When the Fireworks Begin (Chapter III)

Chapter III

“Baby, what’s taking you so long,” James kept knocking on the bathroom door. 

He glanced on the clock hanging on the wall, in a few hours, the year’s going to end. Well, not really end, more like a beginning, James thought. 

“Thinking about your New Year’s resolutions, baby?” Devon asked, while leaning on the door frame.  She was wearing a red off shoulder blouse with long sleeves over tight jeans.  James could not help but smile but when he saw her.

“Different kind of resolutions,” James smiled and pulled her. “You look like an apple.”

Devon could not help but laugh.  “I’m just wearing red.”

“Can I take a bite,” James asked teasingly, while hugging her. Devon blushed and James did not miss that.  He laughed really loud. “Why blush? It’s as if you don’t know what I am talking about.”

Devon knows what James is talking about.  “Stop talking like that,” Devon countered with a slap on the arm.  “They are waiting for us.”

“I think that they could wait for a little more,” James said with twinkle in his eyes.

Devon slapped him again on the arm. “They are waiting for us.”

James leaned forward and started to kiss her hair. She smells like a flower.  “I said that they can wait.”

Devon tried to suppress a giggle.  James buried his face on her hair.  He began to run his fingers on her back, creating a hot blazing path in Devon’s back.  She was no longer laughing, her breathing became deeper and longer. James smiled on Devon’s hair.

“I think you are agreeing with me now to let them wait,” James whispered, dropping small kisses from her hair, down to her forehead, on her cheeks, and landing a long kiss on her lips.

Devon did not answer, James doesn’t need one.  The kiss was deep and passionate.  Devon started to run her fingers to through his hair.  In response, he deepened the kiss further. She opened her mouth and whispered his name. It was a song for James.  As their lips coupled passionately, James’s free hand grazed on Devon’s chest, sending shivers to her spine. 

Pleasure exploded. James cupped her face and distanced himself from her lips for a while.  Devon has this dazed look on her face that James’ found so endearing.  He dipped towards her lips again while gently guiding her towards the bedroom.

****

“Where have you been,” AlingLinda asked.  James and Devon were walking inside the yard, while holding each other’s hands.  “You said you’ll be here by seven, it’s almost ten o’clock.”

Shey was already in the garden, fanning the outdoor grill with the chicken barbeque on top of it.  James scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. 

“We have to do something,” he answered.  Devon blushed profusely.  Good thing she was not near any light, or else they would see how red she has become.

Mama Linda did not ask anything else.  But Shey could not resist.  “Newly-weds,” Shey joked, shaking her head.

James laughed and Devon slapped him hard. “That should be your New Year’s resolution honey.”

Ivan popped into the door, holding two bottles of beer. He handed James a bottle.  “You should really stop hitting people,” Ivan agreed with James.  “That’s considered as a human rights violation.  Is she hitting you?”

Ivan was looking at James.  James shook his head. “I dodge.  I am good in dodging.”

“You should not hit your husband, do you want to go to court for battering?” Ivan angrily told Devon.

Devon was about to hit Ivan when he ran towards Shey and hid behind her.  Devon smiled at her two friends, they have been spending New Year with her and her family, for more than ten years now.   

Shey’s family has been living in the United States and refuses to spend her New Year’s eve with her aunts and uncles.  Ivan’s mother is also living in the United States, while his father has already remarried.  He has been living alone in Cebu and refuses to relocate in Manila where his father and new wife live.

“Stop playing, children,” Shey reprimanded.  “Don’t make me spank both of you.”

Ivan stopped hiding and started to look at Shey. “You’re all dressed-up tonight.”

“No, I’m not,” Shey reacted and started to turn the barbecue sticks.

Ivan touched Shey’s short skirt. “You’re wearing a new skirt. I have never seen this skirt before.”

“Really, Ivan,” Shey reacted, waving the tong close to his nose.  “Don’t tell me you have seen all my clothes. Or maybe you have been raiding my closet when I am not looking.”

“Dating somebody, tonight?” asked Ivan.

“No,” answered Shey.

“Then why are you so pretty tonight,” Ivan insisted.

“I’m hearing a hint of jealousy in your voice,” Shey joked. “Are you afraid that somebody would sweep me off my feet and you will be celebrating New Year’s eve all alone?”

“No,” Ivan countered.  “I’ll get a girlfriend of my own.”

She lifted an eyebrow and looked at Ivan. But Ivan took a swig of his beer instead.

“Well, you are not borrowing anything from my closet again. I need a plate here,” Shey shouted.

“I’ll get it,” Devon volunteered.

“I’ll come with you,” Shey reacted. “You keep an eye on the barbecue,” Shey reacted shoving the tong to Ivan.

Ivan shook his head.  James looked at the two girls who walked inside the house.  “Remind me to get both of them drug tested,”  Ivan told James.

Inside the house, Devon was looking for a large serving plate and saw one on the washing basin.  She was rinsing it when she heard Shey approaching.  Devon noticed Shey was walking behind her, and then leaned on the refrigerator’s door.

“If you have something to ask me, then fire away,”  Devon said smiling.

Shey looked at her exasperatingly.  “How would you tell a person that you really like, that you like him?”

Devon looked at Shey.  Between the two of them, Shey is the more experienced person when it comes to boys and relationships. “You’re supposed to be the expert.”

Shey sighed. “Well, obviously I’m not. I am not happily married, you know.”

Devon laughed.  “Just be honest with how you feel.”

“What if,” Shey paused.  “What if, he loves somebody else.”

“Are they together?” Devon asked.

Shey shook her head. “No. They have never been together. He has accepted the fact that they could never be together.” 

Devon nodded. “So, make the move. Make him realize that there are women out there who can still make him happy.”

Shey nodded and started to nibble on her thumb.  Devon noticed this, she knows that when her friend does that, she wants to say something else.

“Do I know the guy?” Devon asked casually and finished washing the serving plate.

“Uhm,” Shey started to run her hand through her hair. “You do…”

Devon took the serving plate out of the sink and started to pat it to dry.  She was wiping it when she started to feel the loss of control in her hands.  It seems that her thumb and fingers lost their muscles and bones.  She could no longer feel the plate, nor the dish towel in her hands.

Crash!

The plate fell from Devon’s hands and shattered on the floor. Shey was startled out of her thoughts.

“What happened?” Shey immediately asked, running towards the kitchen backdoor, getting the dustpan and the broom.

“It slipped,” Devon explained. But she knew it was more than that.  She felt fear. Because what she felt with her hands is what she feels whenever she falls down.

****

Devon and James were sitting on a grassy hill.  It was a few minutes before midnight. They escaped from the chaos of Devon’s parent’s home and made their way to their favourite hill, a few minutes away. On the top of the hill, their house and Christmas blinking lights were like stars.   A car would pass on the roads, with their headlights on and shining the way.  Occasional fireworks would stray in the black and starlit sky.

Devon smiled at the prematurely lighted firework shooting in the sky.  James opened a can of light beer and handed it to her. Devon smiled back and leaned at his husband.

“So peaceful here,” Devon stated.

“Well, any place can be peaceful, as long as Ivan and Shey are not there,” James reacted jokingly.

When they left the house, Ivan was screaming his heart out to a song on the videoke, with Devon’s sisters laughing hysterically at the background and their dog barking so loud, as if it is protesting to Ivan’s voice.  Shey has been screaming also on the top of her lungs, telling Ivan to tone it down cause she was talking to somebody on the phone.  Devon’s parents meanwhile, where huddled in the kitchen with cups of coffee on their hands, wishing that they have ear muffs. It has been ten years, but they have never been used to it. 

Devon and James managed to escape the house, a few minutes later and hiked up the hill. 

“Do you think, Ivan has already stopped singing?” Devon asked.

“I think, Shey forcibly took the microphone away,” James answered laughing.

Devon laughed hard too.

“You dropped a plate earlier,” James said.

“I know,” Devon slowly answered, trying to choose the words carefully. “The soap was too slippery.”

James nodded. “You’re really a klutz.”

Devon pulled away from James and pretended to be angry.  She was about to punch  James on his stomach, when he grabber her hand. He pulled her back to his embrace.

In a few minutes later, the fireworks started to shoot up to the sky.  It looked like it was raining small stars and moondust.   Devon loves fireworks and this is the best place to watch them. The dark sky started to light red, then green, they patches of yellow and white light. 

James is also contently watching the fireworks.  “I really hope we could be like this forever.”

“Watch fireworks forever?” Devon joked. “That’s going to be very expensive.  We would not be able to have children with such expenses.”

James laughed, wrapping his arms tighter around Devon.

“We could spend every New Year’s eve, here,” Devon said.

James nodded. “Where are we going to spend New Year’s eve, anyway?”

“Let’s just promise that wherever we are, we will try to get back to this hill,” Devon insisted. 

Another shower of lights filled the night sky.  Devon was startled from the loud bang.

James kissed Devon’s forehead.  “I promise, baby.”

Devon smiled and cuddled to his husband, watching the fireworks in the sky, wishing on each of the false shooting star coming from the shower of lights.