Not everyone who was bound by the red strings had a happily ever after. Not even those who had ended up with each other. That was probably the reason why his parents always considered these mysterious threads to be the root of their misfortunes.

His father and mother used to be the envy of people in their generation. She was the campus queen who had aspired to become one of the top models one day. He was a varsity player who had dreamed of making a name in professional sports. They were two young souls who had a bright future ahead of them. A pair of soul mates who had met and decided to stay with each other because they had believed that nothing else could go wrong when even destiny was leading them to that path. It might have been with that same logic that they had not prepared themselves for the sacrifices that they had to make in case they wanted to have a child at a young age.

Parenthood was not always puppies and rainbows, but the Nieves couple might not have come as far as thinking of that possibility. When reality had set in, they had become utterly frustrated and wound up taking their dismay to the things that they had believed were the origins of their troubles. They condemned the red string for giving them the delusion that everything else in their lives would be like in the fairy tales, as well as the child who, according to them, had gotten in the way of reaching their dreams.

JP remembered it now—the reasons why his parents hated him so much. He remembered how they would tell him that if only he had not been born, they would have been more successful and would have had a better life by now.

As usual, it was his grandmother who would often reassure him that it was not his fault at all. If anything, he was the biggest victim of these parents, who were not only ignorant but also lacked a sense of responsibility. They didn't want to accept the failure they themselves had caused, so they had resorted to putting the blame on other people and things. Granny would say that JP's father and mother were not even in a position to call the red string a curse in their lives because it was them who had chosen not to make any further effort to achieve their goals.

The young instructor had long been taught not to take his parents' words seriously, but as he lay on his bed and observed his hand, which now had lost any trace of the mysterious thread of destiny, he acknowledged that their negative belief might actually have some bearing. JP understood that at times, the ability to see the strings could be a source of someone's misery, and one would be better off not knowing about them. He envied those who were oblivious to their existence. Envied them for being able to love without any inhibition.

He rolled to his side on the bed and let out a sigh. It had been a week since the red string had disappeared from his little finger and since the last time he had seen Sky. The assistant professor might come back from his seminar today. Not that it mattered; there was no chance they would come across each other anyway.

It was Saturday. JP had called in sick this morning because he had woken up not feeling well. His head was heavy, his temperature was high, and his whole body was aching. He closed his eyes when the wall before him appeared as though it were spinning.

A series of beeps chimed from his bedside table, startling him and causing his eyes to fly open. He forced himself to sit up and paused for a brief second to calm his body when nausea charged at him. After he took hold of the ringing device, he reclined back on his bed.

One look at the screen of his phone told him that it was Angela calling. His first reaction was to wonder if something had happened in one of his classes while he was not around or if there was any issue with the papers that he was supposed to submit today.

The young instructor turned on the speaker before placing the phone next to his head and shutting his eyes again.

"Hi, Angela, what's going on? Has there been any problem with my kids or my reports?" he asked, the throatiness of his own voice catching him off guard.

"Why does your first thought have to be something like that? No, everything's fine at work. Don't worry," the female professor replied, "I just called to ask how you've been feeling, but judging by how terrible your voice sounds, I think I already have my answer." There were rustles and whispers from the opposite line. Angela seemed to be talking to another person before she went back to JP. "My classes are done for this afternoon, so I'm planning to drop by your place later. Do you want me to bring food? How about medicines? Have you taken anything?"

JP made a coy smile but realized that the woman could not see the expression. "I'm not sure I'd be able to eat, but it would be very much appreciated. Also, your presence might just help me feel better faster."

The long hum that Angela let out came off as incredulous. "Uh-huh, I know sick people tend to feel lonely and they want to have someone close to them, but I wonder if I'm really the person you want to see the most at the moment."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The Philosophy instructor crinkled his forehead as the image of a certain SDV University educator with dark, wavy hair and equally dark, intense eyes popped at the back of his mind. It was bewildering how, even in his imagination, he could sense the person's strong air of confidence.

"I'm pretty sure you don't," Angela agreed, but it didn't seem like she was convinced if her tone was anything to go by. "I'll see you later then. Maybe in an hour? I'll just wrap up my work for today real quick."

With JP telling Angela his thanks, the call ended. Curling to his side, he struggled to get the pictures of the assistant professor's penetrating gazes and infuriating smirks out of his head. He had been like this for the past couple of days. The more he tried to forget, the more thoughts of Sky haunted him.

He's not your soul mate anymore, he reminded himself. The two of you are no longer bound by fate. You shouldn't have any more reasons to feel like this towards him. Stop thinking about him!

He gripped the front of his sweatshirt as though to soothe his aching heart. He used to be able to tolerate the truth that Sky would be forever against the idea of them being destined for each other. At least in the past, even though the assistant professor had kept building that invisible wall in between them, the red string had done its job of bringing them physically closer in every situation. In spite of what he had told Sky the first time they had met, deep inside, JP had always taken relief from that little connection that the thread had provided for them.

But now that their only bond was gone, now that nothing was forcing Sky to show any affection to him anymore, now that the man had all the liberty to love the person of his choice, was it still alright for JP to hold on to the tiny hope that someday his love would be reciprocated?

Fate really had a twisted sense of humor. He had just learned to appreciate the significance of the string, but what for when it was too late? Sky had been right when he told him that one never realized the importance of something until it was truly lost.

JP bit his bottom lip to stop them from quivering. He buried the side of his face against his pillow as he sensed the tears start to form behind his closed eyes. This was the worst. He hated how this fever was making him emotional.

But I haven't seen him in a while. I want to have a glimpse of that serious face of his today. I want to hear his voice, even for a few seconds. Don't I even have the right to miss him anymore?

He inhaled deeply and then let out the air with a heave, repeating the same process until his breathing steadied and until sleep washed over his longing for the soul mate that had gotten away.

»»————-　➴　————-««

In his dreams, destiny had not abandoned them.

In his dreams, Sky had welcomed him as his fated one.

In his dreams, the man had run after him when he had walked away.

In his dreams, his feelings had been acknowledged and returned.

In his dreams, there was a happy ending to their story.

But that was just exactly what it was—a dream.

A dream that would never come true.

A dream that was abruptly cut off as the doorbell to his apartment rang, jolting him awake and yanking him back to harsh reality.

The young instructor reluctantly opened his tired eyes and gave his vision a moment to get used to his dimmer surroundings. It was not like darkness had completely engulfed the small room, but he could no longer see the sunrays peeking through the curtains of his tiny windows.

JP picked up his phone and squinted at it to check the time. The screen showed that it was almost fifteen minutes past 5 p.m. He had been asleep for nearly two hours, but it felt like he had not rested at all. His mind was still foggy. It might be because he hadn't had a proper breakfast and lunch that his body had yet to recover its full strength.

He rose from the bed, palming his eyes when his head reeled. The sound of the doorbell carried on, and JP was reminded of his female coworker's promise to visit him. Despite his grogginess, he compelled himself to answer the continuous buzz from the outside.

"Yes, I'll be there in a second," he said, his voice barely audible.

The young instructor opened the door, fully expecting it to reveal Angela waiting in front of his place.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you—" he started.

And froze as his eyes found the face of his visitor.

Dark brown eyes fixed him with a stare that was similar to concern. A peppery scent with a hint of sweet cream wafted against JP's nose. The person who was holding a brown paper bag in his hand towered over him.

JP thought his brain must have malfunctioned due to overheating, and now it was making him hallucinate. There was something not right with the appearance of the person standing before him. Broad shoulders. Leaned arms. Tan skin. Annoyingly handsome face. The guest didn't look anything like Angela at all.

"Sorry, were you sleeping?" And that voice—that stupidly low, sexy voice—was the final stroke that convinced the sick instructor that he was indeed taking leave of his senses.

"I didn't mean to disturb your rest. I just came back from the seminar and decided to drop by the university, but I heard from Angela that you're absent because you're sick. She asked me to bring the food and medicines to you," the man continued to talk, holding the paper bag up.

The young instructor kept gaping at his unexpected visitor. He didn't let go of his door, and he remained standing with half of his body hidden behind it as if to protect himself from the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

JP took his time to examine the person's overall physique until, at last, he acknowledged that what he was looking at was the real thing.

Patience overlaid Sky's expression when JP's gaze traveled back up and met his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" JP managed to ask, albeit still weirded out. His heart started to beat like crazy.

"Can I come in first?"

The Philosophy instructor switched from surprise to defensive. He narrowed his eyes, throwing Sky a dirty look. "Give me a reason why I should let you in."

"JP—"

The way his former soul mate softly called his name, like flower petals that brushed against his chest and stomach, almost undid JP's guard.

"—we need to talk."

But the younger man resolved not to make the same mistake of getting entrapped in the illusion. He steeled his heart as he refused to give Sky the chance to hurt him once again.

JP gritted his teeth before returning coldly, "What gives? You didn't seem too inclined to respond to me the last time I tried to have a conversation with you. Or wait, maybe you're actually here to gloat. Did you just come here to preen yourself on the fact that the red string didn't succeed in its purpose? Do you want me to congratulate you for winning this game against fate?"

Sky's gentle expression stayed. It was a reaction that was distinct from the day JP had first given him the sassy attitude. Unlike before, there was a hint of fondness in his eyes. There was a faint trace of a smile on his lips.

And what caught JP off balance the most was the assistant professor's next words. "I miss you. I miss seeing this feisty side of yours."

It gave the younger man a pause for thought. This must be a big joke. Or it must have been the doing of his delirious brain.

In any case, it was not something that he was thrilled to take part in.

JP's fingers tensed over the stiles of his door. He balled his other hand tightly as an unamused chuckle escaped his lips. Glancing to his side, he made an incredulous shake of his head before his expression turned back to being grim.

"Whatever this game that you're playing right now, I don't really appreciate it," he said with a hiss, sending Sky another glare, "You miss me, you say? After what happened last time, do you really expect me to believe that?"

His head throbbed, whether from the fever or from his spiraling thoughts. A hot lump formed in his throat as different emotions clashed within him. He wanted to cry, to scream just so he could let his confusion out.

"What do you really want?" The question came out like a desperate plea to be released from the mare's nest. JP might have recognized his longing to see Sky and hear his voice, but he had also wished to be able to grieve for his dead feelings in peace. All he needed was time to heal his wounded heart, time that was free from another drama.

So why then? Why was the very cause of his heartache right here, determined to throw everything in shambles once more?

Sky took a step closer to JP, making the latter draw back. The young instructor attempted to shut his door and stop Sky from setting foot inside his micro apartment, but he did not have enough time to carry out the plan when the assistant professor caught him by the wrist.

Before JP could demand what the other man was doing, Sky pulled him into his arms, effectively cutting off his escape.

"Sorry," the assistant professor whispered against JP's head, "I didn't mean to upset you this much, especially knowing you're not feeling well. Please, let's calm down and have a proper conversation inside."

Because he still felt too weak to pry himself away from the other man's hold, JP repeatedly hit Sky's chest with the side of his fist. "What do you want? Are you here to try building my hope up, just so you can break it again?"

Sky didn't retaliate, even as JP continued to smack his upper body. He kept embracing the young educator, kept pacifying him with mellow words.

It was like they were back to the time when Sky had comforted him, made him feel safe from his fear. Only this night, it wasn't the thunder or lightning that scared JP, but a different kind of storm inside him.