INGGO de Paz loves the way he does most things: with every inch of his 6'1 body.

In the mornings, Maureen wakes up with gentle fingertips trailing up and down her back or face or arm, Inggo's hand placed above her eyes para hindi siya masilawan ng araw from the window. He greets her good morning in his deep and raspy voice, and then pulls her to his lap, cold hands slipping under her—his shirt. Sometimes, he pushes her facedown on the mattress and rocks into her slowly. Most times, he spreads her legs and presses his body down on hers, holding hands and intertwining their fingers beside her head while they both lose their minds.

Then they eat breakfast in the kitchen with Inggo only wearing sweatpants over his Calvin Kleins and Maureen in only the shirt she wore to bed, and then she goes to work and Inggo goes to school or sa hospital for his rotation.

And Maureen waits for his texts while they're apart.

Inggo: i love you. nice titties btw

Inggo: sana one day ako na emergency contact person mo. love you

Inggo: rinn pag ba kinikilig ang mga butterflies may humans ba sa stomach nila? i love you

Kung no'ng una ay hirap pa siyang sabihin 'yon sa kanya, hindi na ngayon.

He says it in all the ways love can be said. He shows her he loves her in all the ways one can love another.

Ang dali lang niya pasayahin. No'ng minsang inis na siya sa inaaral niya, tumayo si Maureen sa harap niya at tinaas ang shirt niya. Ang tindi niya lang kasi napa-standing ovation si Inggo 'tsaka yung nasa gitna ng legs niya sa performance niya.

Ayon, nilabas ni Inggo sa kanya lahat ng stress niya at hindi na siya nakagalaw sa kama.

Lagi siyang horny, ang lakas talaga ng sexual appetite. Maureen doesn't need to get him in the mood because he's always in it 24/7. Nagtatrabaho si Maureen tapos hinihingi niya ang stapler at binigay niya ang kamay niya without looking at him. Inggo blinks at her hand tapos kinuha niya 'yon at nilagay in between his legs.

Maureen smacks him with wide eyes. "Inggo, ano ba! Stapler kasi!"

Mga kamay ni Inggo, ginawa na niyang bra ni Maureen 'pag natutulog sila o basta nakahiga lang.

Seloso din. Sinama niya si Maureen sa party with his classmates one time and she was hitting it off with his friends, his hand was on her waist, and he was saying, "Isang baso lang, hahatid ko pa 'to, e.'" Tapos biglang nawala ang ngiti ni Inggo at bumaba ang kamay niya sa pwet ni Maureen while looking across the room with one eyebrow raised. Nag-iwas na agad ng tingin 'yong nakatitig pala kay Maureen sa malayo.

Magaling din siya mag-sorry. No'ng nag-away sila at do'n siya sa bahay nina Kuya Migo at Ate Jiya natulog, nag-sorry siya kahit na hindi naman niya kasalanan.

Inggo: galit ka pa ba

oo

Inggo: im sorry. babawi ako 70 times. wag ka na magalit

70?

Inggo: una, kiss

Inggo: the rest, 69

And sentimental. Never akalain ni Maureen na itatago niya kahit yung registration ticket sa pottery date nila no'ng Valentine's years ago. Hindi niya rin inakala na magtatago si Inggo ng small bottles of seawater from Hulugan Falls every time they go there on her birthday with a matching stolen picture of her.

Habang tumatagal, nasasanay na rin si Kuya Migo sa kanilang dalawa. Masaya rin si Maureen na kahit parang nasusuka pa rin siya when Maureen kisses Inggo in front of him, okay na silang mag-best friend.

"Oy, ikaw ah, ba't mo tinatanong sa 'kin kung gusto ko ng breasts? Nakakahiya ka, 'tol," sabi ni Inggo one time, sinapak si Kuya Migo.

Sinapak rin siya pabalik ng kuya niya. "Tangina mo, nasa KFC tayo, gagu."

O kaya no'ng hinihintay nila si Ate Jiya na magbihis para makalabas silang apat:

"Ang tagal naman ni Ji, bored na ako," reklamo ni Inggo, sabay tayo para humarap sa electric fan. "Ako na ang iikot tapos steady ko 'to."

"Gusto ko 'yan." Binaba ni Migo ang libro niya tapos tumabi siya kay Inggo. Umikot sila sa harap ng electric fan nang naka-steady na 'to.

Yari na lang si Inggo sa kanya no'ng time na hawak ni Kuya Migo ang phone ni Maureen during one of their dates with Megan kasi wala na siyang load at kailangan niyang i-text si Ate Jiya, tapos biglang nag-send din ng text ang boyfriend niya na muntik na niyang ikamatay.

Inggo: kamusta na legs mo after yesterday baby

This physical obsession na hinahanap din ni Maureen, the physical need to make love when they wake up or before they go to bed or in the middle of the day...is important to them. Parang kailangan nila pareho i-brand ang handprints nila sa isa't isa.

Nagagalit din siya kay Maureen sa FaceTime kapag hindi sila magkasama sa condo at nakakalimutan niyang mag-kiss. "Asan na kiss ko?! Aalis ka nang wala akong kiss?!" isisigaw niya bago ibaba ni Maureen, tapos ibibigay niya nang natatawa.

Busy siya parati sa hospital. On his happy days, he tells Maureen about the lives he helped save. On his sad ones, he tells Maureen about the lives...and cries on her shoulder.

Mangiyak-iyak na rin siya no'ng nag-FLAMES siya tapos puro friendship lang ang resulta nila ni Maureen kapag buong pangalan. Kapag Inggo lang din 'tsaka Rinn, friendship ulit. No'ng finally ginawa niyang Inggo 'tsaka Maureen, ayon at nag-result to love.

Hindi na rin siya takot sa spider kasi, "E takot ka rin e. Sino bang tatawagin mo 'pag may spider? E 'di ako rin. Bawal takot dito."

Maureen doesn't know how she got so lucky to love him and to be loved by him. To be the first person he's ever loved and receive love from.

And when he says he loves her, he says it like he finally knows and believes that she fell in love—and continues to fall in love over and over—with his mind, his wit, his personality, his sense of humor, his ambition, his childishness, his maturity, his mannerisms and laughter and smell and voice and

and all the things that make Inggo de Paz, Inggo de Paz.

She gave Inggo her body on that sunny day a few years ago, and didn't know she was offering her heart on a platter as well.

He has not returned it since.

And Maureen has no plans of ever asking for it back. It's safe.