Versus our Youth

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They were sixteen, idealistic and jaded all at once.

"RJ ang tagal namaaaaan," Maine hollered at her boyfriend.

"Hold still. Wag kang malikot. Konti na lang, love."

"Nangangawit na po ako, maestro."

"Open a few more buttons so I can see your bra, Maine."

"Ugh, sabi ko na eh. Bakit kasi kailangan suot ko pa 'tong uniform ko? Sabi ko naman sa'yo kanina huhubarin ko na lang. It's after school hours na, anyway."

"It's called leaving something to your spectator's imagination. And besides, the concept of this portrait is a high school sweetheart, not a goddess."

"Sobrang bolero mo, okay. Pakibilisan na lang please. May homework pa 'ko sa Physics."

Ten minutes later, RJ finally closed his drawing journal and walked over to where Maine was seating at the edge of the rooftop. He took a deep breath as she took the majestic sight of her half-naked girlfriend, her hair gracefully dancing with the wind as the orange afterglow of the sunset in the horizon bathed her in breath-taking light.

He pressed his lips on hers in a gentle kiss as his hands carefully carried her by the waist. He proceeded to button her uniform blouse up as his tongue continued to undo her mouth.

"Thank you for being my muse." He whispered in her lips when they paused to breathe.

"Ang hirap maging muse mo, kailangan muna akong mangawit before MOMOL,"

"Your fault. Sobrang ganda mo kasi eh. I couldn't draw anyone else besides you."

Maine smiled silently and kissed him on the cheek.

"Pero sayang naman kung puro ako lang idu-drawing mo, love. The world is big and beautiful and there are so many other things...people...that you could draw inspiration from."

"Why do you always say this lately? Napapagod ka na ba magmodel for me? Sabihin mo lang, and we'll take a rest from these sketches for the mean time—"

"No, no. I enjoy these, RJ. I'm just saying you should try, I don't know, expanding your art maybe? That you shouldn't let me limit you. We don't know what's going to happen in the future, when we go to college and—"

"The future is clear to me, Maine. You are my future."

Maine laughed.

"Your intensity is so darn cute," she gushed, rubbing the tip of her nose with his.

"Ayaw ko lang naman na magsawa ka sa akin, alam mo yun? You draw nothing but me and my face and my body and who knows, baka balang araw maumay ka na sa akin,"

It was RJ's turn to laugh.

"That possibility is impossible, Maine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know. I just love you. And I know we're in high school and making this kind of promise is dumb and overrated, but I don't care. I'm going to stay in love with you."

"What if—"

"The only way for me to stop loving you is if my life gets reformatted and if you will be deleted from my memory completely, which is fortunately not gonna happen. So..."

"How would you know the difference, RJ?"

"The difference?"

"Between love and obsession?"

Maine felt RJ's grip loosening and the hurt reflecting in his eyes immediately made her realize that she had offended him with her question.

"I'm sorry I—"