I basked in the sun's warm rays as it kissed my cheek the moment I stepped on the solid ground of the place where I have officially landed.

Here I am now in one of the renowned tourist spots in the Philippines: Ilocos Sur.

I thanked the friendly driver when he dropped me off.

He excused himself that he will just take a pee at the nearby fastfood chain and he will also meet his brother who is a local tour guide in the city.

I adjusted my shades and clasped on the straps of my brown tote bag.

I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of the famous Calle Crisologo.

I also managed a selfie for a few moments and posted it in Instagram for my followers to see.

In just a few seconds, I received a hundred of likes.

I am Xyrene Worthman, a FilAm vlogger, who just visited my mom's hometown.

Before Mom passed away two years ago due to colon cancer, she told me about her country. How beautiful and amazing it was.

She also introduced me to my relatives in the Philippines via Zoom and Videocalls.

We just knew of her fatal illness recently and it was too late to be cured and treated.

Dad was devastated as I was and it gets harder day by day to learn to live without her.

But, as days flew by, we learned to accept it gradually.

Dad let me visit the said country and told me to just enjoy life.

I told him that I will be gone by three days only since I cannot leave him alone for too long too.

My attention was diverted to Kuya Larry and a guy about my age approaching the car.

"Ma'am Xyrene. This is my younger brother, Marc, who will tour you around the city. I'm afraid I have to leave you to him because my wife is expected to deliver our third baby sooner." Kuya Larry apologized to me when they reached the car.

I shook my head and smiled at him. I fished out a couple of peso bills and handed it to him.

"Take this, Kuya. It's for you and your wife." I said but he pushed my hand back, shaking his head.

"I cannot take this, Ma'am. Too much. I just drove you here but I am not able to finish my job as your driver and tour guide." Kuya Larry said apologetically.

"Just take this. Consider this as my gift for your little one." I said and smiled encouragingly.

Eventually, he took it and smiled widely in return.

"Thank you, thank you, Ma'am. You are so kind! May God bless you more!" Kuya said and waved at us before he walked away to hail a jeepney to take him home.

Me and his younger brother, Marc, were left alone.

It was an awkward meeting but he managed to break the ice.

"So, Ma'am Xyrene, shall we start the tour?" Marc asked and raised an eyebrow at me.

I met his gaze and my smile became visible under the sun. I nodded and we hopped in the car.

Marc, as a tour guide, was extremely nice and humorous.

He mentioned a lot of trivias on the places we went to.

He was also a great photographer.

He took the best shots of me on my cellphone and digital camera.

We went to Bantay Church and Bell Tower, Baluarte, Syquia Mansion and Museum, Pagburnayan Jar Factory, Hidden Garden and Sta Maria Church.

All in one day.

First day of touring the place was tiring yet fun.

On our second day, we became closer.

He was an ultimate gentleman.

He assisted me every step of the way.

He made me learn their culture.

The Filipino culture which I have learned to love.

Then I realized, that in the moments I have spent with him, made me fall for him.

Our second day was spent touring Ilocos Norte's tourist spots.

First on our list is the Lapaz Sand Dunes where we spent an hour after breakfast.

Next up, we went to Malacanang of the North for thirty minutes and to Paoay Church for forty minutes before we go for lunch.

After we had our sumptuous lunch, we headed to the Patapat Bridge, Kapurpurawan Rock Formation and Bangui Windmills before we went for dinner and to the hotel where I am staying in.

My last day in the Philippines came in and we enjoyed it to the fullest.

He toured me to the best places there is!

We went to the Bacarra Domeless Tower, Juan Luna Shrine and then had lunch nearby.

We also went to Cape Bojeador Lighthouse where we watched the sunset before we headed for dinner.

It was indeed a trip to remember.

We watched the setting of the sun with his arms wrapped around me at the top of the lighthouse.

My flight back home was scheduled in the afternoon and the morning that I woke up in his arms on that particular day made me cling to him.

Even asleep, his perfect jawline and intricate eyes made me love him even more.

I stared at his sleeping face and sighed.

I felt his arms tightened around me and heard his soft mumble.

"Are you hungry?" Marc asked and I kissed him lightly on the bridge of his nose.

"Nuh-uh. I'm still sleepy." I said and snuggled with him under the covers of my comforter in my hotel room.

"Your flight is at two pm today, right?" He asked and yawned.

His biceps flexed when he stretched his arms.

When he opened up his eyes, my own watered realizing how much I'm gonna miss him when I come home today.

Is it possible to stay here with him instead?

"Hey, hey. Are you crying?" Marc asked and I shook my head and smiled.

"I just yawned and so there were tears when I rubbed my eyes off." I said as an excuse and smiled at him.

"Come on, let's eat! I'm starving already!" Marc said enthusiastically and sat up on the bed, the comforter hung low on his waist and his chest exposed.

"Can't I just stay here?" I groaned helplessly and hugged him, stopping him from standing up.

"Oh, my sweet Xyrene." Marc cooed and kissed me on my eyes, nose, cheeks and lips. "I also want you too. But how about your dad?"

My eyes flew open and that made me finalized my decision.

I just can't leave dad there alone.

He still needs me to watch over him now that mom's gone.

My sad eyes mirrored Marc's.

"I'll always be here, hon. I love you. Always remember that."

Those were Marc's last words before I leave for the states.

Many things have happened to us after my trip to the Philippines.

Our then consistent video calls and messages became unreachable.

We became busy with our own lives.

We didn't realized that two years have passed and we barely communicated.

I was about to message him on Facebook when a message popped on my messenger.

It was a photo of Marc with a baby.

With a caption stating:
"Welcome to my life, Elyssia Marcane Ruiz. I love you a thousand folds."

Tears sprung to my eyes and I tried to blink them away but it just cannot be stopped.

Whatever happened to us?

Was everything a product of my imagination?

Then it dawned to me.

I was in a coma for almost a year and had a temporary amnesia for a couple of months after when I knew what happened to me.

The plane that I was in crashed before it reached the airport.

Dad found me at the hospital immediately when all of us were rescued.

Most suffered serious injuries while a few never made it alive.

The two years that I knew off was actually five years in total.

I just came to know it when my cousin, Phillip, explained to me what happened.

Yes. It was true I met someone named Marc in the Philippines.

Yes. It was true that I stayed there for a couple of days.

But. It wasn't true that we were in love.

Because, I failed to remember that he was married to his first love and was fixing their relationship.

I was a fool to lead him on.
I still insisted on what I want knowing he still loves her.

That he will come to love me the way I loved him.

Everything between us was an imagination of a love I thought we once shared.

I was just thankful that our love didn't have a by-product.

It's easier to accept things because we didn't have a child.

I owe him an apology for trying to ruin their relationship.

Their relationship was on the rocks.

It just so happened I was there for him to lean on and I took advantage of it.

I was recovering from a heartbreak and I found solace with him.

I owe myself an apology too for being too weak to trust someone so easily when I myself isn't capable of loving myself more.

Marc was a nice guy. He was a kind person and a gentleman.

We made mistakes.

We are responsible for it.

I smiled and wiped away these tears.

I typed in my message on his FB story:

Congratulations to you and your wife for the cute bundle of joy! Best wishes to your family!

Then a reply popped instantly on my chatbox:

Thank you, Xyrene. And God bless you!

I shut down my laptop and saw the beautiful places I went to on my corkboard.

It may take long for me to recover from this recent heartbreak but I know, in time, I will.

I have learned my lesson the hard way.

I just have to move forward and accept things as they are.

I can get through this.

I know I can.