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The night was still, with the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains of their shared apartment. Gwen and Maloi were curled up together on the couch, enjoying the quiet comfort of each other’s company. A few half-eaten Jollibee chickenjoy sat on the coffee table, forgotten, as they watched a romantic comedy unfold on the screen in front of them.
Gwen had her arm draped casually over Maloi’s shoulders, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the ends of Maloi’s long, wavy hair. Maloi snuggled into Gwen’s side, her head resting against Gwen’s chest, where she could hear the steady rhythm of her girlfriend’s heartbeat.
It was a peaceful moment, the kind they cherished after long days at work. But tonight, Maloi couldn’t quite focus on the movie. A question had been playing on her mind, swirling around ever since they’d started dating. It wasn’t anything serious, or at least, she didn’t think it was. The thought wouldn’t leave her alone.
Finally, she tilted her head up and looked at Gwen, her voice soft but curious. “Hey, babe?”
“Hmm?” Gwen murmured, her eyes still on the screen, though her fingers stilled in Maloi’s hair as she sensed a shift in the air.
“May tanong ako,” Maloi’s tone was tentative, and Gwen glanced down at her with a gentle smile.
“Okay, ask away,” Gwen said, running her thumb across Maloi’s cheek in a soothing gesture.
Maloi bit her lip, feeling a little silly, but she pushed forward anyway. “Did you ever have other girlfriends before me?”
Gwen blinked at the unexpected question, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips. “Before you? Yeah, meron. Why do you ask?”
Maloi’s brows furrowed slightly, her curiosity growing. “Ilan?”
“I don’t know. A few. Hindi naman gano’n kadami,” Gwen replied, her hand brushing softly over Maloi’s shoulder. She could feel the subtle tension building in Maloi’s body, and she tilted her head, trying to read her girlfriend’s expression.
“What were they like?” Maloi asked, her voice a little quieter now, as if she was unsure whether she wanted to hear the answer.
Gwen smiled, sensing the direction this conversation was heading. She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Maloi’s forehead. “They were nice. But they weren’t you, mahal.”
Maloi huffed playfully, shifting in her spot on the couch so she could look Gwen more directly in the eyes. “Did you kiss them?”
Gwen’s lips quirked up into a smirk. “Well, yeah. They were my girlfriends, after all.”
Maloi’s face scrunched up in the most adorable pout, her lips forming a slight frown. She crossed her arms over her chest, pulling away from Gwen’s embrace just a little. “So, you kissed… and cuddled with them?”
Gwen tried not to laugh, recognizing the playful jealousy in Maloi’s voice. “Yes, mahal. I kissed them, and we cuddled sometimes. Pero dati pa ‘yon, matagal na ‘yon.”
“But you kissed them,” Maloi repeated, the pout on her face deepening. She buried herself in the corner of the couch, sulking in the most charmingly dramatic way.
Gwen let out a light laugh, finding Maloi’s jealousy endearing. She reached out, tugging Maloi gently back toward her. “Hey, what’s going on in that pretty head of yours? Nagseselos ka ba?”
Maloi tried to hide her face, but Gwen was persistent, cupping her cheeks with both hands and coaxing her to meet her gaze. Maloi’s lower lip jutted out, making her look even more irresistible. “I just don’t like the thought of you kissing other people,” Maloi admitted in a small voice. “Ayaw ko ng may ka-share.”
Gwen’s heart swelled with affection. She leaned down and placed a kiss on Maloi’s nose. “Mahal, that was all in the past. Wala nang iba ngayon. Ikaw lang.”
“But…” Maloi’s voice trailed off, still sulking. “You kissed them. You cuddled with them. I thought I was special.”
Gwen’s eyes softened as she gently pulled Maloi into her arms, holding her close. “You are special, Maloi. You’re the only one I want to kiss now. You’re the only one I want to cuddle with for the rest of my life.”
Maloi buried her face in Gwen’s neck, grumbling into her skin. “Nagseselos pa rin ako.”
Gwen laughed softly, the sound vibrating through her chest. She wrapped her arms tighter around Maloi, pressing a trail of kisses along the top of her head. “Then I’ll just have to make sure you know how much I love you, won’t I?”
Maloi peeked up at Gwen through her lashes, her eyes still slightly narrowed with playful suspicion. “How?”
Gwen smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Well, for starters…” She leaned down and kissed Maloi, her lips soft and warm against hers. The kiss was slow and sweet, lingering in a way that left no doubt about how much Gwen adored her.
Maloi’s arms snaked around Gwen’s neck, pulling her closer, and for a few moments, they simply lost themselves in each other, the rest of the world fading away. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathless, their foreheads resting together.
“See?” Gwen whispered, brushing her thumb over Maloi’s cheek. “Ikaw lang. Always you.”
Maloi bit her lip, her cheeks flushed and her heart pounding in her chest. “You better mean that.”
Gwen grinned, pressing another kiss to her lips. “I do. And if I have to prove it every day, I will.”
Maloi’s pout faded into a soft smile as she snuggled back into Gwen’s arms, feeling the warmth and love that radiated from her girlfriend. “Okay, fine. I believe you. But you’re not allowed to kiss anyone else ever again.”
Gwen chuckled, holding Maloi tightly. “Deal. No one else but you.”
They sat like that for a while, wrapped up in each other, the earlier tension melting away as the lightheartedness returned to the room. Maloi eventually relaxed, content in the knowledge that Gwen’s heart was hers and hers alone.
As the movie continued playing in the background, Gwen whispered softly into Maloi’s ear. “You know, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, right?”
Maloi smiled, her eyes closing as she let herself be lulled by the sound of Gwen’s heartbeat. “‘Wag mong kakalimutan ‘yan.”
Gwen kissed the top of her head. “Hinding-hindi.”
As the comfortable silence settled around them, Maloi suddenly shifted in Gwen’s arms, her brows furrowing again. She glanced up, her lips pressed into a determined pout.
“You know,” Maloi began, her voice thoughtful, “you really should’ve found me sooner.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow, amused by this sudden declaration. “Oh? And bakit?”
Maloi sat up, gently pushing Gwen’s arms aside as she crossed her own arms over her chest, her pout deepening. “Because then you wouldn’t have kissed anyone else. You should’ve looked for me earlier, like in high school or something. I was right there, just waiting for you to find me.”
Gwen chuckled, leaning back against the couch as she watched Maloi’s adorably serious expression. “Oh, so naging kasalanan ko pa ngayon?”
“Oo!” Maloi huffed, nodding firmly as if the idea was entirely reasonable. “If you had just looked a little harder, we could have been together much earlier, and you wouldn’t have had to waste time kissing other people.”
Gwen’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and she fought the urge to laugh at how seriously Maloi was taking this. “I see. So I should’ve just scoured the earth, searching every city and school until I found you, hmm?”
“Exactly,” Maloi said, her voice taking on a matter-of-fact tone. She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes as she added, “Then I wouldn’t have to think about you kissing your exes.”
Gwen shook her head, laughing softly at the absurdity of it all. “Hindi ko alam na nag-e-exist ka back then, mahal.”
Maloi’s pout remained stubbornly in place. “That’s no excuse. If you really cared, you would’ve felt the universe pulling you towards me.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” Gwen leaned forward, cupping Maloi’s chin playfully. “So I should’ve just known, magically, that you were out there somewhere?”
Maloi nodded, her eyes glimmering with mischief. “Exactly. Destiny ‘yon. You were supposed to find me first, and then you wouldn’t have kissed anyone else.”
Gwen laughed, tugging Maloi back into her lap and holding her close. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“Seryoso ako!” Maloi insisted, though the giggle escaping her lips betrayed her. “You should’ve found me before those other people. Then you could’ve saved all your kisses for me.”
“Well,” Gwen teased, pressing a kiss to Maloi’s temple, “you have all of my kisses now. So I guess it all worked out in the end.”
Maloi let out a dramatic sigh, burying her face in Gwen’s chest. “Yeah, but now I have to live with the fact that someone else got to kiss you before I did.”
Gwen chuckled, brushing her fingers through Maloi’s hair soothingly. “Mahal, those kisses didn’t mean anything. Mga ano lang ‘yon… practice. To prepare me for you.”
Maloi peeked up at her, her lips twitching as she tried to suppress a smile. “Practice, huh?”
Gwen smirked, leaning down to steal another quick kiss. “Exactly. But you, Maloi, are the real deal.”
Maloi’s cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink at Gwen’s words, her heart fluttering in her chest. She tried to keep up her act, but Gwen’s charm was too much to resist.
“Well, fine,” Maloi mumbled, trying to maintain her sulk even as her heart melted. “But you still should’ve found me sooner.”
Gwen laughed, pulling Maloi even closer until there was no space left between them. “I wish I had found you sooner too, mahal. But I’m here now, and hindi ako mawawala.”
Maloi’s pout softened into a smile as she looked up at Gwen, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me forever.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Gwen murmured, placing a gentle kiss on Maloi’s lips. “I promise, there’s no one else. Just you, now and always.”
Maloi sighed happily, resting her head against Gwen’s shoulder as she finally let go of the silly jealousy. In Gwen’s arms, she felt safe, secure, and most importantly, loved. She didn’t need to worry about Gwen’s past, because she knew that the future belonged to them, and that was all that really mattered.
With a contented smile, Maloi wrapped her arms around Gwen’s neck and kissed her cheek. “Okay, fine. I’ll let it go… but you still owe me a lot of extra kisses to make up for all the ones I missed out on.”
Gwen grinned, pulling her in for a long, tender kiss. “Kayang-kaya ko ‘yan.”
As the night grew quieter, the soft hum of the city outside barely audible, Maloi snuggled deeper into Gwen’s arms, her earlier playfulness slowly fading into something more tender. She looked up at Gwen, her gaze thoughtful as she nibbled on her bottom lip.
“You really would’ve found me if you could have, right?” Maloi asked, her voice soft, as if seeking one last affirmation. Her eyes searched Gwen’s face for reassurance, though deep down she already knew the answer.
Gwen’s expression softened as she looked down at her girlfriend, her love, her forever. Gently, she ran her fingers through Maloi’s hair, her touch soothing and reassuring. “I would’ve, mahal. In every lifetime, in every universe, I would’ve found you.”
Maloi’s eyes glistened with affection, a small, satisfied smile finally gracing her lips. She nestled even deeper into Gwen’s arms, feeling the warmth of her girlfriend surrounding her, comforting her.
“Good,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes fluttered shut. “Because I would’ve waited for you forever.”
Gwen’s heart swelled at the quiet sincerity in Maloi’s words, and she leaned down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You don’t have to wait anymore,” she whispered against Maloi’s hair. “Nandito na ‘ko. And I’m never letting you go.”
Maloi let out a content sigh, her arms wrapping tighter around Gwen as the last bit of tension melted away. With Gwen by her side, she felt complete, like she had been found in every possible way.
And in that moment, wrapped in each other’s embrace, they knew that no matter what their pasts held, or what challenges the future might bring, they were exactly where they were meant to be: together.