papers—no, two tickets.

She looked at the tickets. "Hm, trip to France. Magshashopping ka? With whom?" She curiously asked.

"No, silly. These two tickets are for you and Noah. You're gonna have a honeymoon!" Excited nitong sigaw at binigay ang tickets kay Noah.

Victoria snorted. "Honeymoon? Mom, there's no reason for me and Noah to have our honeymoon."

Rita nodded earnestly. "Duh, of course you have! You just got married. Every newlyweds needs to have a wedding."

"Still, no. And why France? I've been there for like, ten times." Victoria uttered, bored. Sumusulyap siya ng tingin kay Noah while he remained stoic. 

It may not look like it but he's actually excited that he'll be out of the country for the first time. Kung wala lang ang pamilya ni Victoria, baka tumatalon-talon na siya sa tuwa.

"Don't be so choosy, Victoria. May one week honeymoon kayo sa France. Make sure to come back here pregnant." Vincenzia teased.

"Zia is right. We are looking forward to our granddaughter." Rita grinned.

"No!" Victoria looked horrified.

"Then, a son?" 

"What? No!" 

Rita heaved a deep sigh. "Baby, there's nothing wrong with making love with your husband. Even your father and I are still making love in this age. It's a sign of love between husband and wife." She explained.

"Yeah, only that Noah and I don't love each other." She said.

"Then make this honeymoon a trip to get to know each other well." Rita insisted then looked at Noah. "Habaan mo nalang pasensiya mo sa anak ko, ha? There are some things you still don't know about her." She explained.

Tumango si Noah at tinignan muli ang dalawang ticket. He's really excited about this trip.

"Please go. I also need to get to work." Ani Victoria at pinilit paalisin sa bahay ang pamilya.

Nang makaalis ang pamilya niya, she faced Noah. "Aren't you going to work?"

Noah stilled. Oo nga pala. He almost forgot about his work. Pero bakit pa siya magtatrabaho kung sisisantehin naman na siya? Mr. Leo is probably forcing his boss to remove him from work.

"Noah?"

"I'm just going to rest today." He answered.

Victoria's eyes widen in glint. "Then you settle my luggage for tomorrow. Make sure you fold my clothes neatly."

Noah frowned. "I said I'll be resting."

Victoria crossed her arms. "I don't care. Just make sure everything is prepared before our flight."

Noah just sighed and nodded. "Okay."

Victoria grinned before fixing herself. "I'm leaving. Bye." Paalam nito.

Si Noah naman ay tumungo sa kwarto para ayusin ang gamit ng asawa.

He was quietly folding her clothes but stilled when he realized something.

It's the first time he talked a lot with a woman.