Only Love – Chapter 21

Chapter 21
With you

Maya and Richard were still trying to catch their breath as the plane that would take them back to Manila was taxiing off the runway of San Nicolas Airport. They were the last passengers to board, and Mang Caloy had to drive like a race car driver to get them to the airport. This was the last flight for the day and if they didn’t make it, they would have to stay in the vacation house one more day. While both of them like that idea very much, Richard has very important commitments the following day. Maya, on the other hand, needs to finish the report for Richard’s mother and for her immediate superior.

“Ikaw kasi, Ms. Maya Dela Rosa, soon-to-be Mrs. Lim!” Richard teased Maya, grinning at her.

“Ha, anong ako, Mr. Lim!” Maya retorted, smiling. “Eh ikaw kaya ang dahilan kung bakit kamuntik na tayong maiwan ng eroplano.”

“Hmmm, ako lang ba?” Richard shot back, with a naughty smile. “Parang dalawa naman tayo doon.”

“Well, errr, hindi nga lang ikaw.” Maya admitted, blushing a bit, but with a goofy smile on her face, remembering her part in the whole thing.

They gazed at each other lovingly, then grinned like co-conspirators, remembering what delayed them.

They fell asleep again after making love again that morning. When they woke up, both felt very hungry as they missed breakfast. They kissed heatedly, then reluctantly got out of the bed. Instead of putting her dress back on which she can’t find anyway, Maya borrowed Richard’s shirt, as it was more handy. Richard, on the other hand, went shirtless since it was just the two of them in the place.

Richard asked Maya to sit at the veranda, where he had proposed to her the night before, while he heats up the breakfast he made earlier in the microwave, and brew some coffee. He said, this is her chance to see the great view from there during daytime. Like the night before, Richard refused any help from Maya, wanting to pamper her.

Maya breathed in the beautiful scenery before her as she waited for Richard, wearing only his shirt that reached her mid-thigh. It felt cool on her body with a faint smell of Richard in it, which she likes a lot. She grinned, so very happy remembering their night and morning together. And Richard was right, this side of the house has the best view ever. She looked down and saw the beautiful garden with a profusion of ornamental plants, flowers, mostly roses and bougainvilleas, below.

“Ricky, the view from here is really lovely.” Maya said, turning and looking at Richard with a big smile when she sensed him coming to the veranda. “Tama ka!”

“I told you. But at the moment, I have a better view!” Richard remarked, standing by the sliding glass door leading to the veranda, carrying a tray. He was looking at Maya heatedly and not the scenery.

Unbeknown to Maya, the late morning sunlight was making the shirt she was wearing near transparent. Richard can see from where he was standing, Maya’s beautiful body, her breasts, her pebbled nipples, her small waist and the rest of her which he had loved so thoroughly the whole night and this morning.

Maya noticed where Ricky was looking and blushed, at the same time, felt the heat he was sending her way.

“Oh…..” was all she managed to say, heat pooling inside her in response.

Their eyes met, made a silent communication, understanding each other. The hunger for food forgotten. It was superseded again by a different kind of hunger they needed to satisfy urgently. Richard put the tray down and then carried Maya back to the bedroom where they sated their hunger for each other the second time that morning. The food had to be reheated once more.

While they were having a leisurely late lunch, Mang Caloy arrived. Only then did it occured to them, and realized that they have a flight to catch! They scrambled to pack their things and jumped into the car. The place was a bit far from the province’s main airport in San Nicolas. It was a good thing, Mang Caloy is a good driver, and they made it! Now in less than an hour, they will be back in Manila.

Richard raised the armrest between him and Maya when the plane was on its way, cruising from Mindoro to Manila. He hugged Maya from the side and used his shoulder to pillow Maya’s head on it, then he started caressing Maya’s hair. “Happy, my love?” He asked softly, lovingly.

“Of course, I’m very, very happy! Who wouldn’t be! I feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world with you as my fiance!” Maya said lovingly.” I love our weekend together.”

Richard grinned at that. “Me too, Maya, met too. I’m so happy! I don’t want to go home yet, but we have to. Pero, promise, babalik tayo doon as often as we could. By the way, can we have dinner with my mother this evening if you are not too tired from our trip? I promised her kasi that I will bring you to dinner after I have proposed to you. Knowing Mama, alam mo namang number one fan ng love team nating dalawa iyon!”

“Tita Esmeralda knew you will propose to me?” Maya asked, looking at Ricky from his chest where she was reclining comfortably.

“Yes, I told her the day after our dinner with her. I also asked her to put in a good word for me with her jeweller friend. Normally her friend has a lot of orders. Tita Rebecca managed to squeeze me in.” Richard said. “Oh, by the way, not only Mama knew I will propose to you, also your parents and Mamang. I asked for their blessings. Siyempre, gusto ko namang magbigay-galang sa kanila.”

“Really, Ricky! You did that?” Maya said, touched at Richard’s gesture. Then she remembered the tail end of his conversation with Mamang. “So iyon ang dahilan kung bakit nagte-thank you sa iyo si Mamang!”

“Errrr, yes!” Richard said smiling. “Kamuntik mo na ngang madinig. Tapos kahapon ng umaga, kamuntik pang madulas si Mamang when she mentioned wanting to meet Mama. Your parents told me that they will be happy for me to be a part of the family basta sasagutin mo ako. Luckily, you did.” He finished with a huge grin.

“I love you! You are really the best fiance in the whole world!” Maya said happily. “Kaya pala you wanted to call my mother! Of course I will be happy to have dinner with your Mama so we can tell her the best news ever. But I would like to go home first if it is okay with you, to freshen up. We can just meet in Makati later.”

“No Maya, I will pick you up. Hwag ka mag-commute!” Richard insisted. “I have a better suggestion. Why don’t we go to my unit in BGC, instead, to freshen up since it is near Mama’s place. Then from there, punta na tayo kay Mama. I need to visit my daughter’s grave lang in Heritage since we will be in the area. Bibisitahin ko na rin si Papa. Would that be okay? You can stay in the car. I won’t be long. It’s just that I haven’t been there to visit Gabrielle since I returned. Saka I want to visit Papa’s grave too, especially now that the past has been cleared.”

“That’s fine with me. But would it be okay if I accompany you when you go to their graves?” Maya asked, somehow she wants to ‘meet’ Richard’s little angel. In a way, she would like to pay her respects too, to his father despite what happened. He did try to redeem himself in the end, though it was too late.

“Of course. I think my Gabrielle would like to ‘meet’ the very special lady who is making her Daddy very happy.” Richard said.

They shared a smile, then spent the rest of the flight discussing possible dates for their wedding, as for sure, Richard said, it would be the first thing his mother will ask the two of them. They agreed on a date. Both of them don’t want a long engagement. They have waited long enough to be together.

Soon after, their plane landed at the NAIA Terminal 2. Donya Esmeralda’s driver Joma picked them up from the airport, or rather, he handed Richard the key to his car and said goodbye to them. He took that opportunity to visit his sister in Paranaque as Richard told him earlier on the phone that he can drive himself and Maya around.

One hour later, Richard parked his car in front of the Lim Family mausoleum in Heritage Park. Maya told Richard she would carry the flowers they bought for Gabrielle, sunflowers and Malaysian mums, on the way there. Richard carried the flowers for Don Roberto.

“Gabby, sweetheart, I have your Tita Maya with me. She just made me very, very happy by agreeing to be my wife. I’m sure, if you had lived, she would have loved you like her own. Daddy loves her very, very much.” Richard told his daughter as he put the flowers at the head of his daughter’s grave, then touched her tombstone affectionately.

Maya felt tears in her eyes hearing what Richard said. “Yes, Gabrielle, I would have loved you as my own. I love your father very, very much and I will take good care of him. You are very lucky to have him as your father. Someday, I hope you will have a brother and sister and we will bring them here so you can meet them too. I’m sure, they would be happy to meet their elder sister too.”

Richard, hearing this, felt very happy to have Maya again in his life. In his head, he can picture a little girl, cute as button who looks like Maya, and a boy who is his spitting image. He intertwined his fingers with Maya’s, and both of them spent several minutes silently looking at Gabrielle’s grave.

They did the same to Don Roberto’s grave. Richard looked solemnly at his father’s tombstone and offered a silent communication to him, saying to his father that he forgiven him for the past. He also said that he and Maya are together again and for sure, he is happy for them. Maya offered a prayer for the man whom she never gotten to meet, promising to make his son happy. They said goodbyes, hearts feeling lighter, promising to visit them again.

Less than an one hour later, they arrived at Richard’s condominium building in BGC. They took the elevator to his penthouse unit.

“Maya, welcome to my home! Our home soon, should we decide to live here.” Richard said as he led Maya to the living room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows which Maya liked instantly.

“Thank you, Ricky. I love your view. Your place is lovely.” Maya replied as she walked towards the window. “I don’t think I will get tired of looking at this.”

Richard walked towards Maya after dropping their bags on the floor and turning on the unit’s airconditioning. He stood behind Maya and put his arms around her. “You know, lately, since we got back together, I have been imagining you here, us sharing a night staring at the view before we go to bed, chatting how our day have been. Also cuddling and doing what couples do, making love and more…”

“Really Ricky.” Maya smiled, then turned to face Richard. “I love you. I like the picture you painted, very, very much.”

Then Maya tiptoed and gave him a sweet kiss. Richard responded and the kiss turned into something more. Richard started caressing Maya’s  back as he seared her lips with molten kisses, wanting her to know of his intense desire for her which flared up again just by the touch of her lips against his, and the sweet caresses she was giving back to him.

“Maya, my love…..I want you again….I can’t get enough of you.” Richard muttered, his mind getting hazy with desire again.

“I want you too, Ricky, very much.” Maya responded breathlessly.

They looked at each other with desires in their eyes. Then without a word, Richard carried Maya to his bed. He laid her gently into his big bed, then spent the rest of the afternoon, making sweet love to her. Their moans and sighs were the only sounds that can be heard inside the room as they showed each other how much they love and desire the other. They also whispered to each other what gives them the most pleasure. It was another intense encounter that barely sated their desires. Soon after, they showered together, which took twice as long, then got ready to see Donya Esmeralda.

Richard’s mother was waiting for them at the entrance of the grand family home. She was so excited that Richard is bringing back Maya to the house so soon,  which means, in her book that he had proposed to her.

“Ricky son, Maya! I’m so happy to see both of you.” She greeted them as soon as she saw them walking towards her with their hands interlaced. She hugged Richard, then proceeded to hug and kiss Maya. “Come, inside the house. I think you have good news for me.”

“Ma, ikaw talaga, hahahaha. Walang nakakaligtas sa iyo.” Richard said as he put his arm around his mother’s shoulder affectionately. “Since alam kong hindi ka mapapakali, yes, Maya and I are engaged. She said yes to me.” He said with a grin that lit up his whole face and reflected the intense happiness he was feeling at the moment.

“Oh my, oh my!!! Sabi na nga ba!!! This is wonderful news!!!” Donya Esmeralda said with a big smile for her son, then for Maya. “Maya, welcome to our family. I would be more than happy to have you as my daughter-in-law. Please call me Mama from now on.” She said happily, giving Maya a big embrace.

“Thank you po, Tita….este, Mama!” Maya said emotionally. “I’m glad that you will be my second mom.”

“Oh hija, I’m honored to be.” Donya Esmeralda said, teary-eyed. “Son, you chose the most wonderful girl as your life partner.” She told her son, giving her a kiss and a big hug too. “Let’s go to the dining room and share the wonderful news with Fe.”

Richard approached Manang Fe, then gave her a kiss on the cheek, embraced her, then told her of their good news. The old lady got teary-eyed, knowing that her old ward has finaly found love and happiness at last.

“Ricardo, Maya, masayang-masaya ako para sa inyo. Walang pagsidlan. Sa kabila ng mga pinagdaanan niyo, heto kayo at mag-iisang dibdib na.” Manang Fe finished emotionally. Both Maya and Richard went to her and gave her a hug.

The four of them had another festive dinner. Richard and Maya told Donya Esmeralda and Manang Fe that they would like to get married the following month. Both old ladies agreed that they have waited long enough to be together. They also told them they haven’t made up their mind on the venue, but would finalize it after they called Maya’s mother. Donya Esmeralda also said she would like to meet her balae. An idea started forming in Richard’s, and in Maya’s mind, on how to achieve that.

Maya ended up staying at Richard’s place that evening. Sabel was unable to go home from her trip to Baguio with a friend. She had asked Maya before she left for Mindoro if she could take a vacation too, to celebrate her coming birthday. Richard teased Maya that he was so happy that Sabel missed her bus back to Manila, which earned him a loving pinch from Maya.

They called Maya’s family in New Jersey who were all overjoyed to hear the news of their engagement and their upcoming marriage. Mommy Tessie got very emotional, and Daddy Mark too, as both were very happy that their eldest daughter has found happiness at last and about to start another stage of her life, her forever, with a wonderful guy.

Richard and Maya cuddled for a bit by the big window, drinking wine, just enjoying the moment before they went to Richard’s room, where they expressed their love for each other physically again, the desires and the emotions they feel for each other as intense as ever.

While sated, in the meantime, and waiting for sleep to come, they have talked about their wedding and how they will merge their lives together, both are very excited and happy. Finally, they will be together for always, to spend every day loving each other for the rest of their lives. They fell asleep very, very happy, as close as two person could be, skin to skin, sharing a blanket that barely covered their nakedness.