Prelude to Forever : Alden & Maine

One Shot #6 - The Saddest Weeksary

Her head was buzzing from the lack of sleep. Shooting till wee hours of the morning then going through the gut-wrenching 19th Weeksary episode was draining. She slumped into one of the dining chairs and slouched on the table, feeling strangely depressed.

Twitter was abuzz with discussions about her character Divina, criticizing her for giving up on Alden just like that. He went through hell and back, was willing to go through it again but only if Divina was there, waiting for him. Although she knew it was Divina and not her, Maine, that they criticized, she felt bad anyway.

She touched the rosary bracelet Alden gave her while waiting for him. The weeksary was for the show but they celebrated it anyway, regardless of their schedules. He always gave her things, not really expensive things but well-thought of presents.

She felt a kiss on her head, as Alden sat beside her and gave her a light back rub. They didn't speak for a moment, it seemed he too was drained with the episode that just ended. The back rub was soothing, like Alden always was. He always calmed her even by just being beside her. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder while hugging his arm.

"Have you had lunch?" Alden asked her."I tried but I wasn't really hungry," She said dejectedly. Alden nodded, understanding. "You have to snap out of it Meng. You have to take Divina out of you off-cam. Easier said than done, I know. But you'll get used to it." He reached for something with his free hand.

He slid a wrapped present in front of her. She smiled, feeling better already. "What did you get me this time?" she asked, trying to tone down her excitement. She unwrapped the present and felt a rush of warm feelings for him. It was a set of Enchanted Forest Coloring Books, complete with pastels and colored pencils. "Happy Weeksary," He said, chucking her playfully under her chin.

"Happy Weeksary, " she said as she reached for a small wrapped present in her bag. He reached for the present, his hand lingering on her hand. He unwrapped a cassette tape, looked at her questioningly.

" It's a mix tape," She explained. " I mixed it myself, songs we both like. Old school, yeah?" He smiled at her, thinking of the time she set aside to put the tape together. He understood, Maine had a passion for music and was sharing her passion with him. "Thank you, Meng." He caressed her cheek and smiled that sweet chinito smile.

For a moment they just stared at each other, trying to outstare one another. It was a game they played that she usually lost. By the time she looked away, he was laughing at her. She laughed good-naturedly. "Alam mo someday, I will beat you at your game."

"Who said I was playing games with you?" He asked naughtily, still laughing.

"Seriously though, I feel better already. Thanks," She reached out to fix his hair. He wore it the way she liked and she was thrilled that he followed her advice to wear it that way. "It's hard to snap Divina out of my system. Kasi naman eh, nag-give up agad. Kung ako yun..." she stopped herself in time.

"Sige nga, tuloy mo. Kung ikaw yun...." He teased.

"Kulit mo today," She said blushing. "Lika na nga may shoot pa tayo eh." She turned away from him and marched out of the house.

He let her escape but followed her outside. "Thank you for today, Lord," He whispered.

On TV, Divina and Alden may be suffering, but he was glad that Meng and RJ were good. Really good.

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