Chapter 41
1131 Words
RIZ
Our date went on, and we were like teenagers laughing while waiting for a jeepney. Justin didn’t know how much the fare was, so he handed the driver five hundred pesos and said to keep the change.
“You’re crazy. You don’t have any change, and you didn’t even borrow from Manang earlier. You might as well rent this jeepney.”
He grinned at me. “I thought it wasn’t enough; it felt like I was going to— Uhmp!” I covered his mouth with my hand while glaring at him. He removed my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine.
There were a few people with us in the jeep, and the woman not far from us couldn’t help but laugh.
“You two are so amusing. I hope your feelings for each other don’t change.” I smiled shyly at Manang. “You know, today’s youth think the world is ending if they don’t end up with their boyfriend or girlfriend. What they don’t realize is that with every smile, there’s a corresponding pain. Have you two been together for a long time?”
It seemed Justin wouldn’t answer, so I replied to Manang. “We’re still new.”
“Is that so? It feels like you’ve been together for a long time. Just don’t get angry too quickly and listen to each other. It would be a shame to waste a beautiful start. Also, try not to let it get physical. Once it turns physical, it’s not the end.”
Justin squeezed my hand, and the old woman we were talking to got off at the next corner.
“Is it far?” I couldn’t see any cinema around here.
“Not far. We’ll take a tricycle to the mall, and the cinema is there.”
It turns out there were two rides to get there. It wasn’t far, to be honest. There were just many stops because the driver kept picking up and dropping off passengers. When we got off the jeep, there was already a line for the tricycle. Justin helped me in first and then sat next to me. He’s a tall man, and in the small sidecar, he had to bend down.
“Are you okay? Your back might hurt,” I whispered to him. If I didn’t lean in close to his ear, he wouldn’t hear me over the noise of the tricycle engine and the wind rushing by.
“I’m fine. Am I squishing you?”
I shook my head. He leaned over and quickly kissed my cheek.
Before long, we arrived at the mall. The cinema was on the second floor, so we took the escalator. There were stairs too, but he said I would just get tired, so we skipped them. This whole time we were together, Justin was very attentive and always held my hand. He really embraced being my boyfriend. He even asked me if I wanted popcorn and what kind. And when I pointed out the movie I wanted to see, he didn’t complain. He bought two tickets, and we went inside Cinema 4. There were only a few lights on, so it was dim, and there were a couple of pairs already inside. We found our seats, and as soon as we sat down, he immediately put his arm around me while one hand picked up the cup of soft drink to take a sip.
“Were you like this with your exes?” I couldn’t help but ask because he seemed to know exactly what to do. He almost spit out his drink.
“What?” When our eyes met, I looked away.
“You heard me.” I grabbed some popcorn and popped it into my mouth. I wasn’t angry; I just wanted to know him a little better.
“Baby, I’m thirty. How many women do you think I dated?” He even asked me back.
“Give me a number.” The movie previews started playing; I focused on the screen while eating popcorn.
“Are you serious?”
“The baby wants to know.” I glanced at him and winked.
“Tease.” He pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head.
He didn’t answer my question. I just assumed there were too many to count. That’s okay; I’m the end game for him.
“What’s this movie about?” he asked me.
“It’s a romantic comedy. That’s all I know.”
Justin grimaced. “So we’re watching this because?”
“The guy is cute,” I answered without thinking.
“Okay, that’s fine. I’m cute too.” My husband also knows how to hold his ground. His fingers were gently stroking my arm and occasionally pinching it.
We were in the middle of the movie when a romantic moment occurred between the couple, and when I glanced at some of the viewers, my jaw dropped because the stories Matet told me were true. There were couples kissing in the cinema. When I looked back at Justin, he was focused on the movie and wasn’t making any moves on me. I whispered to him to look at those around us.
“Yes. That’s what they usually do in the cinema. So if we have a daughter, she’s not allowed to watch movies. She can only watch at home so she can be with me.”
Justin sounded so serious, as if our child was already a teenager even though I hadn’t given birth yet. My attention briefly shifted from the movie we were watching, and I stared at him. Between the dimness and brightness, I could make out his face.
“You’re going to be an amazing father,” I whispered in his ear.
He looked at me and then leaned down to kiss the tip of my nose. “You think so?” I nodded. “I think you’re going to be a great mom.”
When the movie ended, he asked me if I wanted a burger, but I preferred the grilled ones from the roadside. We walked there, and when we arrived at the grill, he asked several times if it was clean. He didn’t want to buy yet, hesitating that I might just end up with a stomach ache, but I eventually convinced him. Our date wouldn’t be complete without street food.
“Is it good?” he asked me as I took my first bite.
“It’s delicious. Take a bite.” I offered him the stick, and he seemed to like it because he didn’t spit it out after taking a bite.
I was about to throw the stick in a nearby garbage bin when suddenly a fast car came speeding towards me.
“Riz!”
- Writer
