The Feeling of Love
Amidst the blazing hues of the sky, reflecting the dusk, Nicolai and Selene sat in their “secret place”. It was a spot hidden from any prying eyes, their haven.
In its center is a Nipa Hut, big enough for two, inside it is a wooden table and two benches opposite of each other. Beside the hut is a thriving tree of Mango. A swing was forged into the lush branches. Beyond the tree, a shallow river flowed endlesy,it's azure hue reflects the fiery horizon. Beneath them is a ground covered with fertile grass and a surrounding seeded with countless ravishing flowers in different tints.
Nicolai sat beside Selene, his arms brushing against hers. His face was only inches away from Selene's, in his eyes is a gaze never leaving her face. In front of them was a table that held their books,notes and steaming cups of black coffee and plates of bibingka and turon.
Selene, noticing Nicolai's unmovable stare, felt a flutter in her heart."Nic, focus. We have exams soon."
Nicolai's eyes never moved. "I'm memorizing something far more important."
"Which is?" Selene inquired.
"Every expression of your face, every sparkle in your eyes, every smile that lights up my world."
Selene's cheeks blushed harshly as Nicolai's fingers touched hers,sending shivers down her spine. "You're distracting me," she complained, trying to hide her smile.
Nicolai leaned in, his breath caressing her ear. "That's the plan."
As they studied, Nicolai's affectionate gestures continued: gentle strokes on her hand, soft whispers in her ear, and tender glances that made her heart skip beats.
Soon, the night grew deeper. Nicolai stopped writing and stood up. Then, he reached out to Selene's hair and tugged it back to her ear. With a chuckle he said, “It's getting late, let's go home”.
On their way back home, upon remembering something important, Nicolai turned to Selene with a smile as they rode through the night on his motorcycle. “So, Sel...since tomorrow is weekend, do you want to come to my place? It's the fiesta of our patron saint, Saint Michael the Archangel”
Selene's face lit up with excitement, “Of course! I'd love to”. Hearing Selene's words, Nicolai's eyes brimmed with joy.
As they approached Selene's house, Nicolai slowely stopped his motorcycle and parked in front of their gate. Selene then got off, Nicolai on the other hand, still in his vehicle, said “Goodnight Sel” and gently removed the helmet in her head.
Suddenly, Nicolai leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. “Tomorrow at 6 pm”, a smile formed in his lips, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine.
Before Selene can even process everything that had happened, Nicolai had already left.
Looking at the fading silhouette in front of her, Selene felt like a burning iron, her heart raced and a red hue covered her entire face.
***
The following day, Selene came to Nicolai's house at their agreed time. Everything there shocked her, Nicolai came from a middle-class family so their decorations weren't that grand but it was surely beautiful.
“Hi Sel, have you eaten yet?” he took her hand and kissed it. Flirty as usual, Selene thought. She did not speak but replied with a nod. Seeing this, Nicolai grabbed her hand and quickly ran to the kitchen happily, as if he won a million pesos.
The scene that greeted her, shocked Selene to the core. In the table is a long banana lef and above it was a wide variety of dishes, including rice. Witnessing how shocked Selene is, Nicolai couldn't help but laugh, “This is called a boodle fight, you can eat as much as you can and most importantly, we eat this barehandedly.”
Selene's eyes widened in confusion, “Barehanded?! As in using your hands? Nothing else?”.
“Yeah..trust me its fun, I promise” Nicolai assured.
Finally, the time to eat came, Nicolai was the one who moved first because he wanted to show Selene how to do it. After scooping a handful of food, he ate half of it and the other half, he offered it to Selene. “Ahh, here you go”
Selene closed her eyes in anticipation of what the taste might be. Upon tasting the food, her eyes brimmed sith excitement, “Wow! It's delicious”
They spent more time exchanging foods until their faces got covered with grease or sauce. The feast was filled with the bursting laughters of both youths and elders attending the meal.
It wasn't long before the events finally ended. The two, once again on their way home, sat beneath a tree, sitting side by side, leaning at each other, while starring at the starry sky.
“Sel, Can I ask a random question?” Nicolai said, his voice low.
“Yeah..go ahead” she replied.
“If you recieved a message telling you to say the words, Mahal Kita, out loud and said that it was I who wrote it. But in truth, it wasn't, would you believe me?”
“Yeah, of course, I know you wouldn't lie to me” Selene reached out to play with his hair, “Besides, you would've said, Mahal Kita Nic instead” Selene said in a loud voice.
At first, she did not suspect anything until that moment, but she trailed off as realization came to her mind. But it was too late, Nicolai had already burst out laughing.
“Got you Sel! Nice one!”
The sight of the man beside her, laughing radiantly was simply too much. What can she even do, no matter what, she just loves this boy.
Being in the mood to play, Selene slowly crept away, by the time Nicolai looked at her, there was no one beside him.
“Sel? Don't run away. All right, I admit it, I screwed up. I'm sorry. Sel!”
Just like that, the two youths playfully chased each other in the fields, under the sky. Their smiles and actions were carefree and gentle. It was a sight to be hold, and kept in memory forever.
—The Finale awaits you—
