Chapter five

I couldn't help but smile as I looked at Raphael as he lowered his greetings from the boat.

With him were the two man that my mother had introduced to us earlier, Adrian and Miko, who happened to be his cousins.

They were still whispering that I don't know why I blushed when I remembered what I did

earlier, so I'm ashamed of them until now.

And they're talking in another language, I think it's called English because I hardly

understand what they're saying.

"There are so many of them, I think it's been five months." Mom said she couldn't believe the food we were seeing.

"That's not enough, I bought a lot of water to drink while the others are still on the yacht so you don't have to drink water from the waterfall." Raphael said lifting the gallon of water.

"Please forgive our cousin for buying so many groceries." Adrian was already laughing so I smiled then he looked at me so I bowed.

"You know what-" He stopped speaking when Raphael hit him so I was surprised.

"Can you speak Tagalog?" He said to him but Adrian just laughed.

They ended up putting groceries in the house and almost filled our entire living room with boxes.

"Yes, by the way, let's go to the yacht. I cooked a delicious dinner so we can celebrate Heart's

birthday." I looked at Raphael who had a paperbag given to me.

"Wear that later, just take a shower and get dressed." He told me so I just nodded.

After they closed the door of the house well, we boarded Raphael's boat.

I was nervous because after several years I would only be able to ride a boat again,

I felt Raphael grab my hand and squeeze it.

I was relieved and looked at a big boat I looked up at it and there were letters written on its body.

I don't understand it but it's so beautiful.

"We're here come on." Raphael whispered so I reached out my hand to him and he helped me get to the big boat.

I looked around when we got up here and I couldn't believe that I would be able to ride on such a beautiful boat.

It's almost a small thing that I can see from the island but now I'm on board.

"It's very beautiful here son." I looked at my mother who was next to me and like me she was looking around in amazement.

"Did you like it here?" We both looked at Raphael smiling. We nodded to him at the same time and he invited us inside and I was even more amazed inside because there were balloons and

various decorations.

In the very center was written happy birthday along with my name and age so I cried especially when they started singing.

I looked at Raphael who was holding a cake with a small candle in the middle while he was singing.

"Happy Birthday Heart Serenity." He whispered so I smiled while crying.

"Make a wish before you blow." He said again so I followed him.

I closed my eyes and wished that mom would always be safe and strong and that I would always be with Raphael, when I finished I opened my eyes and blew out the candle then they applauded.

"Happy Birthday Serenity." I looked at Adrian who greeted me and gave me a gift each that I didn't want to accept because I was shy.

"Accept it Heart, those two will only take out money once and you'll be lucky." I looked at Raphael who was smiling so I just accepted it and thanked them.

I am very grateful to them especially to Raphael because he made me experience such a happy birthday.

I looked at mom who had fallen asleep saying that we are still here on Raphael's yacht and that we will return to the island tomorrow.

He gave us a room, two rooms here and Raphael's the other room.

I was still not sleepy so I slowly left the room and went upstairs where the ocean was calm and there were many stars in the sky.

The air is cold, but I can handle it, fortunately, my clothes are quite thick and my hair is just

loose and blown by the wind.

"Why are you still awake?" I was surprised when someone spoke behind me,Raphael.

"I'm not sleepy yet." I answered him in a low voice so he just nodded and sat next to me.

"Inima Luna." I looked at him when he spoke.

"Inima Luna?" I asked again because I didn't understand what he said.

"That means Heart Moon is such a beautiful name, isn't it?" I nodded that's what it meant.

"Heart you are the moon that came to me so this is my gift to you." Suddenly, a necklace that hit the moonlight lit up as it suddenly came out of the clouds so that the whole area was illuminated.

"It's beautiful." I just said while staring at the necklace he was holding. A half moon and next to it a small heart court is beautifully designed.

"Back away quickly." He said so I

nodded and followed him until I felt him behind me and I felt the cold thing he put on me.

"This is for you, keep it because I gave it." He whispered to me so I grabbed him and suddenly hugged him.

"Thank you very much, I will keep it, I promise." I started crying with him because I couldn't stop crying.

"Heart, I like seeing your smiles because you get more beautiful every time I see you happy." His gentle manner made me nod and hug him again

I don't know why my heart beats so fast but I know that it's not a bad thing for me because.

Raphael is the reason for it.

We're back on the island and I still can't believe that my birthday has passed and I'm eighteen years old, mom says I'm already an adult.

I left our house to wait for Raphael's return but it was early afternoon and we had just finished eating lunch with mom.

After they dropped us off earlier, they came back to the yacht, it looked like they had a serious conversation

earlier and it was obvious that Raphael had a problem, so he went back with his friends.

"Heart, I'll be back later, rest first." I looked at mom so I nodded to her.

"I'll be here in the hut first, it's windy here." Mom just nodded and went back inside.

I went up to the pallet that Raphael used to sleep on and took his pillow and the blanket he was using, I laid down and smelled the scent he left here.

The fragrance and manly smell made me smile and close my eyes when I woke up and he was here.

When I woke up again, I felt like I couldn't breathe and someone was kissing me so I woke up only to see Raphael hugging me.

"Hi my sweet baby." He whispered after releasing my lips.

We were both panting and I couldn't believe that he was back so I just hugged him and smiled.

"When did you arrive?" I asked him later so he looked at me.

"Just now I saw your slippers so I

immediately went here and caught you sleeping." He said in a low voice that he was about to kiss me again when I heard my mother calling me so I got up suddenly.

"Mom is calling me." I told Raphael but he had no intention of leaving my side so I just got off the pallet.

I fixed myself first and touched my lip as if it was swollen but I just wet it with saliva so that mom wouldn't notice.

I ran to the house and went to mom in the back house.

I heard hee coughing so I came closer to her.

"Mom, you're coughing." I told her but I was scared that there was blood on her hand.

"What is that, why is there blood?" I was afraid to ask my mother.

“It's notting this is just because the weather is hot." She's still coughing up that question but I can't be bothered.

"Maybe you need to get a checkup." I told her I just helped her wash.

I helped her to get inside the house and made me sit down to get water for her to drink, I was nervous but I didn't want to show it to her and I wanted to cry.

I remember grandma, she was seriously ill and no doctor looked at her, so I started crying.

When I came back, mom had her eyes closed so I told her and hugged her.

"Heart, I will not be afraid to leave you because I know that Raphael will not leave you." She was so sudden that I cried harder.

"I don't want, don't talk like that mom." I hugged her even tighter and later she fell asleep so I fixed her bed while crying.

When I came out Raphael was waiting for me so I ran to hug him.

I told him that mom's illness is getting worse, he knows this because mom told us that even if she knows medicine, she can't heal herself.

"I don't want to lose her Raphael, I can't." I kept crying to him but he just hugged me tightly.

"We will take her to Albay and get her treated." He said that's why I didn't think that he had done too

much, the only thing I wanted was for my mother to be treated

We forced mom to go to the doctor and Raphael used a nice phone and called someone.

He said we went straight to Manila for treatment because there was no doctor available, as he explained to me.

"This is too much Raphael you shouldn't be doing this." Mom said crying.

"Don't think about it, it's in exchange for you saving my life and I don't want to see

Serenety sad." Raphael said holding mom's hand.

I couldn't believe how quickly we arrived in Manila and I was nervous to see how many people and buildings and cars there were.

"Did you like this place?" I looked at Raphael who approached me while I was looking out of the window of what was said to be a large room.

This is where we will stay for the time being, he said, and mom said that the doctors will take care of it because Raphael didn't allow me to go with her, so we are here.

"The place is beautiful and very spacious." I am in awe of him.

I really couldn't believe what I was seeing I felt Raphael hug me from behind and kiss my head so I smiled.

"Let's go for a walk later, do you want?" He asked so I nodded to him.

"Are we going to see mom?" I asked suddenly so he nodded and hugged me even tighter.

I'm sad that mom is sick and she's in the hospital, but because Raphael is here by my side, the pain I feel has decreased so I'm very grateful to him.