n a r r a t i v e (exclusive)

part 2

Work is a tiring affair. Between facing his dad, getting reprimanded for slacking off, and doing the duties meant for three to four people, his job has never been more tiresome.

But the thought of seeing her first thing when he comes home gets him through the day, and he diligently made sure to finish every outstanding tasks he has before the shift ends, so he can clock out faster.

Between the meetings and the grueling workload, Kai keeps circling back to the thought of her waiting for him to come home, and his mind would violently stop each time.

It's been years since someone has waited for him like this. Years.

It's not his first relationship but it feels so oddly different being with her that he's surprised even with himself.

He can barely remember how he managed the drive back to Alabang.

What greeted him in the morning is the same view that greets him when he returns. Milly in his white buttoned shirt, a new one. Hair tied up in a messy bun. His apron clinging to the curve of her neck and her shapely figure, long slender legs exposed and only his to feast on.

Milly doesn't notice his return, too engrossed in mixing the flour and baking soda with the spatula, that he has to knock on the cupboards to get her attention.

Startled, she almost jumps, eyes widening, when she whirls to his direction. Kai smiles in amusement at her reaction and makes his way over to her.

There's flour on her face, chaos on his kitchen island, and panic in her eyes, but he's never felt like everything's falling rightly into place like he did at this moment.

"No no no no! You can't be here kagad!" she says as she runs to him and stops his approach.

Kai lifts a curious brow as she pushes him back to the door in haste, obscuring his view of the kitchen.

Chuckling, he grabs her wrists, and takes her into his embrace, effectively stopping her from steering him away.

"Hi," he murmurs against her hair. "I'm home."

She freezes and lets out a defeated sigh before she melts and returns the hug. "Hi, baby."

"What's going on? Why do you look so busy?"

"Bakit 'di ka nag-text?"

"Nagmamadali ako umuwi."

"Why? Dapat nag-text ka."

"Someone asked me to come home early."

"Sana nga nag-text ka."

Kai pulls away and looks at her face. Loose blue strands are falling over her flour-covered face and she looks so agitated and so upset, but he can't figure out why. He brushes her hair back around her ear, wipes the white stain off of her cheek, and presses a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Why? What am I not supposed to see?"

Milly makes a soft frown with her face. "Wala na. I blew the surprise," she says. "Sayang naman."

"What is it?" he presses, getting too curious himself.

Reluctantly, she leads him back to the kitchen, and Kai notices the living room for the first time.

The balloons strewn on the floor. The two party hats on the table. The pinned HAPPY BIRTHDAY on the curtains. The set table filled with cake, spaghetti, chicken, and too many dishes that he's sure they can't finish together.

He was too focused on seeing her that he missed everything earlier. But now he sees it all in plain sight.

Kai turns back to Milly, puzzled.

"Milly..." he starts, unsure of what to say. "What's this? Are we celebrating your birthday?"

"Mine? No, silly. It's yours," she answers but then adds quickly, "Wait, yes, mine nga. I'm eleven now."

That stuns him even more.

A birthday surprise?

For him?

She must have regarded his silence for something else because she elaborates, "Okay, yes, it's for you nga. Coz I hate how I missed yours. So I thought I'd surprise you while I'm waiting."

"I told you to sleep in. When did you have the time to buy these?"

Kai finally takes the time to run his eyes over the kitchen where the baking tools are scattered all around the table where he caught her mid-work.

"I went for a quick grocery run kanina. I spent the entire day learning how to make those dishes. Bought the others, but I made the spag and the chicken and gods, I'm hoping I didn't butcher them. I bought the cake so I'm trying to..." She looks down at the mess on the table and taps the electric beater. "...at least bake vanilla cupcakes for you."

His gaze trails across the bowl of mixture which she was busy stirring earlier, and he takes in a breath.

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

Finally, his eyes return to her. "Why would you do that for me?"

Milly looks confused. "Baby, do I need a reason to celebrate you? I just want to."

Another moment of silence, and then he's unraveling.

You're impossible...

With a sudden movement, he's backing her against the table, lips molding against her as he pulls her close and captures her lips in a deep longing kiss.

He can take her there and then, in the kitchen, just as she wants. Give to her as much as she's giving to him. This flimsy shirt she's wearing will be so easy to rip off if she'll just—

But Milly stops his advances and pushes him away with her arms, careful not to soil his clothes with her flour-covered hands.

"Babe, I'm sure you want to and we can, later. But let me finish this, please. I don't have a gift. Ito lang. And one other, so please. Later na lang?"

"You gave me one a long time ago. I'm still wearing your watch. I don't need another gift," he murmurs and tries to chase her lips again.

Milly tilts her face away, chuckling. His lips land on her neck instead. She instinctively reacts at the sensation when he suckles her skin but she pushes him again.

"That doesn't count. Now, can you please be a good boy and pretend you didn't see these? Magbihis ka muna. Take a nap. Get busy. Read a book... or I dunno, do something else. Tawagin na lang kita when it's your time to be surprised. Okay? Please?"

When she looks at him with those eyes, how could he ever deny her of anything?

"Magbibihis ako. Pero 'di ba pwedeng tulungan kita?"

"'Di pwede. The birthday boy needs to rest."

"I can't watch?"

"Depends. Can you promise to keep your hands off?"

His eyes drop to the hem of his shirt where her thighs are dangerously exposed to his view.

No, he can't.

And Milly knows it.

She grins before he can respond. "Thought so. Go inside. I'll call you in a bit."

When he takes his sweet time to oblige, Milly blows out another deep breath and steers him to his room herself.

Kai begins to chuckle.

"Get dressed. Get comfortable. Get some rest. But don't come out unless I call you. Okay?"

"Alright, baby," he ends up saying before he can catch himself.

Milly stops short and he can hear how her breath hitches at the endearment. But if she dwelled on it, it doesn't show because she scurries back to kitchen even before the door closes on his face.

Kai doesn't really want to stay apart a second longer, but seeing the amount of effort she's already exerted just to pull this off, he relents with a sigh.

After showering, he dresses down and agonizingly counts the seconds until he's allowed to go out. This business book, his phone, and his side work can't hold his attention long enough to keep his mind away from outside.

But he waits for her go signal quietly, with increasing anticipation.

He nearly jogs his way out when she finally calls for him.

The cookies and cupcakes are done when he rejoins her at the kitchen. They're laid neatly on the island table just as everything else has been cleaned and filed back to their proper place.

"You're done?" he asks, walking closer.

"Almost. Just decorating this. You can sit na," Milly's saying as she holds a piping bag over a vanilla cupcake. "Thinking of adding eleven here as the design kahit simple lang. What's your favorite number, by the way?"

Kai watches quietly as she squeezes the dark blue icing out and decorates the cupcake with careful precision. She smiles when the number 11 comes out perfectly.

"I don't really have any. One siguro."

She laughs. "One talaga?"

"Wala naman kasi akong particular na gusto. Until I learned your birthday, that is."

Milly sends him a playful look.

"Yie. Galing na magpakilig ha. Sanay na sanay na."

He smirks. Of course. One of her influences on him. "What's yours?"

She looks up, contemplative. "Hm. Mine's four. Aside from that's Maestra and Lolo's anniversary, that's the lucky number I had on my first recital when I was a kid. I was number four."

"Then do four instead."

"Ang layo naman yata n'on sa celebration tonight," she answers and then she falls into thoughtful silence. She picks up another cupcake and adds another 11 on the surface. "Will you tell me if I ask? Why eleven is unlucky for you?"

Kai pauses for a second. "It's a reminder."

"Of?"

Another pause. "My dad."

"Is it okay to ask why?"

Kai tucks another loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll tell you. I promise. But not right now."

Milly grows quiet again, looking down at the two cupcakes. "Is it a bad memory? Should I throw these na lang?"

He smiles at the thoughtfulness.

"You're eleven now, aren't you? Keep it."

"Sure? I can change to seventeen na lang."

"You can keep it. It's not something that affects me anymore," he reassures. "Bakit seventeen?"

"That is the day we met," she says and quotes him with a laugh,"when you told me 'You're not even anything special.'"

He remembers and immediately frowns at the reminder of his mistake.

Milly notices his change of mood and stops piping the remaining cupcakes. With a finger, she smears the icing on his lips instead.

"I didn't say that to make you feel bad, babe. It's a fond memory now. Come here," she says, and then she's pulling him down to kiss the icing off of his mouth. His arms automatically lock her close to his chest in reflex, but the moment's immediately over as she leans away to catch his gaze.

"I was wrong to say that. You know that, don't you?" Kai murmurs. "You are special."

"I knew you were wrong, of course. I know my worth naman," Milly answers with a laugh. "But it feels good na rin coz look, you're singing me praises now. You apologized and made up for it. Plot twist of the century."

"You have quite the penchant for proving me wrong," he acquiesces and tries to lean in again.

But Milly laughs and steps out of his hold. "Not yet, babe. Off with you. Umupo ka na muna ro'n. I'll finish the cupcakes na before you can lure me to bed pa."

Hell. How the tables have turned.

Kai smirks.

"Do you really want me to stop?" he manages to tease. "Don't you love plays like this? I can put this on you." He gestures to the icing.

Her grin widens.

"No. Yes. Okay, stop," she says, laughing again. "Stop distracting me. We can't. Lalamig pagkain. Sayang effort ko."

She has a point, so with a chuckle, he concedes again.

"Alright. Hurry up so we can continue. Why did you even decide to start a party so suddenly?"

"I'm making up for that birthday I missed. Why ba? You've been staring at me since this morning. Do I look sexy in your kitchen like this?"

Bullseye.

His eyes rake over her tied-up bun. And the loose strands falling over her neck. Down to the low neckline of the shirt she's wearing.

She has the nerve to ask?

If anything, it almost looks like she planned this.

She knows exactly where and how to hit him.

"Now you're just undressing me," Milly says, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Alam mo, babe. For the first time, it's nice to feel na I'm not the rabid one. I'd be happy to indulge you any other day but not tonight. Maghintay ka."

"You're torturing me. I've been waiting to see you for more than nine hours. 'Di pa ba sapat 'yon?"

"Nope, wait some more. I waited months for you, you know?" She pushes a cupcake to his direction. "Here na lang. I know you don't like sweets, but why don't you help me finish na lang?"

His attention skips the cupcake and falls to her low neckline as a joke. "Finish, how?"

"Not that! Yung cupcakes. Get the other piping bag. Do it like this. Swirls lang."

Kai chuckles. "Fine. Nang mapabilis ka."

When they settle into comfortable silence after, and Milly's done putting the cupcakes to the cardboard stand, she turns her undivided attention back to him again.

"Baby?" she calls out in a featherlike voice. "About eleven. Will you really tell me one day?"

Kai sees the curiosity and concern beneath her eyes and remembers his own. "Can I do the same thing then? Can I ask you questions too?"

"There are still things you wanna know about me? You know everything by now."

"Not all. I still have plenty I want to understand about you."

Milly hums. "Hmm, okay. You can ask. I'll tell you if I can answer or not."

"You won't run away from me if I do? Promise me you won't."

"Only if you promise the same thing. We can be honest if we're not ready to share. Walang pilitan. But the things that we can, why not? I do wanna know more about you too. So, promise?"

She lifts her pinky finger to him. Kai takes her hand and kisses the back of her hand where her ring is instead.

"Promise."

"Since we're done, how about I indulge you a bit, hm? Just one kiss?" she says, looping her arms around his neck.

"Just one?"

"Just one."

Not enough, but it will do. Kai takes off the ribbon keeping her hair tied in place and lets it drape across her back. Slowly, he leans down again.

And this time, Milly smiles, leaning up to meet him halfway.


part 3

"Why do you keep wearing my clothes?" Kai asks after dinner when they're on the couch, sitting side by side, face to face, her legs placed above his.

Milly looks down, fixes her collar, and smoothens the crease on her shirt. "I like having your scent close to me. Plus, I think I affect you more like this. Do you know how you look at me everytime I wear your clothes? It's insane."

Kai ignores the teasing quip because she's right. He won't bother denying that.

"Have you ever done this before?"

"Wear other men's clothes? No, not really. I never really stuck around long enough to wear their clothes. How could I? You're the only one who gave us a love nest. The rest were all quick fucks in their condo or hotel. I left as soon as it was done," she answers. "Siguro aside from Ollie's clothes, which I stole just to tease him... yours are the only clothes I like wearing. Besides, your scent's one of a kind. Never liked anyone else's scent, aside from you. You know that."

Kai nods, absorbing what she said. He knew that. She said that before too.

He's in the middle of refilling her glass wine when Milly suddenly claps.

"Oh, shoot. I almost forgot. Wait, babe. I have a gift pala."

In a hurry, she disappears to his room, only to come out minutes later with her shoulder bag.

She sits down next to him and rifles through her things. "I don't have time to buy you anything since this is sudden nga. But I have this special thing that I always take with me. I don't wear it anymore coz I'm scared to lose it but I trust you. I know you will take care of this. I just know it's the perfect gift."

Milly pulls out a black box and opens it to reveal a tear-shaped blue stone pendant in a white gold chain necklace.

"This is a vintage aquamarine. Maestra gave this to me after my first solo concert. It's been my source of strength since, and now, it's yours."

His heart almost stops.

"What?" he says, stunned.

She's giving what?

"I said I'm giving it to you." She reaches forward to fasten the necklace around his neck, but he stops her wrists.

"Milly. You can't give me something as important as this."

"Why not?"

"This belongs to someone important to you."

"And I'm giving it to someone equally important. Maestra won't mind. In fact, this came from Lolo. It's one of his wedding gifts to her. Maestra distributed them to us with the sole instruction that we also give them to the people that we lo"—she pauses and breathes in—"to the people that we care about. And that's you. Ayaw mo ba?"

He notices the slip of the tongue and pretends he didn't.

He can't.

He'll push her away.

He reminds himself.

Kai pins his focus on the necklace instead.

"'Di naman sa ayaw ko. Pero sigurado ka ba? Baka pagsisihan mo. I don't think I deserve to get this from you."

"All relationships are a risk and a gamble, Lolo told me before. So I guess that's a gamble I'm willing to take, and you, of all people, are the only one I can think of that I can give this to. Ayaw mo ba talaga? This is my heart, Kai. I'm giving it to you."

He takes a breath and meets her gaze. She's deadly serious. And sincere. The steel resolve both lifts and worsens the storm of emotions he's feeling, and he lets out another breath in submission. He can never win.

Milly smiles in triumph when he lets go of her wrists. The aquamarine pendant hovers just below his collarbone after she secured it around his neck, and her smile widens even more when she notes how good it looked on him.

"There. Now you're sealed. As mine," she says. "It's 11:11, baby. Make a wish."

His heart roars like claps of thunders against his ribcage in response.

To have something so important to her... fucking hell.

He doesn't know what to think about them anymore.

Milly keeps saying she can't commit to anything more... to anything long-lasting... and yet...

Kai closes his eyes and accepts his fate.

He's gone too deep, way too deep to save himself now. It's all or nothing.

I want you.

The aquamarine pendant cascades down to her chest when he pushes her down and covers her body with his own.

It lands flat on her skin, bright and majestic, when he leans down and nips the shell of her ear.

"I think you're asking too much from me," he whispers, and Milly shivers.

Because he can't.

He can't stop himself from falling in love with her anymore.

In fact, he thinks he's fallen way before he knew he did.

If he gets burned in the process, he doesn't care anymore.

It's all or nothing.

And he's going all in.

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