"Jhoana”
She was sleeping soundly with her stomach flat on the bed, when she felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder.
“Jho”
Jhoana was still half asleep but she recognized that it was Beatriz who had been calling her.
“Hmmn…” she answered, her eyes still closed.
“Wake up. Come on,” she urged, slightly tapping her back.
“Hmm…” was her only response, still trying to find the strength to open her eyes.
“It’s almost 11 PM, I’ve got to go home,” she heard Beatriz say frustratedly. “Hahanapin na ako ni Daddy.”
They agreed to have a movie marathon in her pad the whole afternoon as a part of the bucketlist that they made together. They ate a bowl of popcorn and watched different genres of movies until their eyes felt heavy. So they cuddled in her bed and let sleep take them away.
She decided to move and turned around so she was now lying on her back. She opened her left eye and looked at her girlfriend who was hovering over her. Her hands on her waist and her eyebrow raised as she stared down at her.
“Ten more minutes, baby,” she pleaded as she reached for her hand and held it.
Beatriz then slightly tugged her hand which she didn’t see coming so she lost her balance and fell straight on her top. Jhoana automatically wrapped his arms around her and held her in place.
“Jho, a—ano ba?” she complained while she struggled to break free from her embrace.
“Dito ka na lang matulog,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes again.
“Hindi pwede, ang alam ni Dad uuwi ako tonight,” she answered, still trying to get up.
“Just call Tito. Sabihin mo bukas na kita ihahatid.”
“Tinatamad ka lang ihatid ako eh.”
“Hindi ah,” she opened her eyes and peeked at her. Beatriz stopped moving and just stared at her with pouty lips. “Sobrang inaantok lang talaga ako, sige ka, baka maaksidente pa tayo sa daan pag nag-drive ako.”
“Sus, napaka-antukin mo talaga!” Then she started moving against her hold again, so Jho just tightened her arms around her. “Jho, ang kulit. Let go of me!” She giggled.
“Saan ka muna pupunta?”
She landed a soft punch on her tummynbefore she answered. “Kukunin ko lang yung phone ko para tawagan si Daddy!”
“Ayoko, dito ka lang sa bisig ko,” she said like a stubborn kid.
“Ano namang gagawin ko dito sa ibabaw mo, magbibilang niyang eyebrows mo?” She asked sarcastically.
Jhoana grinned at her wickedly and said, “Gagawa tayo ng baby!” with her brows moving up and down.
Her eyes widened in surprise and Beatriz could feel her heartbeat going fast against her. She hit her tummy again. “Jho naman eh!”
Jhoana let out a hearty laugh at her reaction. “I’m kidding, babe. I know,” she said, lifting her head slightly to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Sabihin mo nalang sa akin na mahal mo ako ng paulit ulit. Hanggang makatulog ulit ako.”
“Nagpapalambing ang baby,” she teased.
She pouted her lips and creased her forehead. “Bawal ba?”
“Nagtampo agad?” She giggled as she pinched her lips playfully and gave her a peck on the lips. Jhoana then smiled after. “Sana ganito lang tayo lagi,” Beatriz whispered all of a sudden. Her eyes capturing Jhoana in a gaze full of love and hope.
She smiled softly at her, her one hand still on her back while the other reached for her face and tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. “It’s not gonna be easy…” Jho started. “But I promise you that we will stay together.”
“Forever?” She asked, wishing for it to come true.
“Forever,” the smaller girl promised. She seemed satisfied with her answer so she just smiled then rested her head on the crook of her neck and nuzzled it with her nose. “I love you Isabel Beatriz,” she said.
They stayed in that position— Beatriz lying on top of her, Jhoana's arms around her and her head resting on the smaller girl's chest— for a while when Jho felt her eyelids getting heavy as the long hand of the clock ticked by. She closed her eyes and wait for sleep to pull her away again, feeling the warmth of her body and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against her chest. She had always loved hugging her, especially when sleeping. She just sleeps better whenever she was in her arms.
Just when she was about to doze off, Beatriz moved slightly, lifting her head to look at her but Jho didn’t open her eyes. She then felt Bea's fingers gliding smoothly along the features of her face— her hair, her forehead, her weird eyebrows, the circles around her eyes, the bridge of her nose, her chubby cheeks and the softness of her lips down to her chin— all the while whispering to her repeatedly the words she had always wanted to hear. “I love you baby… I love you baby… I love you baby…”
Jhoana thought it was the best bedtime story in the world, even if it was only four words recited repeatedly by the girl she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. A small smile formed on the side of her mouth, thinking that they could stay like this forever and he wouldn’t even mind if she was too heavy atop her.
And for the nth time, she fell asleep the way she fell in love with her: slowly, and then all at once.
