Maine was done with hair and make-up for today's Kalyeserye. She wore sneakers, jeans and a striped top, minimal make-up, with her hair loose and wavy instead of the usual ponytail. She wanted to look nice today, even though their monthsary wasn't until tomorrow. She was excited with what she had planned for RJ and hoped he would appreciate her effort.

She booked an overnight stay at The Farm in San Benito because she new Alden loved massages. It was exciting because they would be doing this together for the first time outside of work, and they needed some R&R badly, never mind if it was short. The plan was for them to leave right after Kalyeserye separately and meet at Petron SLEX. Her driver would leave her with Alden and she would tell Alden where they were going only after they were together. They would be spending the night but leave early in time for Eat Bulaga the following day. Such short precious time for which they made so many adjustments but it looked like the odds were in their favor.

Someone suddenly grabbed her from behind, wrapping her slim frame with sturdy arms. Her heart leaped with surprise as she twisted around and gazed at liquid brown eyes that almost disappeared in RJ's chinito smile.

"Hey you! What are you doing here?" She asked a little breathlessly. They weren't supposed to see each other based on the script she was reading. He was kissing her cheek and neck repeatedly.

"Miss na kita agad eh. Haha."

"Sus, you'll see me later naman eh."But she was thrilled with the attention.

"Uhh, slight change of plans babe, " He said hesitantly. "I won't be around during KS, wait, don't get pissed yet. I had a shoot that changed sked supposedly this afternoon but luckily Sir Mark can squeeze me in this morning, so sacrifice ko na yung KS para free ako later, ok?

Maine was suddenly deflated. She suddenly worried about their time together, what if his shoot stretched beyond early afternoon? RJ had no idea where they were going yet, it would be such a bummer if he couldn't make it.

"Babe, smile na. Sorry, this shoot was scheduled last year pa, pero nagawan naman ng paraan. C'mon bibi, smile na." Not wanting to be such a killjoy, she reluctantly smiled but could not shake off the apprehension. Shit was bound to happen, the pessimist in her was nagging. She tried to shake off the feeling and concentrated on a new script that was given to her, adjusted as a result of Alden's sudden absence.

Her phone suddenly rang. It was a call from June, one of her handlers, and it sounded like bad news. June called only when things went wrong.

"June, what's up?"

"Maine, yung shoot mo scheduled for Sunday na resked. Nagkamali kasi ng reservation sa venue, tonight ang nalagay instead of Sunday. Ang problema fully booked na si Direk Richard for the next three weeks kaya ituloy na lang daw yung shoot mamaya if papayag ka. Anong sasabihin ko?"

Okay, here was the shit waiting to happen. It was her call, actually. Aside from her time with Alden, she was actually free to agree to the shoot. It was for a Valentine promo, and it being the last week of January, she really didn't have any choice but to say yes.

"Tawagan mo na June, sige go na yan," She said with a heavy heart. She felt like crying, she couldn't bring herself to call Alden and tell him the afternoon plans weren't pushing through. She sent him a text message instead, but was not able to see his reply since KS was about to start.

After KS, she quickly changed into white shorts, sneakers and her favorite play shirt. June already coordinated directions with her driver, giving her time to check her phone for messages. Alden tried calling her thrice, also messaged her to say his shoot went beyond the morning and might well be an all-nighter.

These were moments when Maine hated her job. A few uninterrupted hours spent with Alden, was it too much to ask? The money was good but she did her job for love of it, not really because it paid well. Alden always encouraged her to embrace the industry for what it was, and she loved it actually, except for times like this.

It was a five-hour drive to Batangas, giving her time to take a nap. She was told that the venue was a resort in a remote area of Batangas, a new resort that was in soft opening stage. She consoled herself with the thought that at least the venue was in a beach and she loved beaches.

By early evening the van entered the parking area of the resort. Maine checked her image in the mirror, in anticipation of meeting the client and crew. She anticipated two hours for hair and make-up and God knows how many hours for the shoot. Heck, she was probably in for an all-nighter. With a sigh, she stepped out of the van to survey the area.

Her van was the only vehicle parked in the parking bay. The resort was a beautiful majestic white dome with a magnificent glass rooftop, showing off the beautiful starry sky even inside the resort's lobby. There was music playing somewhere, other than that it seemed like the resort was empty.

"Manong Jun, dito po ba talaga tayo? Parang walang tao eh."

"Ma'am tama po ito, sinunod ko po yung text ni Ms. June saka nag-Waze po ako."

She smiled at Manong Jun. When they hired him, she got him a phone with LTE and taught him how to use Waze. He was now adept at it, it seemed.

The resort manager stepped out of the hotel to welcome her.

"Ms. Maine, welcome! It's an honor to have you here. My name is Geoff, I'm the Front Office Manager for this shift. How was the drive here?"

They exchanged pleasantries, took a few selfies before she was escorted to her room. She was given the honeymoon villa, a Santorini-inspired white villa that was located at the beachfront. She took a quick shower to get refreshed before the crew arrived. A white maxi dress was laid out on the bed for her, with instructions for her to wear the dress as part of the shoot.

By the time she was dressed, she stepped out of the villa and took a walk along the beachfront. The beach was empty but beautifully lit by the full moon, the water was a deep blue but tranquil. She checked her phone for messages from Alden or the agency crew, but her phone was quiet. It was such a beautiful night, she was in her dream venue for her ideal date but she was alone.

"Pathetic loser, " she whispered to herself, fumbling in her bag for tissues to wipe her tears.

A dark blue handkerchief materialized in front of her. Mumbling her thanks, she took it and dabbed at her tears. The scent of Lacoste Pure filled her nostrils, giving her a fresh stream of tears.

"Damn, I'm hallucinating," She angrily told herself. She missed Alden so much, she could smell his scent.

"No you're not."

"Shut up, RJ."

Wait...RJ??? She finally looked up and saw him smiling at her, his hair damp from a shower, his body hugged by a white shirt and khaki shorts. He closed the distance between them and hugged her.

"Happy monthsary bibi." He whispered close to her ear and kissed her. Her arms automatically went up to hug him closer to her, loving the feel of his body against hers. He was playfully biting then kissing her ear when she suddenly remembered something.

"Teka lang, RJ. What are you doing here? May shoot ako babe, pano mo nalaman na dito yung shoot? Uumagahin siguro kami, so di mo ko mahihintay kasi di pwedeng wala tayo sa Kalyeserye pareho bukas." She hated that she was whining but she couldn't help it. Her joy at seeing Alden was dissipating fast at the thought of working throughout the night and sending Alden away.

"Let's sit down so we can talk." He led her to a cozy corner of the beach that had a low table set for two, some long cushions and pillows they could sit on. He sat first and pulled her to him, cradling her in the circle of his legs, her back leaning against his chest.

"Babe, baka dumating na sina direk ."

"Sit still baby, they're not coming."

"Anong not coming, June called me right before KS started." She turned to face him, irritated at him for raising her hopes. He was laughing, his dimple deepening, making him look so damn cute.

"Bibi wala ka talagang shoot. I arranged everything with June." He looked so proud of himself. "Wala din akong shoot, this resort won't open till next month but I know the owner, client ni Dad for a previous project. I had to come here earlier to prepare everything because I wanted to surprise you."

He lit the candles on the table with a lighter and pulled a picnic basket closer. Maine could only stare as he brought out a paella pan filled with freshly cooked seafood paella, some dark chocolate and churros, a bottle of her favorite wine. He smiled at her surprise gleefully, like a kid who shot his first basket.

"Matagal ko na gustong gawin to, babe. I always wanted to give you your dream date."

She thought of the painstaking effort it must have taken to plan this ahead of time, to juggle both their schedules to make this happen. A picnic date at the beach, on a beautiful starry night. She was deeply touched that RJ was true to his word, he really did make an effort to give her his time. Her tears started falling again.

"Shokoy ka talaga," she said tearfully, overcome with emotion.

"Babe, hey," His hand reached out to cup her face, his thumb wiping away her tears. She hugged him tightly, her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"This is really sweet, babe. Best monthsary surprise ever," she sniffed.

" But wait, there's more." He said jokingly.

"Tigilan mo ko sa wait there's more ha, baka hopia yan."

"Hala basag trip? Meron nga, there's more." He stopped, baiting her with the suspense. She pinched his cheeks and kissed him full on the lips, unable to stay irritated.

"Ughhh, kainis ka ang cute mo. Wag na mambitin please? Tell me."

"Hehe, nagawan ko ng paraan yung Kalyeserye bukas. Yung na-shoot natin for Ansera next week, yun ang ipapalabas bukas. That means akin ka lang bukas. ONE. WHOLE. DAY. Babe, pinayagan nila tayong hindi mag appear sa EB bukas."

"Oh my God, really?! Babe...." Much to her dismay, her eyes teared up again. It was difficult to stop, she couldn't help wondering what it was she did to deserve being this happy. She tried to compose herself and wiped her tears.

"Baby eat na tayo while the paella is still hot. I made this from scratch, hahaha, #practicepamore ako sa bahay, four days nang puro paella kinakain nila kaka-practice ko."

Cooking his mom's paella recipe was another touching gesture from Alden. The paella was surprisingly good, perfectionist that he was, Maine was sure RJ relentlessly tried to get it right. They walked along the beach after feasting on the food, admiring the view hand in hand, trying to outdo each other with their pick-up lines. Somewhere along their joking, Maine realized she still owed RJ something she should have said weeks ago.

"I love you, RJ." Maine said steadily, facing him and looking him in the eye. She closed the distance between them and tiptoed to kiss him, hugging him tightly. It was the first time she ever uttered those three words to him, words Alden waited to hear for so long. He knew it took a lot for her to say those words. She was never vocal about her feelings and Alden knew how scary it must be to finally say these words.

"I love you too, Maine. I promise you, I will be here for you, any way you want me. Even if we don't make it as a couple, di kita iiwan."

"Sssshhh, walang usapang ganyan. You think I'll ever let you go? Masarap magluto, magaling magsayaw, saka, ahem....maganda katawan, lalo biceps na to, sarap kagatin," She playfully bit his arm.

Much later, Maine gave Alden a massage. She lovingly kneaded the well-formed shoulder and back muscles he painstakingly achieved with diet and workouts, reveling in the firm yet smooth flesh her hands caressed. He was face-down on the couch, shirtless, wearing just board shorts and humming an Ed Sheeran song. By the time her hands were massaging his thigh, he stopped her.

"Baby, hehe, tama na. Nag-eenjoy na ko masyado." He said, blushing.

He also gave her a massage. His hands gentle on her arms, neck and back, always careful not to hurt her. They watched TV after that, a rare treat for them. The feeling of being just an ordinary couple in love, without interruptions was a rare opportunity they wanted to enjoy. Although sleepy, they refused to sleep, wanting to take advantage of their time together.

However, fatigue took over. When Alden finally dozed off on the couch, Maine draped a blanket over him, kissed his forehead and prayed thanks for this day. It was already midnight; she smiled happily as she looked at her sleeping boyfriend.

"Happy monthsary, baby," She whispered.

She fell asleep on the bed tucked under the covers, dreaming of babies, little RJs with dimples, laughing as she tickled them.