Andrew was at Nathan's house that evening, along with Veron's mother.
They had agreed to surprise the two women, who had just passed the board exam.
He was very proud of his fiancée. Whatever she achieved, he would always be there to support her.
"Nathan, are you sure this is okay?" he whispered.
"Yes. I know the two haven't taken a bath yet because they were drunk last night. They probably aren't even awake," Nathan replied, chuckling.
"They really went drinking, huh?" Andrew shook his head in disbelief.
Darkness was beginning to fall, and they waited a few more minutes.
"I think they're awake now," Nadia whispered.
"Let's stay here for a bit," Nathan said. Andrew simply followed and hid.
Suddenly, the two women came out, clearly not yet dressed for the day, their hair messy—obviously just out of bed.
"Oh no, we slept for that long?" he heard his fiancée say.
"Looks like it. I turned off the alarm clock because I thought we'd wake up by noon," Mariely said.
"Where do you think everyone is?" Veron asked.
"Maybe they went shopping or are busy with something."
"Girl, it's already night. Are you still hungover?" Mariely teased.
Andrew heard Nathan quietly laughing behind him.
"Let's just eat. I'm starving," Veron complained.
"Me too. I'll take a quick half-bath later—my stomach's already grumbling," Mariely replied.
Nadia gave the signal for them to all jump out and surprise the two. As soon as the kitchen light was switched on, the two were already talking about reheating any food on the table.
"Congratulations on passing the board exam!" everyone shouted together, tossing confetti.
He saw the shock on Veron's face as she tried to process what just happened.
"W—Wait, we weren't prepared for a surprise like this—we haven't even taken a bath," Veron said, flustered.
Andrew just laughed.
"Congratulations, hon." He handed her a bouquet of flowers.
She gasped when she saw him.
"W—Wait, I haven't taken a bath yet," she said, on the verge of tears.
He hugged her.
"You're doing fine," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
"Mom? You're here?" she asked, still surprised.
"Congratulations, Veron," her mother said warmly, hugging her tight.
"Faith, congratulations," Nathan added. "Despite everything that happened, you still did great and passed the board exam." He hugged her too.
"Brother," Faith said with a smile, "next time, please let me and Veron take a bath first before surprising us."
Everyone laughed.
"No drama—let's eat. I know you're both hungry, so we've prepared a small feast," Nathan said.
Andrew sat beside Veron.
"I thought you wouldn't greet me personally," she teased.
"Of course I would. You passed, so I came home right away," he said.
"Okay, so whose idea was this? You put me and Veron on the hot seat, and we haven't even bathed!" Mariely complained to her family, making everyone laugh. Even Andrew just shook his head, smiling.
***
Veron still couldn't believe there was a surprise waiting for them at Mariely's house.
"What's wrong, Veron?" Nadia asked when she noticed her expression.
"Nothing. I'm just happy. It still hasn't sunk in for me and Faith that we passed the board exam," Veron explained, glancing at everyone in the room.
Nadia smiled at her.
"All I can say is, you both deserve the blessing you received," she said, gently patting her tummy.
It was obvious now that Nadia was pregnant. Veron nodded at her words.
"I was just really surprised—especially because my love is here," Veron said happily.
"You're part of our family, Veron," Nathan told her.
"But seriously, besh, I still can't get over the fact that we didn't even get to shower. Everyone here smells amazing, and we smell like… I don't even know," Mariely whispered to her.
Veron laughed.
"Exactly. The beauty of a surprise is that we're unprepared," she replied.
"Go eat now, and no drinking tonight," her mother reminded them.
"Yes, Mom. We're eating," Veron answered playfully.
"You're really lucky to meet them," her mother whispered to her.
"Very lucky, Mom," Veron replied with a smile, looking at the people who welcomed and treated her like their own whenever she was with Faith's family.
"Nadia, is it a boy or a girl?" she asked.
Nadia looked at her husband and smiled. "It's a boy," she said, rubbing her belly.
"Wow," Veron said. "Nadia, you look even prettier now."
Nadia laughed.
"I thought it was going to be a girl because you're glowing," Mariely commented while eating.
"Well, when you're with the right person, you always bloom," Nadia teased, winking at both of them.
"Sorry, but I'm not with the right person yet," Mariely pouted.
"Don't go looking for the right person—they'll come to you. You're still moving on, remember?" Veron teased back.
"You're so mean," Mariely said, laughing.
The group ate together, laughing the whole time. Veron's heart felt so full. Andrew didn't let her drink, and Mariely was just as happy, laughing without a drop of alcohol.
She didn't care anymore that she hadn't taken a bath. Seeing the people who truly loved them was more than enough.
Mariely suddenly put her arm around her. Veron returned the gesture, smiling at the sight of their friends and family chatting and laughing.
Nadia then hugged them both.
"You're both doing your best, and I'm so happy with everything you've achieved," she said.
"Nadia, we wouldn't have done it without your support," Mariely replied.
"Especially you, Faith. What you went through before was difficult," Nadia added.
Mariely gave a small smile. "It feels like God is telling me that if I've been hurt, I should still fight."
"Gosh, Ely, are you really the Ely I knew before?" Nadia asked.
"Of course! I'm still me," Mariely laughed.
"Crazy," Veron teased, making them all laugh again.
"Make sure you let us be godmothers to your baby," Veron added.
"Of course," Nadia said warmly.
The night ended with some guests staying in the guest room. Since Faith and Veron had slept the whole day, they were still awake, cherishing every bit of this rare moment—knowing that days like this only came once in a lifetime.