MIGO and Inggo's internship year goes the same as clerkship: exhausting. Draining. Heartbreaking and beautiful.

"Pwede, 'wag kayong maingay?" Inggo is grumpy, slamming the milk back into the fridge after pouring some on his coffee. "Gusto kong matulog, hindi 'yong nakakarinig ako ng kabastusan!"

Naka-ilang rounds kasi sila ni Migo kagabi.

May nakakahiya pang nangyari. She came embarrassingly fast when Migo knelt behind her, absolutely still, and let Jiya move back against him. "Fuck me, sweetheart."

Hindi niya alam kung alam ni Migo, pero 'yon 'yong dahilan kung bakit siya nag-blackout nang sandali.

Her cheeks flush, and then she remembers Inggo is watching her.

"Bahay ko 'to, lumayas ka kung ayaw mo kaming marinig," Jiya snaps, smacking his shoulder lightly. "Tabi, gagawa din ako ng kape."

"Manang, o!" sumbong ni Inggo, parang bata ampota. "Ang sama niya!"

Migo comes down the stairs with a cheerful grin. He squeezes Jiya's waist as he passes her, grabbing his own tumbler. "May naririnig akong bubuyog na nagrereklamo kanina."

Inggo grunts and leaves the kitchen. "Mga bwisit. Do'n na nga ako sa condo!"

Hindi sila pinapansin ni Inggo sa kotse. Naunang lumabas si Migo, kissing her, tapos he snorts at Inggo. "Tara na, de Paz!"

Jiya looks at him in amusement. "Kaya ka ba galit kasi tigang ka?"

"Oo."

She can't help her laugh. Hindi niya masabi 'to kanina sa harap ni Migo. "Nasa'n si Mau?"

"Galit sa 'kin. Nag-away kami. Puta. Miss ko na." Inggo grabs his bag. "Magso-sorry na nga ako kahit ayaw ko."

Jiya smiles. "Inggo de Paz, learning how to be a good boyfriend. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Shut up." Inggo kisses her cheek in thanks sa ride.

Jiya goes to work with a silly smile on her face, and Gelo notices as he slides on her desk her morning coffee. "Good morning?"

"Good morning," she agrees. "Thank you for this."

He sits down on the edge of the couch facing her, and says quietly, "I'm sorry I'm about to ruin it, but I think we're going to be yelled at by an author today."

Jiya blinks. "Why?"

"The wrong version of the manuscript was put up, the one with typos," Gelo explains softly, the tension in his shoulders visible. "They switched up preorders, so we already contacted our platform, but we have angry...readers leaving angry reviews."

She stares at him, anxiety creeping up in her bones. She backs up her seat a bit. "Uh, when did this happen?"

He keeps his voice calm. "Yesterday. I was called here to fix it with PR."

"And why didn't you call me?"

He shrugs. "I didn't see the need for you to come to work on a weekend. We just have to take it and apologize, and next time, let's make sure we send in the final version to our team. Okay?"

Jiya nods slowly, swallowing. "Okay."

He smiles at her. "Okay. Let's move on from this. What do you have for me today?"

They get yelled at after lunch, their author bursting through Gelo's doors. Jiya stands up from the chair in front of Gelo's desk when he stalks over, and Gelo stands confidently in front of her. Calm and collected.

More accurately—Gelo gets yelled at. The author doesn't even look at Jiya behind him.

This problem isn't the first they encountered—mayro'n din on late price changes, book launch disasters, and missed typos—but Gelo always takes it in stride. He usually tells Jiya what to expect, what's going to happen, and how she should react to it. She would say it's more of his experience that's teaching her to handle these kinds of problems as editor, but she also thinks he does it because she gets anxious at the first sign of problem.

But there's something bothering her, and she thinks about this as she looks outside in the phone booth.

Let's make sure we send in the final version.

If the problem was their platform, why did he say this?

She only figures it out while staring at him across her couch, focused on his laptop.

"I sent you the wrong version, didn't I?"

Gelo doesn't look up. "I told you let's move on from this."

Ah, shit. Jiya puts her fingers in her forehead. "Gelo, it was my fault. You should've let me apologize."

"You did."

"You did." He apologized for them both. Jiya kept her mouth shut and looked down, let him do all the talking. Nag-sorry lang siya when the author walked out. "Why did you—why did you cover up for me?"

He finally looks at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I didn't cover up for you. I sent in the final version when I noticed, and our platform really did switch up preorders. Everyone else was having the same problem."

"Why didn't you tell me." She asks this not like a question but a quiet statement. "We could've been in big trouble because of me if you hadn't noticed."

Gelo grins at her. She's blinded by this. "It was hard not to. There was gelo is a loser in one of the in-line comments. Imagine if that got to our readers."

She flushes. They were talking about friends at the time, she's sure.

"And if I hadn't noticed, then I would've just placed the blame on the platform. Saktong timing." He chuckles.

"Gelo, are you seriously laughing right now?"

"Jiya, relax." He sighs, dropping the smile when he catches her glare and the ice in her tone. "I knew you were going to catch on to that comment. I didn't want to say it because I knew you were going to dwell on it, but it really is a lesson we should keep in mind for next time. Let this go, this was a mistake—"

"A rookie mistake!" She's so frustrated. Ano ba ginagawa niya noon and she sent him the wrong file? "I've been your assistant for years!"

"It happens. Nangyari din kay Claire, and she was my assistant longer," Gelo tells her calmly, giving her a pointed look. "Stop it. Let it go."

"You were yelled at today."

He snorts. "Nothing I can't handle. You yell at me more, and more annoyingly."

Jiya keeps quiet. Guilty.

"Jiya, my God." Gelo laughs. "Every time we come across a problem, I'm absolutely floored at how you always somehow manage to hold on to a mistake for long."

She bites her lip. "Does it bother you?"

"It endears me," Gelo answers quietly, watching her face. "Because you improve and you grow, because you're willing to do better next time, and you do. I can only hope that I'm teaching you well."

"You are." That's the truth.

"But it also pains me because I see how you freeze up and flinch. You always freeze up when I talk to you about a mistake. You wait for me to shout and to tell you you're a disappointment, did you know that?"

No. No, she did not.

"I don't need to be coddled with how you speak," Jiya tells him. Is this why he's always calm and soft-spoken?

"I don't coddle you," Gelo says. "I just don't want to scare you. And you flinched earlier. No'ng pumasok si John."

Hindi napansin ni Jiya. Maybe she's reminded of how her parents used to slam her door open and stalk toward her.

"You held on to my shirt, did you know?"

Jiya blinks at him. "Huh?"

"Sa likod ko." Gelo doesn't look away from her. "When he started yelling and pointing fingers. You clutched my shirt with your hands."

She didn't know this, either.

"You also flinch when something is being thrown your direction. The other day downstairs, Hannah tossed Nadia her stress ball. You were in between them, and you gripped your wrist."

Kaya ba he enforced a 'hand things in hand and not by air' rule? She found it ridiculous last week, and when she asked, he said, "Office isn't a playground for things to be thrown around."

Jiya tries for a smile. "Are you this observant of your other employees, sir?"

"Just the one I love, I believe." He stands up and stretches. "If you're really grateful, there's cheese and wine in my office after work. Ah, and to your utter surprise—friends. Bibisita sila. That would be equivalent enough to the yelling I had to endure."

That's how Jiya finds herself shaking hands with his friendly friends after work.

"Jiya, right?" the blonde girl, Amelia, asks brightly, handing her a glass. "Gelo's been going on and on about you, I always thought you were imaginary."

"Akala ko rin imaginary kayo."

It makes everyone laugh. Gelo rolls his eyes, standing behind her chair. "I hope this drastically changes your perception of the loser boss you always call me."

"Brave," Alexa chuckles, shaking her hand with a genuine smile. "I'm so glad to finally meet you."

His other friends say the same. They're all in rich and branded clothing, but they don't suffocate the air with their expensive perfumes and perfect postures.

Harold, the charming one with curly hair, even makes a show of tossing cherries in the air and into his mouth. Si Jiya ang kinakabahan kapag napupunta sa suit niya.

They ask about her school, how working with Gelo is, and they tell her stories of their college days and the days after that—and Jiya notices how relaxed Gelo is around his friends, how he laughs freely and loudly, how his ears turn red when they tell her a story of when he got ghosted by a girl in college.

Jiya feels the arm resting on the back of her chair, the accidental knee brushes, the soft laugh in her ear when he leans over her to grab a piece of cheese on a toothpick and holds it in front of her mouth, but she takes it in her hand instead. "You look drunk," he whispers.

She's not. She just feels hot from the wine, but she doesn't feel dizzy or lightheaded. She's just having fun. "I feel tired." She chews the cheese slowly.

"I'll take you home. Don't worry, I didn't drink."

Jiya says goodbye, and they all hang around the door before she leaves with Gelo because they keep hugging her and telling her to come back. "Don't trash my office," Gelo says, grabbing his keys.

"I like them," she says in the car, leaning against the headrest. "They're nice and funny."

"They've been pestering me to meet you," he mutters. "I'm glad you had fun."

Jiya smiles at him. She reaches in her bag to text Migo.

hiii otw home na baby.
hahatid ako ni gelo.

It's nearing midnight. Migo reads it.

Pogi: okay be safe

Ngayon lang siya nag-reply. He's on duty kasi kaya he wasn't able to answer her when she told him she's staying in Gelo's office for a while after work. He must be tired.

Gelo pulls up in front of their house and opens the door for her. "Thanks," she mutters, exhausted.

He stands behind her while she fumbles for her keys in her bag. "Is Migo home?"

"No, he's at the hospital," she answers.

"Does he know?"

"Know what?"

"That you spent the night with me," Gelo murmurs. Jiya feels his breath skating along her skin. "And with my friends. And I took you home."

Jiya pushes him back with a hand. Gelo moves. "Yes, he does, and he trusts me."

"And you? You trust yourself?"

"Around you? Yes."

"I don't." With one swift move, he presses his lips to her cheek, and then he's walking back to his car. "Goodnight, Jiya."

Jiya seethes in anger inside, tossing her bag on the counter.

do that to me again and i
swear to god ill fucking punch
you.

Nag-reply si Gelo nang nasa kama na siya.

Gelo: Couldn't help myself, sorry. You
smelled good and your cheeks were
red.

GELO ANO BA. KAIBIGAN
LANG KITA OKAY

Gelo: And can't friends kiss friends on
the cheek now?

Jiya thinks of Inggo, but he does it kasi close sila and para silang magkapatid.

they can't kung may feelings
na involved.

Gelo: This is a nice surprise. On your
end? Finally.

She clenches her jaw.

gusto mo ng restraining
order? im not joking around.
YOU can't do that to me.
mahal ko si migo, get it
through your head.

Gelo: It is in my head, Jiya. All the
damn time, but I'm sorry, sabi niya. I
won't do it again, I promise.

don't do this to me, gelo. i held
on to your shirt kanina
because i feel safe with you as
my friend. mawawala yon if
you continue doing this and it
won't end with me quitting.

Gelo: Don't quit.

Sabi na nga. The one thing that will keep Gelo from acting on his feelings is his desire to let her work with him, to see her flourish in the company. He recognizes her merit and he wants to continue teaching her.

Jiya doesn't want to hide anything from Migo. She tells him when he slides in bed in the morning, pagod na pagod, and Jiya's dressing up for work.

"He kissed me on the cheek. It was quick, I was shocked, and then he left. I got angry with him and I told him I'll punch him in the face if he does that again. I also threatened him with a restraining order and that I'd quit."

Migo doesn't say anything. Jiya puts on her earrings, holding her breath. She thinks he fell asleep because of the silence.

But he's not. "Okay."

Jiya turns to him. He's watching her, face blank.

"Are you angry?" she asks quietly.

"Not at you," he returns, just as quiet. "I can imagine how you reacted."

Jiya presses her lips together. "Read my texts if you want."

Migo slides it off the bedside table and opens it. Scrolls in silence.

She sits next to him on their bed and brushes her fingers on his tight jaw, his neck. "I wiped it off me," she mutters miserably. She did last night. Sa banyo. Can't stomach the thought of someone else's lips on her skin.

She can't imagine how it must be for Migo. Kung may ibang babaeng gumawa n'on sa kanya, she would be livid.

Migo returns her phone to her with a small smile. "I hate this. You don't understand how much I hate this."

Jiya swallows thickly. "Migo."

"I can't and won't ask you to quit. You'd hate me." He wraps his arms around her and pulls her in between his legs. He reaches out to brush her hair away from her face, fingers on her cheek. "This one?" Migo whispers.

Jiya brings his hand to the other cheek. "This one."

"So ito na lang ang gagawin ko." He kisses her there. Long, sweet. Sad.

"And here," he mutters, bringing his head down to her neck. "Don't move."

Jiya tilts her own head to give him more access. They don't usually leave marks that are easily seen, but she lets him have this. Ito na lang.

"Tell me you felt nothing when he kissed you," Migo whispers, sucking on her neck.

Jiya grips his shoulders. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing but anger."

"Tell me na walang butterflies."

"Walang butterflies. None at all."

"And then tell me you won't let him take you home anymore. Our home. It hurts that something happened between you outside our front door."

"Nothing happened between us," Jiya corrects firmly, pushing him back. "Siya ang gumawa sa 'kin n'on. Siya lang. Not us. Walang nangyaring iba."

Migo nods, taking a deep breath. He hugs her and leaves a kiss on her head. "It hurts that he kissed you outside our front door," he corrects himself.

Walang magawa si Jiya. Migo falls asleep, assuring her that he's not mad at her, and that he loves her, and that he'll pick her up at five.

"I noticed you only had one comment on our new manuscript during the, uh, love scenes. You usually have a lot more to say, your voice was missing for three pages."

Jiya leans back on her chair and sips her coffee. She's cold. "It was the only comment I had."

"'Detest the coercion to consent'?" he asks, quoting her, arching his eyebrow. "She wasn't coerced, she freely gave it."

"After she was distracted by his advances," Jiya counters angrily. "That's not consent."

"He asked her before he, uh, put it in. He paused, stepped back, asked her if it was okay."

"That's hardly enough space. And she had no choice, her body was responding to him. He didn't ask if she wanted it—him."

"And so why didn't she leave afterward?" Gelo arches a thick brow. "She should've if she felt that way. Perhaps she already harbored feelings for him but was hesitant to take the step because of her other lover. It was there in context."

Jiya sighs. "Context—but not said verbally."

"Some things are said through body language."

She grits her teeth. "Are you justifying cheating?"

"I'm justifying that one person can love two people at the same time."

"I don't believe that. I only love one person, and that isn't you." Diretsahan. "And don't be like Mason in the book. I don't appreciate advances under the pretense that I want them—you ask me. Don't leave me with no choice."

Wala kang choice is what he said in New York.

"And, sir, my body language did not give you any implication that I wanted you to kiss me."

"I didn't say—"

"Stop it," she hisses. "Stop. It. Ayoko na, Gelo, sinasaktan ko si Migo by still working here. Hindi na kita kakausapin if it's not work-related. May I please have it back today so I can start with editing?"

Gelo doesn't tear his eyes away from her face. "Will do."

*

Migo whistles as he enters the passenger seat. "Wow."

"Uy, pagkain!" Inggo grins widely to open the door to the backseat.

Jiya locks it. "Sorry, bro!"

"Hoy!" Inggo whines, trying the handle again. "Sama naman!"

"No." Jiya smiles at him. "Sorry, pero sosolohin ko si Migo. 'Wag ka na muna umuwi sa bahay, puntahan mo si Mau or something. Bye!"

Migo stares at her with a wide grin as she drives back to the main road. "What's all this?"

"I think ang bawi ko na date is long overdue," she mutters, reaching over to grasp his hand. He takes it and squeezes it. "I just wanna park somewhere and eat all this with you, the way we used to no'ng college. And I want to help you de-stress."

"Wait." Migo lets go of her hand and faces the window. "I was having a shit day because of some patients we lost pero kinikilig na ako ngayon."

Jiya smiles. "The plan is to make you happy. Because I haven't been doing that in a while."

Migo brings her hand to his mouth and mutters, "You do that every day, baby."

She doesn't think so.

Even though she's not speaking with Gelo anymore, masakit sa kanya na nasaktan niya si Migo—even though he says he's not mad at her naman and there's nothing to forgive her for.

Jiya went to a bunch of different stores for their date today—lahat ng mga favorite ni Migo: Tetsuo, Black Scoop, McDo, Mang Inasal. Medyo nagkalat pa sila sa car kasi ang gulo niya kakatawa, shoving fries in her mouth.

"Bilis na!"

Jiya huffs, crossing her arms. "Fine."

Migo's smile is wide, facing her as he waits.

Jiya's stomach dips at his face. He's so happy.

Kaya kahit hiyang-hiya siya... "Rating the names my boyfriend calls me. One: Valle. Seven out of ten. Nakakainis no'ng una kasi alam ko you were doing it to piss me off, pero when I found out the real reason why, medyo namatay ako."

All those years ago, he said he was only going to call her Jiya 'pag Salas na siya.

Migo snickers, leaning into her shoulder. Nasa backseat na sila ngayon. "Sabi na nga ba kinilig ka e. E bakit seven lang?"

Jiya elbows him. "You only call me that when you're angry or serious or mad. Hindi panglambing."

"Gets. Continue."

Jiya plops her legs on his lap, and he brings one hand to her calf, massaging it. "Two: babe or baby. Ten out of ten. Cute. Gives me butterflies. Ibig sabihin good mood ka."

He pinches her calf. "Boring mo naman, ten out of ten lang. Kamusta naman yung millions ko?"

"Kaya nga out of ten e."

He slaps her leg. Jiya hisses and an involuntary moan comes out of her mouth.

Migo's grin is wicked. "Continue."

Jiya glares at him. "Three: princess. Mm, six out of ten. Cute pa rin naman, pero mas applicable no'ng college? 'Tsaka feel ko spoiled pa rin ako when you call me that."

"Spoiled by me." His hand travels to her thigh, rubbing it. "And noted."

"Four: wife. Ten out of ten. No explanation needed."

"Tapos aasarin mo lang ako sa husband," Migo snorts.

"I'll call you that kapag totoo na." Jiya leans over to kiss him. He smiles in her mouth. "Five: bobo, gaga, bwisit, and my all-time favorite: tanga. Eight out of ten, same reasons as you. It makes me feel like I'm your best friend."

Migo drops his head on her shoulder and breathes out quietly. Kinikilig 'to for sure.

Jiya threads her fingers in his hair. "Six: my girl or my girlfriend. Ten out of ten. Generic when you introduce me to people, and I've never told you this, but it makes me feel funny. Parang gusto ko sumigaw na parang baliw."

He laughs in her shoulder and kisses her skin. "Good to know," he whispers.

Jiya feels her stomach flip. She can feel his breath hot against her, and her toes curl and she shivers. "Um, seven..."

Migo raises his head, mouth curling up at the counters, and his eyes drop to her lips. "Seven?"

Holy shit, his voice. His smile. His eyes on her. Everything.

She puts a hand on his chest. "Wait, I'm panicking."

Migo's smile widens as he moves closer, and Jiya moves back, presses herself against the door and the window, and Migo doesn't stop moving. "Seven?" he prompts, hand moving up and down her thighs around his waist.

"You're gonna tease me," she whispers, hands still on his chest, feels his heartbeat quicken under her palms.

Migo shakes his head once, still grinning, eyes locked to her lips. "What is it?"

"Sweetheart," she mutters, shy. "You—you said that once lang. In bed."

She watches the way Migo's eyes lift to her own, his smile turning wicked. "You want me to kiss you, sweetheart?"

Oh my God. Her stomach drops.

"Migo!" she whines, shrinking in herself, covering her face. "Stop!" There's someone doing somersaults inside her. Sana si Migo na lang.

His laugh is loud as he falls over her, tearing her hands away from her face. "Wait, hindi ko 'to in-expect!" He laughs harder. "You're so red!"

"Migo, stop!" A laugh bubbles out of her mouth when he accidentally tickles her, and her hands come down from her face. "No!"

"May alam na akong weakness mo," he whispers in her ear, and Jiya can feel the laugh in it, the triumph. "I had a feeling na because it made you cum, didn't it?"

"Migo, oh my God."

He doesn't stop smiling during the drive home, rubbing his palm over her thigh and knee.

Pag-uwi nila, he makes love to her and whispers the 'sweetheart' in her ear. Makes her reach her climax from it.

Jiya thinks he falls asleep still smiling.

*

"Burrito blanket?" Migo grins, spreading it. "Sweet mo naman."

Jiya smiles. "For your late nights sa hospital. Bawal mo lang i-share with anyone else."

"...Paano 'pag si Inggo?"

Jiya pretends to think about it. "Pwede si Inggo."

"Okay." Migo kisses her, laughing. He grips her chin. "Thank you, baby."

*

Jiya can feel that Gelo wants to talk to her.

She can feel it in the way he lingers in her door, the way he wants to hand her the mug he's brewing in the coffee station, the way he stares at her from his chair.

But Jiya will not hurt Migo any longer.

Not about Gelo.

*

Migo puts his hand inside the pocket of the hoodie she's wearing, wrapping his arm around her waist and leaning down to nose at her neck. "That smells good," he mumbles sleepily, his hair brushing her cheek. Jiya can feel the warmth of his naked body from at her back. "Good morning."

Jiya turns her head, smiling, to kiss his hair. "Morning. I made breakfast."

Migo opens one eye. "Ugly eggs."

"Kakain ka o hinde?"

"Kakain po." He laughs breathily in her shoulder. "Valle, mahal kita."

Those two words, after six years, seem like such a small thing—but Jiya knows that Migo means them every time he says it.

It's in each vowel and each consonant and syllable, it's in his breath and his eyes and his voice.

"Gawan mo akong champorado."

He laughs loudly, and it fills her ears. "Okay, I will." He hugs her tight. "Can you believe na six years na? Six years since I kissed you outside that bar no'ng birthday ni Addie."

Jiya grins, but she shivers when his cold hands go under her hoodie. "Medyo nabaliw ako no'n sa 'yo. And every kiss since then."

"Mm. This one?" He cups the back of her neck and brings her face to his. Kisses her slowly. Sweetly. He tastes of toothpaste and home.

Jiya's fingers curl on his waist, and her nails scrape his stomach. He hisses lowly, and she nods. "And this one." She kisses him harder this time, pushing him back against the counter.

"I keep thinking," he mumbles, gasping for breath, lips wet, dazed as she keeps chasing his mouth, "that if you didn't kiss me that summer in my bedroom, would we still—shit—get here?"

"I would've found a way," Jiya mutters, fingers dipping in his waistband, and he bites her bottom lip, tongue in her mouth. "To make you mine."

His smile is dangerous. It makes her want to fall to her knees. "Is that right, sweetheart?"

Fucking hell.

She drops to her knees and pulls his boxers down, and Migo gathers her hair in one hand and laughs breathlessly, choking on a moan when her lips start at his abdomen, the lines of his muscles, and then his V, and the hair that leads down. "You really like that word," he breathes out, chuckling.

She does. He uses it again when she's riding him, waits until she's close to her high, and whispers it in her ear.

Jiya falls on top of him, legs shaking, panting for air. "Fuck," she whimpers, head lolling to his shoulder, and Migo laughs, brushing his nails over her sides.

"Valle."

"Mm." Her eyes are closing.

"In high school," Migo murmurs, stroking her spine, "I went to school late a lot of mornings, do you remember?"

Jiya almost snorts. "I wrote you a violation note almost five days a week."

He's smiling. He kisses her temple and says, "I always used your patrol route. It made my mornings."

"Annoying me?"

"Mm. Seeing you. My heart went wild every time I saw your bow thingy in your hair and your below the knee skirt and your perfect necktie with your nameplate."

Jiya grins, nestling her head further in his shoulder and chest.

"And now I spend every morning with you," he whispers, and Jiya feels his lips move over her skin. "And I don't ever want to change that."

He shared a secret. A secret that Jiya didn't know.

She takes a deep breath and admits, "I almost kissed you once on the forehead. Before the summer kiss. We were freshmen."

Migo pulls back, blinking at her. "Really?"

"Kayo pa ni Tasha no'n," she mutters, ashamed. "We were all sleeping kina Cas. And I felt an overwhelming urge to crawl in next to you, just to see how you feel on a bed. Or how you would smell, how you would touch. Pero I thought magkaka-world war if you woke up beside me—and, well, you were taken. It wouldn't have been a problem kay Anton or kay Inggo."

His lips turn down.

Jiya kisses his frown away. "So I just...I just sort of—leaned over and touched my lips on your forehead? And then I left because I couldn't bear the urge. I slept outside. And then you woke me up by splashing water on me."

Migo's laugh is quiet. His shoulders shake. "Ah. I wish I knew. I wish I woke up when you leaned in."

Jiya smiles. "Well, now I sleep beside you. And with you. That's a win."

Migo kisses her and presses his smile to her mouth. "It is. Six down, forever to go."

*

"Baby."

Jiya doesn't open her eyes. "Mm."

She feels Migo's lips on her forehead. "Come on, you need to sleep on the bed."

He carries her in his arms, leaving her laptop behind. Ah, nakatulog siya sa couch while working, and kauuwi lang ni Migo from the hospital. He smells like the hospital.

He tucks her in the covers. "I'll shower lang. Sleep na."

Jiya manages a hum, and she rolls over to hug his pillow.

She hears Migo's quiet chuckle before it disappears, and then she feels his warmth beside her on the cold bed.

*

"A patient flirted with me today."

May hawak si Jiya na knife sa tabi ni Manang. "And?"

"Baby, baba mo muna 'yan. Katakot."

She twists around to narrow her eyes at him. He's smiling sheepishly, leaning against the doorway.

Nakailang patients na nag-try mag-flirt sa boyfriend niya over the years, gusto na niya lagyan ng singsing.

"I said I'm married."

"Yie!" Manang interjects, nudging her.

Jiya rolls her eyes. "Good."

He kisses her cheek. "Lapit na. Prepare mo na 'yes' mo."

*

Jiya blinks at him from the bathroom, stepping back into their room. "What was that?"

"Akala ko mags-skincare ka pa!" Migo shouts, flustered, hands behind his back. "God, you scared me!"

"Ano tinatago mo?"

"Wala."

Jiya stares at him. Migo's Adam's apple bobs up and down.

"Miguel."

"Shit, basta, ang kulit mo, potek." He turns over on his stomach to protect what he's hiding when Jiya jumps on the bed to tackle him. "Valle! No!"

"What is it!"

"Gaga!"

"Did—did you just kick me?"

Migo blinks, eyes wide. "Sorry, babe."

Jiya catches a glimpse of the crumpled yellow paper in his fist, under the pillow.

Her heart soars. "Oh."

Migo throws a pillow at her, angry. "Do'n ako matutulog, mag-isa kang matulog! Punyeta."

"Migo!" she shouts, laughing, rushing over to hug him before he can leave their room, hand in his pocket. "Baby, sorry na. I didn't mean to—I'm not teasing you, I promise. I just forgot that you...you read that every night before bed."

Migo huffs, stiff in her hold. "I hate you."

"You're so cute," Jiya mutters in his nape, endeared. Kahit nga yung gift sa kanya ni Migo no'ng first anniversary nila, dinadagdagan niya ng pictures as the years passed. Always his face, always smiling, always happy.

Nakalimutan niya that Migo said he reads her wedding vow to him before he goes to sleep.

"Pakakasalan mo na 'ko?"

Jiya grins when he turns around with an arched eyebrow. "I will."

"Gusto ko ngayon na."

"Recite mo muna 'yan word per word."

He pushes her with his palm in her face and leaves, furiously blushing.

"Migo!" Jiya follows him, laughing until her stomach hurts. "Sorry na, I love you!"

"Bahala ka!"

*

"Congratulations!" Maureens screams, high-pitched, and runs.

She stops in front of the two boys. Migo raises his eyebrow.

Jiya comes up behind her and hugs her boyfriend, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Congratulations, my love," she whispers.

Migo lifts her up and swings her around. "Thank you." His ears are red as he leans down to kiss her temple.

Maureen is hugging Inggo. Migo points to Maureen. "Hoy, nakita ko na uunahin mo si gago kesa sa kapatid mo!"

"I would've hugged you after Ate Jiya!" Maureen sticks her tongue out at him as Inggo smirks at his best friend.

"Anak, congrats!" Tita Sheryl gushes, holding her camera, and Meg is beside her, smiling widely. "Congrats, Kuya! Kuya Inggo, ikaw rin!"

Migo's dad appears last with a smile. His hair is gray with age. "Congrats, Migo."

Migo gives him the smallest of nods, while Jiya smiles at him. "Hi, Tito."

They haven't mended everything yet, kahit sila ni Maureen, but Migo answers his messages and calls now without hostility and agreed to him visiting his and Jiya's place. Conversation around the dinner table was awkward, but Migo made an effort. Their relationship-building is slow, but there's progress.

Si Maureen, wala yatang balak. She scoffs when Inggo greets him, and she stays far away from him while they celebrate Inggo and Migo's med school graduation sa buffet. Jiya stares at Migo, watching him smile and laugh, happy and glowing, and strokes his hand with her thumb.

She's so proud of him.

She hugs him just as he's taking off his tie in the bathroom and whispers, "I always tell you I'm proud of you, but I hope you know just how much. I've been with you since...since you started talking about going to med school no'ng second year, third year natin, and seeing you get here...I'm so happy. You worked so hard."

Migo squeezes her tight. In her neck, he mumbles, "I wouldn't have gotten here without you. You've been my anchor and my resting place buong med school. I was determined to finish because I kept thinking of our future."

She sniffles, feeling her eyes get wet. "I'm glad I was here with you. Every step of the way."

"May licensure exam pa 'ko, hold that thought for another few months."

Jiya smiles. "Congratulations, Migo."

He kisses her head, and because it's her achievement, too, he says, "Congratulations, Valle."

Later, he'll laugh at her graduation gift: a custom mug with a thumbs-up and the words: wow. look at you becoming a doctor and shit, and a small cake with frosting: congrats, salas. tikman mo 'to. tapos tikman mo 'ko.

Ginawa ni Migo. "Masarap," sabi niya. Both sa cake and sa nagbigay.

And then he'll smile and kiss her for the stethoscope custom ring with his initials and a caduceus charm attached to it—the medical symbol.

"May isa pa?" Migo asks incredulously in bed, watching as Jiya inched closer to him with one more box. "Valle, tama na, I know you're proud but—"

"This is for when you get your license," Jiya mutters, pressing the small, black box in his hand. "Don't open it until then."

Migo blinks, glancing at it in his palm. "Why are you giving it to me now?"

"For your motivation to study." She smiles at him, wrapping her hands around his neck. "And to pass. You don't get to open it if you don't pass."

Migo laughs, leaning back against the headboard. "A real challenge."

"Mm." She leans down to kiss him. "Study well, then."