Pumasok na kami ni Jhon Rey sa kotse niya at nagsimula na siyang magmaneho. It's been a while since I last saw him, but my feelings have never changed. I still adore him just as much as I did the first time I saw him, or maybe it deepens now because of all the things that have happened to the both of us.

"Am I that handsome?"tanong niya. Tumango ako na siyang naging dahilan ng mahina niyang pagtawa. Ang sabi niya sa akin, ihahatid niya raw ako sa bahay. Hindi na ako magpoprotesta na tinatanggalan niya talaga ng trabaho si Derrick. 

"Oo nga pala, inimbitahan tayo ni Anne sa birthday party niya pagkatapos ng exam namin. Sama ka?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Sure ka? Walang mababangga sa schedule mo?" paninigurado ko. I want him to be there too, along with me. He's so busy with his job, and I think he also needs time to unwind.

"I'm sure I'll see you there. When will your exam be, baby?"

I bit my lip when he called me that. "This Friday," sagot ko.

"Oh, really? It's right around the corner! Well, it doesn't matter; I know you can do it, baby. You'll be a licensed teacher now. I'm so proud of you."

Shit. That endearment is so lame, but why does it sound so soothing when it is coming from him?

"Ikaw rin, Jhon Rey; you're now a businessman. I mean, finally! I don't know if you're aware, but your eyes spark whenever you're talking about the company. I am proud because you were the reason our company is fixed, and it looks like you also did that to your family's company. Hindi ko man alam at maintindihan ang trabaho mo, pero alam ko kung gaano ka kagaling. It was as if you were the ace in overcoming all business crises," I complimented.

Ngumiti naman siya ng ubod ng tamis tsaka sumulyap sa akin. "Honestly, I'm planning to continue merging our companies soon since I will be the only one handling them. Your dad agreed with my idea, and I know my father will have no choice but to compensate for what he did before and also to avoid bankruptcy, just like Junix suggested. Each company has its own beneficial sources that will be needed to speed up the construction of the biggest arena here in our country, so merging is very necessary. As of now, your dad has already obtained the desired location and has already started the orientation process with the engineers. It will also provide a great deal of job opportunities, which is why I'm excited. It'll be a two- to three-year project since it's big, so it's better if it can be forecasted well how to maintain the project."

My jaw dropped. Napanganga na lang ako sa paraan niya ng pagpapaliwanag sa akin ng plano nila. Kahit wala akong background sa business, pakiramdam ko lumawak ang kaalaman ko sa pakikinig lamang sa mga sinasabi niya. Nakikita ko na at naiintindihan kung bakit ipinauubaya na ni Dad as kaniya ang kumpanya ng pamilya namin. Tunay na mapagkakatiwalaan si Jhon Rey at napaka-dedicated, bagay na hindi ko inakala noong unang makilala ko siya.

Tuwang-tuwa ang puso ko. Everything is in its perfect place now. Lalo pa ngayong alam ko nang magiging talto na kami at sapat na sa akin na narito silang dalawa. Wala na akong mahihiling pa. Tila ba nasa akin na lahat ng bagay sa mundo. 

"I'm proud of you, Jhon Rey."

I kissed the hand that was holding me. I saw him smile and glance at me.

"What is it? You're being clingy," komento niya.

"Wala. Napakagwapo mo lang talaga sa paningin ko. The way you talk, the way you look at me... everything that you do mesmerizes me." Namula naman siya.

"What is it that you want right now, Sheen May?" he protests.

"Nothing. I just want to say that I love you and I will never regret loving you."

"Tsk. I love you too, my baby." Hinalikan niya rin ang kamay ko. "Want to go somewhere else?" he offered.

"Saan? Aren't you going back to work after you drive me home?"

"Let me ditch it this time since I've been busy there. I want to make the most of this time now that we're together," he responded.

He took me to a high hill far from our residence. And I was really surprised when I got out of the car. I saw the city lights flickering like stars.

That's when I realized it was six o'clock in the evening and the darkness had just begun to consume the light. This scene is very romantic.

"How was it?" He inquired while grabbing my waist.

"Nakakaubos ng hininga, Jhon Rey. Napakaganda. Hindi ko alam na may ganitong lugar. And I never thought that those simple lights from the houses and buildings would create beautiful scenery when you look at it from afar."

"Truly a breather, right?"

Tumango ako bilang pagsang-ayon. "A breather indeed," I said as I inhaled and exhaled the fresh air.

"Every now and then, let's try to visit beautiful places together. I like it when I get to see scenery like this with you." He back-hugged me as we continued watching the city in front of us, na para bang pagmamay-ari namin ang mga iyon kung pagmasdan namin. "Remember the sunset at our residence when we watched it together at that time? It's a memory to me since you're also there."

That was the moment when he told me that he loved me before I found out that our marriage was fake.

"Right, I also love to be in beautiful places like these with you," I uttered.

"Wait, didn't you tell me that you've got a lot of things you've never tried? Let's try to do all of that. What about going on a hike? Do you want to go hiking with me? Para makita natin ang mga ganito kagandang lugar mula sa itaas."

Napangiti akong lalo. "Sure, my love. Gusto kong kasama ka sa itaas at panoorin ang mga ganito kagandang tanawin. Alam mo, gusto ko nga ring mag-paragliding? Gusto mo ba 'yon?"

"Really? Oo naman basta kasama kita. Gusto mo, mag-skydiving din tayo para makita natin ang ganda ng mundo mula sa itaas."

"Eh di pumunta tayo sa outerspace?" biro ko na nagpatawa sa aming dalawa. 

Our conversation that night was filled with dreams. The breeze was cold, so he gave me a tight hug as we stared at the lights that were constantly glowing. In the same way that the constellations in the night sky and the brilliant moon are living witnesses to the love we share.

***

Dumating na ang araw ng Biyernes at halos manginig sa kaba ang puso ko. Jhon Rey made the decision to drive me to the testing facility where many recent college graduates will be taking the LPT examination.

Hinalikan niya ang noo ko tsaka siya bumulong, "You can do it, my love," pagpapalakas pa niya ng loob ko. "I believe in you. Just relax. Imagine yourself sitting for a test at school. You can ace it! Alam nating kung hindi ako dumating sa buhay mo ay magiging summa cum laude ka."

"Tsk. Masaya nga ako na dumating kas kasi kung hindi, sino na lang ang magchi-cheer up as akin ngayon kung wala ka?"

Napatango-tango na lang siya habang pinipisil ang balikat ko. "Sabagay. May punto ka. Sige na, male-late ka na sa exam mo. Susunduin na lang kita mamaya para sabay na tayong pumunta sa part ng best friend mo."

I nodded. "Alright. Alright. See you."

Hinalikan ko nang mabilis ang dalawang pisngi niya. "I love you."

"I love you too!"

Nagpaalam na ako bago tuluyang pumasok sa room ko. Magkaiba kami ng room ni Anne pero napagkasunduan naming magkita na lang at mag-usap pagkatapos. 

It's nerve-wracking, but I have to pass this exam because, apart from wanting my parents and Jhon Rey to be proud, I also want Joshen in my womb to be proud of me.

I'm sitting in my seat, calming myself as I close my eyes. "Joshen, I'll make you proud of your mom," I said before continuing to answer the exams.

Limang oras ang tinagal ng exam namin. Due to the fact that we are testing for secondary, we are required to take three distinct examination sets, one of which is general education, then professional education, and also a test in our respective majors. In order to pass this test, we need to earn a weighted average of 75% or higher.

There's a lot to take in, but I am positive and certain that I will be able to do well on this exam.  I've been trained by our dean and professors, and I never once cheated on an exam or copied someone else's work whenever we had an examination in my four-year course at our university. Well, tama si Jhon Rey; kailangan ko lang maniwala sa sarili ko. Makakapasa ako, katulad ng sinabi niya.

Kapwa kami nakahinga nang maluwag nang matapos na ang digmaan ng dugo at utak. Isa-isa kaming tumayo mula sa upuan namin. Kung kanina ay napakatahimik ng buong lugar, ngayon naman ay parang nakawala ang lahat sa koral nang makalabas ng examination room.

Tapos na. Tapos na ang lahat.