Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed Niko and Jersey's story. You can proceed to Hate The Game if you want to read more from Game Series. Thank you x 

Epilogue – Part 8

"Nikolai."

I stared at the woman in front of me. I knew she's my mother... but... I literally lost any respect for her. I didn't even know that it was possible—losing respect for someone. To the point that every time I'd see her and think about her, all I could remember was how horrible of a human being she was.

I didn't say anything. We've been through this shit before—I didn't know what more I could say to her. I already told her how disappointed and appalled I was of everything she did and she's doing. What more was there to say, really?

"I heard you're getting married."

I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying anything. I really just wanted nothing to do with her. I didn't know how much clearer I needed to be.

"And your dad's invited," she said. She stared at me. I stared back and said nothing. "Will you really not invite me?" she asked.

My phone vibrated. I looked at it and there was a text from Jersey asking me what I wanted to eat for dinner. I looked at my mom and realized that if not for her... maybe Jersey wouldn't be here at all. But still. That didn't excuse all the things she did. Nothing would ever excuse what she did.

"Nikolai—"

I drew a deep breath because I knew she wouldn't stop talking until she gets me to talk—she even followed me here. I was just innocently waiting for my coffee when she ambushed me!

"No, you're not invited," I said.

"Niko—"

"You almost had Jersey killed."

"I did not!" she said. "That was not me!"

"Then let me rephrase it to Jersey almost got killed because of you," I said, staring at her eyes, hoping that maybe this time, she'd finally listen to the words that I was saying.

Because I was serious.

I wasn't just letting time pass.

I wasn't letting myself cool off.

I was done.

As far as I was concerned, she's just someone who gave birth to me. I was thankful for that, but that's literally it. I didn't want her in my life. I didn't want her in my wedding. I didn't want anything from her moving forward.

"Niko—"

I shook my head. "I asked you before, remember? That... business or me. You made your choice—deal with it," I said as I stood up and grabbed my coffee that had already been watered down because of this fucking annoying non-conversation.

"Nikolai Quentin!" she shouted.

That made me stop.

"That's it? You're cutting your mother from your life?!"

"Yes," I replied, bored. "This is literally the fifth time I told you this. You're all kinds of things, but never stupid."

I stared at her.

"I seriously hope this is the last time you'll bother me," I said as I began to walk away. The first time I did this, it was hard... because she was still my mom... But it's true what they say—everything becomes better in time—even walking away from your toxic family.

* * *

I didn't immediately go to Jersey because she's busy with work. Although I liked staring at her when she's all serious, I knew also that she didn't like being bothered when she's working. Instead, I went to Yago—as if I had a choice! Vito's living his best life in Isabela and Sancho's well... living his life.

"What?" he asked.

"What?" I asked. I hadn't even said anything yet!

"Ano na naman kailangan mo?"

"Wow," I said.

"Aren't you busy with wedding preparation?" he asked.

"No," I said. "That's literally what wedding coordinators are for," I replied.

Life's been shitty for so long. My head aches whenever I'd think about everything we've been through in the last years. If I could give anything just to erase those things? I definitely would. I didn't think any of the therapies I attended really ever helped with the fact that I caused people to lose their life. Because sometimes, when I close my eyes, I still hear the cries of those kids when they asked me if their dads would come back.

It would forever haunt me.

I'd never be okay with it.

So, I couldn't understand why my mother thought that I could easily forgive her... just because she's my mother... when I couldn't even forgive myself.

"Are you set?" I asked because the wedding's this weekend.

Jersey and I traveled the world for a while. I asked Jersey to put in a list all the countries she wanted to go to and since then, we'd been going through that list one country at a time. Traveling is fun—and it's even better when you're traveling with your better half. It's like the experience becomes even better. I mean, I liked traveling with my friends, but I could say for certain now that I liked traveling with Jersey the best. She's hilarious. She's so fun to be with. There's never a dull moment with her. I honestly would forever thank God that He chose her for me. It's like I got the best one.

"It's Tuesday."

"I know," I said.

"The wedding's this weekend," he said. "Niko," he suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"Dad."

I groaned. Seriously! What's with parents and today?

"What?" I asked.

"He was asking..." he continued. I just continued to stare at him. I was still undecided about Tito Yael... I knew him growing up—I was never a fan. Sure, he was 'fun,' but I also saw how sad he made Tita Ylenna. I just could never get onboard with that. I thought he was just the same with my dad.

"If he can meet Jersey—"

"Can I talk to him first?"

"I'll ask," Yago said.

I nodded. "Thank you."

"But you do know that I won't ask this of you if I didn't talk to him first, right?" Yago asked.

I nodded. "I know."

"I already told him that he can't use Jersey to get back in the family's good graces."

I rolled my eyes. "Good graces?"

Yago nodded. "Yeah... knowing that she'll marry you. And you know you're Abuela's favorite friend of mine."

I groaned. "Well, tell Abuela that I think I'm gonna get disowned," I said because the last time I talked to my mother, I saw how disappointed and sad and angry she was with me. I seriously wouldn't be surprised if she'd cut me off the will...

But then again, I didn't think she was that charitable to just let all her money go to the government. She'd have to deal with what she'd do with all her wealth. Because what's the use of it when you don't have anyone to pass it onto?

"Really? I think she'll be sad."

I dismissively waived my hand. "She'll get over it," I said in jest. "But in all seriousness, if he wants to talk to Jersey, I want to talk to him first."

Yago finally nodded. "Okay... I'll see what I can do."

I left Yago alone after that. And thankfully, shortly after, Jersey texted me saying that she's already done with her job and was asking me if I wanted to go pick her up.

"Hi," she said as she got inside the Jeep. She kissed me before she wore her seatbelt. "Gutom na ako."

"Long negotiation?"

"Sinabi mo pa! Napaka-kuripot! Nakita kaya namin iyong financial record. Mukhang magta-try na idissolve iyong company para lang maka-iwas sa increase, e," she said. I love listening to her rant about her job. She sounded so passionate. I could still remember those times when she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life.

And now she's here.

I'd be damned if I wasn't so proud of her.

"Anyway, ikaw, ano nangyari today sa 'yo?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing much..." I said, not really wanting to tell her about Tito Yael wanting to see her, but then looking at her, I was reminded that this was Jersey... who was arguably one of the strongest people I know. She can handle this. And if she can't? I am always behind her. I'll handle the things she couldn't and didn't want to handle... because isn't that how relationships are? Being partners and all that shit?

"Ga," I called.

"Yup?" she replied while she was wiping off the makeup from her face. She was staring intently at the mirror. She didn't like wearing makeup, but she's wearing it for work. But as soon as she's off duty, she removes it. I didn't care—I prefer her either way.

"Mom visited."

"Ano'ng sabi?"

"She asked about the wedding."

She looked at me. "Gusto niyang pumunta?"

"I told her she's not welcome," I said.

"Desisyon mo 'yan, ha?"

"Yes... why?"

She shrugged. "Wala lang. Syempre pamilya mo pa rin 'yan. Gusto ko na sarili mong desisyon iyong gagawin mo kapag ganyan na ayaw mo ng kausapin iyong nanay mo."

"Jersey," I called. She looked at me. "You are my family."

Her lips parted a little. I wasn't certain because it was already nighttime, but I think I made her blush. "Basta," she said coyly.

"But yeah, it's my decision," I said.

She made her bed, so she might as well enjoy laying on it.

"Another thing..." I added. She looked at me again. I drew a deep breath before continuing. "Tito Yael asked to talk to you," I said. I watched as her lips parted. "But I said I want to talk to him first."

"Ano'ng... sabi niya? Bakit niya raw ako gustong kausapin?"

"I don't know," I said. "But it's possible that he wants to get to know you," I continued. There was a glint of hope on her face. I debated on whether I would tell her about the possible reason. I wanted not to... but I did promise her honesty. "Yago and I—"

"Alam ni Yago?" she asked. She never really did get around to calling him kuya. She said it's weird because she felt like they're just the same age.

"Tito reached out to Yago and then Yago told me."

"Bakit ikaw?"

"Because," I said.

"Because what?"

"Because he knows how protective I am of you and that I'd never let anyone hurt you," I told her and I saw the surprised look on her face before a smile took over. I reached out to her and gently caressed her left cheek. "We think he wants to get to know you to use you to get back to his family's good graces."

Her forehead creased. "Ha?" she asked, understandably confused because that family's really a different kind of whacked. While we were stuck in traffic, I told her some of the things I knew about the GDL family and the de Marco family. Sufficed to say, Jersey was not impressed.

"Nikolai," she called. I glanced at her. "I think... gusto ko siyang maka-usap."

"Okay," I said, because at the end of the day, it still was her decision to make. I didn't want to make her do anything. One of my priorities in life was to always make sure that Jersey has choices in whatever she does.

"Pero tama ka—you are my family. Gusto ko lang siyang makausap kasi... ewan ko. Gusto ko lang makita kung sino ba iyong tatay ko. Pero hindi na kasi ako naghahanap ng pamilya na iba. Ikaw na iyong pamilya ko. Masaya na ako sa ating dalawa."

I glanced at her direction once again and smiled.

"Te amo, Ga," I said.

But instead of answer, she bridged the gap and planted a kiss on my cheek. "Ay ayaten ka," she whispered in my ear.

* * *

"You sure you want to do this now?"

"Yes," she replied while she was blow drying her hair. "Ayos ba iyong suot ko?"

"Yes. You look perfect."

"Ganito ba kapag meet the parent?" she asked. She sounded really worried. I knew that based on Jersey's history with 'parents,' her worry was justified. The stories she told me about her mom made me feel so bad for her that we ended up going on a food trip at in the morning. We just stayed in the parking lot of Jollibee until the sun rose.

And well, with my parents? That was also quite the experience. I understood why she was so worried.

"Just be yourself," I told her.

"Paano ba si Yael? Kagaya ba siya ni Yago?"

"Oh, no, they're poles apart," I said. "Although... they're kind of the same," I continued, now a bit confused. "I think Yago got Tito Yael's charm, but not his commitment phobia. Although..." I said, realizing how hard it was to explain everything to Jersey. "Yago was quite averse to commitment prior to meeting Rory. So, in conclusion, maybe I really don't know everything."

"Grabe. Mas kinabahan lang tuloy ako!"

"I'm going to be in the same resto," I reminded her.

"Okay..."

"You don't have to stay for long if you don't want to," I told her. "Just text me and I'll come to you."

I held Jersey's hand while we were on the way to the restaurant where we'll meet Tito Yael.

"Yago," Jersey said when we saw Yago on the parking lot. He got here earlier.

"Je," he replied, and then gave Jersey a side hug before he nodded at me. "Nandoon na raw siya."

"Bakit nandito ka rin?" Jersey asked.

"Just in case."

"Ano'ng just in case? Sa tingin niyo ba ayaw niya sa akin?"

"What? Of course not," Yago quickly replied. "I just... I just know our dad. And I'm used to being disappointed at him. I just want to be here in case you get disappointed, too."

Jersey's face was unreadable. I reached for her hand and held it. We were unusually quiet on our way to the restaurant. We immediately spotted Tito Yael who was sitting by himself. He looked good. I mean, why wouldn't he look good? He's a pain in the ass and he always gets away from trouble because of his family. I used to be the same way until I decided to grow a fucking pair.

"I'm here," I told Jersey.

"Ako rin," Yago said, stealing my moment.

Jersey drew a deep breath. "Wish me luck," she said as she made her way to her dad.

* * *

"Should we order food?" I asked Yago.

"Makaka-kain ka pa sa lagay na 'to?" he asked while I was already looking at the menu.

"I can do two things," I replied. "Should I order rice or just sandwich?"

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. Jersey and I will still have to meet our wedding coordinator after this," I told him. "Man, it's hard to get married."

"I told you—gayahin niyo na lang kami ni Rory."

"Nah... I want to give Jersey her beach wedding," I said. "And as if you haven't been planning on having another wedding," I continued, rolling my eyes.

Yago just laughed and then proceeded to tell me about his possible plans. I quietly listened while I was waiting for the food I ordered. "Right after ng office ni Rory, hatid lang namin 'yung mga bata kila Saint," he said. I nodded. We've decided about having a kid-free wedding. Jersey and I love the kids, but it's a beach wedding. Kids are pasaway. We just didn't want any accident. We talked to our friends prior and they agreed with it. They all made their respective arrangements on where they'd leave their kids.

"I think they're done," I said when Jersey stood up. I stood up, too, and waited until she was close. "Hey..."

She smiled. "Alis na tayo?"

I looked at Yago who just nodded. "Okay," I said before I threw Tito Yael a look, but he didn't seem bothered because he was still just sitting there and drinking his coffee.

* * *

I couldn't ask Jersey about what happened because she told me that she wanted to focus on the 'happy' things first. We met with the coordinator for the final details. When we arrived back at the condo, she quietly took a bath and then headed straight to the bed.

I hugged her from behind and kissed the back of her head.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Yes. Thank you," she said, reaching for my hand and holding it. "Ang hirap pala talaga ma-disappoint sa magulang, noh?"

I remained silent and just quietly listened for the parts she wanted to share.

"Tinanong ko siya tungkol kay Mama... Wala siyang masabi... I mean, nakita ko naman na nagtry siya, pero alam mo 'yon? Halata ko na hindi niya sigurado kung ano iyong sinasabi niya. Parang magkaibang tao iyong pinag-uusapan namin," she said as she sighed. "Tapos alam mo ba na tinanong niya pa ako kung kamusta si Mama? Grabe, noh? Nagpakamatay iyong tao dahil sa kanya, tapos ni hindi niya pala alam? O baka alam niya pero nalimutan niya lang kasi hindi naman mahalaga sa kanya?"

I had no words.

I just hugged her tighter.

"Pero alam mo, tinanong nga niya ako tungkol sa 'yo... Alam niya pala iyong sa kasal..."

"Hmm..."

"Tama nga ata iyong hinala niyo ni Yago. Ay, ewan. Bahala siya. Muntik ko na ngang sabihin na itinakwil ka na ng pamilya mo, e," she said and I chuckled. "Pupunta ba iyong tatay mo?"

"I don't think so," I said. "But I did invite him out of courtesy," I continued. I did ask Jersey about this. She said that it was fine... I didn't know what exactly changed, but there was one night when everything was calm and quiet and we just talked. We talked in detail about her relationship with my dad. She told me everything. I listened quietly.

I didn't know what changed.

Or if I did change.

But I believed her.

If anything... if anything, maybe I should thank my dad. Because if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have met Jersey. She was there at the hotel because of him. I was there because of him. It was just crazy how everything fell into their right places without us realizing it.

"May sinabi ba siya tungkol sa kaso?"

"The last I heard was that they're still gathering evidence," I said. We had to be patient. This was a long game—this game started before us and would end... who knows when? But I believed it when my dad said that he's doing everything he can legally. Because that's the only way to stop my mother and her partners. Because behind the scenes, you really cannot do much about them because there are no rules to be followed. You have to be patient and wait.

"Mga malalaking pangalan siguro talaga kasama ng nanay mo, noh?"

I nodded. "You'd be surprised," I said because when I glossed over the files, I did see some very familiar names... It was surprising... and disappointing.

"Gugustuhin ko bang malaman?"

"I don't know," I said. "But if you want to know, I'll tell you."

"Hindi ba bawal 'yan?"

"Isn't this considered as privileged communication?"

"Sira, hindi pa tayo kasal."

"Common law marriage?"

"Hindi kasama sa definition. Nalimutan mo na ba lahat ng inaral mo? Tsk."

I laughed. "Sorry, I don't have your eidetic memory, Miss Jerusha."

"Hay, heto na naman tayo sa pagka-inggit mo," she said and then I tickled her and she laughed and I didn't stop until I was hovering above her and was staring right into her eyes.

"Jerusha Leigh," I said.

"Nikolai Quentin?" she replied, holding her laughter.

"Excited to marry you," I said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Ako rin," she replied. "Pero..." she said as she reached for the

I groaned. "Yes, please," I said as I voluntarily removed my shirt.

* * *

"Good—" I opened my eyes when I realized that Jersey wasn't on the bed with me. At mornings, the first thing I would do was to pull her close to me and to greet her good morning.

"What the—" I said when I saw Yago, Sancho, Vito, Iñigo, and Jax (who didn't look too thrilled to be here) standing inside my bedroom. "Where is Jersey?" I asked them, confused.

"Already on the way."

"What?" I asked, still confused.

"You know pamahiin, right?" Vito asked.

"Duh," I replied.

"You can't see the bride before the wedding."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Brings bad luck," Vito said.

"Well, I seriously think it's too late for that," I replied because honestly, I felt like the previous years were already bad luck with everything that happened.

"Ligo ka na. Hintayin ka namin," Yago said.

"Where are your wives?" I asked. "No offense," I told Sancho who just gave me a flick of his middle finger. I laughed. "Sorry," I said, laughing.

"You have no idea," Vito said. "Do you know how basically everyone in our place wants to be the next Mrs. Sancho Cantavieja?" Vito continued and then told us the story of how a lot of women from different age brackets would visit the hacienda to try to charm Sancho. I wanted to listen to the story but they all bullied me into taking a bath! But I didn't want to be left behind, so it's either they continue their conversation right outside of the CR or they'll call my phone and I'll listen on loudspeaker while I was taking a bath. They agreed to me using my phone.

After I took a bath, we all went to a breakfast place.

"Seriously, what's the plan?" I asked while waiting for my pancake.

"This is your bachelor party," Vito replied.

"This? Us eating pancakes?" I asked, confused because this was literally not what I imagined.

Yago nodded. "Well, your whole life's basically one big stag party."

"Well... you're right," I said, remembering everything I've done from high school up until before I met Jersey. Yeah. My life was a big bachelor party—which was, to be completely honest, courtesy of Lui.

"So, we figured that let's just do the opposite."

"Okay," I said. "Are you bored?" I asked Jax who was quietly eating his sandwich. His order came first. Jax shook his head.

"Basta may pagkain, he'll be fine," Yago said, draping his arm over Jax's shoulder. Before, I used to be 'jealous' of their friendship, but then I realized that people grow up. We meet different people, have different goals in life. Just because Yago met Jax doesn't mean they I was less of a friend for him. We're still friends. Him being in his life didn't take anything from me. Yago's still there whenever I needed him.

Besides, it's seriously funny how Jax looked always either bored or annoyed—Vito and I already made a game out of it. So far, I was winning.

"Seriously?" I asked when our next stop was some kind of... salon? I didn't know.

"Yup," Yago said as he draped his arm over my shoulder. "I know you like this," he continued as we walked inside the salon and had ourselves pampered.

I'd be honest... I didn't hate it.

We first had our body massage.

"What are you doing?" Yago asked when Jax was texting. He didn't answer, so Yago took a peek.

"What's he doing?" I asked, now curious.

"Texting Kitty."

"Why?"

"I don't know... probably because someone will touch his body?"

"Should I text Jersey, too?" I asked because—yeah... I should text my fiancée. I remembered all the times she used to almost get into fights because of me. Man, she really does love me.

"You?" I asked Iñigo.

"Hindi na siguro."

"You sure?" I asked because Cha looked pretty scary to me.

Iñigo nodded. "Baka bigyan pa ako ng thumbs up nun."

So, before we got our massage, we stood there, texting our partners.

"You can text me and I'll reply," I told Sancho. He just glared at me and I laughed at him.

After we got our go signals, we had our body massage and our facial scrub. And then we all had foot scrubs. At first, Jax and Sancho wasn't too excited with the idea of having pedicure, but I told them that I was the groom and they should follow my wishes. So, in the end, we all had our manicure. We didn't have our nails polished, anyway. I didn't know what the problem was.

"I feel good," I said after we got out. "What's next?"

"Lunch."

"After?"

"We'll head to the venue."

"Okay," I said as we did exactly that. We had steak for lunch and all had one glass of whisky as we toasted for my marriage—except for Sancho who only had water.

After our lunch, we headed to the venue. It's this private beach in Batangas. We didn't want to go too far because in case of emergency, we wanted to be close to Manila. Plus, our friends have their kids. We know their priorities.

"Is Jersey already here?" I asked when we went into a room.

"Yes. Kasama na niya sila Rory."

"Indie?" I asked because she's Jersey's maid of honor.

"Nandoon na rin."

"Okay... so, we'll just wait?"

"Yup."

So, we were in the room, watching some movie—but not really because we just ended up talking about random shits... or to be honest, I forced Vito—maybe not forced because he looked happy while telling us about Sancho's (dating) life in Isabela.

At around 4PM, we all started to get ready. I took another quick shower and wore my white long-sleeved polo and beige trousers. I wanted to text Jersey, but Yago confiscated my phone when he caught me trying to call Jersey. What? I missed her! And I wanted to tell her everything I heard about Sancho's life in Isabela. When I hear gossips, the first instinct was to tell Jersey.

"Nice," I said when I saw that they were all dressed up. They were all wearing the same outfit as me, but I'll wear my matching jacket later.

"Let's go," Yago said. "Kabilin-bilinan ni Je kailangan may picture kayo kapag palubog na iyong araw."

I nodded. "Yeah. She's weirdly invested in that," I said, remembering how she told the wedding coordinator that she really didn't care about all the other pictures, but she just wanted one with us, getting married, while the sun was setting in the background. She said she'd hang that in our place, so she was very particular about that. That was one of the considerations when we were scouting for the place where we'll get married. We needed a place where the sunset would be spectacular.

We headed straight to the venue. Yago was my best man. It was a decision between Vito and Yago, but the past few years, I grew closer to Yago again. I didn't know if it was because he's closer to me (location wise) or if it was because he was literally my brother-in-law. Either way, Vito didn't seem to mind. After all, that one has a whole different life in Isabela with Assia.

"I'm nervous," I told Yago.

"Niko," he said.

"Yeah?" I replied while on the look out. I was excited to see Jersey. I knew what her gown looked like, but I'd never seen her wear it.

"I don't think I have to say this, but for tradition's sake," he said. "Take care of her."

I looked at him. "You know I always do."

"I know."

"I wanna thank you again for quite literally bringing her into my life."

He groaned again. "Can we please forget that part?"

"Why? It'd make a good story in the future!" I said. One of the things I was looking forward to was telling all our adventures to the kids. I was really excited to have them all grown up. I would seriously be the best uncle! I would bail them if ever they'd get into trouble. I'd give them the best advice. I'd give them the best gifts (but Katherine's a contender in that category).

"Don't you—" he said but we all stopped when we saw them heading towards our direction. I knew all the women were with Jersey... but my eyes were seriously just on hers.

"Are you—" Yago said.

"Shut up," I replied.

"Wag ka na umiyak," Sancho said when he stood up from his chair and handed me his handkerchief. I frowned at him, but nevertheless, used the handkerchief to wipe the tears.

I used to think that it's kind of weird when the grooms cry upon seeing the bride...

But seeing Jersey all dressed in white... ready to marry me? And to spend the rest of her life with me?

I was fucking losing it.

"Umiiyak ka ba?" Jersey asked, on the verge of laughter.

"Are you seriously laughing at me?" I asked while wiping my tears.

"Oo, mukha kang tanga," she said. "Araw-araw na tayo magkasama, e."

"Just please let me have my moment," I replied and she just laughed at me. This woman, really.

"Fine, fine," she said. "Ano? Pakasal na tayo?" she asked.

"If you want to," I replied, shrugging.

She rolled her eyes. "Pwede niyo po ba akong pakasalan?" she asked sarcastically.

"I mean, sure, whatever," I replied.

* * *

The ceremony was short and simple. Jersey and I both didn't want anything too dramatic or whatever. But the most important part was that we got our sunset shot. I saw the raw photo and it was already so good!

After the ceremony, we took pictures—one for the married couple, one for the bridal party and one for the groom party. And then one for everyone.

The coordinator did a fantastic job setting up the reception area. Jersey wanted a chill boho style kind of reception and the coordinator did exactly that. There was a huge mantel on the floor with white pillows and a long table in the middle. The dinner was served shortly after and then instead of an afterparty, we just had some chill music on the background while we were drinking beer and Sancho was enjoying his apple juice.

"Hindi pa honeymoon," Yago said when Jersey and I stood up.

"Matagal na kaming naghoneymoon," Jersey replied, sticking her tongue out. Yago frowned. He's still doing that older brother whatever.

"Saan tayo pupunta?" Jersey asked.

"Secret," I said.

"Uy, medyo malayo na tayo. Hindi ba tayo hahanapin doon?"

"They're busy having fun," I said. Yago was being the class clown while the original class clown, aka me, was busy.

"We're here," I said as we went in a small tattoo shop. It was just a walking distance from our reception venue. I saw this place when we first went here.

"Wait..." Jersey said. "Magpapa-tattoo tayo ngayon?"

I nodded. "I mean, you have a history of losing your ring."

She frowned. "Ito na naman!"

I laughed. "Just kidding. I know it's not your fault, Ga."

My wife was busy frowning while I talked to the tattoo artist. I already talked to him prior, so everything was already ready. I even paid extra because it's already 9PM and the shop closes at 7PM.

"Masakit ba 'to?" Jersey asked.

"A little," I replied because she's never had a tattoo and this was a first for her. "You can squeeze my hand if it hurts."

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath.

I watched as my wife's face contorted in pain while my name was being tattooed with white ink on the side of her ring finger. It was minimal. We didn't want to display it—it's enough that we know it's there.

"Grabe, parang wala lang sa 'yo," she commented while her name was being tattooed on my finger.

"Not my first rodeo, Ga," I said, reminding her that half my body's covered in tats. It's almost like a hobby for me.

"Oo nga pala, sabi mo ipapa-tattoo mo ulit pangalan ko," she said and then proceeded to tell the tattoo artist how I had her name covered when we broke up. I just kept on rolling my eyes because she made me sound so... heart broken. I mean, she's right but like why did she have to tell him that?

"Fine," I said. "Where do you want your name tattooed?"

"Wala ng space!"

"There's a lot of space!" I argued.

"Matagal ba magtattoo ulit?" she asked the artist and the artist told her that we'd still have to figure our what to put and all that artistic shit. Our wedding tattoo was already planned prior, so everything was set with that one. "Wag na nga, next time na lang. Baka naghihintay na ang bwisita natin."

After that, we thanked the them and walked our way back.

"Jersey," I called. I held Jersey's hand. I was just quiet. I didn't even know what I wanted to say. I just wanted her alone for a few moments. I love spending time with my friends, but I love spending time with Jersey more. I used to think having your 'person' was a bizarre concept because... seriously? Was that even possible? To have that one person who was awesome enough to be considered as that person?

But then I met Jersey.

She seriously shattered both expectations and non-expectations.

"Oh?"

"I really do love you."

"Love din kita."

"I know. Thank you."

"Maliit na bagay," she replied that made me laugh.

"You seriously don't want kids?"

"Ayoko talaga."

"Okay."

"Bakit mo natanong?"

"Nothing," I said. "I just thought maybe you changed your mind or whatever."

"Bakit naman magbabago ang isip ko?"

"Because people kept on asking us about having kids," I replied.

"Alam mo, totoo, medyo napipikon na nga ako."

"I know—it's always very obvious," I said, chuckling because there's this frown on her face whenever people would give them unwanted opinion about us—it's mostly from co-workers of Jersey. I didn't know if it was because of the difference in generation or what, but they're weirdly invested in us.

"Laging sinasabi na sayang daw lahi natin. Ano tayo? Aso?" she replied, showing that frown again.

"Just tell them I'm impotent so they'd get off your back," I said.

She laughed. And then stopped when she realized that I wasn't laughing. "What? Seryoso ka?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I mean, whatever. I really don't know them, so I don't give a shit about what they think of me," I said, to be honest. I really didn't care much about Jersey's co-workers. As long as they weren't being unfair to her, I'd leave them alone. All I wanted was for her to be able to work in peace.

"Wag na... basta lagi kong sasabihin na wala tayong balak mag-anak para ma-realize nila na hindi naman lahat ng mag-asawa ay goal magkaroon ng anak," she said.

"Our goal is to travel."

"Amen," she replied.

"And to be the best uncle slash ninong."

"I think kaagaw mo si Yago sa trono na 'yan."

I scoffed. "I'd give him a run for his money," I said and Jersey just laughed.

"Nikolai," she called again. "I love you talaga."

"I love you, too, talaga," I replied that made her laugh. She always teases me whenever I'd insert random Tagalog words in my sentence. I mean, that's how I learn!

"After everything... I think kaya na natin kung anuman ang dadating," she said.

I nodded. "Together forever, whether you like it or not," I said, holding up our hands and looking at our freshly tattooed fingers. "Nothing can wreck us," I continued as I leaned in and kissed my ride or die.