Chapter 15

Possible Combination

He couldn't help smiling while watching her sleep.

Ang sabi ni Nika kanina, lilipat lang daw siya sa kama kasi sumasakit ang likuran niya at gusto niyang humiga.

But she fell asleep right away with the book on her stomach.

I knew it, makakatulog siya d'yan.

Miko stood up shaking his head with a little smile still lingering on his lips when he took the book from her, placing it down on the nightstand.

Ang sabi rin ni Nika kanina e gusto niyang sabayan si Miko mag-aral para may karamay siya. But seeing all the pages she has to read probably made her fall asleep. He noticed she couldn't concentrate on her readings either, she kept on yawning and going back and forth on the pages.

Meanwhile, he already finished skimming his reviewers for tomorrow's exam.

Miko gently raised her head so he could fix and fluff the pillow underneath. He stopped for a while when he saw the slight creasing on her forehead. But thankfully, she didn't wake up.

He knew she was tired from running errands all day for her internship, he even offered to buy some take out for their dinner but Nika insisted that home-cooked meals are better and healthier.

Hindi na rin siya nakipagtalo doon. Especially when she pointed out that she even went to the grocery (for the third time this week) to buy ingredients for the nilagang baka they had for dinner. In the end, he helped her do the prep work in the kitchen.

Miko tucked her in the blanket after fluffing and fixing her pillow.

"Good night," he whispered, planting a kiss on her cheek. She let out a soft groan. Napahinto naman ulit si Miko dahil baka nagising si Nika. But it was just that, her eyes were still closed and her breathing was steady.

He was relieved. It has been a long day for her, and he didn't want to wake her up.

Miko was about to lower the light on the lamp when his eyes caught the book she was reading earlier on the nightstand. There were tabs on some pages.

Was she supposed to read these? he thought.

Umupo siya sa office chair at tiningnan ang libro. It mostly contains classic literatures. From Sophocles to Homer to Shakespeare.

Sabi niya para daw sa elective class? Didn't know she was taking World Literature.

And he easily understood why she couldn't concentrate earlier. The material she was supposed to read was the old version. Hindi pa modern english ang gamit. It's a bit overwhelming especially for someone who doesn't like reading that much.

Thankfully, he was able to read the assigned materials for her class when he was in high school when he and Andy decided to try reading classic books. He could still remember the gist of the stories, but some details were already vague in his memory so he decided to read them again.

It was 1 a.m. when Miko finished reading the materials. It took him a while because he decided to annotate her book by highlighting the important details and by leaving notes on some imageries—expounding on the meanings beneath certain lines.

He stood up to stretch for a while. Saglit din siyang uminom ng tubig bago balikan ang ginagawa niya. Miko opened his laptop to create a summary and character profile for every story to be covered for Nika's exam. It was past 3 a.m. when he finished typing and printing the comprehensive reviewer he made for her.

***

Miko woke up to a light kiss pressing on his cheek. Kanina niya pa nararamdaman 'yon. And he's been waking up to her kisses for a week now.

"Good morning! Bangon ka na d'yan, nakapagluto na ako ng breakfast. Pero ikaw magtimpla ng kape natin, ha? Gusto ko 'yong kape mo," sabi ni Nika.

His lids were half open and she was lingering close to him with her lips a hair away from his.

"Hmm . . . okay," he replied, encircling an arm around her waist so she could lay on top of him.

"Bangon ka na. May exam ka pa ngayon 'di ba? Anong oras 'yon?"

"Later. Mga 1 o'clock pa."

"Hmm . . . okay," she said before giving him a kiss on the tip of his nose.

He smiled when Nika laid her head on his shoulder. Miko rested his hand on her back, tapping and rubbing her lightly so she could sleep with him for a few more minutes.

It's moments like this where he couldn't help but wonder if time could stop and stay perfectly still. Even just for a while . . . maybe it could become indefinite, then he wouldn't ask for more. He just wants to spend the moment with her without worrying and feeling guilty for being late for work or school or doing a task that's more important than lying on the bed with her, doing absolutely nothing.

Maybe five minutes just to themselves would do. Where minutes wouldn't act like minutes. Where minutes could be an a hour or a day.

An uninterrupted moment with without worrying about anything.

His nose reached for temple. "You smell like garlic," he said after sniffing and kissing her there.

"Oo kasi nagsangag ako. Sakto marami palang bahaw kagabi."

He sniffed her again. "You smell like longganisa too."

"Oo. Kaya bumangon na tayo please. Gusto ko nang kumain ng breakfast," she said. Pero wala namang gumalaw sa kanilang dalawa.

"Miko?"

"Hmm?"

"Bakit mo ako ginawan ng reviewer kagabi? Anong oras ka nakatulog?"

"Because I want you to rest. I think nakatulog ako ng mga three? Not sure kaya tulog pa tayo saglit please?" he said, shifting both of their position so they could lay on their sides without breaking the hug.

"Sige. Pero babangon na tayo ng nine, ha? Para hindi tayo ma-late."

"Then we can take a bath together."

"Ha? Gusto mong sabay tayo maligo?"

Miko nodded. "Yup. To save time, and I could scrub your back and shampoo your hair."

"Ayaw ko nga. Ang sikip kaya sa CR 'pag dalawa tayo do'n."

"Please? Napuyat ako kagabi."

"O, tapos?"

"And I did your reviewer? 'Yon na lang exchange."

"Sige, basta babangon na tayo."

He groaned. "Fine. Then I get to drive you to school."

"Miko," Nika said sternly.

"Gusto kita ihatid sa school mo para 'di ka na mag-commute. Tara na, bangon na tayo."

It didn't take long for them to eat and get ready. Especially when Miko offered to drive her. Marami siyang oras ngayon dahil hindi naman sila pumapasok ni Andy sa office kapag finals week at saktong last day na rin ng exams nila. He gets to rest for a while after this before studying and practicing for their international debate competition in two weeks.

"Sorry ha? 'Di naman ako tamad na estudyante pero magpa-solve ka na sa 'kin ng math problem, 'wag mo lang ako pagbasahin ng mahabang chapter. Inaantok talaga ako," sabi ni Nika habang binabasa ang reviewer na ginawa niya kagabi.

"It's fine. I get it na not everyone likes to read just like not everyone likes solving math problems, too," he said when they pulled over at a drugstore for a while.

"'Di ko naman bet mag-solve. Nasanay lang din siguro ako kaya mas tolerable 'yon sa akin kaysa magbasa ng mahaba."

He smiled, glancing at her. "It's all right. Don't worry about it. Leave the readings to me then I'll leave the math to you."

He noticed the slight creasing on her forehead. "Ha? Ano sinasabi mo?"

"Nothing," he replied.

It was just a thought suddenly knocking on his mind, and he knows its probably too soon for that.

But he thought of their possible combinations. He likes to read a lot and he could easily pick up on things while she's athletic and a problem solver. Both of them rely on logic and their critical thinking abilities when dealing with matters on their own field. He's nonchalant while she's the one who's bold and outgoing and she could easily light up any room she walks into. Their individual traits would blend nicely in the future.

And I hope they all look like her, he thought. It would be really nice if they all take after her.

A little smile crawled on his lips just by thinking about it. He didn't want to entertain the idea too much but he's hoping he could revisit it soon with her.

"Miko, hinto ka saglit do'n sa tabi."

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Nika asked him to pull over at a drugstore.

"Why? Ano bibilhin mo?"

"Pregnancy test."