Everglow

October 21, 2018: This is no time to be alone, I won't let you go

"Love, is this really necessary? Ang aga aga pa." Maine whined as she trudged along the pathway, with Richard gently pulling at her to walk forward. Yet she childishly stomped her feet on the ground.

"Konti na lang to, Love. Promise! They say the view is worth all the trouble."  Richard replies, facing her towards him and running his hands up and down her arms through her thick jacket. He smiles at her pouting yet adorable face as he fixes her scarf and bonnet.

"Kung hindi lang kita mahal, Richard. Hay nako, naiwan na kita dito sa bundok eh." She playfully huffs at him, "Four in the morning, and you drag me out of bet. Tapos you wanted to hike when we could have rented a van. You're lucky I have a weakness for that dimple of yours. Nako talaga."

He chuckles at her and grabs her for a hug, "I love you Menggay ko. Alam mo naman how I missed going on hikes, and I've never done it with you."

"Oo na, oo na. Kaya nga andito ako di ba?" She replies as she grabs his hand in hers and starts to walk. "Bilisan na natin so we can go back to bed and sleep all day." 

Richard decided to take Maine to Sagada that weekend, and for their last day, he planned to watch the sunrise with her at Kiltepan Peak. The hike was pretty easy, and the trail was filled with pine trees. As they walked along, they found great comfort in how the scent of the pine trees filled in the air. They definitely felt far away from their fast-paced lives in the Metro.

And no matter how annoyed Maine was to be woken up so early, she loved this side of her Richard. She loved how spontaneous he gets, the glint in his eyes when he talks about something he was so passionate about. She loved how he was so much more than his profession, he was so much more than the books he read, or the exams he aced. She loved this side of him hardly anyone gets to see. This side of Richard only she gets to experience.

It didn't take long before they reached the peak and they were greeted with utter darkness masked in fog. Richard glanced at this watched and checked the time.

5:50 am

Just a little more.

"Love, I can't see anything. Tama ba yung dinaanan natin?"

"I'm sure love." He replies and pulls out a blanket from his backpack. He gently drags her to what he meticulously researched as the perfect spot and evenly spread out the blanket above the damp grass.

Richard plops down on the blanket and pats the space beside him, looking at her with a playful smile on his face. "Trust me, Maine. You'll love this."

She playfully rolls his eyes at him and slowly sat down beside him. "I'll always trust you. Kahit flop pa tong paandar mo, I'll still love every minute of it." She tells him as she leans on his chest and he instinctively wraps his arm around her--holding her as close as humanly possible, as if it was second nature to him.

Richard hears Maine sigh in content, "This is lovely, Rj. Everything's lovely when you're around." He felt his heart swell--only she could make his heart beat erratically and calm it at the same time. He gingerly kisses her hair,  "Wait for it, Love." He replies.

Without warning, the sun started to emerge behind the mountains of Cordillera, revealing a sea of clouds, which seemed close enough for them to reach. They watched in awe as the sky's hues changed from midnight blue to blinding yellow.  And when the sun's first rays broke through the clouds, it seemed as if time stopped for the both of them. 

It was as if they were in a completely different place and time. 

As the sun slowly crept its way up the skyline, the cold mountain wind pushed away the clouds and the fog hovering over the mountains, slowly, yet majestically revealing the stunning view of the rice terraces below.  "Richard, this...this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Thank you, my love." Maine whispers to him, reaching out for his hand and kissed it gently, lovingly.