Chapter 14: Chapter 14

-The flashbacks -

"Thank you." The foreigner said as Jacob handed her the photograph he took. "Wow, you're good. Are you a professional photographer?"

That flattered him, he smiled and shook his head. “No, ma'am."

He's been here in this island for a month now and he's running out of money. He had to earn.

The money he has is the only money in his pocket when he left. His mother had frozen all his cards and assets. He was broke.

He wasn't good at labor. The only thing he knew he could make profit is by taking pictures and selling it. He sold it at a cheaper price, though. He'd always get commended for being a good photographer.

He loves the life he has now. He might be broke, but atleast he's living a happy life  no one's meddling with his decisions. He doesn't have any problems here. Its so serene.

Running away from his responsibilites was the best decision he made in life. Atleast here, he could be what he wants to be without anyone else demanding what he has to be.

“Tati, come on let's play.” his attention was diverted on the kids playing at the shore. They were circling a woman.

The woman.

Holyshit. He cursed. She's so fucking beautiful.

She's tall, she has a slender figure. She alsk has a tanned skin that told him he likes sunbathing.

He unconciously smiled. She's the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid his eyes upon.

“It's getting dark, kids. Tomorrow, okay? Same time.” she said, chuckling.

Damn, even her voice is angelic.

He started taking candid photos of her, he did a few clicks, he took a picture of her laughing with the kids.

She had her head thrown back, her mouth opened from laughing, the perfect teeth showing and the dimple on the side of her cheek hollowing.

He's seen a lot of woman. At the parties, at the gatherings and in school but none of them compares to this woman.

“I promise. Tomorrow we'll play again." She said good bye to all those children and marched towards him. Suddenly, Jacob was panicking. He felt his heart beating wildly in his chest.

“Are you taking pictures of me?” she asked, the irritation in her voice didn't go unnoticed..

Tatiana looked at the guy infront of her. He was handsome, he have this ocean blue eyes, manly nose, perfectly shaped lips and his jaw was sharp. The man was strikingly good looking.

He smirked, making her heart drop. "Yep"

“Why?” she crossed her arms over her chest. “Delete the photos, please.”

"Because I find you beautiful," he said, "and rude."

"Excuse me?"

"No, you heard me. I won't delete this picture because i own this camera.. I take pictures of a living, miss.”

"But I didn't give you a permission to take pictures of me.” she raised her eyebrow. “And you want me to buy it from you? How much.”

"Two hundred." Jacob smiled, "but since you're pretty, just go on a date with me." He winked.

“I'm not messing with you. I'll even pay you to delete the photo."

She doesn't want anyone else seeing her photos, her parents don't know her whereabouts. She wasn't contacting them for two weeks now!

"I'm not messing with you too. If you go on a date with me, I promise to delete the pictures.” The man infront of her nodded, "but if you don't want to, I'll just have this developed and post this. I'm sure some people would be interested with this."

Of course he was just pulling a leg. He wouldn't sell those pictures. From now on, that photo would be for his eyes only.

The woman's eyes widened.  “Don't you dare," she sneered.

Jacob smirked.

"So?" He prompted. "One date won't hurt, I don't even look so bad. Unless you have a boyfriend?"

If she does, then that's a shame.

"I'm Tatiana Villaflor."

"Nice name." He grinned, "I'm Jacob Shaw, but you can call me yours from now on."

He took her on a date the next day, where he ran late. He needed to develop pictures and deliver it to the people he took pictures.

Since he wanted to impress her, he let her order what she wanted to eat. He ordered one for himself, at the end of that day, he lost all the money he earned that day but it was worth it. She's a woman of substance. He likes talking to her.

"So you have a sister?"

"Yup" Jacob told her. "Her name is Miana, she's in the US, she studies architecture."

"How about you?"

“I'm supposed to go to college this sem. Fine arts. ”

He wanted to Fine arts here in the Philippines but his parents had other plans.

“Oh you must be good at photography.” she eyed his sketchbook. "And you can draw."

He scratched the nape of his neck. She started looking at his sketch book.

“Wow.” she exclaimed when she saw a landscape of the beach.

“Uh, Thanks."

“Oh, are you shy?” Tatiana chuckled. “Aren't the same guy who shamelessly took pictures and bluntly asked me for a date?”

He was happy, so happy.

That's what he feels when he's around her.

Months later after he met her, he fell so deeply inlove.

Or maybe, he had already fallen inlove the first time he saw her.

“How about you? What do you want?” he asked her. They were seating at the sand and watching the waves, he was hugging her from behind.

"I told you, I want to be a chef.”

"Uh huh?"

“A really good chef. A famous one." He can hear her smile. "Then I'll put up my own restuarant.”

"Like what we have here at the beach front?"

“Bigger than that.” she said. “Then... I want us to live near the beach. Then we'll get married. Have kids.”

He kissed her nape. “Lots of them.”

They were daydreaming. They were too young and they just met but thinking about their future never felt wrong.

She reached out to tangle her fingers in his. "But we get married first, aight? Before we have kids.”

“Yeah, babe. We'll do that.” Jacob agreed.  He'll work hard to buy her a ring and a dress. Then they'll get married.

He respects her, he would not dare take her purity before marriage.

“I'll sleep on the floor. You take the bed.” Jacob offered. Six months after they met, they decided to live together. They were both struggling with money. Tatiana didn't have a stable job. She presented to cook but none would hire her since the restaurants have chefs. She wasn't good at house chores so when she finally had a job as a dishwasher, it didn't last long. She was fired because she always accidentally breaks the plates.

"Jake, I'll sleep on the floor. This is your place, not mine."

“No, it's okay, Tati. I'm a gentleman, alright? It's not like this would be the first time I'm sleeping on the floor.” he said.

Truth is, it was. His back hurts so much the next day.

“I told you to take the bed.” he heard Tatiana's soft voice following with a sigh. It was so obvious he was not comfortable, he couldn't even straighten his back the next day.

"Jake, you still haven't told me why you're here."

"And you haven't told me, too. Tatiana."

She scooted , then pat the empty side of the bed. When he occupied the empty space, she embraced him.

"I was disowned, Tatiana." Napa singhap siya sa sinabi nito. “I.. always cause trouble. You know. I guess my parents have had enough of it when they decided to send me to London to study business. But I didn't want that. I want nothing to do with the family business. I want to be an artist, Tati."

“No one understands me. Even my dad resented me. He's always on my mother's side who did nothing but cheat on him ”

He'd never forget the day his father broke down upon learning that his mother was having an affair. But still, he accepted her. He was so stupid.

Hindi niya lubos maisip kung paanong nagawa ito ng nanay niya, because his father have everything . Mabait din itong asawa.

The day he told them he wants nothing to do with the company, his mother slapped him.

His paintings wasnt even spared, they were thrown away.

. "No one can force you with what you want to do in life, okay?"

In some way, they were exactly on the same page.

Tatiana was well loved though. Especially by her grandparents until one day they were all taken away from her. And then she found out she was just a product of mistake commited by her father.

She was never really Victoria's daughter.

She was illegitimate.

“I wish it's always gonna be like this. Right here beside you.” she whispered.

""It's been a while since I was this happy, Jacob. Thank you.”

"We could be like this," he nodded "Forever, Tatiana. I know I'm no longer a wealthy man, but I can work. I will work hard for you. I will treat you like a queen, to serve you. To adore you.” he swore. “We'll make that artshop I want happen, thag restaurant you want...  We'll go for our dreams together, I'll never make you cry, or hurt you.”

He took something under the bed, jumped out of it and knelt on the floor.  He slowly opened the small box and it revealed a plain gold wedding band.

"Tatiana Villaflor, I know we're too young but. will you marry me?"

Her tears fell. She couldn't say anything and all she could do was nod, causing Jacob to stand up and hug her.

"Y-yes." She said finally.

I'd marry him all over again.

She married him five days after he proposed. They had a solemn wedding. She walked towards her in her simple white dress, he was just in a polo.

“I love you.” he mouthed while she was walking.

"Tatiana, the first day I met you, I knew in myself that you're the one I want to marry. It's funny, but it's teue. It was a love at first sight.”

“I didn't know I was ever capable of loving someone aside from my family until I met you. I was here to find myself, and I didn't just find myself in here, I also found you." He looked at Tatiana with his misty eyes.

" I promise that I will always be there for you, to never hurt you and never abandon yoh, I will always be faithful, I will take care of you. I will never be separated from you, ever. And like I said, we will go for our dreams together. We'll work with it. I know we can do it as long as we stay together.”

You are my bestfriend, my first love, my only love. Tatiana Kristine Villaflor, you are my soulmate."

She couldn't stop her tears from his vows. She will hold on to his promsies. She knows how much he loves her. She's never been happy or content. Tatiana will never trade this life for the world.

It was her turn to say her vows. "I grew up with the unconditional love my grandparents showered me," her grandparents Joaquin and Juliana flashed in her mind, she wishes they were here to give her away. "And that's what I'm gonna give to you, Jake. The unconditional love... love that endures, love thay never leaves, a young love that will mature in time and would never fade away, but would only grow stronger.

I will always be here for you, to support you in your dreams, to be proud of your achievements and to tell you if you're doing it wrong. Starting from now, I would fill those spaces in your life.  I would never leave you, we will never grow apart.

You are the center of my universe, Jacob. Starting from now this will be until death do us part. I love you, and you are my rock."

When he kissed her after that ceremony, Tatiana knew she was set for life.