Category: Love in a Soap Prequel (ongoing)

Love in a Soap – Prequel 9

Part 9 : OST

“Partner!!!” Maya excitedly exclaimed as she rushed towards him inside their designated tent.

He was reviewing his script and he was alone inside the tent when Maya went in, with Kute and Nikki in tow.

“Oh why are you guys so happy?” He raised a brow amused at the elated expressions of the three especially of Maya who couldn’t contain her excitement that she even hugged him.

“Guess what?” Maya asked him.

“Hmmm…pack up na tayo?” He teased.

“Hindi! Ano ka ba! Masayang balita nga! Eh yun pack-up malungkot naman yun.” Maya was still giddy.

Kute and Nikki were just watching in amusement.

“Ano nga?”

“Guess mo kasi partner. Hindi ka man lang game.”

“Hmmm… You are very excited so malamang.. Hmm… Alam ko na! May kissing scenes na tayo?!!!??” He again teased with that naughty glint in his eyes and that signature laughter of his whenever he clowns around at their set.

“Oy excuse me! Hindi ako excited sa kiss! Ikaw ha! Binibintang mo sakin yun baka ikaw naman anhemay gusto.” Maya vehemently denied.

“Ay naku tara na nga Nikki. Iwanan na nga natin sila. Ang dami pang pasakalye ng dalawang to. Akala mo naman teenagers. Dun na nga kami sa labas.” Kute was scratching her head while on her way out of the tent. Nikki who was smiling followed her.

“Ayan tuloy lumabas sina Kute. Ikaw ah gusto mo lang ata akong masolo eh.” Richard joked again.

“Ikaw Richard ha! Ang mga biro mo! Napakanaughty mo! Nawala yun prim and proper and immaculately clean image I have of you. Atsaka nakakahiya kaya sa mga kasama natin. Mga alaskador pa naman lahat.” She told him but she was also smiling.

She was worried yet also kilig with his jokes.

“Partner biro lang naman. They already know me as maloko so don’t worry about them.”

“Oo nga kaso nakakahiya lalo na kapag nandito yun asawa mo.”

He chuckled again.

“You’re worried of Alex? Don’t! Alam na alam nya how I am. She doesn’t mind a bit if that’s your concern.”

“Ah kahit na. Saka ang dami kayang mga nanonood ng tapings natin baka mamaya kung ano ang isipin nila.” Now she was concerned with the audience, the fans and the usyuseros on their location shoot.

“Ah sige I promise to tone down on my jokes lalo na pag maraming tao. Pero siyempre pag tayo tayo lang naman okay lang di ba?” Then he winked at her.

He was in a jovial mood when he arrived on the set hours ago. He had many scenes with her today and just like on every taping day, he always looks forward to their scenes together.

“Ewan ko sayo partner! Teka nga, guess mo na nga yun good news.” She brought back the discussion to the reason why she entered the tent.

“Sabihin mo na kasi…”

“Sige na nga.” Her eyes mirrored her excitement. She continued. ” Sabi ni Ms. Jeany we will be guesting in ASAP on Sunday. Kakanta tayo partner!!!!” She was very happy.

Natawa siya.

“Para kang bata. What naman if we sing eh we did it na rin naman sa Showtime?”

“Iba eto partner kasi ang balita eh our show’s Official Soundtrack will be awarded. Naka Gold record award tayo!!!”

Now it’s his turn to be surprised and now he’s eagerly listening to her.

“Really?!”

“O di ba! Natuwa ka din!”

“Well of course! Oh my God! Totoo? You’re not making this up?” He couldn’t believe what he heard.

Their show’s soundtrack album which includes their duet, their solo numbers and some Kute and Nikki’s song numbers as well earned a Gold Record Award for achieving a record sales of more than 7,500 albums just a few weeks after it was launched. Ms. Jeany was informed by Star Records and she called Maya earlier that day.

Richard and Maya couldn’t believe the very good news. They didn’t even believe that they could be recording artists.

Both were elated.

“Oo partner totoo! And ang another good news is dahil may award yun album natin, may mall shows na rin tayo to further promote the album and our show. Naku dagdag raket yun!”

She was feeling so blessed with everything that’s been happening. Their show has been extended and they have been hearing very good reviews from their viewers and even from their bosses.

They were also offered to do some TV commercials and were even invited to be magazine covers.

And now their OST is even exponentially increasing its sales thats why they have this award.

Everything was going on so well for all of them and they can’t thank each other enough for all the blessings that’s been coming their way.

“Thank you very much Maya. I’ve been so lucky na ikaw yun nakatrabaho ko.”

“Partner I am also lucky na ikaw ang nakatrabaho ko. Pareho lang tayo at swerte tayo that we are handled by Ms. Jeany’s unit. Ang saya di ba?”

“Oo Maya. We have a very happy set. And in my part, very inspiring too.” Then he grinned.

“Inspired?”

“Yes kasi napakaganda yun katrabaho ko.”

“Maguumpisa ka na naman partner. Tigilan mo nga ako.” Then she added..”Pero tama ka naman. Maganda naman talaga ako.”

“Uy Maya I wasn’t pertaining to you. Si Manang Fe ang sinasabi ko.” Then he chuckled.

“Hahaha! At idinamay mo talaga si Manang Fe. Marinig ka nga pagalitan ka na naman nun.”

Then both of them shared laughter inside that tent.

Maya was already used to her partner’s humor so she decided to be game with it as well.

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All eyes were on the couple as they were singing their show’s theme song.

As usual Richard was still very nervous doing the number. He was still shy and would just occasionally glance at the audience.

For the whole duration of their duet, he just glanced at the audience thrice. His eyes were fixed on Maya for he was so overwhelmed with the reaction of the audience.

The moment Maya stepped emerged on the stage awhile ago,the crowd was so loud. They were all cheering and shouting. They were so happy to see their most loved TV character on the asap stage.

But when Richard stepped out, pandemonium broke loose. Shrieks were heard and even the celebrities who were part of ASAP were gushing and were so kilig to see up-close, the star of the hit serye ‘I’ll take care of you’, whom everybody was raving about.

Richard was totally uncomfortable with the attention he was getting and he never expected that kind of reaction from the audience.

Maya was so amused at her partner. She was silently teasing him with her eyes and eyebrows.

Richard just shook his head and let out a small smirk while looking at her. He knows he won’t hear the end of the teasing from Maya and from the whole ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ family.

He was certain that he won’t hear the end of the teasing from Alex and the kids and from his employees as well.

Everyone was amused by his expression. They knew that he was new to all of these.

It was just so fun to watch him feeling so helpless and embarrassed trying his best to do what is asked of him even though he definitely wasn’t used to it.

He was game despite his unease.

He would follow instructions despite his stature and that’s what makes him more lovable to his co-stars most especially to her.
She finds the blushing Richard Lim so cute that she can’t help but laugh at him.

As the duet progressed Maya assisted him and he began loosening up. He would gamely touch her face or the tip of her chin and even her hand. All these actions elicited more shrieks from the audience.

These also caused Maya’s heart to pound and cheeks to blush. She was affected by what her partner does to her and she can’t help herself from turning beet red and from the hair in her nape to stand due to kilig.

“Let’s all give a warm round of applause to Richard Lim and Maya dela Rosa of the hit series ‘I’ll Take Care of You’.” Piolo, one of the hosts of ASAP joined the couple on stage. He and Maya did the customary beso while he shook Richard’s hand.

The crowd showed their appreciation to the couple by their roaring applause and happy smiles.

Even Maya and Richard couldn’t contain their happiness to what was happening. They never expected this kind of reception from the crowd and even from their colleagues in showbiz who were all in front of the stage joining the audience as they were doing the duet.

For an unknown reason they were all gushing over Richard Lim and like Maya, the ladies were also ‘kilig na kilig’.

“We are not only here to listen to them sing their hit song but also bestow on the ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ family a very special award. Let’s call the head of Star Records, Mr. Rex Santos to hand them their award. Let’s also call Ms. Jeany who heads the JMO unit which is behind the very successful series.” Mr. Gary V., one of the senior hosts announced. He stood beside Richard and Richard, who was a fan of Gary, shook his hand while giving his bright smile. Gary appreciatively returned the gesture.

Ms. Jeany joined them as well.

“For achieving the sales of 10,000 copies of the album ‘The I’ll Take Care of You official soundtrack’, Star Records gives this Gold Record Award to the ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ family and everyone involved in this album. Congratulations guys!”, Sir Rex happily announced and congratulated them.

“Maya, Richard any message? Maya ikaw na muna.” It was Piolo who asked.

Maya was still all smiles as she spoke, “Hindi po namin inaasahan to pero ibinigay nyo gaya ng hindi namin inaasahang suporta nyo sa serye namin. Maraming salamat po sa mga bumili ng album at nagtyaga sa boses namin ni Richard.”She was laughing then she added. “Sabagay kasali si Kute at Nikki kaya siguro nag Gold Record kami.” She laughed again. “Maraming salamat din sa bumubuo ng Star Records, sa ASAP, sa mga vocal coach namin at sa lahat ng kasamahan namin sa JMO unit lalo na kay Ms. Jeany. Hindi namin makakalimutan to at ngayon masasabi ko na ganap na akong isang recording artist.” She was her jolly self that everyone was affected by the positive aura she radiates.

“Thank you Star Records and Sir Rex for this Gold Record award. Thank you to our ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ family and Ms. Jeany’s JMO unit for making work easy for us. Thank you Asap family for accommodating us here. Thank you also to all our viewers who never fail to watch our show despite our timeslot. You gave us all the support and inspired us to work harder in giving you a very good show with good values and positivity. We hope you would continue to join us in our journey. Lastly thank you Kute and of course Maya for assisting me in the duet and for making work fun.” Richard was indeed grateful for all the unexpected blessings coming their way.

“Maya, Richard alam kong masaya kayo dito. Nagpapasalamat din ako at ang aming mga kasamahan sa ‘I’ll Take Care of You’ na napakagaan katrabaho. Lahat ng blessings ay dahil sa kanila, sa pagbibigay ng buong sarili sa aming show. Thank you to Star Records and ASAP.” Ms. Jeany kept her message short.

After their number, the couple together with Ms. Jeany were ushered towards the backstage.

Ms.Jeany left ahead of them for she still has a meeting with the bosses of the network.

Richard was again his quiet self and Maya couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“Oy partner relax ka lang. Mababait naman ang mga yan. Tara join tayo sa kanila.”

Maya being the veteran in showbiz dragged her partner to join the other ASAP artists who were having their lunch at the backstage.

She still wanted to have a short chat with her friends and deep inside, she also wanted them to meet her partner. She was so proud to be working with Richard Lim and though she wouldn’t admit it, she was very lucky to be his leading lady.

Maya can’t hide her feeling of kilig and it was so evident that she was incessantly teased by the stars of ASAP.

“Grabe Maya ang haba ng hair mo girl! At ang ngiti grabe! Mukhang enjoy na enjoy ka kay Sir Richard ah.” Luis, the very playful host commented.

Richard chuckled while Maya made a face.

They were even asked for ‘selfies’ by those at the backstage and the couple happily obliged.

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At the parking area after the Asap guesting Maya was surprised to see Jeff.

She forgot about their date.

She was supposed to join Richard for lunch and since she didn’t have her car, it was decided that he will bring her home. With the sudden appearance of Jeff, their initial plan needs to be changed.

“Naku Richard I’ll go ahead. I can’t join you na for lunch kasi nandito na pala si Jeff. Naku nakalimutan ko na may date pala kami. Next time na lang. Pasensya na ha.”

Though he was annoyed, he didn’t show it. He has no right.

“No worries Maya. Sige kita na lang tayo bukas sa set.”

“Sige Richard. Pasensya na talaga. Ingat sa pagdrive. Regards to Alex and the kids na lang.”

“Okay have fun. Bye!”

If he was very excited awhile ago, now he was grumpy and cranky as hell.

He proceeded home with the intention to just go to sleep. He lost his appetite for lunch already.

Maya could make him feel the extreme emotions of happiness and disappointment.

He knows he must control his emotions.

He knows that what he is feeling would definitely bring complications.

He doesn’t need that right now.