#NewClassicNRO

Chapter 19
Kiss

As we were driving through walls of bamboo shoots, I got lost in the beauty of nature. I continuously took photos and video clips on our way to the hotel and resort where we would stay for our overnight trip in Tagaytay.

Not long after, we reached the hotel which resembled a contemporary mansion with a tropical feel because of the palm trees planted for their landscape.

Once Jirro parked the car in the parking area, I unbuckled my seat belt and went out of the car quickly. I could smell the dew and vegetation as the chill breeze of Tagaytay greeted me. A smile automatically touched my lips. It was nice to be away from the scorching weather down in the Metro. I suddenly felt refreshed.

Nang makuha ni Jirro ang aming mga gamit sa back seat, lumapit siya sa akin upang hawakan ang aking kamay. I let him led me to the hotel. We just stopped for a bit at the circular driveway. On the center of it, there was a modernized fountain which caught my attention.

I asked Jirro to take a picture of me. Of course, I also forced him to take a solo picture. He wouldn't look straight at the camera though. Mabuti na lang at no'ng nagselfie kami ay nakatingin na siya sa lens at nakangiti.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am, Sir!" A female staff suddenly approached us while we were taking pictures. "Would like me to take a photo of you two?"

Agad akong pumayag at hinablot mula kay Jirro ang camera para ibigay sa staff. Pagkatapos ay muli akong tumakbo pabalik sa kanya. He immediately held me on my waist as I reached him.

"Ngumiti ka ah!" bilin ko sa kanya bago lumingon sa harap.

I heard Jirro chuckled before he pulled me even closer. Once he was satisfied, he let go of my waist then rested his arm on my shoulders. He lowered his head and upper body to somehow level his face with mine. Hindi ko na nga lang siya masyadong pinansin dahil nagsimula nang magbilang ang staff.

The staff took three shots of us. Afterwards, she entertained Jirro and asked about our reservation. Habang iginagaya niya kami papasok sa lobby ay tinitingnan ko ang mga pictures namin ni Jirro.

I bit my lower lip, trying to stop myself from smiling like an idiot when I saw the pictures. Instead of looking at the camera, Jirro was looking at me with a sweet and gentle smile on his face. His gentle eyes lingered on me.

It was a mystery how I didn't melt from his warm gaze.

"Newlyweds ba kayo?" Dinig kong tanong ng staff kay Jirro na siyang kumuha ng aking atensyon.

I brought my camera down to look at them. Kasunod nila ako sa paglalakad kaya hindi ko makita ang reaksyon ni Jirro. On the other hand, even though I couldn't see my own face, I knew I was blushing hard because of how hot my cheeks felt.

Jirro chuckled. "Hopefully, in the near future..."

I couldn't keep myself from smiling when he replied those words, indirectly implying that he wanted us to get married one day. I only hoped that he really meant those words because I would also love to see that day come.

Back then, I used to block thoughts about spending the rest of my existence in this world with him. However, as we proudly reached four years of being in a relationship, my mind started inviting thoughts like tying the knot and building a family with Jirro. I guessed I couldn't avoid that since we weren't getting any younger. I was turning twenty-one already.

But to be honest, I had no plans of getting married early. I wanted to be financially stable first, so I needed to have enough savings and a stable job. Kung papalarin, the earliest age I could see myself getting married was around twenty-eight.

"Kung magpapakasal kayo ay may magandang chapel sa labas ng Tagaytay pero medyo malapit naman," the female staff was very friendly that she even gave us suggestions. Siguro ay akala niya'y nasa tamang edad na kami ni Jirro para magpakasal. But I kind of somehow knew that she was eager to please us because Jirro seemed very interested and entertained.

"Talaga po? Saan?" Si Jirro ay walang tigil sa pagsagot.

"Sa may Caylaway lang. Halos isang oras din ang biyahe mula rito."

"Ano po ang pangalan ng simbahan?"

"Sa Caleruega Church. Iyong chapel doon. Nalimot ko na ang pangalan."

Jirro nodded his head. "I think I've heard of that already," he said and smiled at the staff. "We'll check it po. Thank you."

Bahagyang nanlaki ang aking mga mata dahil sa mga sinasabi ni Jirro. Mukha namang hindi siya nagbibiro. He seemed really interested about checking out the church.

Nang makarating kami sa reception ay iniwan na kami ng mabait na staff ng hotel. The receptionist was the one who assisted us with our booking. Dalawang suite ang binook ni Jirro para sa aming dalawa. It was one of my father's condition that I should have a room of my own. Ang sabi niya pa nga no'n kay Jirro ay kahit siya pa ang magbayad basta hindi kami magkasama sa isang kuwarto.

My father was very conservative, and Jirro respected that. Ang sabi niya pa ay plano niya naman talaga 'yon. He also knew that it wasn't the right time yet to spend the night together.

"Magbibihis ka pa ba?" tanong sa akin ni Jirro habang papunta kami sa kanya-kanyang suite na nasa kabilang building pa.

Jirro didn't tell me what he planned for our day. However, he vaguely said that we would be going out after we checked in and settled our things inside our suite.

I unconsciously looked down to remind myself of my current outfit. It was a floral white skater dress topped with denim jacket. Tamang-tama lang ang suot ko sa klima rito sa Tagaytay.

"Hindi na siguro," sagot ko.

He nodded. "I'll wait for you outside your room after ten minutes."

Naghiwalay rin kami ni Jirro para pumasok sa aming sari-sariling suite pagkatapos ng aming pagkakasunduan.

My lips parted the moment I entered the suite. It wasn't just a room. It was like an apartment. It even has a separate living area from the bedroom. I unconsciously did some Math inside my head to estimate how much a night costed for the suite. Napatigil nga lang ako nang hawiin ko ang kurtina sa bedroom.

I was left speechless when I saw the spectacular view of nature. I immediately went out to the veranda and held on to the railings as I took in the scenery.

The relaxing view cleared my mind from my worries. The waters of the swimming pool were sparkling due to the rays of the sun reflecting on its surface. It was as clear and blue as the endless sky above. I suddenly had the urge to take a dip, but I felt like swimming wasn't a part of our itinerary that day.

Hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko sa muling pagkuha ng litrato sa nakakamanghang tanawin mula sa aking suite. Instead of organizing my things and touching up, I spent my time just admiring the surrounding. I couldn't tell if I wasted time though because I enjoyed sightseeing from the veranda. I felt like I had already seen enough.

I wanted to stay more and just sit on the outdoor chair while indulging myself with a breathtaking view, but I had to leave my place to see my boyfriend out of the suite. Nagmadali na lang ako sa paghihilamos ng aking mukha. I just put a bit of pressed powder and tint to give life on my face. Hinayaan ko na ring nakalugay ang aking buhok at sinuklay na lang ito gamit ang aking mga daliri habang palabas.

Jirro was already waiting for me outside when I got out. He didn't question why I took more time. He just asked me if I forgot something and then we were off to go.

As much as possible, Jirro avoided taking me to crowded places. He told me that he wanted to have a peaceful trip with me. We went to a private owned museum. And since I was a big fan of art, I had so much fun having discussions with Jirro about different art pieces displayed at the museum. Nagtagal din kami sa rooftop ng building dahil kitang-kita roon ang Taal Lake at Taal Volcano.

After a while, Jirro and I decided to eat early dinner at Bag of Beans in Twin Lakes. Habang kumakain ay sinabi ko kay Jirro ang kagustuhan kong lumangoy sa pool. He assured me that we would do that the next morning. May nakabook din na spa session para sa akin.

It was his birthday, but I was the one being pampered the most. However, he just couldn't seem to stop himself from doing and giving everything for me. I could see it in his eyes that it was his own kind of enjoyment.

It was dark by the time we had finished eating dinner. I thought we would go back to our accommodation already, but Jirro took a different direction.

Though I trusted his plans, nilingon ko siya. "May pupuntahan pa tayo?"

"Yup," he answered and a meaningful smile made its appearance on his lips.

"Saan?"

He gave me a quick glance. "Caleruega Church."

My lips went apart. I recalled his conversation with the hotel staff. That was the church she recommended that we should take a look at. I never thought that Jirro was really serious about it.

Like always, every time he successfully caught me off guard, he chuckled then claimed my hand and gave it a quick kiss.

Hindi ko pa masyadong napo-proseso ang lahat ngunit agad na kaming nakarating sa Caleruega. Medyo malapit lang 'yon sa Twin Lakes kaya hindi naging matagal ang biyahe.

We paid a cheap entrance fee before we entered the vicinity. Agad kaming bumaba sa sasakyan. I had no idea how the place looks during the day, but it's very magical at night. It's like the whole place is sparkling with all the lights or lanterns hanging on the trees. It made me feel like it was already Christmas season, though it was still far away.

Since we didn't want to be disrespectful, we stayed a bit in front of the main church and said our own prayers. And after that, we headed to the Transfiguration Chapel which is known to be one of the most popular venues to hold a wedding in Tagaytay.

Mayroong hagdanan paakyat sa may chapel. Jirro never let go of my hand as we went up. As the moon had taken its place on the dark sky along with the stars, the night got colder. But with Jirro's warmth from his hand, I still felt comfortable. The cold didn't bother me.

The chapel was a bit small, a good venue for a wedding with only a few guests. It was closed so we couldn't take a look inside but the rustic exterior of the chapel, being lit up by spotlights, was enough to put me in awe.

"You seem to like it."

I turned to Jirro when he whispered his comment. He was looking at me with a warm smile which could fight off the cold night.

"Maganda nga..." nahihiya kong sabi.

He smiled broadly then averted his eyes to the chapel. "You think you can see us saying our vows here someday?"

Jirro's sincerity brought heat to my eyes as it was starting to form tears. I knew I should be feeling very happy, but I didn't know why it felt like my heart was being clenched by a fist. I didn't know why it was hurting.

I guess too much happiness can really hurt sometimes.

"J-Jirro..." My lips quivered as I spoke his name.

There was a flash of gold in Jirro's eyes as he turned to me again. I could see the same emotion in his face that I knew mirrored mine.

A shadow fell over me, when he took a step closer. He blocked all the lights but he was still shining bright in front of me. All my attention was all on him. I didn't dare try to look away. I couldn't.

"Since you became my woman, I always wish for the day to come when I'll be waiting for you at the altar," he told me without hesitation. "And now that it's my birthday, I still wish for that to come true."

My chest tightened. I was so immersed in his eyes, filled with sincerity and devotion. I already knew before that he's in love with me. But it felt different. It felt deeper. It felt stronger. His love is like a tropical depression which intensified and became a super typhoon. I could feel my heart getting swayed by the strong wind. He was pouring his love to me like a heavy rain.

"I know you still have dreams to reach and goals to achieve," he told me. "But I hope, once you're ready, I'll be the first one who comes into your mind, as the person you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Kinagat ko ang aking ibabang labi, pero hindi ko napigilan ang pagbagsak ng aking luha. I saw Jirro slightly became troubled because of my tears.

"Why are you crying?" he asked me, sounding so concerned and worried. "I'm sorry. Nabigla ba kita?"

Umiling ako at mas lalong bumuhos ang aking luha. Bahagya akong tumingkayad para yakapin siya nang mahigpit. Ibinaon ko ang aking mukha sa kanyang balikat.

"I love you, Jirro..." I whispered those three words sincerely, but I knew it wasn't enough to express how much I do.

Even if he was a bit flustered, he relaxed then held my waist. "You know I'm also very much in love with you, Cloétte..."

I nodded fiercely. Alam na alam ko. Damang-damang ko. Hindi na niya kailangan pang sabihin 'yon.

Unti-unting lumayo sa akin si Jirro. Sinubukan niyang silipin ang mukha ko, ngunit mabilis akong umiwas ng tingin.

"Huwag mo akong tingnan..." nahihiya kong sabi.

He chuckled huskily. "And why not?"

"Pangit ako kapag umiiyak," sabi ko.

"Who told you that?" he asked. "You look very cute to me."

I frowned and pouted my lips as I glared at him. But my gaze immediately softened when I saw him teary-eyed.

"You are never ugly, Cloe," he assured me. "You don't know how beautiful you are to me."

Jirro wore a smile that I had never seen before. He lifted his hand and reached my cheek. He wiped the tears away using his thumb until it began tracing my lips.

Slowly, I saw him leaning forward. Knowing what would come next, my pulse raced fast as my heart started beating crazily. When he was only a few centimeters away, I gently closed my eyes, anticipating something that would make the night even special and magical.

It wasn't long after when his lips landed on mine. It was like my heart stopped beating for a moment, but Jirro didn't give me a chance to recover from our first kiss. I could feel the curve of his lips once it started moving to deepen the kiss. I was enveloped with heat, making me feel like I was getting closer to the sun even when it was night time.

But Jirro pulled himself hastily when I tried responding to his kisses. I immediately felt lonely. I wanted more. I was embarrassed that I was feeling so hot because of pleasure while we were inside a religious site, especially in front of the chapel.

"We should stop before I get any thoughts that I shouldn't be thinking of..." he whispered and held my hand. "Let's go back to the hotel now. I think we will be swimming tonight. I need to cool down."

Wala nang ibang sinabi si Jirro at iginaya niya na ako pababa habang hawak-hawak pa rin ang aking kamay.

"Babalik na talaga tayo?"

"Yes."

"Hindi natin itutuloy ang―"

"Shut up, Cloe. Don't make things harder for me." Though his words seemed harsh, his voice was quiet and tender.

Gusto ko lang naman na ituloy namin ang pag-iikot sa lugar upang magpalamig, ngunit iba ang nasa isipan ni Jirro. Natawa na lamang ako bandang huli at hinayaan siyang hatakin ako pabalik sa kanyang sasakyan.