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A tired sigh pushes past your lips as you step foot inside your apartment unit. It’s been a very tiring day filled with meetings, and deadlines, and having to deal with haughty old dudes who think they're so above everyone else.
Looking at the watch strapped to your wrist, you almost let out a loud groan when you realize that it’s already half past ten in the evening. Your favorite restaurant has been closed for half an hour now.
With another sigh, you remove your shoes by the door and leave your keys in the bowl on top of the table near the front door. Not even bothering with putting on your house slippers, you trudge inside your unit barefoot, and you almost had a heart attack when the lights suddenly turn on.
Letting out a high-pitched shriek, you held onto your chest as your heart went into overdrive due to the surprise. With wide, panicked eyes, you turn to where you know the light switches are, and you almost fall to your knees crying when you see Maloi standing there with an apologetic look in her eyes.
Sighing out in relief, you throw your briefcase to the side and storm towards her, capturing her in a tight embrace that lifts her off her feet. Maloi lets out a soft squeak as you wrap your arms around her, but she does wrap her arms around your shoulders in a loose embrace.
Burying your face against the crook of her neck, you take in a deep breath and let her scent invade your senses. A content sigh falls from your lips as you feel your exhaustion slowly ebb away at her familiar scent, the welcoming warmth of her body against yours bringing you the comfort you so desperately need.
Placing a butterfly kiss against the skin of her neck, you loosen your embrace a bit when you remember the little peanut growing inside her tummy.
You adjust your arms such that you have a secure hold on her waist and Maloi, knowing immediately what you’re planning, tightens her hold around your shoulders as she wraps her legs around your waist. Carefully, you make your way to the couch, sitting down slowly so Maloi can adjust her legs in a more comfortable position as you settle on your seat.
With another sigh, you bury your face against the crook of her neck again, wrapping your left arm around her waist lightly as you place your right hand against her tummy. She’s entering her sixth week of pregnancy next week, and even though her bump isn’t really that obvious yet, you can already feel it. A small smile tugs at the corners of your lips when she puts her hands over yours.
Looking up a bit, you feel the smile slip from your lips when you see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Feeling your heart start to fill with worry, you reach both hands up to gently cup her cheeks, and her tears finally spill over. Carefully, you guide her to rest her head against your shoulder as you let her just cry it out, gently caressing her back in an attempt to comfort her.
It takes a while, but her sobs begin to taper off into soft whimpers, so you push her back a little so you can look at her face. A small, fond smile takes over your features when you see her flushed cheeks, pouty lips, and red-rimmed eyes.
Seriously, how can someone be this beautiful and adorable all at the same time?
The smile slips off your lips again when you feel your heart skipping a beat at the smile she directs at you. It makes you pause, because in all of the years the two of you have been friends, your heart never reacted to her like this. Sure, you’ve always found her breathtakingly beautiful, and there were multiple times you found yourself wanting to hold her hand, but those are normal for best friends, right?
Shaking the distracting thoughts from your mind, you smile up at her softly as you pull her down so you can kiss her forehead. When she pulls back, there’s finally a smile on her lips so you feel the worry leave your system. Letting out a deep breath, you close your eyes when she cups your cheeks this time, leaning into her warm touch and turning your head to the side to kiss the palm of her hand.
When you open your eyes, you see her looking down at you with the fondest smile, and it makes your heart race as you feel a blush blooming across your cheeks. Looking away to hide the fact that you’re blushing, you put your hands on her waist and trace circles against her hips mindlessly, as you think of ways to ask her about the reason for her mini-breakdown earlier.
It seems that the older woman had sensed your internal turmoil, because she takes a gentle hold of your chin and makes you look up at her. There’s a sad smile on her lips and a sad look in her eyes, one which you have a strong urge to get rid of.
Before you can say anything though, she reaches forward and starts combing her fingers through your hair. Which, by the way, is a very dirty tactic because she knows that it calms you down almost instantly.
Sensing that the other woman is trying to collect her thoughts, you keep your mouth shut and give her time, letting yourself enjoy the feel of her fingers running through your hair for the meantime. After about a minute or two of silence, Maloi lets out a soft sigh which prompts you to open your eyes.
The sad look is still there, so you reach for one of her hands, kiss each knuckle tenderly, before intertwining your fingers together.
This puts a smile on her lips, and despite it being slight, you still consider it an achievement so you smile back. With a sigh, she leans forward and rests her head against your shoulder, adjusting her position such that she’s leaning against you sideways. You wrap your arms around her in an embrace, holding her close against you and hoping that you’re providing the comfort that she obviously needs.
“Tintin, ikakasal na ako sa isang buwan,” she says softly that you almost didn’t hear.
But when your brain finally registers her words, you feel your whole body tense up.
She’s getting married???
The last time you saw each other, which was just last week by the way, she wasn’t even dating anyone. So, how in the world would she be getting married in the next four weeks? You’re about to ask her that exact thought when you pause again, this time because of a realization.
And this realization is one you don’t like. At all.
She adjusts her position again, so that the two of you are facing each other. Closing your mouth, you meet her gaze head on and when she tries to look away, you take a hold of her chin - gently - to stop her. Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, more for her sake than your own, you find yourself gritting your teeth in frustration.
“Bakit?”
It’s the only thing that you can say, because you feel your frustration building up with each passing second. The sad look is back in Maloi’s eyes, and it further ignites the ire burning in your heart.
“I . . . They found out about my pregnancy before I could sit them down and tell them. And si Papa . . . he kinda got really upset when I couldn’t tell him who the other parent is,” Maloi answers in a timid voice, her gaze locked on a spot on the couch and refusing to meet your gaze.
“Bakit hindi mo na lang sila direstahin? Tell them the truth na anak ko yang dinadala mo. I’m sure they wouldn’t make much fuss if they find out that I’m-”
You pause when another realization hits you. A bit wide-eyed, you meet Maloi’s gaze, who is now finally looking back at you. At the look that the older woman is sending your way, you finally understand your best friend’s hesitance about this topic. And why, for the past couple of weeks, Maloi was reluctant to tell her family about the pregnancy.
“Seryoso ka ba, Jhoanna? Hindi ko pwedeng sabihin yan sa kanila kasi siguradong pipilitin ka nilang pakasalan ako! And I absolutely can’t let them do that to you. I’m already very grateful that you helped me with conceiving. I can’t let my family rope you into taking responsibility for something you didn’t sign up for.”
Silence reigns over the two of you after that, which lasts for minutes, as the two of you get lost in your own thoughts. Knowing Maloi’s family, and knowing how protective of the other woman her father could be, you can already imagine the anger the Ricalde patriarch would have for you.
“Oh eh di sino naman ang balak nilang hilahin para akuin ang responsibilidad ng anak natin, ha?” you ask after a while, surprising Maloi a little bit.
There's an edge to your voice that surprises even yourself, but the thought of someone else taking responsibility for your child doesn't sit right with you.
Maloi, who adjusts her position one more time such that she’s now straddling your thighs, leans forward and buries her face against the crook of your neck. With a sigh, you raise your hands to trace soothing patterns against her back.
“Yung anak ng business partner ni daddy. The second son of the Andradas. Si Tyrone,” is Maloi’s curt reply. To which you tense up.
You know Tyrone Andrada. He’s that spoiled, haughty, egoistic brat that you keep defeating at motorcycle racing events. He’s a sore loser who keeps on taunting you before every race. Of course, you let him eat dust and show him off during the actual races, which is why he’s irate with you all the damn time.
The brat is so full of himself and can’t be bothered with anyone who isn’t himself or his vices. You can’t let your best friend marry an imbecile like him.
“Sabihin mo sa kanila,” you say in a stern voice, wrapping your arms around her lithe frame protectively as you feel her warm breath hit the skin of your neck.
“What?” Maloi asks, trying to pull back. You stop her.
“Your family. Tell them na anak ko yang dinadala mo. Be honest about it, Lucky.”
At this, Maloi pulls back with such force that you can’t hold her back any longer. With a sigh, you let your hands fall on her thighs as you meet her gaze head-on.
“Ha?! Nababaliw ka na ba, Jhoanna? Ayaw ko! I’m not gonna be doing that! Don’t you realize the situation, Jho? Pipilitin ka nilang pakasalan ako kapag sinabi ko yan sa kanila!”
“Eh ano naman? I am more than willing to marry you if it means you won’t be stuck with that Andrada asshole for the rest of your life. And in case you’ve forgotten, the child growing inside of you is also mine , so I have a say in this, Mary Loi.”
“Naririning mo ba ang sarili mo ngayon, Jhoanna Robles?! You’re going to be married to me for the rest of our li-”
“You’re making it sound like it’s a bad thing.”
“Can you let me finish first before you butt in?! This is marriage, Jhoanna! This isn’t like dating where you can just call it quits so easily when you decide that you’re tired of it!”
“Alam ko! Hindi na ako bata na kailangan pang paliwanagan, Maloi. I know how marriage works. And I’m willing to take responsibility. Bakit ba parang kontrang kontra ka naman sa ideya ng pagpapakasal sakin?"
You pause, looking at her in absolute betrayal. She opens her mouth to reply, but you beat her to it as you continue with your tirade.
"Is it because you actually want to marry that good-for-nothing dickwad who doesn’t know how to live without wasting his father’s riches away? Yun ba ang dahilan ha, Mary Loi? Or is the thought of getting married to me that repulsive to you?!”
“No! It’s not that! You know that next to my family, I love and trust you the most. Pero ikaw lang kasi ang iniisip ko dito, Tintin. Marriage isn’t a walk in the park. You’ll have to make a lot of adjustments to your current lifestyle if we are to marry. And besides . . . what about Ate Aiah?”
That last question manages to render you speechless for a while because what does Aiah have to do with you marrying Maloi? The older woman is a good friend and one of your closest confidantes. But that's about the extent of your relationship with each other.
You don't see why she has to be brought up in a conversation where she isn't directly involved. And you don't hesitate to let Maloi know your exact thoughts.
"Ano namang kinalaman ni Ate Aiah sa usapang to, Mary Loi?"
"Please."
The sarcastic tone in her voice doesn't escape you, and it makes your brows furrow in equal parts confusion and frustration.
"Stop sparing my feelings, Jhoanna. Everyone knows that there's something going on between the two of you. Bakit mo ako papakasalan if you already have someone special in your life?"
Her statement actually has you dumbfounded. And for a moment, all you can do is stare at her dumbly before the absurdity of her claim has you bursting out into a fit of laughter. Her brows furrow as a frown settles on her lips, and she crosses her arms over her chest as she levels you with a glare that instantly sobers you up.
"Sorry, sorry. Pero kasi naman, saan mo ba narinig yan ha, Lucky? Ate Aiah and I are just friends. Oo we get along really well, but that's just because our personalities really match each other's. Walang anumang romantic na namamagitan samin, okay?"
A moment of silence settles between the two of you before a thought crosses your mind. It's your turn to frown this time, which causes Maloi's brows to furrow even more.
"Oh, ano namang isinisimangot mo diyan, Robles?"
"Between the two of us, hindi ba ikaw dapat yung tinatanong ko?"
"Huh? Anong ako?"
"Hindi ba . . . Hindi ba may something sa inyo ni Gwen?"
Your own words send your heart lurching to your stomach, the dread of Maloi's response keeping you stock still on your seat with bated breath. You don't know why, but the thought of something possibly going on between Maloi and Gwen drains you of strength.
"Hala siya. Yan ang saan mo narinig? Friends lang din kami ni Gweny ano ba. Sobrang gaan lang niyang kasama kaya I really enjoy her company. Pero friendship lang talaga ang namamagitan samin."
"So . . ."
"Anong so? Stop beating around the bush, Robles."
"So what's stopping you from agreeing to marry me, then? Walang namamagitan samin ni Ate Aiah. Peksman, mamatay man. Kahit ngayon pa-"
"HUY!"
"Walang dapat ikatakot kasi nagsasabi ako ng totoo. Eh ikaw ba? Sige nga, Mary Loi. If totoong walang namamagitan sa inyo ni Gwen, then prove it. Marry me, Lucky."
You know what you're asking of Maloi is absurd. Maybe even as absurd as her asking you to get her pregnant all those weeks ago. When it comes to Maloi, your common sense just goes flying straight out the window. And it's not like you have any other choice. You know Maloi's parents well enough to know that they won't stand down from their decision to marry their daughter off.
And you can’t let your best friend, who is now also the mother of your child, end up with that asshole when you can do something about it.
You’re probably gonna get killed by Tito Migs, Maloi's father, and all of her uncles and male cousins combined. But you’re willing to make that sacrifice if it means you get to secure a good future for your best friend and your child. Together.