Please, Forget me Not

CHAPTER 29

Ray of sunshine against my face woke me up the next morning. I slowly opened my eyes and noticed that I was now on Zach's bed, alone.

"You're awake." I lifted my eyes to Zach who's sitting on a chair with a sketchbook and drawing pencil in his hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked with my morning voice.

"Drawing you." He then turned the sketchpad for me to see. My lips curled in amusement. Indeed, it was me, sleeping.

Alam kong marunong siyang mag-drawing dahil architect siya. Pero bukod sa mga buildings, hindi ko alam na kaya niya rin mag-drawing ng iba pa. He never mentioned it to me, even Aly.

While staring at his drawing, I suddenly remembered something. My heart started beating erratically inside my chest. I stood up and rushed outside his room. I heard him calling me, but I didn't bother glancing back because my mind was occupied by something from years ago.

When I entered my family's house, I went straight to my darkroom and opened the cabinet where I hid most of the things I wanted to keep.

I brought out six boxes with the same size. Inilabas ko isa-isa ang laman ng mga kahon at inilatag ‘yon sa lamesa. All of them was a portrait of me that I received as a birthday gift every year. The first one was seven years ago and the last one I received was a year ago. Hindi ko alam kung bakit pero wala na akong natanggap nitong huling birthday ko.

They were all so beautiful, but I never displayed them because it was sent to me anonymously. Noon, wala akong ideya kung sino ang nagpadala ng mga ito pero ngayon, parang may ideya na ako kung sino.

Every portrait was me with one big different letter as a background, then on the right side at the bottom, there was a written short love poem starting from that letter. I stared at them one by one, and my eyes widened when I realized something after looking at them.

The letters starting from the first one to the last one I received say, 'I L I K E U'. I felt my heart going wild again.

I thought those letters in the background were just there to emphasize the poems on the bottom. I never thought that they have another meaning when put together because I never put them out together before.

"You're here..." Zach was gasping for air like he just ran a marathon. "Why did you walk away? Are you m—" He stopped after seeing the portraits above the table.

"You're the one who sent these to me, aren't you?" I voiced out my suspicion as I lifted my expectant gaze to look at him. He was staring at them before his eyes bored into mine.

He curled his lips and nodded his head. "I never thought you'd keep them. I made them for you to be aware of my existence." He was indeed attracted to me before I even knew his existence.

"Then why did you send them to me anonymously?" I asked, confused. He took a step forward and caressed my cheek.

"Because of my promise to Algid that I'll wait. But of course, I can't just sit and do nothing, so I sent them for you to be aware that there's someone who likes you like crazy." He chuckled.

Different emotions came crashing inside me as I looked at the eyes of the man in front of me. All the things he did for me came flashing in my mind like a river flowing endlessly. For the past year that we're together, he wasn't that vocal about his feelings for me. But being lost in his beautiful eyes, I started to realize why he does not often say he loves me. It was because he prefers doing things that could make me feel how much he loves me rather than just saying it. He does not want his love to be heard, he wants it to be felt. And he knew exactly how to do that. He's been doing that before I even knew his existence.

With overflowing emotions, I closed the distance between us and crashed my lips against his. He was caught off guard by my sudden aggressiveness. He did not move for a few seconds but when he felt that I'm not going to stop anytime soon, he started responding to my kiss.

For the past year, there was not even a single day that I did not feel his love. Even if I failed to give him the time and attention he deserves, his love for me didn't fade. He was so constant. I love him so much for that, and I'm willing to give him all of me.

Suddenly, I felt my back against the wall. His hand went to the back of my neck and held my mouth against his. He quickly dominated it and I gladly let him take control. His kiss started to move down my jaw. His warm breath tickled my skin as I tilted my head to the side to give him more access to my neck. Unfamiliar heat started embracing my whole body as his lips found their way back to my lips.

His hands cupped each side of my face as his intoxicating kiss affects every atom and every nerve in my body. Losing control of myself, my hand flew to the hem of his white shirt and pulled it off him. Unlike last time, he now lifted his arms so I can remove his shirt from his body. Guess I just pulled the last string of his self-control.

After tossing his shirt away, I slowly ran my nails down his chest to his abdomen, and before my hand went further, he grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the wall to stop me.

"Don't..." His voice was low and husky when he said that against my lips. He then lifted me off the ground and carried me. He laid me on the sofa without breaking the kiss. He was now on top of me. After getting my lips numb, his lips were now traveling to my jaw down my neck. He pulled down the strap of my nightgown as his kiss made its way to my bare shoulder.

I could feel his hand burning while caressing the indented part of my waist down my thigh, sending an unfamiliar sensation all over my body. After filling my shoulder with his kisses, his lips went up again and stopped on the soft spot of my neck. I tightened my grip on his hair as he bit the crook of my neck and moved my head to the side for his better access.

All I could hear right now was our ragged breathing and the sound of his lips against my skin.

His lips went back to my lips again. After a few minutes, he pulled away and rested his forehead against mine, our nose touching. His eyes were closed as he was gasping for air.

We stayed in that position for a few minutes before he spoke.

"I believe we went far today, and we need to stop here before I completely lose control over myself." He opened his eyes and it landed directly into mine. “I can still wait for our wedding night.” He then placed a gentle kiss on my forehead before he got up from my top and helped me to sit. He fixed the strap of my nightgown that he pulled down a while ago.

He stared at my neck as if he saw something. My forehead creased.

"Is there something on my neck?" I lifted my hand to my neck while looking at him.

He smirked. "Try to look at the mirror."

I followed him and strode towards the big mirror I have inside this room. I opened the white light and my eyes widened in shock when I saw what he was staring at.

He just left a love bite on my neck!

I turned around and glared at him.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away, and I didn't realize I was already marking you..." I thought he was being sincere, but a playful smile suddenly appeared on his swollen lips. "It looked sexy, though." He shrugged before he picked up his shirt and turned to me with a grin on his face.

"Since you're the one who removed my shirt..." He walked towards me. "You have to put this back on." I felt my face heated.

"Argh! Zach, stop teasing me!" I shouted and ran past him. Narinig ko pa ang halakhak niya pagkalabas ko sa kwartong iyon. When I entered my room, I leaned my back against the door and pulled my hair after what happened in that room dawned on me.

If it was not for his self-control, something might have happened between us inside that room. God, we almost did it again.

But I know deep inside me that I was ready to give it to him a while ago. He loves me and he already proved to me that he was worthy of every inch of me. I would not mind giving in to him even if we are not married yet because I'm sure he's the one for me.

But of course, Zach is Zach. The man who has the utmost respect for me and knows his limitations.

After calming my heartbeat and my thoughts, I decided to take a bath. While drying my hair, my eyes were glued to the red mark on my neck through the mirror. I touched it as if I could feel it. It wasn't that red, but it was still visible. Looking at it, I could not help but blush. This is the first time I got something like this from him.

My attention drifted away from it when I heard a knock on my door. I gave myself one final look before I walked towards the door and opened it.

A newly bathed Zach appeared in front of me. His manly scent invaded my nose.

"Are you upset?"

I shook my head. "Why would I?"

"Because I teased you?"

"No, I'm not." I know he only did that so I wouldn't feel awkward after what happened between us.

I got out of my room and circled my hand around his arm. "Zach, I'm hungry," I mumbled, changing the topic.

"You must be. You haven't eaten anything yet. What do you want to eat?"

"You're going to cook for me?" Looking down at my smiling face, he chuckled and pinched my nose.

"Yeah, I will. What do you want me to cook for you?"

"I want the one you asked tita to cook for me when I was still in college. Ano nga ulit ang tawag doon?" I said excitedly as we made our way towards the kitchen.

“Oh, poutine?”

Tumango ako. Poutine ang tawag sa dish na ‘yon na national dish ng Canada. Mahilig daw magluto ng poutine ang lola niya may okasyon man o wala kaya naging paborito na niya ‘yon at natutuhan niya na ring lutuin.

"Do you want me to teach you how to cook it?" tanong niya habang hinahalungkat ang refrigerator. Nagtitingin siguro ng ingredients.

"Why do I have to learn it when you're here to cook for me?" He looked at me over his shoulder.

"Just in case you crave for it and I'm not home to cook for you." I stared at him for a few moments before I shrugged.

"Okay." I smiled. Ibinalik niya naman ang tingin sa refrigerator at sinunod na binuksan ‘yong pantry. Nakahilig lang ako sa island counter habang pinapanood siya.

“I think we need to buy groceries first. Kulang ‘yong mga ingredients para sa poutine at wala na halos laman ang ref at pantry niyo,” aniya at sinarado ang pantry bago humarap sa akin. “Pero kung gutom ka na talaga, kain na lang muna tayo sa labas bago tayo mag-grocery.”

“No, okay lang. Nag-ce-crave talaga ako sa poutine today. Atsaka mas maganda nang gutom ako para mas madami akong makain.”

“Anong oras pa tayo matatapos mag-grocery, tapos magluluto pa. Late ka na makakakain, baka sumakit ang tiyan mo.” Napangiti ako sa pag-aalala niya.

“I’ll eat sandwich na lang sa mall habang namimili tayo. Tara na,” sabi ko na lang at hinila na siya palabas ng kusina. Nang makarating sa sala, bumitaw ako sa kaniya. “Magpapalit lang ako ng damit.”

“Why? Okay na naman ang suot mo, ah?” aniya pagkatapos pasadahan ng tingin ang suot kong halter top at mom shorts na sakto lang ang haba.

I rolled my eyes at him as I flipped my hair back to show him my neck. “You can’t expect me to go out without me covering this love bite of yours.”

He chuckled. “Okay… Bilisan mo kung ayaw mong markahan ko rin ang kabila ng leeg mo.” 

Pinanlakihan ko siya ng mata. “Pervert!” Hinampas ko ang braso niya bago nagmadaling lumayo sa kaniya. Narinig ko pa ang paghalakhak niya habang tumatakbo ako paakyat ng hagdanan.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” sigaw niya bago ako tuluyang makapasok sa kwarto.

Agad akong dumiretso sa closet at kinuha ‘yong sleeveless beige turtleneck na una kong nakita. Pagkatapos kong magpalit, nagsuklay lang ako at dinampot ‘yong wallet at cellphone kong nakapatong sa nightstand bago nagmadaling lumabas ng kwarto.

Nang makalabas ako ng bahay ay nakita ko si Zach na nakasandal sa sasakyan niya habang inaantay ako. Pinagbuksan niya muna ako ng pinto bago siya umikot papuntang driver’s seat.

Habang tinatahak namin ang daan palabas ng village, may naalala ako. Sabi niya kagabi may meeting siya ngayong araw, pero bakit andito siya?

“Zach…”

“Hmm?” sagot niya na hindi inaalis ang tingin sa kalsada.

“I thought may meeting ka with your client today?”

“He canceled this morning and just asked me to send my new design through email. May biglaang business trip daw.” Nilingon na niya ako. “You’re lucky, you’ll have me this whole day.” Kinindatan niya ako bago binalik ulit sa harapan ang tingin.

“Really? Wala kang ibang work?” tanong ko at tumango naman siya habang nakangiti. “Akala ko meron, naka-plano na nga ang gagawin ko para hindi ako mabagot habang nasa work ka, e.”

“Ano sana ang gagawin mo?”

“I will clean the house lalo na ‘yong walk-in closet ko at ‘yong darkroom. Magdo-donate kasi ako ng ibang stuffs na hindi ko na ginagamit like clothes and some of my childhood toys.”

“Bakit, lilipat ka na ba sa kwarto ko kaya nagbabawas ka na ng gamit?” he gave me a side glance.

Napaawang naman ang labi ko dahil sa tanong niya. “Hindi ‘no! Asa ka.”

“Bakit naman hindi? We’re getting married soon… at isa pa, halos doon ka na rin naman nakatira sa amin,” nag-init ang pisngi ko dahil sa unang sinabi niya. We are getting married soon… parang hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin nagsi-sink in sa akin ang katotohanang ‘yon. Noong crush ko pa lang siya, I was really hoping that we could happen pero never kong na-imagine na ganito ‘yong mangyayari. Everything was too good to be true… from my perfect fiancé to our almost perfect relationship. Sa sobrang ganda ng nangyayari sa buhay ko, minsan ‘di ko maiwasang isipin na baka panaginip lang lahat ng ito at nag-iilusyon lang ako kahit alam kong ito talaga ang reyalidad ko.

“Kahit na, ayaw ko pa rin. Excited ka masyado, Zach.” Pabiro ko siyang inerapan.

“Okay, I won’t force you. Kahit ‘wag ka na pala lumipat, tutal palagi naman tayong magkasama at magka-tabi matulog. It’s like we’re already living in the same house,” kaswal na sambit niya. Totoo naman ‘yon. Nitong mga nakaraang buwan kasi, tuwing nagbabakasyon ako from work, halos lagi kaming magkasama at palagi rin kaming magka-tabi matulog. It’s either sa bahay nila o sa bahay namin. ‘Yon kasi ‘yong way namin para mabawi ‘yong mga araw na hindi kami magkasama. Tsaka medyo clingy na rin ako sa kan’ya. Naadik na ako sa cuddles. Madalas hindi ako makatulog sa bahay kapag hindi ko siya katabi.

Nang makarating sa mall, kumain muna kami sa Earl of Sandwich bago kami mamili.  Alas dose nang makalabas kami sa supermarket dahil sa dami niyang biniling groceries. Sigurado akong mapupuno no’n ang refrigerator at pantry namin.

Pagdating namin sa bahay, siya na rin ang nag-organize ng mga ‘yon habang ako naman ay nakaupo sa counter at kumakain ng ice cream, hinintay siyang matapos. Sabi ko ako na ang mag-aayos kasi siya na ‘yong nagbayad pero he insisted na okay lang kaya hinayaan ko na lang siya.

“Napaka-husband material mo naman po,” biro ko habang pinapanood siyang seryoso sa ginagawa.

“At your service, Ma’am.” He looked over his shoulder to wink at me. Natawa ako. Tumingin siya sa hawak kong ice cream bago ibinalik iyon sa akin.

“You want some?” alok ko pagkatapos sumubo ng isang kutsara. Tumango siya at lumapit sa akin. Pero imbes na kunin ‘yong  hawak kong ice cream, hinawakan niya ang baba ko at bahagyang itinaas. Nanlaki ang mata ko nang yumuko siya at hinalikan ako. He licked my lips and tasted me before pulling back.

“I already told you, I don’t really like ice cream… pero ‘pag nasa labi mo, hindi ako tatanggi.” He smirked before licking his lips.

Napaawang ang labi ko at natulala dahil sa ginawa niya. Hinampas ko siya sa dibdib nang makabawi ako sa gulat. “Napakalandi mo!” bulyaw ko pero deep inside halos himatayin na ako sa kilig. Bakit habang tumatagal ay mas lumalandi siya? Saan niya kaya natututunan ‘yong mga ganoong galawan?

“Sa’yo lang naman.” He pinched my nose. “I love your reactions every time I get flirty. So cute, para kang palaging ninanakawan ng first kiss," aniya habang nakangiti at bumalik sa ginagawa.

Ngumuso ako. “Hindi kasi ako sanay na gan’yan ka kalandi!”

“That’s okay, I have the rest of my life to flirt with you. Masasanay ka rin,” sabi niya habang inihahanda ‘yong mga ingredients sa paggawa ng poutine. “For now, magluto na tayo dahil gutom na ako.” 

Natatawang tumango ako at nagpaalam saglit para magpalit ulit ng damit dahil niinitan ako sa suot kong turtleneck.  Nang bumalik ako, nagsimula na siyang turuan ako kung paano magluto ng poutine. After almost an hour, we're finally done and I'm so hungry as hell!

"What do you think?" I asked him expectantly when he tasted the dish I made.

"You sure it was your first time cooking it?" tanong niya habang ngumunguya.

"Why?"

"Because you got it perfectly. It was delicious."

"Really? Baka sinasabi mo lang 'yan so I won't feel bad." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Try it, then." I eyed him before taking a bite. I smiled. It was indeed delicious.

"See?" He took a step forward. "You're a fast-learner. You need to be rewarded for that." He smiled seductively as his eyes traveled down my lips to the mark on my neck.

"What reward...?" I breathed as I took one step backward. Is this another series of his kalandian? 

"This..."

My eyes widened in shock when he suddenly pulled my waist and leaned down to bite that spot again.

"What are you, a vampire?" I hit him on the chest when I saw the satisfied smile on his face.

He chuckled at my remarks.

"I just noticed that the mark on your neck was already fading, so I did a touch-up."