This is Love (LizQuen)

1 - We Love, We Hate, We Love

Liza

My phone vibrated. again and again.

I took a peek at my bedside table where my clock is. It's 7:30 am.  For a bit while, I thought the messages were from my road manager reminding me of the early morning call time for the Star Magic Artists Portfolio shoot tomorrow. I have to be at my appointment 30 minutes before the call time and at the back of my head, I thought I have to wake up tomorrow at 4 in the morning.  I value the time of people I work with and I want them to be also punctual when working with me. I never like procrastination and tardiness. 

When I looked at my phone's screen, the messages were all about the typhoon coming in Manila's way in 2 days. I ignored the alerts and scrolled the notifications all the way down.  Quen sent me messages!  The feeling of excitement got me to my feet!

"I miss you Hopey".   Quen calls me Hopey, Baby, Love, Honey or Monkey or whatever he feels at the moment. This was received at 3:30 am. 

And a-minute after that is another message "Please visit the set. I know you have no commitments. God I miss you. Will you visit me please".

And then there's the last three messages with the one-liner "I love you".

Quen is my ball of energy. I turn to him for good vibes. He keeps my heart aflutter. I do miss him but I have to be rational with my decisions. Although I have no commitments today, I need to prepare for tomorrow. Tito Ogie voice is already recorded in my head.  I love Quen but I know my limitations. 

2 yrs since the Star Magic split the Lizquen loveteam, Quen and I managed to see each other face to face with 2 weeks the maximum that we had to survive with just a facetime.  The split was to make way for our solo projects and I would have to admit that the decision turned out excellent for both of us.   Quen already earned the respect of his critics and I, I have 70 active endorsements including the privilege to be on the pages of Vogue for a Michael Cinco campaign last year.

I smiled and felt blood rushing to my face. "Sorry I just woke up Baby. It's a gloomy day in QC because you're not around. Hey, I'll come visit you tomorrow after my magazine shoot. I miss and I love you too."

I could not go back to sleep. I played a random Spotify pop compilation, took my music with me and went straight to the bathroom which signals the start of my day. Sleeping in does not accomplish tasks. And so while I was in the bathroom I started thinking of how I would spend the day - go to Belo and The Spa since they always make room for me whenever I call.

I deserve a pampering day.  I need to maintain a level of appearance to keep my projects and endorsements.  Acknowledgement of being beautiful is self indulgence for me.  I am still shy up to this point.  There's still a part of me that want to remain invincible, where no one would ever crucify me for my flaws.  I can only reveal myself to few trusted people. I don't think I can handle the world's attention. Or maybe not just yet.

In the hour and a half I was in the bathroom, I never heard my phone rang. My phone was just next to my bathroom door and to my surprise Quen has called me 3x already. I had to call back right now or he would think of unreasonable scenarios why I wasn't able to.

His paranoia makes him cute but scary too sometimes.  He makes me feel important after all these years.  4 years in fact.  I love how he never fails to bring me flowers every time he visits my house in QC.  I love that his gazes are the same as when I first caught him looking at me back in 2013 when we were shooting for She's The One.  We both learned how to not control how we feel anymore in public and I have learned to be not mindful of others watching us.  Our relationship has been an open book and I can think of several reasons - my manager, Tito Ogie is a showbiz commentator and writer who also has friends who are like him, Secondly, our family and friends likes to share our unguarded moments on social media, Third, the entire Philippines knows us already.  Everywhere we go, there would always be a photo on social media.

He is in a shoot for his new movie The Making of a Hero with Star Cinema in an old town in Batangas, a 4 hour drive from Manila.

I have to return his call. And as I was just to press call, my phone rang again. I smiled for the 2nd time. 

"Hello Love"

"Baby, I miss you!" Quen greeted. "How's my  baby?"

"Love, I am off to my beauty sessions at Belo. I have a shoot tomorrow so I have to look preetey (pretty)"

"How many times do I have to remind you, you don't have to go there every week.  You're pretty regardless.  I haven't kissed you in 3 days. I want to hug you and smell you. Uhm that doesn't sound right. haha!" Quen teased.

"Quen stop it. You're making me feel something I don't have to feel in the morning"

"Are you thinking about sex right now? Baby, cmon. I just wanted to pull you next to me so I can SMELL you, your shampoo, simply put, your scent. You are so green." Quen quipped.

"Of course not. I am not thinking about it. I was just flushed because I just had warm bath." I hope he sensed I was teasing him too.  "I've missed you too. You've been away for 4 days.  What's going on?"

"I have the whole day off from shooting. Direk has to attend to some family matters right now. Our shoot is postponed today and we shall be hearing soon if we need to go back to the shoot tomorrow. I have the entire day to just be with you and hug you all day" Quen said.

"Quen, I have to prepare for my Magazine shoot tomorrow. You know I always prepare. Are you going back to Manila or are you spending time in Batangas? You can come with me to Belo then the Spa today", I said trying to make a teasing sound

"I was planning of going to the beach house but since naglilihi ako sa 'yo, I'll go to Manila right now and meet you up where you are. I hope I get tomorrow off so we can travel together to the Beach House." Quen said who was pleased with his idea

"OK, sure thing. I'll ask Tita Joni to..."

"Baby, I have one request. Can you be alone without chaperone?" Quen shyfully asked. It was obvious he was nervous. "Let's use my car. Kuya Jerome can drive us and I'll ask ate Irma to prepare our food for 2 days so we do not have to worry about it. Just for a day Hopey. We have not had any time just the two of us since I started shooting 2 months ago. Let me remind you, tomorrow's our monthsary."

"On yeah. Oh I feel bad I forgot about it"

"For someone's who is organized, you are the most forgetful". I noticed his tone changed. "Give this to me, will you? It's been a while, 2 years at that, since your dad and Tito Ogie have allowed you to sleep over at my place, and since then you've only visited me few times."

"Stop it. You're starting to annoy me! I only forgot about our monthsary and you start talking about the frequency of my visits.  You know the people in my family take pride in me.  They find joy hanging around.  I sound bad already for being sarcastic. Besides, it's Andy and EJ to have always been tagging along at your place".

I want to be alone with him but I am afraid that if I am alone with him, we might be unfortunate that just one night could ruin both our careers.  We do take precautions but exceptions can happen sometimes.

To calm things out between the two of us "I can't trust myself around you. You know that."

His voice is calmer. "I will be on my way to Manila and will go straight to Belo Morato. Right branch?"

"Yes. I'll see you there"