Richard Faulkner, Jr. and Madeline "Dei" Mendez have been best friends since college, with a hint of something more in between. Theirs is a romance that never quite made it, and decided the friendship was too precious, and dedication to their craft...
Good morning my dears. Well, what do you know, another update. Hahaha I am on a roll. Just feeling good is all. This is the chapter before the big reveal which I hope I can do tonight. Can't wait to get to the present, just like you all.
hope I did justice to this chapter, which is a lesson on giving. We give until it hurts, and in giving, we find joy to see how much we make our loved ones happy. Don't be afraid to lose yourself in loving my dears. There is nothing like it, especially n giving your self.
Blessed Sunday to you all!
Manila, December 25, 2016
Dei and Richard were on their way back to her condo after enjoying a Christmas dinner with the Faulkners. Richard's parents arrived two days ago, and it has been a hectic few days for him, what with finally getting a schedule for the book tour here in Manila, attending to construction of his own Concha's in San Juan, and working with his interior designer for the house he purchased.
He and Dei hardly saw each other for the past months since they got back from the US, and he wanted so badly to take her on a vacation, just the two of them. In a way, he was thankful that Kat and her mom were spending Christmas up north with relatives of her dad. He and Dei would be visiting her Dad tomorrow dinnertime. Thankfully from now till then, he had Dei all to himself.
She looked nervous, and he knew it was about her gift to him. She said it was a surprise, and it was something she did for anyone for the very first time. He couldn't imagine what it would be. Having her in his life after years of hits and misses was enough of a gift for him. He had never been this happy. He reached for her hand and kissed it.
"Baby why are you so quiet, hmm?"
"I'm nervous about my gift."
"I'm sure I will like it."
"I really hope so."
They finally got to her condo, and wordlessly, they got out of the car. The sexual tension between them was overriding everything else, adding to Dei's nervousness. She wanted him inside her at the moment, more than wanting to see his gift for her and vice-versa.
As soon as they entered her condo, Richard pinned her to the wall, locking his mouth on hers.
A/N Let's give them time to let off steam before they exchange gifts, ok? 😊
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They took a shower together, which took a good hour before they were finally done. They competed counting hickeys on each other while getting dressed, and when they were dressed, they cuddled in bed till they fell asleep, gifts forgotten.
Richard was the first to wake up, carefully trying to extricate himself from his holding her. She moaned in protest when he was about to remove his arm underneath her head. She turned and clung to him, her thigh coming in between his.
"You're my sex slave for the day, Faulkner."
"I'm your sex slave for life, Mendez."
"Promise?"
"Promise. But I want to give your gift first."
"Hindi pa ba yun? Meron pa?"
"Sex pa more?"
"Gags, haha I'm still sore."
"Wait lang I'll get it."
He got up and took a small wrapped gift from his pants. He got back and sat in bed and pulled her to him, kissing her on the forehead.
"Merry Christmas Dei. I love you."
She opened the wrapper and the velvet box underneath to reveal a beautiful Pandora bracelet with a lighthouse charm in it. She was so pleased, it reminded her of their time in Evanston, the good memories they built when they were there a few months ago.
"It's beautiful, Jay. Thank you."
"We'll put more charms as we build more memories together, Dei."
"Of course, I'd like that. I love you, Jay. I hope you like my gift as well."
She nervously gave him her wrapped gift. He smiled at her, caressing her face when he noticed how nervous she was.
"This feels like a book," He said as he was unwrapping it. He stopped as he saw the title and the author. He looked at her and at the book again, his eyes tearing up.
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"Dei........you got it published?"
"Yes.....Just a thousand copies. Pages Bookstore is releasing it starting today. Merry Christmas, my love."
It was in his real name. Not a pseudonym, his real name to show the world he wrote this. It was also his first completed work and it told of a sad tale of a man who was broken, unable to deal with extreme happiness.
She cradled his face in her hands and kissed him. He hugged her tightly, his heart almost bursting with love for her. How is it possible to love someone this much and still be alive? The feeling was so strong and he felt like dying from its impact. There was pain and pleasure in loving Dei. There was happiness and the fear of losing her again.
She was crying as well, and they were speechless for quite a while. He was lost in her gentle touches, this grand gesture of recognizing his craft, as well as loving him enough to show the world how much pain he went through when he first lost her.
But he will never lose her again. He was making sure of that.
