Sunny
"Sunny, how's your class today?" Shiela asked when we met in the corridor. "Have you finished your class?" She added.
I nodded. "I just finished my class today. How were your students?" I asked her back.
Her smiley face turned into a sour one. "I am dying with Mrs. Fuentabilla's students. They were all noisy and naughty. They would not let me teach my lesson without getting into trouble!" She shared her experience. "If I was not trained well, my arms would fly to hit them all, but I stopped myself from doing so. I still want to be a licensed teacher soon."
We are now doing on-the-job training. We will graduate soon, and we are teaching high school students at our university.
"This is just training. Soon we will have our own students. We have to face them every day, so I think this is a wonderful opportunity for us. We will learn and be able to take some tips that we can use in the future." I told him as I patted her hands.
"You are right. This won't stop me from being a teacher soon." She replied.
"Let's have our lunch now. We can rest for a few minutes before continuing." I invited.
We headed to the cafeteria, where we ate together with the others. Even though we were all busy, we still promised each other to eat together. This is our bond as of now, and this is where we can ask each other questions.
"How about your boyfriend? Did you get any updates from him?" Shiela asked.
"Right, how is Steven? We are graduating already and he is still not coming back. He does not post on his social media either. " Melissa commented.
It's been half a year since the last time we saw each other.
At the time, we confessed our feelings to each other, and he told me he would be gone for a while. After that night, we were able to communicate with each other. We update each other and watch movies together, but separately.
That night, my family welcomed him and greeted him with a tight hug. He cried that night and told us that he was happy because we accepted him/them as who they were. It was the first time he came out about their identity, and he did not expect it to be like that because it was very weird if that happened, he said, but we proved him wrong.
We also talked about our relationship, which my family celebrated by eating some desserts and sharing stories. Mavin and his friends congratulated us via private messages. They also said that they were sorry for ignoring my message to them.
Steven started using his social media often and posting pictures of us. He knows how to tag someone and mention someone too. He likes to react with heart in our posts. I started sharing our photos we have kept since then on my stories.
After the following week, he said he would be inactive for a while.
The battle with Mr. Prile was about to start. We prayed for their safety and hope they can return home as soon as possible.
I am worried and scared at the same time. The battle was very dangerous and their lives were at stake. Because I could not tell our classmates about it, we decided to hide his identity from our classmates. It's better if we only knew about them. We want his family and the others to live peacefully like us.
And now, I am still waiting for him. Even though he was not replying to my messages, I shared what was happening to me every day and what drama I had finished watching. Even though he was not active, there was still an email coming from him every month, which I think he wrote in advance and scheduled the emails. I do not feel lonely with the help of his long letter; it makes me laugh and miss him even more.
"Oh, right. I heard Jake's girlfriend is pregnant." Aira shared the news.
"What? Like, why did they decide to do that when we were in the blink of graduating?" Shiela commented.
"They must be totally in love with each other." Marco added.
"Should I ask them if they want me to be their child's godfather?" Gino said, laughing.
We laughed at his remarks. After what happened, Gino said that it seemed like Jake and the others were scared of him. If they see Gino on the way, they will make sure to detour and avoid coming into contact with Gino's eyes. Gino caused a little trauma to the students, and it's making him laugh.
I can't blame them. I will be scared if that happens to me. I will do the same thing, but I think it's a lesson for them to stop believing, especially if they did not know the story.
"Let's just be happy for them. Jake must be responsible for his family, the child and his girlfriend deserve to be treated right." I commented.
They all turned to me and grinned.
"If this whole thing had not happened, would you let Jake do that to you? Will you give yourself to him because you love him?" Kim asked.
I put down my utensils. "If I was still the old me, I think I would do that," I answered. "But I don't think I will still agree. My dream is the most important thing I've wanted to accomplish since then."
"But if we are still together, I will hit his head. We should finish our studies and find a stable job. I do not want to postpone everything and I want to give back to my family. Family and dreams come first before boys. " I added.
After I answered, they all clapped their hands and even stood up doing that.
"They are making me feel embarrassed." I muttered under my breath.
"You have really changed, Sunny." Philip said proudly, showing his two thumbs up to me. "Before, you were like a chick who's scared of anything. You've improved now. You become a stronger and strong-willed woman." he added.
"Yeah, you do not cry easily either! We miss the old Sunny now. Give her back to us!" Marco commented.
I laughed at them.
Within those months, I taught myself to be more strong.
What Steven told me before he left that night stuck in my mind.
'You have to be strong on your own. Your family and friends won't be able to be with you all the time. The day will come when you need to stand on your own. By doing that, you will be able to face anything head-on. Being a crybaby isn't bad, but standing strong on your own won't make your enemy try to harm you.'
I realized that he was right. I should not be scared of everything. I need to face and conquer my fears.
And here I am, stronger than before, more dependent and strong-willed.
After our class, we headed home. Before I went home, I bought a small cake for us. With the help of my tutoring as my part-time job, I was able to buy what I wanted. Cake is very helpful to me. It helps me finish my lesson plan every day and it's my comfort food.
Fei is busy with her dates too. She said yes to her longest-time suitor.
My Grandma is now staying with us while my Mom sells food on the internet.
On the way home, I took a photo of myself and the cake before sending it to Steven.
"I will eat while watching the new drama. This is good!" I said excitedly as I walked home.
After a few minutes, I reached our house. I entered and yelled, "I am home! I bought a small cake!" I said.
"Right timing, cake is very useful now." Fei said, as she got it from me. "My boyfriend is here too." She added.
Too?
"Hello! How's your work?" I asked Fei's boyfriend, Alex.
"It's good. I got a promotion yesterday." He shared the good news.
"Congratulations! I should have bought the big cake! I only bought the small one. You guys should have told me." I told them.
"Start changing, we will eat after a few minutes. We have prepared the foods at the table." Mom said, pushing me gently to my room.
I excitedly change into semi-formal clothes. I am sure we will take some photos while celebrating. I need to be pretty.
After changing, I went out of my room and headed to the dining room.
"Wow! We have a lot of food to take now, and the dishes you made are my favorites!" I said and smelled them one by one.
These are the dishes I really love the most. The cake is in the middle. Even the soft drinks I am always buying are present. This would be better if Steven was here.
"What's with today? Is this coincident or what?" I asked myself since I was the only one inside the room.
"I don't think so." I heard someone's commented.
I quickly turned to see who was behind the voice.
"Steven?" I called. "I am not hallucinating, right? I was just thinking about you a few seconds ago." I added.
He smiled. "It's me. I am home."
I ran towards him and hugged him tightly. "I missed you." I cried. "When did you come? Why did you not tell me that you were coming here? " I asked. "We should have prepared something for you." I added.
"That is why I did not tell you. I want to prepare something for you." He said and cupped my face. "I missed you too. You look more pretty." He complimented. "You did not entertain any other man aside from me, right?" He asked.
His voice was deeper than before. He grew taller and his body became more broad. His white, pale skin has a shade of a small tint of light brown now. He became more manly and handsome.
"You are not answering. Did you entertain another man?" He asked again.
I shook my head and pressed myself onto him.
"Why are you accusing me when I told you that I would wait for you? I should be the one to ask you. You have become more handsome and I think all the girls in your city like you." I replied.
"Silly, and so? My eyes are only looking at you." He answered. "We can start eating now. We are all hungry preparing these foods for you." He added.
"Really?" I asked.
Mom, Grandma, Fei, and Alex came inside.
"We prepared all these things for you." Grandma said. "Steven wants to surprise you." she added.
Now, I understand the word behind what Fei told me a while ago. Although I changed, I am still slow at taking hints, and I do not think I will be able to overcome that.
"Thank you!" I told them my gratitude.
"Wipe your crying face. How will you be able to take a lot of photos when you are crying?" Fei commented.
"Bad!" I told her and quickly wiped my face.
Steven helped me wipe my face with his handkerchief.
"You said I was pretty a while ago. What a liar." I told him.
"I am not lying though." he replied.
"Let's start the celebration!" Mom exclaimed with glee.
"But before that, let me take some pictures of our food," Fei said and quickly took some photos. "And look at the camera and smile!" She said, as she put her phone up.
We compressed ourselves together and took a few shots too.
"Now, we can eat peacefully! Thank you for the food!"
I held Steven's arms and pinched him. Seeing him react and look at me tells me that this is true and it is really happening.
That he is here now.
"I am home, Sunny. Thank you for waiting." He whispered before guiding me to sit next to him.
We eat happily and talk about many things. A lot of things need to catch up, and I still can't believe that we are able to see each other now.
After six months, he is finally home.
"Mavin wants to come, but there's an emergency with his Luna," he suddenly shared while coming towards me. "I just finished washing the dishes." He added and sat beside me.
He leans on my shoulder, intertwining our hands together.
"I missed you." He said.
"Me too." I answered.
"We will be back here next week. We will be staying in our house from now on." He shared the good news.
"How about the battle with Mr. Prile?" I asked him.
"It is already done. Prile is now under our watch in the prison. We won the battle, Sunny." He shared. "The government helped us and seized the enemies. Some died in the battle, some were still hurt, but we are now healing."
"Our city is in major need of repair. We are now making it more safe and beautiful. After a few months, I will be able to take you there." He added.
"How about you and your family? Are you all safe?" I asked.
"We were not. A few months ago, we were all hurt and suffering from pain. That is why it took me a long time to come back. I was badly hurt. Prile was still able to hurt me and I was not able to avoid it, but I am all good now. Safe and healthy. I told myself, I will be showing myself to you in good condition. Sorry I took so long. " He responded.
"It's okay, as long as you are here now." I told him.
I am glad that they are all safe.
That's what's important.
"I love you." We both said that ended us laughing together.
Love is not all about happiness. It's all about the lessons and experiences you'll have along the way.
I am happy, with Steven beside me.
"Before, I only wanted to have the diploma. Now, I desire to be with you all the time."