in between the lines

things you forget, things i remember

tw / mentions of sickness

A soft sound of a rustling tree pulls Leni out of a dream-filled sleep. She remains like this for a moment, hesitant to open her eyes just yet. She had dreamt of their lives for the past sixty-five years, all the young and carefree moments where they just thought of nothing but themselves. They would only appear when she's happy, when she's feeling safe and comfortable.

With some effort, she peels her eyes open, welcomed by a familiar face with such an expression, much lovely when asleep. Frowns softened, lines smoothened, and lips curved at the perfect angle. Risa sleeps next to her and Leni doubts this sight will never cease to soothe her. She still looks so young, even though both of them are way past their years of prime.

Leni carefully reached for her glasses, creating a bit of a sound. When she turns back to the center of the bed, a pair of eyes were staring at her.

"Nagising ba kita?" she asks, leaning in and touching her cheek.

"Hulaan mo, Lens." She can't help but smile at her frowning face, eyes still heavy with sleep as she watched Risa scratch her nape.

"You can sleep more," Leni kisses the line appearing between her brow.

Before she could pull away Risa's hand curls around her forearm, causing her to come back down. "Eh 'wag mo ako iwan, sure ako busog pa naman mga halaman mo."

"Right. Halaman can wait," her wife's warmth was too tempting, making her give in to sleep. "Don't forget to wake me up at 10," she tells Risa.

"Okay."

The following hour she forgot to wake her.

—

From the very first day, Risa's been disgustingly sweet to her. Wrapped her arms around her in bed, gave her small, cute kisses before her morning classes, cheered her on, and looked at her smiling, as if she couldn't believe her luck.

If you know, you would say love and companionship are pretty late for the two of them. Having been in a relationship during college and breaking up after graduation, rekindling their relationship long years later was like a punch to the moon. But it did happen. One day she just found Risa walking in the busy streets of their usual chill spot, then everything unfolded smoothly after that. They didn't go through the concept of dating, hell, they married each other months after the unexpected meeting. So, whenever her friends would ask her how long she waited for their paths to cross, she would always answer no. No, I did not wait for her, she was just bound to see me again.

She never wished for another someone. Leni was fine with solitude and she's not ashamed of telling people she prefers being alone. Yet, Risa sits beside her, being a constant reminder that sometimes, people just need someone who understands them. 

It's Risa's 68th birthday, and Leni prepared something small. Her wife wasn't fond of extravagance, anyway. Growing old together had taught them to seek comfort in little celebrations, in things that only involve the two of them.

She brings her breakfast in bed, complete with a cake and a few candles. She would've bought sixty-five candles, but Risa scolded her saying growing old really costs more. So, instead, she sat next to her and doesn't complain when Risa suggested watching a movie like she normally would. They go out to eat in the evening, back to that small, local bahay-kubo-styled restaurant where Leni had asked Risa to marry her.

—

Even at a young age, Risa's always been a tad bit careless about things such as cleanliness and safety. In fact, the first time Leni had met her, Risa was holding a dirty kitten saying she wanted to bathe her. They were kids, so being the kid that she is, Leni insisted to help, and then the rest was history.