Midnight Breeze (Chasing Dreams Series #3) | C O M P L E T E D

Chapter 54

Dedicated to: MaryClutario

Isinandal ni Menandro 'yung pala sa pader at umupo sa semento katulad ko. He sighed and put his arm on my shoulder. Narito kami ngayon sa bahay niya sa Canlubang—parehong malungkot at 'di makapaniwala sa nangyari.

"Run free, Cotton..." I almost whispered. Isinampa ko 'yung mga paa ko sa semento at niyakap ang mga binti ko.

It was past midnight at wala pa kaming balak pumasok sa bahay. Tinagilid ko ang ulo ko para makita si Menandro. Malalim ang iniisip niya at nakatitig lang sa pinaglibingan kay Cotton.

"Kakausapin ko ang lola mo," aniya nang hindi ako binabalingan.

"I'll go with you..." Itinukod ko 'yung baba ko sa mga tuhod ko bago tumingin sa kawalan. "Alam na niya na nandito tayo dahil sinabi ko kay Mommy. Sooner or later, we'll have to face each other again. And even though I love her, I still couldn't forgive her for what she did."

He pulled me closer to him. I rested my head on his right shoulder and exhaled heavily. Pinatakan niya ng halik ang sentido ko at niyapos ako ng maigi para hindi lamigin. I felt his gaze at me, but I continued to look at Cotton's small picture frame.

"Bihira akong mangako, pero paninindigan ko lahat ng sasabihin ko ngayon. I know we'll get through this. Hindi naging gano'n kadali 'yung mga pagsubok na pinagdaanan natin, pero 'yon ang nagpatatag sa relasyon natin. At kahit marami pa'ng humadlang, hinding-hindi na nila tayo mapaghihiwalay."

He grabbed my right hand and put it on the exact spot where his heart is. Then, he glanced down at me and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Nandito ka palagi, Hailey. Hindi ako susuko ano mang panggigipit ang gawin ng lola mo. I can marry you anytime, anywhere. Pero magbago man ang panahon o mundo, ang pagmamahal ko sa 'yo ay mananatiling buo at totoo."

Suminghot ako dahil nagbabadyang tumulo 'yung luha ko. Nginitian ko siya at ikinulong ang kanyang mukha sa aking mga kamay. Pinagdikit ko ang mga noo namin at dahan-dahang ipinikit ang mga mata.

"I knew what I wanted from the start and I wasn't the type of man who would include someone in my future. But not until I fell in love with you. Simula no'n, pinangunahan ko na ang lahat at inisip kung ano'ng magiging buhay nating dalawa. I wanted to give you everything I have and do everything I could to make you happy, so you won't regret your decision for choosing me to be with you for the rest of your life. And I'm constantly improving myself to give you the love you deserve—unconditional and everlasting love. This is my truest of truths, Hailey... You got me so bad; so bad that I never planned to get up."

I let my tears fall as I slowly breathed out. "You think you're the only one who feels that way? I thought that you were out of my league 'coz you've got everything and I was just a nobody. But I wanna thank you for coming to our house that day as it proves that first impression don't always last. Dahil pagkatapos no'n, unti-unti kitang nakilala. 'Yung totoong ikaw, hindi 'yung lalaking nabuo mula sa kwento ng ibang tao. Mahal na mahal kita kasi ikaw si Menandro. At hinding-hindi rin ako susuko. This time, we'll fight together."

He found my lips and kissed me slowly. Sinuklian ko iyon at 'di nagtagal ay naghiwalay ang aming mga labi. Hawak pa rin ang kamay ko, dinamay niya ako sa pag-ahon sa pagkaka-upo And for the last time, we looked at our dog's resting place before we went back to the house.

We didn't get enough sleep last night, so when Ate Elise knocked on the door at 6 o'clock, we had a hard time getting up. Menandro, as always, had to pull me up. Isinandal ko 'yung likod ko sa headboard at siya na ang nagbukas ng pinto.