Maine stared at her brightly lit reflection in the dressing room mirror. She had never been the type to wear thick make-up on a regular basis, but her face seems to have been caked with foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and a rather bright shade of red lipstick every single day these past few months. Of course, donning make-up more frequently was not the sole thing that had been different in her life of late. There were also the cameras that hounded her every move every afternoon, the need to memorize a handful of audio clips to lip sync to, and the screams of fans of all ages that seemed to accompany her wherever she went; screams that intensified in pitch especially when she was in close proximity to Alden Richards.

She paused her reverie, still staring at her reflection.

Alden Richards. She bit her lip in thought. Richard Faulkerson, Jr.

She had been aware of his existence years back, when he had joined Candy magazine’s Candy Cuties (which was basically a section in the magazine which featured attractive male teens for the female teens to fawn and giggle over). She had attended a Candy event back when she was still in high school, and there he was, one of the Cuties, carrying a charming dimpled smile and an excitingly exotic (she’d have to admit) American last name. She’d even taken a picture with him, albeit a horribly blurry one (she still blames her friend for having had such damn shaky hands). She was a younger, darker, and scrawnier version of herself then, mouth full of braces, and a little dorky (but in a funny and cute kind of way—or at least, she’d like to think). The moment didn’t really mean much to her at the time because he was just a Candy Cutie amongst a sea of other Candy Cuties… but then he rose to fame, and she’d started seeing him on television, and after catching numerous glimpses of him on screen, she’d come to the conclusion that his face, perhaps, was one of the cutest she’d ever seen on a boy. Not that it mattered at the time, of course, as she couldn’t really do anything about her infatuation over this local actor then.

But that was then. Now, things were stupendously different. She had never in her life imagined ever being here, in this dressing room, preparing to go on live television in an hour. She had never thought to be highly recognized by a majority of the Filipino masses. And she had never predicted ever being in a loveteam, and paired nonetheless with Alden ing Richards.

Her heart did a somersault in her chest. She might just be the luckiest girl on earth, she thought, as a smile escaped her lips. But no, she scolded herself, don’t speak to soon. She sighed and rested her chin on her hand. She looked into her reflection’s eyes. A large part of her was extremely elated to be where she currently is, but a small part was terrified. She knew this was all for show; it was to entertain and bring smiles to the millions of Filipinos who deserved a break from a hard day’s work. But all the hype had made her very hopeful that maybe, just maybe, behind the cameras, beyond the script, and away from the studios, Alden thought of her—in a more-than-friends kind of way, too.

Her thoughts were put on hold when she heard her dressing room door creak open. She spun around and froze instantly upon seeing who it was.

“Hi Maine,” Alden said, a little bashfully, in his slightly awkward, yet adorable way. He gave a small smile. “’Musta?”

“Ok naman,” she croaked, still feeling surreal about him being in her dressing room. Although they had already been placed in the same room on TV and were given permission to freely speak with each other, they never really hung out off-screen. “Ikaw?”

“Ok lang rin,” he returned. He swallowed and grasped for something else to say, but failed to find any, and so resorted to pocketing his hands and awkwardly staring at his shoes.

“Um,” Maine muttered, sensing the growing tension, “gusto mo umupo?” She gestured towards the couch.

He nodded and sat on the farthest end.

She stood up and occupied the space beside him, making sure to leave a comfortable distance between them. 

He shifted his gaze towards her.

She felt the color rising on her face and averted her eyes to the floor.

He cleared his throat. “Medyo intense yung mga nangyayari, noh?”

She glanced back up at him. “You mean, sa Kalyeserye?”

He nodded. “At sa atin.”

She knew what he meant, but her face grew warmer regardless.

“I mean,” he blurted, cheeks also tinging pink, “sa loveteam—“ he winced a little and grew a deeper shade of pink, “sa AlDub.” He pursed his lips in resignation, wondering why everything seemed so awkward to say.

“Oo nga eh,” Maine replied, ignoring his slight discomfort in an effort to keep things light. “Magiging ganito pala tayo, noh? Never ko naman inexpect na aabot ako dito.”

“Pero masaya ka naman?” he asked.

“Oo naman! Sobrang swerte ko nga eh. I basically have the best job in the world,” she smiled, “dati ko pang gusto maging artista, pero sinecret ko lang sa sarili ko.”

“Bakit naman?”

She shrugged. “People judge.”

He furrowed his brows. “Talaga?”

She nodded. “I dunno, pero sa circle ko, oo. I knew my friends and some family members would tease me ‘pag nalaman nilang gusto ko mag-try maging sikat sa local TV.” She laughed. “Jologs daw kasi. But local show business has always intrigued me.”

Alden smiled. “And here you are.”   

Maine nodded. “And here I am.”

They smiled briefly at each other, but quickly realized that they had nothing else to add to their conversation. They tore their eyes away from each other and looked around the room for something else to focus on in an effort to avoid the inevitable awkwardness.

“Um, Maine?” Alden hazarded, shattering the silence.

Maine turned to look at him.

“I wanted to, um,” he made a sound which was somewhere between a cough and a chuckle. “Well…”

She stared at him and gave a reassuring smile.

He looked into her eyes and smiled back. “The thing is, I guess, gusto ko lang sana malaman kung—“ he looked away again, laughing a little.

“Ano?” Maine asked, laughing with him.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Nakakatawa lang yung pagka-awkward ng conversation natin,” he chuckled, “dapat magkakilala na tayo, pero since di naman talaga tayo nag-uusap beyond our notes sa Kalyeserye dati, parang kilala kita na hindi?”

Maine laughed, shaking her head. “Oo, gets ko. Ang labo nung feeling… pero,” she paused, glancing up at him, “I’m glad na—” she paused again, her lips, “—na we can finally talk nang ganito. Nang wala sa camera.” She smiled briefly at him, blushed a little, and quickly shifted her gaze to the floor again.

Alden smiled. “Ako rin.”

She felt him staring at her as she feigned interest in her shoes.

He cleared his throat, “Maine?”

She looked at him.

“Uh…” he paused, gathering his thoughts. “May tanong lang sana ako, before all this gets even crazier.”

She tilted her head to the side questioningly.

He gave another awkward chuckle. “Um,” he said, wringing his hands together, “I guess I just wanted to manage your—and my—expectations. Ayoko naman kasing… umasa tayo sa wala, alam mo yun?”

went dry. Could he be pertaining to what she thought he was pertaining to? “Umasa… saan?” she said in a small voice.

He breathed out a sigh. “I guess what I’m trying to say is… uh,” he scratched his chin, “yung mga sinasabi mo sa  akin… sa TV… ganon din ba yung,” he swallowed, looking up at her, his face growing rubicund, “nararamdaman mo, I mean, ‘di lang as Yaya Dub, pero… as Maine?”

The color drained from her face and she felt her head spinning.

He gazed at her, waiting for her reply. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

She gulped and looked down at her dress, picking nervously at its fringe. “Um,” she said, almost inaudibly. Thousands of questions surged in her head. Should she tell him the truth? Will he respond favorably? What are the chances of her only ending up embarrassed and dejected? How on earth will she even begin?

Alden watched her intently as she tugged fretfully on a loose thread on her clothing, face growing redder by the second. “Sorry,” he uttered, “I shouldn’t have put you on the spot.”

She glanced up meekly at him, face still burning. “No, I—“

 “Gusto ko lang sana maging honest sa’yo,” he interjected, before his confidence could wane.

She stared at him, unmoving, her heart beating faster than she thought possible.

He sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. “Ilang years na rin akong nasa showbiz, and to be honest, yung mga loveteam kasi, lalo na yung mga pumapatok sa marami, usually, talagang sinasabihang mag-act, alam mo na… all sweet and… kilig sa camera,” he paused and studied her face, which was now half-hidden by her hair, as she looked down at the floor. “And, most of the time—”

“Hindi naman totoo,” she finished his sentence in an almost-whisper.

 “Yun nga lang,” he acquiesced, pausing a bit before continuing, “unfortunately, kahit na hindi naman ganon yung nararamdaman in real life, napipilitan pa rin gawin sa harap camera to please the audience. It’s part of the job.”

She nodded again, still not daring to look back up at him. She felt hot tears forming at the backs of her eyes, but she willed them to stay there.

“Kaya gusto ko malaman kung totoo lahat ‘to on your end,” he said, still watching her, hoping she’d look back at him. “Kasi, sa akin...” he swallowed, feeling as though his heart had lodged itself somewhere in his throat, “…kasi sa akin, oo.”

Maine’s eyes widened and darted back at him. “…oo?”

He gulped again, his face an inexplicable shade of red. “I-I think—” his voice faltered, forcing him to clear his throat. The nervousness he felt was insurmountable, but he willed himself to finish saying what he had started to say, despite it all. “I think you’re beautiful, and talented, and… real,” he said, not daring to look her straight in the eye. “And I know we don’t really know each other too well yet, but honestly, you… you fascinate me in more ways than I could express. I can’t really explain why, but you do. And, kung… kung gusto mo, I mean, kung sa tingin mo, okay lang, I’d very much like to… to get to know you more,” he looked at her and gave a sheepish smile, “off-camera, if pwede.”

Maine had been watching him, cheeks flushed, jaw dropped slightly. She closed and opened , wanting to say something back, but she found that the words keep dying in .

Her non-response left Alden crushed. He turned his gaze back onto his shoes. “P-pero if you don’t really feel the same way, then—”

“No!” Maine interrupted a little too eagerly.

Alden furrowed his brows.

“Sorry, I mean no, or… yes,” she winced, “what I mean is, of course I-I feel the same way.”

Alden smiled. “Talaga?”

Maine laughed, cheeks still tinged pink. “’Di pa ba obvious sa lagay na ‘to?”

Alden’s smile grew wider. He tore his gaze from her and looked down at his lap chuckling, as he buried his face in his hands.

Maine watched him curiously. “Bakit ka nagtatago?”

He looked up at her through his fingers. “Wala, kinikilig lang.”

She laughed, “Ako rin, eh.”

He scooted closer and nudged her playfully with his shoulder.

She smiled and bumped him back.

“So,” he said, still smiling.

“So,” she returned.

He offered her his hand. “Hi, I’m Richard.”

She shook his hand, giggling a little. “Hi, Richard, I’m Maine.”

“I think you’re adorable,” he said, with a wide grin, “may I get your number?”

Maine felt the color rise to her face again. “Of course.”

As they both fished their phones from their pockets and exchanged numbers, the door to the dressing room opened once more. “Maine?” one of the producers said, popping his head in the room. “Ay,” he uttered, grinning as he spotted Alden with her. “Maine, labas ka na, live na tayo in 10 minutes.”

Maine nodded, smiling.

As the door shut, Alden stood up.

She followed suit.

“Sige, I’ll text you,” he said, grinning.

“Aasahan ko yan ah,” she chided.

“Oo naman!” he said, “In 10 minutes, may text ka na sa’kin.”

She laughed.

“Sige, kailangan na rin ata ako sa labas,” he said, walking towards the door.

“Okay,” she replied, walking with him.

They stopped at the door and awkwardly shifted their feet.

“So…” Alden started.

“So…” Maine echoed.

He stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms.

Maine froze in surprise, but quickly returned the hug.

“I’m really glad you feel the same way,” he whispered in her ear.

She smiled. “Me too.”

They parted, faces flushed.

“See you,” he said, opening the door.

“Bye,” she said, as he stepped out.

Maine leaned on the door after it had shut, processing all that had happened. She then smiled wide and squealed for a few seconds, hugging her arms in glee. She cleared , composed herself, and opened the door. It was time to be Yaya Dub again, but things would be different now that she knew how he felt about her. She let out another small squeal before exiting her dressing room and walking into the studios.

End.