Since the plane took off, I pretended that he wasn't beside me. Hindi kami nag-usap dahil wala naman kaming pag-uusapan at hindi naman kami close para mag-usap.

Natulog na lang ako at nagising lang nang maramdamang may tumatapik sa balikat ko.

"Food's here." I heard Orion's low voice before he went back to his seat.

I immediately finished my food before going back to sleep. Saktong paggising ko, kalalapag pa lang ng eroplano.

I hired a driver to pick me up at the airport and bring me to the resort. Nang makarating, dumiretso kaagad ako sa suite.

I had no idea what it looked like since it was Sugar who booked it for us so I was really amazed when I got to see the interiors of our suite.

From the rock walls to the neutral colored furnitures, everything in our suite screamed elegance and luxury that words won't give enough justice on how aesthetically pleasing this grandeur of a suite is.

Beside one of the beds is a glass door that leads to the dining area. I thought that there'd be another door that separates it from the pool area but it was an arch made up of irregularly shaped rocks instead.

I stood below the arch and the scenic view of the Greek waters greeted me. There's a small pool on the left and twin beds on the right. Farther from it is another large space where sun loungers and sofa beds were situated.

Everything looked exquisite except for the only bad view— my friend Sugar who has been posing like a supermodel on one of the sun loungers as if she's having a photoshoot.

"Everything was perfect until I saw you," I said with a smile, then taking my sunglasses off.

"Sus! Bitter ka lang!" Natatawa niyang sagot at lumapit na sa akin.

Tinignan ko ang suot niya at mukhang ready to swim na ang baliw. Pinilit niya pa akong samahan siya kaya napa-change outfit ako nang wala sa oras.

And us being ourselves, we took pictures first before actually swimming. Nagkuwentuhan at nagkamustahan kami habang nasa pool.

Aniya na mamaya pa daw ang dating nina Galaxy, Caramel at Vanilla at kasama niya rin ang jowa dahil may selebrasyon din daw itong pupuntahan.

Buong hapon kaming nag-swimming at tumigil lang nang nagsidatingan ang tatlo.

"Bihis na kayo, libre ko dinner," utos ni Sugar. "Pero kasama natin yung guys."

Parang bata kaming tumalon-talon sa tuwa nang marinig na ililibre niya kami. Natigil lang ako nang may mapagtanto.

Aniya na may kasama raw kaming "guys".

Kung nandito ang jowa niya na kaibigan ni Orion... ibig sabihin... nandito rin si Orion!

"Huy, ba't ka naistatwa?" Ani Caramel sabay tampal ng balikat ko.

Tumawa si Galaxy at siya na ang sumagot para sa akin.

"Nandito kasi ang ex niya," natatawa niyang sagot. "Hula ko, hindi siya na-inform."

"Kanina pa kayo magkasama pero hindi ka sinabihan?" Ani Caramel na nakangisi. "I can smell betrayal."

Inismiran ko na lang ang mga kaibigan at hindi na pinatulan dahil alam kong tukso lang ang makukuha ko.

Sugar said that we're gonna have our dinner at the seaside so I chose to wear a maxi dress. It's an old-rose and cream colored, floral dress which I then paired with my white sandals.

Galaxy offered to style my hair which she braided into an updo and curled my long bangs.

Nagandahan ako sa ginawa niya ngunit mukha akong pupunta sa prom o ikakasal.

"Perfecto!" Ani Galaxy sabay palakpak. "Makikita mo ex mo kaya dapat prepared ka!"

I rolled my eyes before thanking her. Tinignan ko isa-isa ang mga suot nila at lahat kami ay naka maxi dress na kung hindi kulay pink, puti.

"Wow, hindi naka-black si Sugar," tukso ko sa kaibigan.

"Siyempre, makulay na ang buhay ko!" Humalakhak siya at kumindat pa sa akin habang kinukulot ang buhok.

Nang matapos kaming mag-ayos, pumunta na kami sa kung saan man kami kakain.

Nang makarating sa dalampasigan, akala ko sa isang restaurant na nasa gilid ng dagat kami kakain pero sa nakikita ko, mukhang sinet-up lang ang isang mahabang mesa para sa amin.

Nilibot ko ang tingin at kami-kami lang ang nandito. Malayo-layo pa ang mesa sa kinaroroonan namin kaya kailangan pa naming maglakad.

Isa-isa kong pinagmasdan ang mga taong naghihintay sa amin. Nandoon ang asawa ni Galaxy, jowa ni Sugar, si Orion, isang lalaking hindi ko kilala, at isang babaeng napapamilyaran ko.

"Gurl, sino 'yang katabi ng ex mo?" Tanong ni Caramel.

Hindi ko rin alam kaya tinapik ko si Galaxy para siya na ang sumagot.

"Ah, 'yan," ani Galaxy habang tumatango-tango. "That's Gia, girl best friend nina Orion, Jarvis at Iouis."

"Sino si Iouis? Iyong gwapo sa pinakadulo?" Pang-uusisa ni Caramel.

"Depende kung saang dulo." Ngumisi si Galaxy.

"Baliw! Yung katabi ng babae siyempre. Asaw mo yung nasa isang dulo eh."

Habang nagbabangayan ang dalawa, inisip ko nang mabuti kung bakit mukhang pamilyar ang babaeng kasama nila.

"Oh my gosh!" Bigla akong napasinghap nang matandaan na.

Siya iyong kayakapan ni Orion sa airport! Yung nasa mga article na tinatawag nilang "Armani princess" blah blah blah.

"London, alam kong bitter ka pa pero play nice, please," ani Sugar at nagpaawa pa pero nakangisi naman.

Sinamaan ko siya ng tingin at nagpatuloy na lang sa paglalakad. Walang hiya!

First, hindi ako bitter. Second, I've moved on so I don't really care!

"London, Vanilla, Caramel," panimula ni Sugar. "Let me introduce to you Gia and Iouis."

Kaming tatlo na lang ang pinakilala sa dalawa dahil kami-kami na lang ang hindi magkakilala.

We shook each other's hands and exchanged some pleasantries.

"You guys have cool nicknames," si Gia.

Pinigilan ko ang sarili na umirap. Ayaw kong magmukhang bitter kaya sinunod ko na lang ang payo ni Sugar.

This Gia gave me a head-to-toe look before smiling at me. Again, I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"Hey, London." Natuon ang pansin ko kay Iouis nang marinig ang pangalan. "Well, my sister and my frie—" he coughed midway and glanced at the side. "—my sister always talks about you."

I gave him a curious look, trying to remember which of my friends has a brother.

"Euxine... she's my sister," aniya. "She's claiming to be your best friend."

Realization dawned on me, making him chuckle.

Pumunta na kami sa mga upuan namin at kahit sampu lang kami, may seating arrangement pang hinanda. Sa kasamaang palad, magkaharap kami ni Orion.

Sugar is seated on my left while Vanilla is on my right. Kaharap ni Vanilla si Gia. Si Caramel naman, nasa isang dulo, kaharap si Iouis na mukhang type niya.

"I can smell Caramel's love life," I joked, saying it in almost a whisper, just enough for the two people beside me to hear.

"I can smell London's BBTL," sabay na bulong ng dalawa.

Sinamaan ko sila ng tingin bago ipinalibot ang mga mata, tinitiyak na walang iba na nakarinig.

"So, Gia, are you and Orion together?" Nakangising tanong ni Vanilla sa kaharap.

Biglang tumawa si Gia habang si Orion naman ay ngumisi lang sabay iling.

"What?" Natatawang tanong ni Gia.

Tsk! Mga pa-showbiz!

"Kumalma ka! Don't unleash the inner beast," bulong ni Sugar sa nakakainis na tono.

Kaunti na lang talaga at makakatikim na ng batok ang isang 'to!

"Hay... kung alam niyo lang," ani Gia sabay iling. "Just to be clear, we're just friends." Her eyes darted on me as she spoke.

Hindi nagtagal, sinerve na ang mga pagkain namin. Walang masyadong ganap at puro kuwentuhan, kainan at asaran lang ang ginawa namin.

Pagkatapos iserve ang desserts, biglang tumayo si Sugar at ganoon din ang ginawa ng jowa niya.

Napatingin kaming lahat dahil sa biglaang pagtayo nila. Nagtinginan ang dalawa bago sumimsim si Sugar sa kaniyang inumin.

And that's when I noticed something... she has a ring!

"You're engaged!" Sabay kaming napasinghap at napatakip ng bibig. We all gaped at the two and started clapping.

Well, not all. Just all the girls.

The guys were still pretty clueless on what's going on.

"Engaged? Who's engaged?" One of them asked.

"Yes! We're engaged!" Sugar confirmed which made us squeal in excitement.

The night was then full of "congratulations" and cheers.

I'm really happy for Sugar. She deserves all the love and happiness she has now. I witnessed how that love made her grow and learn; how that love made her blossom into one fine woman.

How I wish I could be that happy as well. I thought inwardly.

I hugged myself as I stared into the night sky. My friends are all asleep in our suite while I snuck out because for some unknown reason, I couldn't sleep.

So now I'm here, under the Grecian sky with the cold, seaside breeze as my companion.

I forgot to bring my sweaters with me so now I'm left shivering with my cotton shirt. I played with the sand with one hand to distract myself while the other reached out for the sky.

Why am I suddenly feeling down? Can't there be a day in my life where I won't be reminded of my past?

I thought I left all of it behind. But why is it still haunting me until now?

I brought my hand down and lay on the sand, still not taking my eyes off the sky.

"What did I do to deserve such misery?" I asked as if the sky could hear me; as if it would answer me.

I really hate times like this— times when I'd feel so lonely and miserable; suffocated by the ghost of my past.

No matter how much I tell myself that I've moved on from everything, a part of me also knows that it's just a lie— a lie that will make me feel better and think that I'm okay.

"I just want to forget everything... and move on," I spoke, reaching for the sky again.

"Move on from what?" A familiar voice answered.

Am I hallucinating or did the sky actually answer back?

You're drunk, that's why. A part of my mind said.

I sighed. I should probably go to bed especially now that I'm starting to hear things.

I helped myself get up but unfortunately, I bumped into something hard. I almost fell backwards because of the bump but this something hard has a hand! And it's on my waist!

Oh my gosh! Is this some kind of monster like the ones I read in those mythology books?

"Min me skotóseis se parakaló. Don't kill me please. No me mates por favor—"

"Kill you?" The monster answered back. "What are you talking about?"

"So monsters can speak, huh? What kind are you? Why can't I see?" Sunod-sunod kong tanong, medyo natataranta na.

I heard the creature chuckle. And damn, it's quite a sexy chuckle.

"Maybe the reason why you can't see is because your eyes are closed," aniya pa.

"What?! Of course not! You placed a spell on me and now I can't see!"

I felt a hand on my eyelid and before I knew it, I could see again. It was then when I realized that my eyes were actually closed.

"If I were to place a spell on you, it'd be a love spell."

"Orion?!" Gulat kong sambit. "Nah, I think I'm hallucinating."

"Can't believe that you've mistaken me as a monster," aniya ulit kaya napagtanto kong hindi nga ako nagha-hallucinate. "Am I that bad?"

Hindi ako nakasagot kaya nagsalita siya ulit. "Are you okay?"

"I was okay until you left me," I replied with a shrug.

He sighed, then pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll take you to your suite. You drank a lot tonight."

I pushed him and tried to get away from him but he was quick to snake his arm on my waist, pulling me back. Napasubsob ako sa kaniyang dibdib pero wala na akong lakas para lumayo.

"I'm okay! I have high tolerance," I reasoned, then trying to get away from him again.

Hindi niya ako binitawan at nagsimula nang maglakad, hindi pa rin ako binibitawan.

"Fine! Since you won't let me go then you'll have to listen to my rants!" I said, stomping my foot in annoyance.

Hindi ko alam kung namamalik-mata lang ako pero may kung anong nagbago sa kaniyang expresyon. Sumeryeso ang kaniyang mukha at may bakas ng pagkakonsensya.

"Galit ako sa'yo! Galit na galit na galit dahil umalis ka nang walang paalam!" Singhal ko. "My life fell apart and the only person whom I can hold onto wasn't there! You weren't there, Orion! You left me and until now, I'm still questioning myself, wondering what I did that made you leave."

Marami pa akong gustong sabihin pero narinig ko ang mahihina niyang mga mura.

"Minumura mo ako?"

"What? No! I'm not... really... those were for me," sagot niya sa mababang boses at muli na namang napuno ng konsensya ang kaniyang mukha. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"No! I've been keeping these for years! Waiting for another day is too much already! I just want a closure, okay? I just want to know where I went wrong because I want to move on..." I trailed off, then realizing that I was already crying.

I felt too weak to stand so I sat on the sand and he did the same. I then started telling everything that happened, making sure that I didn't miss a detail.

I was proud of myself that I could still recall everything even though they all happened years ago.

I guess these memories were just hidden, but not forgotten.

"I hate the fact that I couldn't hate you. I hate the fact that I'm willing to forgive you despite all the pain you caused me," I lamented. "And I did! I forgave you even though there's no apology... I hate the fact that a part of me still hopes to see you... that there's a part of me that's choosing you... even though you're gone."

"Alam mo ba kung gaano kasakit maghintay? Na umasa? And no, this is not me assuming and being feelingera, Orion. We were in a relationship! You caused me a lot of pain, Orion. I questioned myself and my worth, trying to find out what made you leave!" I continued. Letting all of these out feels so satisfying but at the same time destructing.

"I always told myself that I'm gonna move on; and that I hate you; and that there's no room in my life for you anymore. But then, who am I kidding? You're the Orion Vero Alvarez. You managed to claw your way into my heart without even trying and I'm sure that I'll just get my heart broken again because of you... a part of me wants it... but a part of me is really exhausted too... I can't move on because aside from the fact that I'm still in denial, I need a closure..."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It felt so good and so freeing. It's like being set free from a chain that had been holding me back for years.

And that's when I realized something.

No matter how many people I've shared my stories to, no matter how many people I've opened up with, all I needed was to be heard; to be heard by not just anyone but by the right person... to be heard by him.

I don't need a lot of people to listen to me. I need only him to listen.

And now that I was finally able to tell him everything, I felt lighthearted. I'm finally free from all the emotional baggages I've been carrying for years.

I opened my eyes and stared at him. He was just looking intently at me, not minding the tears that were cascading down his cheeks.

Lumapit ako sa kaniya at ngumiti. Seeing him this way broke my heart even more. I can't believe that I still care for him this much when he's also the reason why I'm hurting.

I brought a hand to his face, then wiping his tears. "Funny because after all these years and after all the pain you caused me, my heart still chooses to see you as the person who made me happy... and that even after everything... you, Orion Vero Alvarez, is still my comfort zone... my safe space... your presence is enough to make me forget all the pain—" I gulped, still can't believe that I'm actually saying these. "—even though you're also the reason why I'm hurting in the first place."

Tumayo ako at aalis na sana ngunit bago pa ako makalayo, niyakap niya na ako mula sa likuran.

Napapikit ako dahil sa kaniyang yakap, ninanamnam ang kaginhawaan na tanging siya lang ang nakakabigay sa akin.

Nang napagtantong nagiging malambot na naman ako para sa kaniya, napailing ako at agad na lumayo sa kaniya. "It's too much already... it's too much..."

Papalayo na sana ako sa kaniya ngunit agad ding nahinto nang may matandaan. Napatingin ako sa relo bago bumalik sa kinaroroonan niya.

"By the way, Orion," I called. He looked eager and ready to listen to what I'm about to say.

"Happy birthday," I greeted, managing to give him a small smile even though my mouth was trembling before walking away, hoping that it's this easy to walk away from my past... to walk away from my heartbreaks... to walk away from him...