THE SUN peeked through the mess that was my hair when I opened my eyes. I fell asleep while binge watching a series last night so my eyes were a bit sore.

A heavy arm was draped around my waist, along with the white comforter that I was snuggled against. It was like a soft marshmallow that I would gladly sleep on.

I turned to my right and found Jastin still sleeping soundly, his steady breaths tickled my cheek. I didn't mind, though. I love watching him while he's asleep.

I pulled out my hand from the comforter to softly touch his face, which looked peaceful. His hair was a mess, having been longer than what he's used to sporting, but his defined cheekbones and strong nose made him look regal even in his state. 

We fell asleep cuddled together last night while watching a show that we've been meaning to watch. I decided to spend the night with him at his house because we haven't been together more than a few minutes for a week now due to our busy schedule and academic demands.

He was busy catching up with his school work while juggling being a part of the basketball team along with Rafa. I, on the other hand, recently joined a study group, and was elected as Event Designer in our club, which means that I'm in charge of designing our booth and promotional materials for every major event. 

Sometimes Jass would visit me in our designated room just before he goes to practice. I would always be surprised whenever he comes, wearing his jersey and already ready for his game, but he'd make time to give me a hug and a kiss on the forehead. 

He said that it was his lucky charm.

I blushed at the thought of us sleeping together. In one bed. Although we've done this a couple of times already, it's still a new feeling to wake up next to him.

Inez asked me if we already did it, and I was honest in telling her that no, we haven't. And while I was not going to wait until marriage, I wasn't in a hurry to do it either. 

And neither is he.

I was forward when I told him about that, and he just said that we should do it whenever we both feel like we're ready. So until then, I wasn't pressured to do or feel anything whenever we would sleep together.

Just as I was about to lift his arm that was still heavy on me, he tightened his hold and pulled me closer, my nose almost touching his Adam's apple.

I could smell his natural scent tinged with a bit of sweat and the light fragrance from the body soap that he was using.

"Mm-hmm. I love you." He rasped.

I smiled at that and wrapped my arm around him to tighten my hug. He was wearing a hoodie so I settled for whatever warmth that his body had despite the clothing between us.

"Sunshine, we need to get up. Let's eat breakfast." I whispered at his half-awake figure. 

I felt him shake his head. "No. Five more minutes."

Well, how can I say no to that?

We stayed like that for a while until I heard him snoring again. I almost laughed at his antics if it weren't for the quietness of the room.

I successfully got out of his hold and headed to his bathroom to brush my teeth and clean my face a little.

Although his family was out for a vacation that he didn't want to join, I still didn't want to feel like an intruder, so I asked for his Dad's permission to stay over.

Jass didn't like that I still asked, but after talking to him, he eventually realized that it was because I wanted to respect his home and the people living in it. And it's something I also want him to do whenever he's staying at Maggie's house with me. It would be rude not to ask permission from Maggie's dad.

Over the months that we've been in a relationship, I got to know him a lot better, both in trivial things and something more personal.

Like now, I know he wants his oatmeal with peanut butter (from the jar) and bananas. I still think it tastes like baby food, but I'm not telling him that, though.

After preparing breakfast, I opened the glass doors towards the small garden on the side of their house, and started to fill my watering can.

Their house, although big in size, always felt a little empty especially when it's just him and his brother. So I make it a point to tend to their plants outside just to make the house a little more homey.

His step-mom, who was lovely to me despite what Jass said about her, wasn't much of a green-thumb, but she was nice enough to listen to me talk about plants and how to take good care of them, and allowed me to tend to hers whenever I was around. 

"Wow, you've grown twice your size." I mumbled while watering the plant that previously looked dry and about to die because of the lack of love.

I turned to fill up my can again and found Jass leaning on the frame of the glass doors, looking at me.

He traded his hoodie for a plain white shirt and gray sweatpants that made him look like a model for sleepwear.

"Gising ka na pala. I made you oatmeal." I said and walked towards him to give him a good morning hug.

But he seemed to have other plans because as soon as I was in front of him, he grabbed my wrist to pull me close, and dipped his head for a kiss. 

It was a soft and gentle kiss, something out of a romance movie perhaps. But this was my reality, and I love every second of it.

His hand crept to my waist and underneath my shirt to touch the little bit of skin that was now exposed.

When we broke apart, he hugged me and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Good morning, sunshine."

"Good morning. I woke you up earlier pero bumalik ka ulit sa tulog."

I entered the house again with my can and placed it on top of the counter to wash my hands.

He sat on one of the stools and pulled the bowl of oatmeal that I made him. "Sorry, sobrang inaantok ako. Plus, ang sarap mo katabi."

I got myself a spoon and sat beside him. "You were so cuddly too. Pero ang likot mo matulog. I'm pretty sure you would've shoved me out of the bed."

"I never really knew about that. First time ko may makatabi." He said while laughing.

"Not even your past girlfriends?"

Jass seemed caught off-guard because he stopped spooning his oatmeal and his grin was replaced with a frown. 

I smiled at him. "It's not a trick question. I'm just curious."

He's always skeptical whenever I bring up his past even though I already told him that I didn't mind; that I'm not baiting him to admit something. 

Part of what I want for us is to get to know each other beyond the trivial things. And that means talking about our pasts and coming to terms that they were a part of us at some point in our life.

But he told me he was always nervous whenever I asked him that. So cute. I want to snuggle against him and never leave his side. 

Maybe I am the cuddly one. 

"Nope, not even them. Sleeping beside each other just feels very intimate. And I never felt like doing it with anyone. . . until you."

I hid my smile by shoving a spoonful of oatmeal in my mouth, but I knew that Jass saw it because he grinned at me.

"I'm not kidding when I said you're special to me. In every sense of the word."

I leaned my head on his shoulder while he ate.

After our breakfast, I sat in their living room while Jass rummaged through the cabinet nearby for his baby pictures. I made him promise that he'd show them to me whenever I came by. And now is the time.

"Just so you know, I don't blame you if you find me ugly in these baby photos. Sobrang luma na nito."

He sat on the ground next to me and opened an old green album that had his initials on the cover.

The first photo was actually a family photo of him, his dad, and his mom on the beach. He was riding on his dad's back while his mother was beside them, all smiles at the camera in front of them. 

I glanced at him, expecting to have some sort of reaction, but his expression remained neutral, his eyes still trained to the photo.

If there was anything that Jass rarely talks about, it's his mom. We rarely talk about her whenever family would come up, and I didn't want to force him to tell me anything unless he was ready. 

"You look cute there. Mahaba na pala buhok even then. And your smile is there!" I pointed at his photo.

He turned the page and a set of four photos of him appeared before me. And let me tell you, his cute cheeks and button nose were adorable!

One of the photos was of him riding a bumper car in an amusement park, complete with a toothy grin and his signature long mane.

"This was when we went to the park for my eight birthday. I remember crying to my mom because she wouldn't allow me to ride alone," he laughed. "But I got what I wanted in the end."

"How about this? Where was this?" I asked and nodded at the third photo in the set.

He shook from laughter when he saw the photo, "That was from my kindergarten phase. I'll let you know a secret since you're my girlfriend."

"What?" I asked, already smiling.

"I pooped earlier that day. Bago mag picture. And the bathroom didn't have any tissue," he burst out laughing. "So go figure."

I cringed at his story, but when I saw him smiling, I smiled too.

"So you didn't. . ."

He shook his head, still holding that same grin. "In my defense, I was a kid. But I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone in my class."

"You should be!" I said and poked his sides.

I turned to another page and it was his elementary graduation photos. One of them was him while proudly holding his diploma and his mom was beside him, holding his head and cheek to her chest.

As I stared at the photo, I realized how much he looked like her. The same eye shape, face structure, and the same beautiful smile. It was comforting to know that they share the same features that tethers him to her. 

"You know, I haven't been very vocal to you about her," he mumbled. "I haven't been vocal at all. I haven't talked about her in a long time to anyone."

He removed the photo from the album and lifted it so it was eye level. He held it like that for a few seconds and I patiently waited for him, if he was ready to talk about it.

Then, he turned to look at me, his eyes already painted with sadness. 

"I just. . ."

I shook my head and ran my hand along his forearm until it reached his palms. Then, I intertwined our fingers and squeezed his hand.

I know.

I turned my gaze to him and smiled reassuringly, then leaned my head on his shoulder once again.

It's my way of saying that I understand.

When Jass placed the photo back on the album, he stared at it for a few seconds longer before closing it.

I knew what he felt simply because I felt it too. I miss my dad in the way he misses his mom, and that doesn't need words to be expressed. 

"Hey, I have something for you." Jass said suddenly, as if his sadness was never there.

I tilted my head. "For me? Para saan?"

He shrugged and reached for his right pocket. "No occasion. I just want to give you something."

My eyes widened when I saw a little pink box on his hand.

"Don't worry, I'm not proposing just yet. We need to finish college and have some sort of stability first before we even think about settling down."

I looked at him and then the box, and then at him again, "Then wh. . . what?"

He opened the box and it revealed a delicate gold necklace with the letter G and a flower as pendants.

My lips automatically curved down because of the overwhelming happiness that I felt while staring at it, and my eyes darted to him before quickly returning back to the necklace in an attempt to hide eyes that were already brimming with tears.

"I lied, you know," he said in an almost whisper-like tone. "I don't just want to give you something for the hell of it. I want to give you this as a thank you for being my person. For being relentlessly patient and kind. . . and forgiving and understanding." 

He removed the necklace from the box and held it in front of me, and without speaking, asked me to lift my hair so that he could put it on me.

"It's a thank you for all that you are, sunshine."

I touched the pendant, feeling the cool metal on my skin, and then reached for his lips for a gentle kiss.

###

Happy birthday, Gwen! <3