#lenrisa

First

Risa glared joking to her friend, knowing full well how Leni would tease her and she feared that Leni might assume that she sees their friendship beyond platonic—which she does, but she didn’t want to insinuate anything because it seems as though Leni sees her as a friend and just a friend alone.

Little did she know, the frequent senate visits weren’t as 𝘢𝘭𝘭-𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 as she thinks. Leni does make way to see her Therese, a nickname so far off from what people usually call Risa, an endearment that both insinuates and does not insinuate something. A pet name that only belonged to Leni and Leni alone.

“Ayan na si Therese, Lens,” Loren pointed out. “Go get your girl!” And then Loren walked away before the other woman could respond to her teasing.

𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨. Three years after Leni realised she was head-over-heels Risa and the way her heartbeat remained the same—quick, and clear that it only beats for her Therese and her Therese alone.

“Hi, Leon.”

𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨. 𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨. 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱.

Leni sighed, a deep one that seemed to have left Risa worried. “Oh, you’re not happy to see me?” Ugh, nakakainis naman. Hindi. Hindi ‘yun ‘yon.

“No-“

“I’m… ang ganda mo kasi. Uhm,”

*smack*

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

𝘉𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵.

“Oh… what did I do to deserve that?” Leni smiled as if the entire kiss on the cheek didn’t take her aback.

“Well, you always deserve that, Leon. I just don’t give you enough of it… that’s why.” And then Risa stuck her tongue out at Leni. 𝘚𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘰, 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘢. 𝘚𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢, 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢. 𝘚𝘰𝘣𝘳𝘢!

𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨. 𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨.

“Oh.” 𝘖𝘩.

Leni had to shake it off, even though she knew it wouldn’t wear off, just like her adoration for Risa; nothing wears off, but everything piles up and becomes a new form of loving she cradles to bed every night.

The agenda is to ask Risa out for dinner tonight. This act isn’t new, in fact, it’s what they often do. But it never ceases to make her a nervous wreck. Maybe that’s how she is with Risa, a head-over-heels nervous wreck who is over the moon for the Senator who only sees her as a friend.

“Therese… uhm,” Leni bit her lip adamantly, “do you wanna go out tonight?”

𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨. 𝘋𝘶𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨.

“Oh!” But before Risa could answer, someone poked her from behind. A familiar face that just doesn’t fail to ruin Leni’s day.

“Hi, ladies.” James greeted the two women, one surprised with glee and another seemed surprised awfully.

Risa looked more excited, a tad happier than she was seconds ago. Leni’s demeanour is colder, a tad disappointed but she showed no remorse of some sort.

𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤.

“Tara na, Ris?” 𝘙𝘪𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘜𝘨𝘩. 𝘉𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘵.

Leni didn’t wait for the rejection. It seemed pointless and she bid her goodbye before Risa could speak.

“Sige, Therese. Next time na lang.” She caressed Risa’s arms as a sign of goodbye. “Bye, James.”

The feeling was both surreal and idealistic at the same time—who knew they could have it all?

“Happy?” Risa hugged Leni from behind.

Leni glanced before she went back to enjoying the view, making sure this wasn’t another dream she has to get by on. “Happy.”

“Who knew we could have it all?” Risa took a sip from her ice-cold wine, a habit she and Leni have adapted.

“Love, mas masarap ‘yung wine over ice.” Risa once said on a gloomy afternoon. Their retirement from politics has left them bored in the Big Apple. But it was a good boring, Risa would say.

Still stuck in a trance, Leni took seconds to respond. “It paid off,” She sighed, but Risa intervened before she could expound. “There really is no rainbow after the rain, ‘no? I thought we’ll never get to experience this.”

“I thought I’d have to love you for afar, Sa,” Eyes a little prickly with tears, Leni giggled to try and hide her heart-wrenching reaction, “I thought I’d have to wait for the afterlife to experience the mundane with you.”

Risa smiled. Amidst the roars and the deafening noise of New Year’s, the two stayed in their bubble of peace. “You don’t have to think about it. I’m not going anywhere, Pangga. You can’t get rid of me anymore.”

And just like that, their twentieth new year’s with each other still feels like it was their first and second.