"Wait—you two are together now?" Veron blurted out in surprise, staring at her friend. They were at her condo for the night, planning to stay over.
Her friend nodded, her eyes sparkling with emotion—clearly, she wasn't joking. Her cheeks even blushed, as if finally admitting it made everything feel real.
"Are you sure about this?" Veron asked again, still in disbelief.
"Veron, people change… don't they?" Her friend answered softly.
Veron shook her head slowly. "I just hope he really can change when it comes to women."
"I thought you were talking to someone else earlier. So it was him, huh?" she added. "Does your brother know?"
Her friend nodded again. "So, please just support me in my love life, okay?"
"You know I always support you," Veron said sincerely. "I just can't believe, out of all the men in the world… him? That's the one you fell for?"
"I didn't expect it either," her friend said with a dreamy tone. "But there's something so familiar about him. I don't know what it is, but whenever we're together, my heart feels so… right."
Veron gently patted her arm. "I'll be here—with a bottle of wine—just in case you get your heart broken." She teased.
"You're mean!" Her friend protested, laughing.
"Kidding aside, I'm always rooting for you, El. You know that." Her voice grew serious as she looked her friend in the eye.
Her friend suddenly hugged her tightly. "Thank you!" she said, laughing softly.
Veron sighed quietly. She truly didn't want to see her friend hurt. All she could do now was observe how this love story would unfold.
"But Ely," Veron added seriously, "please don't turn a blind eye if he does something wrong. You know I'm brutally honest—especially with the people I care about."
Her friend smiled and nodded in response.
"So… when are you introducing this guy to your family?" Veron asked.
Her friend paused to think. "We haven't really talked about that yet."
Veron nodded silently and glanced at the time. It was almost eleven.
"We need to sleep now," she said.
Her friend gasped. "Oh no, you're right. We might be late tomorrow!"
They hurried to prepare the bed and get ready for the night. Soon, they lay down and drifted off to sleep.
Veron was jolted awake by her alarm clock. Still drowsy, she forced herself to get up and start preparing.
"Hey, go take a shower," Mariely said while laughing at Veron's disheveled appearance.
Veron followed her advice and got ready, putting on her uniform.
"Let's go grab breakfast at the fast food place nearby," she suggested.
"Okay," her friend agreed with a nod.
Veron watched Mariely as she fixed herself up. Such a simple woman, yet she was positively glowing. There was no denying it—love really does have that effect. Her hands itched to do Mariely's makeup herself.
"Hey, Mariely, if you're going to be a bridesmaid at your brother's wedding, I'm claiming the role of your personal makeup artist," Veron declared.
Mariely raised an eyebrow. "You're ridiculous. Personal makeup artist?"
"Yes! I'll even talk to Ate Nadia about it," Veron said thoughtfully.
Mariely burst out laughing and shook her head, amused.
Veron just watched her. Ely, if only you could see how beautiful you really are. You silly girl. she thought.
"Come on, let's go. We still need to eat," Mariely reminded her.
"Wait!" Veron fixed herself quickly.
"You're already beautiful. Let's go," Mariely said, pulling her along.
Veron just shook her head as they headed to the fast food joint for breakfast.
****
Later that day, Frank picked Mariely up from school. She greeted him with a warm smile.
"Hi," she said.
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm doing fine. You?" she asked back.
"I'm fine. Are you heading anywhere after this, or going straight home?" he asked.
"I'm heading home. I'm really tired today," she admitted.
"Busy day at school?" he asked.
She nodded. Lots of events. But it's okay," she smiled.
He smiled back and kissed her. "You need to relax too," he said gently.
"How about you? How was your day?" she asked.
"Same old, same old. Work is piling up, especially with deadlines," he replied.
"Are you really okay? Tell me if it gets too much," she said with concern.
He chuckled softly. "I'm okay—I promise. Besides, who's going to drive you home?"
"I can commute, you know. I'm going home early anyway," she said.
"Nope. I'm not letting you commute," he said, shaking his head.
She laughed a little. "I'm not a child; I won't get hurt on the way home."
"You never know what could happen out there. You always need to be careful," he said.
She looked at him and smiled. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Nothing. Is it bad to admire you?" she replied.
He only smirked, then pulled the car to the side of the road.
"Hey, let's go home."
He pulled her closer. "Don't look at me like that, Faith," he whispered.
Mariely cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes. He felt again just how much she loved him—the way she once did, years ago.
"You're really something," she whispered. "I don't know why my heart beats this way when I'm with you, Frank. Being with you feels so… familiar. Like my heart knows you."
Guilt pierced through him again. He tried to push it away.
"All I know is, I'll never get tired of loving you," she added.
"Faith," he said her name softly. "I love you." He knew it was a lie—but a lie he almost believed.
"I will always love you," she said, smiling.
She kissed him, though it lasted only a few seconds before she pulled away. "Let's go," she said.
But Frank didn't listen. Instead, he kissed her again—deeply, hungrily. She responded, letting herself melt into the kiss. He slid her uniform aside, caressing her thigh. She gasped.
"Frank… not yet. Please," she said as she broke their kiss.
Calm down, Frank. Getting her pregnant is not part of the plan, he reminded himself.
"I'm sorry." He kissed her on the cheek. He needed to pull himself together.
"It's okay. I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too. Let's head home," he said.
She nodded and smiled, her eyes full of joy. He started the engine and drove her home.
But the problem was, he still wasn't calm. His desire for her still surged—no matter how much he told himself he didn't truly want her, it wasn't enough to suppress the fire.
I need to go to the club, he told himself.
He dropped her off safely. They kissed passionately before she stepped out of the car. His desire still hadn't cooled.
"Frank, don't forget to come over this Sunday, okay? What we talked about?" she reminded him.
"Sure," he said. "I need to go. Bye."
"Take care!" she said, waving.
He needed to act like the best boyfriend she could ever have. But he didn't expect his own lust to be ignited by a kiss.
"Calm down," he told himself again.