Chapter 2
Freen almost chokes out an incredulous laugh while Mon stares at her, eyes wide and hopeful. She waits for the older woman, patience filling her up as the moments pass before Freen opens her mouth once again.
The hand that was once on Freen’s nape was now over a hand balled on Freen’s lap, caressing the skin as Freen tries to form coherent words. Her skin burns under Mon’s piercing touch. She blinks as tears once again threaten to fall from her eyes, tilting her head up to look onto the ceiling to hopefully stop the inevitable tears from falling down her cheeks.
Becky’s hold on her hand loosens as she retracts her arm, uncertain and shaky. Her mind races with thoughts—negative and unwanted—as the woman before her continues to stay silent. She tries to speak up to cut the awkward tension between them.
She’s confused. Freen has expressed her desire to be with her, but now, when she asked, Freen stayed silent. It’s confusing and her heart is hurting.
“I—Nevermi—“
“Becky,” Freen finally speaks up when Becky dared to move away. Her eyes glimmer against the lights as she stares right into the younger woman’s eyes, her lips resting an easy smile as she chuckles, voice hoarse from the crying she just did a few minutes ago. “Stay here.”
“Okay…” Becky trails off as Freen takes both of Becky’s hands and starts caressing the back of it, thumbs grazing against the smooth skin. Freen gulps before she asks, “Are you sure, Beck?”
“Huh?” Becky blinks, confused. She’s taken aback by the sudden, and honestly, unexpected question from Freen.
“Are you sure you want me to be your girlfriend? Becky, I—“ Freen sighs as her hold on Becky’s hands tighten, “I don’t want to hurt you, even in the future.” Becky’s gaze softens before she dares to put her hand back over Freen’s balled fist.
“I’ve never been so sure before, P’Freen.” she lets out a shaky breath, “This is all I ever wanted for the past year.” she lets out an assuring smile and Freen can’t help but smile as well. “Is it really love if you don’t hurt in the process?”
The world isn’t always so kind and she always isn’t so happy, but whenever Becky smiles, she can’t help but smile as well.
Freen can’t get enough of Becky’s jealous face, sure, but when it comes to seeing Becky smile, she’s completely insatiable.
Freen’s unsure heart slowly develops into one that is full of certainty and assurance as she shifts closer to the younger woman, lifting her arms as she engulfs her in a tight side-hug. Becky hugs her back with the same intensity, drawing random shapes on Freen’s back as Freen hugs her tighter.
“You fit perfectly against me,” Freen can’t help but comment, and Becky blushes—hard. She giggles before buries her head into Freen’s shaking shoulder, taking in her scent. When they reluctantly pull away, Becky can’t help but chuckle.
“You look…” Becky pulls a hand out to slide against the column of Freen’s neck, “Baby, we need to cover these up.” she traces around the hickeys evident on the skin.
Freen gulps and looks away, “I have…uhm, some concealer in my bag.” she stands up, leaving the giggling Becky behind. She groans and turns around, face flushed by the teasing, and her eyes narrow towards the younger woman, “We have to cover that up too.” she points at Becky’s neck and Becky can’t help but gasp, touching where Freen pointed at.
“Jesus Christ.”
“Hey!” Nam lets out, tone extended and teasing as she enters the room after Becky opened the door for her. Becky lifts an eyebrow and walks back into the main bedroom of the suite, sitting back on the carpeted floor as Freen is all laid out on the bed, phone in hand. Becky puts on a stupidly adorable red headband, a pout on her lips as she focuses on catching up on her missed assignments.
“Oh.” Nam blinks slowly as she gets up the bed to sit beside Freen’s head, “Did Becky get bitten by a mosquito? Freen, look!” she whispers at Freen, pointing towards the side of Becky’s neck which was covered in concealer, but not covered well enough to hide the bruise. Freen sits up and furrows her eyebrows at Nam before turning her head at the focused woman, and she can’t help but chuckle.
“Becky,” she calls out after going to her camera app and pressing record, “You’re so cute.” Becky looks up with furrowed eyebrows and Freen smiles a smitten grin.
Nam looks in between them and raises a suspicious eyebrow, nose scrunching as Freen’s gaze lingers even when the her phone is already gone underneath the fluffy comforter of the bed. The oldest’s eyes find its way to Freen’s neck, giving her a clearer view as Freen’s head is tilted to the side like a cute little puppy. She spots some red marks as well, and when she sees maroon forming, she stifles a choked laugh.
“Oh.” she mutters to herself. She slides underneath the comforter and situates herself onto the farthest side. She closes her eyes and tries to ignore as she feels Freen’s weight shift and getting out of her initial spot.
“Beck,” she calls out, sweeter than usual—Nam can’t help but notice. “Come here, let’s go to sleep.” she pats the space beside her as she lays beside Nam, leaving more than enough space between her and the older woman that Nam feels like she’s sleeping alone on the bed.
Becky hums before standing up, sliding underneath the comforter and releasing an audible, comfortable sigh as she lays her head against Freen’s shoulder before wrapping an arm around her hips. Freen turns to her side to face Becky, sliding downwards a little so that her face would be equal to the top of Becky’s chest, and she nuzzles her face into the skin, feeling the warmth radiating off her lover. Becky wraps her arm tighter, cuddling the woman. Her chin is atop of Freen’s head.
Freen closes her eyes, her fatigue defeating her. Becky hums some soft tunes to comfort the older woman even more, and she smiles to herself when she feels Freen’s breathing even out. She peeks a little to see Nam facing the wall, and she takes the chance to peck Freen’s crown.
Nam wakes up first, yawning and stretching her limbs as the rays of the bright Philippine sun hit her face. She shifts and turns around, and her eyes ogle at the sight. She smirks before reaching for her phone on the nightstand, capturing a picture of Becky cuddling Freen tightly, Freen’s head now situated in between Becky’s neck and shoulder.
“Wow.” she tells herself before she sends the photo to their group chat, including all the other casts of the series. It was almost 10 in the morning in the Philippines, meaning it is also late past 8 in Thailand, so she assumes they’d be awake by now.
Irin: oh wow
Irin: they slept like that fr?
me: ngl idk
me: i woke up to them cuddling like that
me: i also saw some red marks on their neck 😺 crazy if u think abt it
Heng: is this why u stayed in my room cuz they locked u out
Noey: they locked you out??
me: they did 😒
Mind: hi whats happening
Mind: oh good morning nammmm how are you doing
me: freen and nong beck locked me out last night 😑
Mind: u wouldnt need to go back and forth in between rooms if i was there
me: be for real ☺️
When Nam feels the bed move and a soft groan to her side, she puts her phone down in a haste and turns her head to see Becky waking up. Once she opens her eyes, she feels the light of the sun and she closes her eyes once again, removing her arm over Freen’s waist and putting it over her eyes in an effort to make the darkness last longer. “P’Nam,” she calls out, voice hoarse, “What time is it?”
“It just turned 10 AM.”
“Oh!” she yelps, opening her eyes. She sits up and rests her back against the headboard, and looks down at Freen who’s face is now nuzzling her thigh. Once she does so, she feels a piercing headache going through her head. “P’Freen,” she coos, eyes squinted at the pain in her head, “Darling, wake up now.”
“Don’t want to.” Freen huffs as she buries her head further into the skin, and Becky giggles. “Baby, it’s 10 AM. We still have bags to pack and a flight to catch.” she says softly, massaging her temple as she does so. Freen hums before relenting, sitting up as well with her eyes closed. She finds Becky’s body and lays her head against her shoulder, “My head hurts.” Freen mutters in a small voice.
Nam looks at them and rolls her eyes, “It’s because you slept together!” she scolds.
Freen opens her eyes in annoyance and in feign shock, “No, we didn’t!” she defends, subconsciously touching her neck. She groans when her head hurts once again.
“Becky literally cuddled you the whole night. What do you mean you didn’t sleep together?” Nam crosses her arms as she stands up to look over them by the end of the bed. She pouts, “I felt like I slept alone.”
“Oh.” Freen lets out a small laugh, “You meant literally?” Becky turns her head swiftly in shock and pinches her thigh.
“Of course, literally! What else would I mean—oh.” she blinks when she realizes what the other woman was insinuating. “You pervert!”
Becky’s face was turning redder by the second, and she closes her eyes once again to ignore the two older women. She sighs when a pang on her head flows through her body, “P’Freen,” she says and her surroundings automatically turn silent. She feels Freen’s worried gaze to the side of her head. “Do you have Kool Fever? My head hurts.”
“I have one in my bag,” Freen shuffles, “Oh, no. Did I infect you?” she frowns.
Becky just smiles, opening her eyes to meet Freen’s gaze. “It’s okay,” she pauses, “We can be sick together, then.”
“God, help me.” Nam groans, turning around and retreating inside the bathroom with heavy steps.