Chapter 43: Chapter 43
David’s P.O.V.
Brent’s expression was sullen, and I wasn’t born yesterday not to know that he was jealous of me. I only tightened my grip on Helena and beamingly focused on her again.
All I cared about right now was the fact that she was already my girlfriend. Helena gave me her sweetest ‘yes.’ She chose me more than anyone else, and I wouldn’t do anything for her trust to break.
The second-year wedding booth organizers gave each of us a silver ring that we slid to each other’s ring fingers and a piece of white paper from which our fake wedding vows were written. I wondered why there was something like this.
I could even make an impromptu speech to say how I really felt for Helena, with all the love and warmth. I could say what my heart was screaming right on the spot.
My happiness soared up high that I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I guessed I was still floating on cloud nine until the fake priest said, “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Stunned with overflowing emotions, I felt so tense about thinking where I could possibly kiss Helena. It felt like every nerve surrounding my body was vibrating with too much anticipation.
My trembling hands slowly removed the veil which covered her face, and I looked at her as if it was only the two of us here and no one else was around. I was hoping for the future to come a little bit faster because I wouldn’t want to marry anyone else if it wasn’t Helena.
Now, I didn’t know what to do. As far as I knew, I was always full of confidence, and I didn’t think that a fake event like this would make my bones turned into jelly. God knew how I really wanted to kiss Helena and ravage her sweet lips here before finally announcing to the whole world that she was already my girlfriend.
But I couldn’t. I had to respect Helena’s decision of keeping our relationship a secret. If I would kiss her on the lips here, many would see it. I wanted to keep my promise because I desired to gain her trust until the end.
“Oh, isn’t she the one who got lost in the Annual Camp?”
“Yeah, right! And look, he’s the one who actually saved her!”
“Oh my God, they look so great together! Such a perfect couple!”
“Precisely! If I were his ex-girlfriend, I would die of jealousy!”
It was only some of those teasing comments that I heard from the female students here. Some were even shouting and screaming as if cheering for me to kiss Helena on the lips. And because we were getting a lot even more attention now than the start of this feigned wedding, I had decided to solemnly kiss her on the forehead.
Many were disappointed based on the saddened looks on their faces, but for me, the kiss I gave Helena showed pure love. It was unselfish, free, and without any demands. I would just devour her lips the next time when it was only the two of us.
The fake ceremony had ended with everyone’s applause. I thought I wouldn’t like this event, but it seemed like I didn’t want this to end at all.
Can’t we grow together soon and stay in each other’s arms forever?
The sophomores carefully removed our handcuffs. Prior to that, one student even joked that she had lost the key. Well, if Helena’s father would not mind seeing us handcuffed with each other, then it could have been much in favor of me.
What I liked the most was when these students gave us a bogus marriage certificate with our signatures. It felt like everything was real. They even reminded us that the sparkling silver rings—which were still on our ring fingers—were already souvenirs.
Nice! We indeed have couple rings without the need to buy a pair for us, which I already planned for Christmas, my mind squealed.
We immediately left the Wedding Booth and strolled around the neighboring areas. We went to a Food Booth where we could see lots of street foods, and that was when I influenced Helena to eat an isaw.
An isaw is a kind of popular street food in the Philippines. It was made from barbecued pig or chicken intestines grilled on sticks. Helena was all-out smiling while eating, saying that it was her first time to eat a grilled intestine.
Helena said that the isaw was truly delicious, and I just couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Most especially when she licked her lips? Damn! I wanted to be the one to do that. After I bought her mineral water, opened the bottle for her, and waited for her to finish everything, we went to the Music Room.
From the moment we ran into a fake wedding, Helena’s face was still pinkish even until now. But I knew it wasn’t because of shame. I could feel that she liked everything that happened to us.
Actually, my pretty girlfriend couldn’t take her eyes off of her delicate finger—particularly on the ring I wore to her earlier. And just like the silver rings on our fingers, her eyes were lambently sparkling too. Her eyes were a kind of green that spoke to the soul of nature—bold and gorgeous.
Fully devoting myself to her, I leniently cupped her jaws. “No matter what happens… don’t take it off, okay? And don’t lose our marriage certificate either. I know that we’re only young right now, Helena… but I promise you that when we both graduate from college and have stable jobs years from now, we will together face the altar. I will marry you no matter what!” I kissed Helena on her forehead before pulling her over a warm hug.
She hugged me in return and buried her face at the crook of my neck before facing me. I could see a glimmer of joy in her eyes, and it was mesmerizing. It could wash all my problems away, making me giddy with infinite excitement.
“Yes… and when that time comes, you have to promise me that you will kiss me on the lips! Are we clear on that?” Helena’s cheeks were even more reddish now.
It looked like she also wanted to kiss me on the lips a while ago, but it wouldn’t be possible for us. Kissing intimately in front of other people wouldn’t be suitable for teenagers who were actually keeping their in-depth relationship with everyone.
I pinched her nose. “You know what? You are so cute! Of course, I’ll kiss you on the lips when that time comes. You can even bet for a French kiss!” Then, I licked my lips.
“Oh… you’re indeed a mischief, lover boy!” Helena laughed. “But kidding aside… thank you so much for respecting me earlier, Cristoff! The truth was… I wanted you to kiss me on the lips during our fake wedding, but I’m afraid that Dad will know everything about it. That celebration might be fake, but what I feel for you is real.”
“Anytime, Helena. Remember that I will always treat you with so much respect. Not because I love you, but because that’s what you deserve.” I gently placed my right arm over her right shoulder and engulfed her again in a sweet embrace. Hugging her was damn so priceless! I could stay like this for a whole day, even if it took a month or a year.
It seemed like I was being energized again. With Helena, I would never be in my low-battery state. I wanted to promise her that wrapping my arms on her like this could still give her a space to breathe. As a matter of fact, I wanted her to feel that this hug of mine could shield and protect her against any of her fears.
Then, I kissed her hair. I wrapped my arms around her even tighter, as if nothing could ever deviate from how much she means to me. Like what she did a while ago, she returned the same embrace I was giving her.
It was undoubtedly amazing to be in love with someone who also made you feel loved in the process. I was drunk with happiness. I could feel Helena’s every ounce, and at this moment, it was as if every part of me was vigorous more than I had ever been in a long time. While caressing her long, straight, and silky hair, I almost got teary-eyed.
Whenever I saw Helena, my blood would automatically entice my nerves—eventually waking up my brain cells. And whenever I have her here in my arms, a glistening glee would turn on my excitement switch.
I felt pumped and even more alive than I ever thought. Helena’s hug screamed peace, silently telling me that we shouldn’t worry about the past—nor feel anxious about what the future holds for us.