SEVEN

You were right if you noticed that we didn't guide the driver because luckily, the driver knew which road he must take. We reached the church at last. Our church can be considered as one of the biggest in Newsville. It took us like 1 and a half hour to reach Newsville. All of us went down the service van. Abigail and I went together inside the church as if we're the only people in the world. But that feeling fell off when mom called my name.

"What is it mom?" I looked behind me.

"Bay 1 Ian. Okay? I'll just check some papers upstairs and I'll follow you there." Mom said.

"Yes mom." I said.

The Stevensons went with us towards the Bay 1. It's the first batch of like 30 seats inside the auditorium. Finally, upon reaching Bay 1, we settled on our seats with me and Abigail at the last row with her aunt and older sister in the row in front of ours. She held my hand as if she had seen a ghost. Her hands were cold and shaking.

"Ian. I am just afraid of what you're mom would say about me, about us." She said.

"Don't worry. Everything's will be fine. We all face problems, what matters is, how we manage to get out of it." I said with such tone of confidence.

"How can you even say that?" she whispered.

"Ahmm. Well, I myself don't have any idea but according to my instincts, there's nothing to worry about. They won't be able to know about us, if we are just careful in hiding it." I said.

"But how? How can we hide it?" She asked.

"It's not safe to talk about this here. Let's buy some food outside as we talk about it." I said as I stood up.

She stood up and asked for permission from her aunt and sister. They nodded as if Abigail is just a stranger to them.

"They don't even care to ask of where are you going huh?" I said as we step outside the auditorium.

"I told you, they don't care about me that much." She said.

"So, going back to our topic earlier, what are we gonna do in order for them not to know anything about us?" She said.

"I can say that we must be careful especially when we text each other since that I have your contact here in mom's phone. I must delete this and I will tell my father to buy me a phone that I can call as "mine" I said.

"And then. . ." she asked.

"I will save your number but I will not put your real name just in case that they'll try to check it, they won't be able to know it's you." I said.

She remained silent. So I decided to continue speaking.

"Don't worry Abigail. I can handle this. We can handle this." I said as I try to comfort her.

We went to an Ice cream shop in front of the church. I bought her some ice cream and she ate it slowly. I can sense a worrying soul in her. I am bothered. I don't know what running in her mind right now. I can't fully understand her silence.

"If you're worrying too much or scared of something, maybe the best way of solving this is just to forget of what we have for each other. I don't want to see you acting like that. I don't want to see you worrying as much as what you're doing right now because it bothers me." I said plainly as I fix my gaze at my ice cream.

She remained silent for a while and took some deep breaths before she spoke.

"You were right, I am worrying. I am worrying about us and about you. But it'll not be help to this situation if we'll just forget what we feel. If you promise me that no matter what happen you won't give up, I'll take these worries away." She said emotionally.

I paused for a few seconds or maybe for a minute. She wanted me to promise something, something that will change everything if ever I'll promise it. If I won't promise, everything that we have for each other will fall off but if I do, I know we have to face a lot of changes. My head ached a little because of the pressure of making such decision and because of her unwavering look at me as if she's waiting for an answer, for a promise.

"Abigail. We both know that we're still too young for this thing that we have for each other. I know that we still have a lot to face as days pass by. We don't even have the idea of what will happen. But. . . "

"But what?" she asked

"I promise . . . I will always be here whenever you need me. I promise that you and I will go through the coming trials. Young as we are, I know we still have a lot to know. I promise that we will be together no matter what." I said softly.

"Thanks Ian. I hope you won't break your promises. One thing that I want to say to you, whenever you're at home or travelling somewhere, during the night I want you to look up and find those 3 stars that I told you about. Those were my favorite stars but now it is also yours. I know those stars are not mine but I just want to share my favorites with you. If ever you miss me and you can't see me due to some reasons, just look up. Besides after that night, we can still see each other. I have one wish Ian." She said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Look at those stars every night so that you will never forget me. In that way, you will always have me, see me, and feel me. You were right in saying that we don't know what will happen in the future, but since you promised me that you will never leave me, somehow I can see our future, together. We still have a lot to face, but I am not scared. Thanks for the promise Ian." She said.

I just smiled and held her hand as we go out and had our way back to the church. Before we step in to the auditorium, she said something that really amazed me.

"This hand," as she looks directly to my hand, "I just pray that this will be the first and the last hand that I will hold from now till forever." She said.

I just smiled not because I am not touched by her words but because I no longer know what to say.

We sat next to each other, listened to the preaching together, and there are times that I snatch a glance at her as she focus on listening to the pastor as he speaks. She is beautiful in her own way. I am trying to find any point in her that will make me regret about what we have for each other. But as I fixed my gaze at her, all I can see are reasons for me not to let her go. If I am just a stranger sitting beside her, I would have thought that she's a kind of a girl who doesn't have any problem. But I knew her; I knew some deepest pains hiding in her sweet smiles.

"What are you looking at?" she said as she slowly put her gaze upon me.

"Looking at? Me? No. Nothing." I denied.

"I can feel it if someone is looking at me even though my eyes are focused on something else." She smiled.

"Ahmm. . ."

She laughed. "I love you Ian." She said.

"I love you too." I replied.

"Actually, you don't have to say it back every time I say I love you Ian." She said.

"Why?"

"Because I can feel it already. I need actions more than words. The reason why I believed you when you said you have something towards me is not because of the words you say, but because of your actions. By your actions, I can see if you're saying the truth or not." She said.

I remained silent after she said that. After a little while Mom arrived and sat beside me. We focused our attention to the preaching until the service itself has ended. We, together with the Stevensons, head straight toward our service because I know that mom still has something to do after the service. As we walk, her mom and the other decided to buy something first so it's only me and Abigail who went straight to where the service vehicle is. We didn't climb up the vehicle since it's only the two of us there and we don't want other people to think of something since we are still young. We decided to stand and leaned by the vehicle.

"I have one more wish to say Ian."

"What is it?"

"Just be honest with me. If you feel something, say it. If you have something painful to say or share, regardless of whatever is involved, tell me. If you are sad, happy, mad, pained, worrying, depressed, whatever that bothers your mind, tell me. I want to know how you feel. I want to know what you're going through. If you'll break a promise for our own good or what, tell me. It'll be easy for me to accept anything, no matter how great or painful it is, as long as you keep me informed." She said.

She paused for a while. I know she still has something to say so I remained still.

"Our communication should be limited Ian. Because if it's not, the higher will be chance that they'll know about us. Do you have Yahoo Messenger? She asked.

"No, but I can make an account for me if you want to." I said.

"Sign up for an account. I'll send you my username, you add it. So that we could chat if both of us are available. You have my number, just text me. But take note, we should limit the communication. I don't want anything bad to happen. Okay Ian?" She said.

"Okay."

It was all that I can say. After a few minutes Mom arrived and so the Stevonsons.

"So are we gonna go now?" I said.

"Your brother's not yet here." Mom said.

I saw someone approaching our way. It's my brother together with the driver of the service.

"We better go home now. It's hard to travel at night." My brother said.

All of us settled ourselves inside the service. I and Abigail took the front seat again. She looks weak now and I don't know why.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"I am sleepy." She said with a sleepy tone of voice.

"Don't worry , our travel will be fast, I hope so." I said.

When everyone's already inside, the vehicle started moving. We went out of the parking area of the church and set off to go home. As I look directly at the road, I felt something on my shoulder. It was her. Sleepy as she is.

"Can I sleep here?" she said in a soft voice.

"Yes you can" I said.

She slept on my shoulder. The travel time is somehow long but I don't feel any "tired" feeling. I feel so happy. Very happy. If only this girl knew how happy I am. Things were so fast that I didn't see these things coming but they did. Honestly, I am a bit afraid of how and what my mom will say especially now that I can see her looking at me from the back seat. I just hope that there'll be no terrible things that will happen. I know that what I did was wrong but I don't have plans to turn back or to have regrets. Starting tomorrow, everything will change. I can feel it. I can sense every bit of it. I know that she senses it too. But we'll stand our ground, no matter what.

"I think we'll just drop by here." Mrs. Stevenson said.

"Are you sure? We're supposed to drop you at the front of your house so don't have to walk." Mom said.

"It's okay." Mrs. Stevenson said.

"Abigail, wake up. I think your mom decided to be dropped by here." I said as I try to slowly wake Abigail.

"Huh.? Okay." She said.

I went out of the service to allow Abigail to step down of the vehicle.

"See you next time." I said.

"See you next time. Take care." She said. She motioned her lips as she says I love you.

I just smiled and climbed up the van again. Luckily, the driver opens the window by his side so I can see Abigail and her family walk away. But after a few seconds, I saw Abigail turning her head to look back and managed to smile at me. I smiled in return though I don't have the idea if she saw it. Then I sat down and fixed my gaze at the road again as the van set off and headed towards home.