It was so overwhelming. He was crying. I was crying. My father's crying. Everyone's crying. Mukha kaming tangang umiiyak, nagpapaunahang ma-wash out ang mga makeup sa mukha. Mas napahagulhol ako nang makita kong nagpapahid ng luha ang tatay ko.

Agad ko itong pinuntahan para yakapin. For a moment there, I thought that my father was never going to let me go. Kung hindi ko pa sasabihing hindi ako makahinga, hindi pa ako nito bibitawan.

"Tatay naman e..."

"Ano ka ba anak. Minsan lang maiyak ang tatay mo, pagbigyan mo na," iyak-tawang singit ni nanay.

Sinimangutan ko si nanay. It turns out na alam nilang lahat ang plano ni Kent. Ako lang ang walang kaalam-alam. I'm amazed at how guys can keep a secret that huge. He's been planning his proposal for months. He's been talking to my parents behind my back at ilang beses na palang nagkita ang mga magulang namin. Kaya pala parang close na close na sila kanina.

Sa sobrang dami ng revelations ngayong gabi, nag-excuse muna ako para magpahinga at mag-retouch na rin. Naloloka ako. Ang sakit sa ulo!

Bumalik ako doon sa kwarto kung saan inayusan ako ni Gale kanina. Nag-check na rin ako ng phone ko. Sobrang flooded ng messages. It appears na may isang nagpost sa Facebook ng picture namin and then they tagged me and Kent.

Halos lahat puro 'congratulations' ang laman. The news even reached New York. When I checked my FB account, nasa kaunahan ng listahan ang PM ni Sir Josh. Si Todd naman, nagpost sa wall ko.

I started reading a few messages from close friends. Femi's message caughtmy attention. Kanina ko pa ito hinahanap but she's nowhere to be found.

Euphemia Ivory Salcedo:

--Jazz!!! CONGRATULATIONS!

--Sorry hindi ako nakapunta ha. In-invite ako kaso wala lang time. Try ko pumunta sa wedding mo! :)

Feeling ko talaga hindi pa nakakamove-on 'tong si Femi. Haynaku. Ang tigas ng puso. Naaawa na ako sa boyfriend nya. Parang nagiging panakip-butas lang.

Jasmine Leigh Damian:

--thanks Femi! Okay lang yun. Sa wedding na lang!

Come to think of it, if Femi's invited, then Toby should have been invited too. Magbabarkada kami e. And this is a momentous day for me. Dapat kumpleto kami. But Femi can't come because Rico's here. Pero si Toby, na best friend ko pa mandin, hindi ko mahagilap.

I called Toby's number and after the fourth ring, he answered.

"Oy, nasa'n ka?" Garalral pa rin ang boses ko dahil sa kakaiyak.

"Sa bahay."

"Bakit hindi ka pumunta?"

"Sa kasal mo na lang ako pupunta."

"Bakit? Parang timang 'to..."

He sighed. "Kailangan ko pa ng konting time, Jasmine. Pinaghahandaan ko na yung kasal mo."

Akala ko ba okay na kami? I mean, he seemed okay. Kahit magkakasama kaming tatlo nina Kent sa iisang lugar, hindi na masyadong awkward. Minsan nga, nao-OP pa ako sa kanila kapag nag-uusap sila about guy stuff. Toby sure can hide his true feelings well.

"Basta... sa kasal ko, huwag kang aabsent ha. Ikaw pa naman ang best man ko."

"Aray..."

"Toby..."

"Bakit tinatawag na best man ang best man sa kasal kung hindi naman sya ang ikakasal sa best girl?"

"Ang drama mo."

"Seryosong tanong 'yon."

 I sighed. Why, indeed? Siguro nga inimbento lang yung term na 'best man' pero bakit nga naman ganun? Dapat ang best man ang ikakasal sa bride.

"Siguro kasi, sa araw ng kasal nya, sabaw ang utak ng groom so he needs one guy who has a sane head to keep it all together for him?"

"Di ba parang mas tama na term yung 'better man'?"

"Ewan ko. Huwag mo nga akong dramahan ng ganyan." The other line fell quiet. "Toby? Andyan ka pa?"

"Sorry. Nalaglag kasi yung puso ko bigla."

He gave out a hollow laugh. Parang may kumurot sa puso ko. Bakit ba kasi hindi tayo makapag-desisyon nang walang nasasaktang tao? No matter how much I want to comfort Toby, we had to deal with this once and for all. I don't want to give in to my pity goggles.

"Ang corny mo..." My voice cracked. Naiiyak na naman ako.

"I guess it's true that you really won't end up with your greatest love. At least sa akin totoo yun. Congrats, Jazz. About dun sa pagiging best man ko sa kasal mo, pag-iisipan ko pa. Suhulan mo 'ko."

"Toby..."

"Biro lang. Ikaw pa ba ang matitiis ko?"

"Mali ka."

"Ha?"

"Makakatuluyan mo ang greatest love mo." Dahil nakatuluyan ko yung sa 'kin. And I know that some people will agree. Tayo lang naman ang nagdidiklara ng 'greatest love' natin e. "I'm not your greatest love, Toby. I'm sure you will meet her someday. At kapag nangyari yun, ako ang unang-unang magku-congratulate sa 'yo."

"Sige. Sabi mo e."

"Totoo yun."

Hindi na sya nakipagtalo pa. Mukhang skeptic pa rin sya sa sinabi ko but he didn't push it. Para lang matapos ang usapan. He said congratulated me again and then he hang up.

Nagpunta ako sa CR para mag-ayos ng makeup. Mabuti na lang hindi sobrang kapal ng mascara at eyeliner na inilagay ni Gale kundi, nagmukha sana akong zombie. I wiped the smear off with wet tissue. Ang pula-pula na ng ilong at mata ko kaiiyak.

Sa tuwing mapapatama ang tingin ko sa singsing na nasa kamay ko, napapangiti ako. Ito na yun e. Since that 30-day plan, ito na yung goal na sobrang tagal kong inantay bago matupad. Kanina nung tinanong ako ni Kent—finally!—my mind was screaming YES. Ang dami kong 'buts' and 'what ifs' tapos parang may isang boses na sigaw ng sigaw ng 'whatever, just say yes!' and so I did.

Napapitlag ako nang biglang bumukas ang pintuan ng banyo.

"There you are." He was grinning from ear to ear. Ang cool nya pa ring tingnan kahit sobrang nerve-wracking yung nangyari kanina. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Nagre-retouch lang ako. Babalik din ako dun."

Instead of going out and letting me finish my business with the makeup and mirror, he closed and locked the door behind him. And then he hugged me from behind. His was grinning from ear to ear habang nakatitig sa mga reflection namin sa salamin.

"Kent, I don't like that smile of yours. Parang may gagawin ka na namang hindi maganda."

Lalong lumapad ang ngisi nya. "Like what?"

He started tracing the side of my face with his lips.

"Uhm... like that?" Peste nanunuyo ang lalamunan ko sa ginagawa nya.

He bit the tip of my earlobe. "I love you."

Kinailangan kong tumuon sa sink bago ako matumba. Biglang nanghina ang mga tuhod ko. If he would just back away, for sure mapapalupasay ako sa sahig. Gumagapang ang kilabot sa buong katawan ko. Jusme!

"Jazz, relax. You're so tensed." He began massaging my shoulders. Shit. Bakit ang husky ng boses nya? Peste. I need air! Napupupusan na ako, wala pa nga syang ginagawang mahalay!

"K-Kent, you're making me uncomfortable."

"Already?" He laughed and then he gazed at the mirror. His hands slid down from my shoulder blades to my arms. "You know, I had to muster all my self-control to not take you right here, right now but damn this dress for making it so difficult."

Sabi ko na nga ba, provocative masyado yung dress.

His hands went further south, stopping at my waist before going down further to my thigh. Hinawakan ko ang kamay na yun to stop him but then he started kissing my neck and all my self-preservations went down the drain.

"I want to make you mine in every position I could think of, Jazz. Pwede bang mag-honeymoon muna bago tayo ikasal?"

Lalo na akong nawindang dahil sa sinabi nya.

"Kent, baka hinahanap na nila tayo dun." I turned around to walk out of the bathroom pero iniharang nya ang dalawa nyang kamay sa tigkabila ko.

"You're not going anywhere." He kissed the corner of my mouth. "I need free taste."

"W-What?"

He chuckled. "Bakit ba parang takot na takot ka?"

"E kasi ikaw! Alam mo namang mahina ako sa ganito."

He made me gasp when he cupped my behind and sat me up on the sink. Then he wrapped my legs around his waist tapos yung braso ko sa batok nya.

"Let it go, Jazz. Just for today, let yourself go. Assured ka na naman siguro na papakasalan kita, di ba? No matter what happens, I'll marry you. So you can already pay me in advance."

"And what do I have to pay you for?"

"Sleepless nights."

My face became vermillion red.

"Babawi ako sa honeymoon. Promise!"

"Alam ko naman yun e. But can't you give me something to savor for a few more months before that? Come on; cut this poor guy some slack."

I swear, if I would stop myself from smiling, my face would end up twitching. He's so adorable when he's trying to sweet-talk me to bed. So I buried my face on his neck, inhaling his scent and hiding my red face in the process. But he didn't let me get away.

He cupped my face and somehow, his lips found mine. We started kissing like crazy. Kung ano man ang intensity ng halik nya, sinasabayan ko. A moan escaped me when he bit my lower lip. Nawiwindang na 'ko sa ginagawa nya. His hands were caressing my back while his tongue's insisting entry.

When he stopped, pareho kaming naghahabol ng hininga. There's this wild look in his eyes. I could already feel his arousal, more so when he started grinding his hips against mine.

"K-Kent..."

Napapalatak sya. "Jazz... I can't stop..."

"Then don't," wala sa sarili kong sabi.

He kissed me again. "Don't tempt me. Pumapatol ako sa tukso, lalo na kapag ikaw."

Inililis nya pataas yung dress ko. Napalunok ako. I can feel my heart pounding hard against my chest. Ito na 'to. I already gave him the go signal. Wala nang atrasan.

Tinitigan nya akong mabuti.

"J-Just... be gentle with me."

"I'll try."

Pinandilatan ko sya. "H-Hoy Kent, may honeymoon pa! Kumalma ka!"

Bigla syang tumawa. "Ang tagal pa kasi ng honeymoon e."

"Ilang buwan na lang yun. Siguro naman kaya mong magtiis ng konti pa?"

His hands answered for him. They were already taking down my underwear. And I found my hands on the buckle of his belt, trying to get it off. He was raining soft kisses all over my face before settling on my lips again, taking his time... chewing and nipping and biting.

We took more than two hours inside the bathroom. Kanina pa raw kami hinahanap sa labas. Mabuti na lang marami silang banyo sa bahay. Nagulo ng sobra ang buhok ko kaya sinuklay at inilugay ko na lang ito. Yung lipstick ko, kumalat ng sobra kaya kinailangan ko pang maghilamos. Nagulo na rin naman ang makeup ko kaya hinayaan ko na lang.

Sabi ko kasi sa kanya fifteen minutes lang, kaso ang hilig nyang mag-extend. Inabot tuloy kami ng mahigit sa dalawang oras kaya takang-taka sina nanay. Sinabi ko na lang na nakatulog ako and Kent gave them another made up reason. Hindi namin sinabing magkasama kami all this time.

Wala na namang nagtanong pa though feeling ko alam nilang nagsisinungaling kami.

"Siguro naman gutom ka na?" natatawa nyang tanong.

Pinanlisikan ko sya ng mata. "Heh!"

"Concerned lang ako, Jazz. Hindi ka pa kaya naghahapunan."

Well, he's right. I followed him to the buffet table to get food. And he kept on piling them up on my plate hanggang sa gabundok na halos ang pagkain sa plato ko.

"Hindi ko mauubos 'to."

"Syempre hindi ko naman ipapakin sa 'yo lahat yan. E di naimpatso ka." He took one shrimp tempura and ate it. Saka sya ngumiti sa 'kin. Naupo kami sa table nina tatay. May kanya-kanya na silang ginagawa. Nagsasayawan ang magba-balae sa gitna. Sina kuya, nakikipag-usap sa mga pinsan ni Kent na halos ka-age nila pero may mga pamilya na. Si France naman, nasa isang sulok lang sa may buffet table, nangingiti habang nakatingin sa phone. Akalain mong marunong palang ngumiti si France.

"Kent, pa'no mo napapayag si tatay?"

"Well, it wasn't easy. But I think I convinced him when I brought you back from New York. Ang dami kasing challenges ng tatay mo e. Akalain mong pinagsibak pa ako ng kahoy? Ang old-fashioned ng tatay mo. Gasul naman ang gamit nyo, hindi uling. Wala naman kayong fireplace. But just for the heck of it, he made me chop wood.

"And then one day, he told me that if I could bring you back from NYC, he will consider my proposal. Kaya nang magkaroon ng seminar na invited si France, agad akong nag-volunteer."

"So kung nagkataong naiba ang desisyon ko, hindi papayag si tatay na makasal tayo?"

"Tingin ko hindi maiiba ang desisyon mo. I think before you went to New York, you're already decided that you won't take the job offer. You just didn't know it back then."

I guess he's right. Ayaw ko talagang malayo sa pamilya. Bakit ko naman papahirapan ang sarili ko when I can earn the same amount of money here? Hindi naman ako atat mag-New York.

"Pero sayang pa rin, New York na yun e," I said aloud.

"Kung gusto mo talagang mag-New York ulit, e di dun tayo mag-honeymoon."

"Pero gusto ko ring mag-Korea saka Japan. Tapos sa Bora-Bora, maganda rin."

Tumawa sya. "So ilang buwan mo gustong mag-honeymoon?"

"Tama na ang isang buwan, 'no. Kailangan pa rin nating magtrabaho."

"Kung mabubuntis ka agad, ako na lang ang magtatrabaho."

Pinandilatan ko sya. He winked and laughed so I slapped him in the arm.

Gusto ko sanang makasal ng June, para maging June bride ako. Kaso gusto nya, sooner. So we're contemplating whether to get married next January or February. Sabi nya gusto nya ring makasal bago sya maging trenta.

But if that's the case, then I guess we'd have to rush the preparation. Yun ang mahirap. Hindi naman kasi ako katulad ng iba na simula pagkabata e alam na ang gustong gown na isusuot o kung saang simbahan sila ikakasal.

Sa totoo lang, ngayon ko lang naisip ang mga details na yun. The only things that mattered to me back then was that I get married and that my father would walk me down the aisle. When I met Kent, I set my goal to marry him.

"Jazz, thanks for saying yes," nangingiti nyang sabi habang hawak-hawak ang kamay ko.

I smiled back at him. "I wouldn't say yes if you didn't ask. So thank you for asking, Kent."