Of monthsarries, valentine's, anniversarries & the 9-year itch...
It was Bucky & my 9th year anniversary as a couple last Mar 28. If I count the 6 months that we spent before becoming officially a “couple”, we’d have been together for 9 years and 6 months. Now, that is a long time. We quietly celebrated the occasion at Galileo, with pasta, cheese, cold cuts, wine, and each other’s company.
I feel so lucky to have him, so blessed that he found me, and relieved that I was able to knock some sense into my hard head 9 years ago. He allowed me to be myself, without making me feel like a fool or feel judged. He allowed me to be honest, to be scared, to be high-strung, a loose canon. I think in that way, he helped me find my way. He was never the person who’d put restrictions on me. I wasn’t given limitations on who to talk to, where to go, what to do. He just allowed me to be … myself, in my best, and even in my worst. He was there. And I never felt judged. He was always there.
For our January monthsarry, we went to have a hearty lunch/dinner at Steak MD. I’ve heard about this place from Bea who read about it in the internet. Knowing Bucky as a carnivore, I wanted to treat him with a heavy meal. And what a meal it was. The steak was cooked really well, and it wasn’t expensive compared to the steaks from other restaurants. Well, the steak from Antonio’s is a different story. We then had dessert coffee at Coffee Bean.
For our February celebration, it was more low key and casual. We just had dinner at home, bought coffee at Coffee Bean Valero, and spent walked around Jaime Velasquez Park until late in the evening. It was simple, cozy, and nice.
On Valentine’s Day, we had a dinner date at Galileo. We both had a great time, Bucky with the wine, and me with the dark chocolate & mint ice cream cake. We also had a serving of pasta, cheese, cold cuts, and wine each. We were so full, and yet it didn’t feel expensive. In fact, Bucky was able to order 4 glasses of wine with our dinner, and yet everything only cost us less than P1,500. 
We still have a long way to go. Marriage may be a sure possibility, but not soon. We both agreed on that. I guess the question is: could we still stand each other for 3-4 years more without the finality of marriage? I hope so. I was asked by friend how we could’ve stood each other. I think I told him that 3 things worked for us: no second guessing, talking, and laughter. So far, after more than 9 years of being together, we still have them. And each other.