Song: Una't Huling Pag-Ibig- Yeng Constantino 

Promise

I can seriously feel my hands shaking terribly as I was approaching the garden where Zach and I's wedding is going to take place.

Nung sinabihan ako nung organizer na oras na para magtungo ako sa garden ay doon ko naramdaman ang labis na kaba. I know I shouldn't be nervous because I'm only going to face few people. Hindi naman kasi marami ang inimbita namin.

We've invited few close friends and relatives on our wedding. Sinabi ko na rin kasi kay Zach na ayoko ng masyadong magarbo. Gusto ko iyong simple lang pero nandoon naman ang lahat ng importanteng tao sa buhay namin.

I stopped in front of the floral arch. I took a deep breath. Inangat ko ang aking tingin at agad naman akong namangha sa ginawa nilang set-up.

Everyone stood up from their seats. Lahat sila ay ibinaling ang tingin sa akin. Out of all the people in front of me right now, iisa lang ang gustong makita ng mga mata ko. My eyes automatically darted towards him.

Ang magkausap na si Zach at Ian ay agad na natigil nang mapansin na nagsitayuan na ang mga tao. Ian pats his best friend on his shoulder then he pointed at me. Mabilis na lumingon sa gawi ko si Zach.

Unti-unti akong napangiti nang makita ang pagkamangha sa kanyang mukha. I wiggled my brows at him. Natawa naman siya at napahawak sa labi hanggang nakatingin sa akin.

Our wedding song started to play. No one's going to walk me down the aisle today. Well, Tito Patrick and Tita Carmel offered but I insisted. Maybe I'm just going to imagine that my parents are walking me down the aisle. I'm pretty sure they're watching from above.

Look, Dad, Zach did not let you down. He kept his promise to you. I hope you're happy seeing me get married to the man you wanted me to end up with.

And, Mom, even though we weren't able to spend time together... I can feel that deep within my heart, you are very happy for me.

Nagsimula akong maglakad. My eyes went to our guests. Lahat sila ay nakangiti sa akin. Namilog naman ang mga mata ko nang makita ko si Laura na katabi ni Ryan. She's here?!

Mas lumaki ang ngiti ko. Kumaway ako sakanya at ganoon rin ang ginawa niya.

Sunod naman nagawi ang tingin ko sa pwesto ni Alisha at Xander. Alisha is one of my bridesmaid. I'm glad that they could make it on my wedding day. Balita ko kasi pabalik na sila sa New York.

I smiled at the both of them. Xander smirked.

"You look beautiful." he mouthed. I chuckled lightly.

I never would have imagined that my ex-boyfriend will attend my wedding day. Pero masaya parin ako na kahit may pinagsamahan kami dati, sa huli, naging magkaibigan parin kami.

Now my eyes went back to the man I'm getting married to today. Kitang-kita ko sa mukha niya ang pagpipigil ng luha. I saw Ian whispering something to him. Baka ineencourage na ilabas na ang luha.

I couldn't blame him though. He cried a lot while watching his wife walk down the aisle. Maybe he wanted his best friend to do the same.

But Zach already mastered the art of not showing his emotions that much. Madalang ko nga lang 'to ulit makitang umiyak, e.

Nang papalapit na ako sa pwesto niya ay umayos siya ng tayo. Sinalubong ko si Tita Carmel at Tito Patrick (or should I call them Mama and Papa now?) na ngiting-ngiti sa akin.

"So beautiful, Sam..." ani Tita Carmel.

"Thank you, po..."

"He's now waiting for you. Kanina pa 'yan excited na makita ka." si Tito Patrick. Tumawa naman ako at hinarap muli si Zach na mukhang hindi na nga talaga makapaghintay.

Nilagpasan ko ang mga magulang niya at tsaka tuluyang lumapit sakanya. He reaches out his hand to me. I cheekily smiled at him before I accept his hand.

"You look breathtaking." he whispered. Naramdaman ko naman ang pag-init ng pisngi ko nang dahil doon.

"Well, you look dapper." bawi ko.

He kissed the back of my hand. Habang hinahalikan niya iyon ay nanatiling nakatingin ang mga mata niya sa akin. His eyes tells me that he has a lot of things to say.

I'm just going to wait patiently for his vow, I guess?

Iginiya niya ako sa altar, sa harap ng pari. Walang anu-ano pa'y nagsimula na ang kasal.

The ceremony went on. Zach didn't let go of my hand while the wedding is on-going. Pahigpit ng pahigpit habang nalalapit na ang pagsasabi namin ng pangako namin sa isa't isa.

"Zach and Sam, please join hands, look at one another and remember this moment in time." The officiator said.

Hindi na kinailangan pa ni Zach kunin ang kamay ko dahil kanina pa siya nakahawak dito. I smiled a little. Kinuha ni Zach and singsing. The officiator turns to Zach first.

"Do you, Zachary Dela Merced, take Samantha Enriquez to be your wife and other half, to take care of her and cherish your relationship? To love her today, tomorrow, and forever? To always be open, honest and faithful to her. Do you take her to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto her for as long as you both shall live?"

Zach stared into my eyes deeply before he answers. "I do."

Ngumiti akong muli. This is probably the longest time I've ever smiled in my whole life! Pagkagising ko palang ata kanina ay nakangiti na ako.

"I love you..." Zach whispered. Then he finally inserted our wedding ring on my finger. It looks so beautiful.

"I love you." I replied.

Then the officiator turns to me.

"Do you, Samantha Enriquez, take Zachary Dela Merced to be your husband and other half, to take care of him and cherish your relationship? To love him today, tomorrow, and forever? To laways be open, honest and faither to him. Do you take him to be your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, keeping yourself unto him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." I answered with no hesitation. Zach smiled.

I saw him bit his lip while he watches me insert our wedding ring on his ring finger. Pinigilan niya ang sarili na mapangiti muli.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride!"

Naghiyawan ang mga bisita. Syempre ang mga nauna doon ay sila Ryan, Tony, at Ian. Tumawa kaming dalawa ni Zach. Nilingon muli namin ang isa't isa.

I look at him with so much love and passion. The guy who chose to stay, the guy who did everything to fight for our love, and the only guy my father gave his blessing to, is now my husband.

Now I can say... I have everything. And this is something that no one will ever take away from me.

Unti-unting itinaas ni Zach ang aking belo. He brushed my jaw with his thumb and stared at me for a while before he finally pressed his lips into mine.

Mas lumakas ang hiyawan ng mga bisita.

"Thank you... for making me believe in love again." ani Zach.

Hinawakan ko siya sa kanyang pisngi. "Thank you for choosing to stay with me. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I don't know what else I'll do if you're not here with me."

"You have my heart, Samantha. Always and forever. You are... my everything."

And that's the only time I lost it. Naiyak ako sa sobrang tuwa. Naiyak ako dahil hindi ko labis inakala na may magmamahal pa sa akin ng ganito. Just when I thought that everyone's leaving me behind, that's where Zach came into my life.

He was broken. But he chose to fix himself for me. And from that day on... he did everything he can for us to stay together.

I couldn't be more grateful for him. He's my greatest blessing.

Ang mga sumunod na araw matapos ang kasal namin ay ang pinakamasayang araw sa buhay ko. I don't know... I just feel so complete inside. Like I couldn't ask for more. As I've said, I already have everything!

I slowly opened my eyes. I feel like someone's been staring at me. At hindi nga ako nagkamali. Pagkamulat ko ng aking mga mata, ang mukha agad ng asawa ko ang bumungad sa akin. He's smiling down at me.

"Good morning, Mrs. Dela Merced." He greeted.

Mabilis na namula ang pisngi ko nang dahil sa sinabi niya. Tingnan mo ang isang 'to... umagang-umaga... nagpapakilig agad! Zach has been addressing me with that ever since we got married.

Sa tuwing nga naririnig niyang tinatawag ako sa bago kong apelyido, siya pa ata itong mas kinikilig!

Ngumiti ako. I rub my eyes.

"Kanina ka pa gising?" tanong ko.

"Uh-hmm..."

I creased my forehead at him. "So, you've been staring at me for a while now?"

"Just admiring my favorite view," he said it like he knows it's going to make me blush again.

Kinagat ko ang aking labi. I moved on top of him and enveloped him into a hug.

"Good morning, my love."

Niyakap niya rin ako. Ramdam ko ang paglapat ng kanyang labi sa aking noo. We stayed in that position for a while.

"Come on, I've prepared breakfast." Aniya. Inalis ko naman ang pagkakayakap sakanya. So, kanina pa nga siya gising. "And I've got a surprise for you."

Niliitan ko siya ng mata. Tingnan mo nga naman! May pasurprise agad!

"Come on!" panghihikayat niya sa aking bumangon na.

Wala akong nagawa nang hilahin niya ako paalis ng kama. Binuhat ko si Bear at sabay na kaming lumabas ng kwarto. Nasa likod ko lang siya habang pababa kami ng hagdan.

Namamangha ko naman siyang nilingon nang magtungo kami sa dining table. He prepared a lot of foods for us! Kung ganito ba naman asawa mo, e... may hihilingin ka pa bang iba?

"So, this is your surprise huh?"

Umiling siya. Agad namang kumunot ang noo ko. May isa pa!? Talaga nga naman!

Sinundan ko siya ng tingin. May kung ano siyang inabot sa ibabaw ng ref. At nang lumapit siya sa akin ay agad niyag iniabot sa akin ito. It's a white envelope.

"What is this?" nagtataka kong tinanong sakanya.

"Just open it." he said with a little smile on his face.

Kinuha niya si Bear sa akin upang hayaan ako na buksan iyong envelope na binigay niya. Nang binuksan koi yon ay tumambad sa akin ang dalawang plane tickets. Dali-dali kong inalis iyon sa loob ng envelope upang tingnan kung saan ang destinasyon nito.

"Are you kidding?!" hindi makapaniwala kong tinanong kay Zach. He smiled at me.

"You wanted to go back to Maldives. Then we'll go back to Maldives." Simple niyang sinagot.

"No way!"

"We'll have our honeymoon in Maldives, Sam."

My mouth parted in surprise. Yep, I married a man who's full of surprises. I squealed excitedly. Napangiti naman siya nang dahil sa reaksyon ko.

"Now eat your breakfast because we'll leave tomorrow."

"Bukas agad?" tiningnan ko muli ang ticket upang kumpirmahin na bukas nga ang alis namin.

"We'll pack our bags after this. Mom and Dad will visit and they're going to take Bear with them. Sila muna ang mag-aalaga sakanya habang wala pa tayo. And while we're in Maldives... we're gonna do our thing." He said the last sentence like it has a hidden meaning in it.

Nag-iwas ako ng tingin at nagkunwaring hindi apektado. Gosh! Nakakanerbyos.

We ate our breakfast. At gaya ng pinagplanuhan ay nag-gayak na kami para sa alis namin bukas. Mama and Papa went to our house around seven to pick Bear up. Sanay na rin naman si Bear sakanila dahil dun din siya nanatili noong oras na may gulo pa.

At isa pa, gusto niya rin doon dahil kalaro niya si Goldie. They're best friends!

Maaga kaming umalis kinabukasan. Our flight is at ten o'clock. Pero alam mo naman ang mga Pinoy, laging maaga tuwing may flight.

We reached Maldives around five o'clock in the afternoon. We went back to the same resort that we went to during our first time here in Maldives.

Everything just felt like a déjà vu. Ang kinaibahan lang, dalawa nalang kami ni Zach ang nagpunta rito. At tsaka... iba ang estado ng relasyon namin noon.

The first time we went here, Zach and I were nothing (or we already have something but he's just too scared to admit it). And now that we came back, Zach and I are already married.

That's the only glo up that matter.

I helped Zach carry our luggages. Ako ang naunang pumasok sa Villa and I immediately squealed in excitement. Iba ang villa na kinuha namin ngayon. It's much bigger. And the view... breathtaking!

I went straight to the balcony. Napapikit nalang ako habang dinadama ang ihip ng hangin. We're tired to even swim kaya siguro hanggang tanaw lang muna kami ngayon. At bukas, doon namin sisimulan ang paglilibot muli dito.

Marami rin namang nagbago kahit papano. Maldives never fails to take my breath away.

Halos mapatalon ako nang bigla akong yakapin ni Zach patalikod. Ibinaon niya ang kanyang mukha sa aking leeg at sinumulang halikan ito. I turn my head to the side to give him access.

"You're not tired, aren't you?" malambing kong tinanong.

"Who says that I'll get tired especially when it comes to you?"

I bursted out of laughter because of that. Hinarap ko naman siya. There's no space left between us. And I can feel that he really wants this.

"You really want this do you?" I asked with a smirk.

"I've waited for this. For a long time. Couldn't let this one pass."

Ngumiti ako bago ko tuluyang atakihin ng halik ang kanyang labi. He did not hesitate to kiss me back. His hands travelled down my hips. He used it to lift me up. Agad ko namang ipinulupot ang aking binti sa kanyang baywang.

When he started walking while carryine me, I immediately knew that he's going to bring us back to our room.

Napaliyad ako nang maramdaman kong binaba niya na ako sa kama. He quickly took off my shorts. He moved back on top of me. Saglit kaming nagtitigan.

"Remember what I told you before?" he whispered sensually. Dahan-dahan ko namang hinubad ang kanyang suot na t-shirt.

"What?"

"I told you that we're going to do this until we're fucking married." I chuckled.

"I know... you kept that promise. Now, come here..."

I grab the back of his neck. Nilapit ko ang mukha niya sa akin upang halikan siyang muli. He smiled in between our kisses.

We removed our clothes until we are left with nothing. His other hand went to my breast and the other went to my back to support me. I keep on catching my breath because I cannot believe that we're finally doing this.

He sealed my lips with a sweet kiss before he positioned his member on my entrance. I moaned and hold on to him when I felt him entered. He started moving inside of me.

And the last thing I knew... I kept on shouting out his name while he continued on giving me a mind blowing pleasure.