Alden is acting weird. Maine is curious. Potential flames are staking their claim. Will this two childhood friends finally realize that they belong to each other before it's too late?
SEQUEL to "Bakit 'Di Na Lang Totohanin?"
BAKIT KA NAMAN MASASAKTAN ULIT?" Maine felt silly asking him that question. She probably came off sounding uncaring, but that wasn't what she meant. She understood his fear of getting hurt again.
Hello? Naging brokenhearted din kaya siya, pero ang difference lang eh nag-end up sila ni Ike na friends and they sorted out their differences. And hindi naman kasing lakas ng tama ni Alden kay Mandy yung sa kanya at kay Ike; she never thought of walking down the aisle towards Ike when they were together back in college. That should've probably clued her in na yung relationship nilang dalawa noon eh hindi magla-last, but she still cared for him, just not enough to envision him as the man she'd be marrying.
"Meng, I've taken chances since after getting over doon sa break-up namin ni Mandy. Pero sa lahat ng mga dinare kong gawin, getting in to a committed relationship was never one of them," he confessed.
"I noticed," she mumbled.
"And it wasn't for lack of trying. Who am I kidding? Of course it was for lack of trying!"
"Mandy did quite a number on you, understandable why you don't want to get serious with anyone after your ordeal with her."
"It wasn't an ordeal as much as it was a punch in the gut and ripping my innards out."
Maine made a disgusted face at his description of how badly he felt about Mandy's betrayal.
"TMI, Alden, TMI," she said.
"Sorry," he mumbled, giving her a sheepish smile. "It took me a really long time to get over what happened. I guess I'm still working on getting over it," he admitted.
"No rush," she shrugged. "We heal in different ways. Some takes longer to get over a relationship."
"You and Ike seemed to have moved on from each other," he commented.
"Yeah, we have," she nodded, giving him an appreciative smile. "Ike and I are in a better place now sa relationship namin. Besides, he and Jules are better together than him and I when we were together."
Alden nodded in agreement. "They compliment each other."
"Sinabi mo pa," Maine grinned. "And Jules deserves a great guy like Ike. And he's changed since we were together."
Alden cocked a questioning brow at that comment. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, he's prioritizing his relationship for once instead of his career." she pointed out.
"That's good, diba?"
"Oo naman, as in super good."
"Yay for Ike."
Maine raised a questioning brow at the less than enthusiastic tone in his voice. "Bakit naman parang hindi ka bilib na Ike's changed?"
"Oh, bilib ako na nagbago na nga ang ex mo. I'm just...I'm just not sure if I can change like him," he confessed.
Maine stared at him for the longest time. He was baring his soul to her. This conversation of theirs now is the rawest they've had since nagreconnect sila. Sure they talked before, but they never got really personal sa mga conversations nila.
Reaching across over Maine closed her hands on Alden's, giving it a light reassuring squeeze when he turned his hand palm up and closed around hers.
"People can change, Alden," she reassured him. "It's just a matter of whether said person really wants to change," she added, giving him an encouraging smile that reached her eyes.
Alden's hopes slowly started to rise up as he interpreted what she meant and the look in her eyes she was giving him. Should he dare hope that said look she was giving him meant she was giving him a chance?
As if reading his mind, Maine said, "Everyone deserves a second chance. And sa totoo lang, hindi lang ikaw ang may reservations when it comes to getting serious with someone."
"Anong...anong ibig mong sabihin?" he frowned.
"I mean, hindi lang ikaw ang natatakot na masaktan ulit," she admitted. "Maybe we can learn alongside each other about taking chances and seeing where we go from here?"
Alden's smile reached his eyes and his dimple deepened. He pushed himself off his seat, pulling Maine off hers too until they were standing face to face, her hand still in his while his other free hand reached up to cup her face.
"Gusto ko 'yan," he agreed before bending his head down to seal their deal with a kiss.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
