The following day was a Monday. Despite not having her usual eight-hour sleep, Serene got up from bed and prepared herself for school. Opting for her usual jeans and white-collared shirt, paired with clean white sneakers, she went on her way to the University. With her hair pulled up in a neat ponytail, and her face kept bare save for her lip balm, she looked energetic and younger than her actual age.
Today, Serene felt it was sunnier than usual. Everything seemed bright. She did not complain when she got stuck in traffic on her way to the University. The crowded bus did not make her feel inconvenienced. She squeezed herself onto the tightly packed bus, feeling like a sardine. There was no available seat for her anymore. Left with no choice, she stood along the isle and crushed between other passengers.
As soon as she entered the university’s gate, her best friend Mary excitedly hugged her. Mary is a dazzling ball of energy.
“So, how was the fashion show last night?” she asked as they walked arm in arm to their class.
“It’s fun, but tiring. I did not stay long for the after party. As usual, I went into Cinderella mode.”
“Did you meet anyone interesting?” Mary winked at her, her eyes teasing her. Serene cannot hide the smile on her face as she recalled Bryan and their barely a minute moment replayed in her mind frame by frame and in slow motion.
“I take it as you met someone interesting... so spill it!” Mary almost shrieked in excitement. Serene told her about the incident but skipped Bryan’s name on purpose. Knowing Mary, if she knew his name, she would tease her the entire day without mercy or she’d be in detective mode and stalk the “prey”. Both of which she did not want her to do. She just wanted to cherish these details for as long as she could for now.
“By the way, let’s have lunch together later. I have a friend that I like you to meet.”
“OK.”
They separated to go on to their respective classes. Serene took Economics while Mary took Accountancy. She had known Mary Lewis for what felt like her entire life. They lived next to each other and have been friends since they were children. To Serene, Mary was like a sister she never had. Despite being the same age, Mary acted like her protector, fending off her bullies, or anyone who dared hurt her.
She was like a family since both their parents were also good friends. Serene would often spend sleepovers in each other’s place. She can hide a secret from her parents, but never to Mary.
Since their University was a plane ride away, having Mary in the same city made living away from her family bearable. She was simply a godsend.
Lunch time finally came. They went to the small café at the back of the university. Few students go here because it’s pricey. Mary stopped by the door and surveyed the whole cafe. When she found what she was looking for, she pulled Serene in towards the table by the window.
Lo-and-behold, it turned out that the friend that Mary would like to introduce to her was none other than Bryan. Seeing him calmly sitting as he played with his cellphone, gave an explosion of emotion inside her.
Serene stood rooted to where she was standing and was just looking at him. She cannot believe what was going on. The person she had a sweet dream about was right now is right in front of her.
Before Mary could utter a word to introduce them to each other, he suddenly peeled his attention, shifted from his cellphone to the two of them.
“So, we meet again” he said, flashing his dazzling set of pearly whites.
“Oh, he’s the one who lent you a jacket?” Mary meaningfully elbowed Serene, who cannot help but blush from the implication that she and Mary had been talking about him.Serene rolled her eyes at Mary. She also secretly pinched her to quiet her. She loved Mary, but at that moment she wanted to strangle her.He was a complete gentleman and did not bite Mary’s cue to tease her. They ate their lunch smoothly, which was unexpected. Serene thought that she would embarrass herself by being ditzy, however the three of them had an enjoyable lunch sharing food and stories. She le
While she felt relieved after she said it, she also wished for the earth to open and swallow her whole. As an introvert, she was not used to expressing her emotions openly, so much more to somebody she was crushing on.Ever the gentleman, Bryan did not tease her any further and just smoothly opened a new topic. They talked over the phone until close to midnight. Bryan had reluctantly ended the call and said that she should go to sleep since she had class the following day.How can she immediately go to sleep when she is on cloud nine? Serene relished all the events of that day that involved hi
They were happy in love. For as long as they were together, nothing seemed to matter. Serene held Bryan in her heart from the very first day she saw him and each day of the years they’ve been together. They met as youngsters in love and matured together as a couple. She loved him in all the ways she knew how. She supported him in his endeavors. Encouraged him when he felt weak, hugged him when he fell down, held his hands when he felt alone. From time to time she would write him prose, poems or letters, especially when she would coax him after they quarrel.Bryan’s voice cut off her walk back in memory lane. He spoke his vows. His deep, melodious voice reverberated throughout the whole chapel.
The minister’s voice resounded in her like thunder. It vibrated to her core, shaking her. Her shoulders shook as her quiet sobs stopped being quiet. She was catching her breath with every sob she made. The people in front of her looked back and threw glances in her direction. Some of them curious, some of them contemptuous, others irritated.“This is a wedding, not a funeral, why is she crying so much?” she heard from one guest.She just steeled herself, took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand. From out of the blue, somebody extended a white handkerchief
Bryan suddenly sat up and turned his head towards the door. His eyes wide with surprise as he looked at her. Slowly, he stood up and walked towards her. He stood in front of her. They looked at each other, not saying anything. Tears overflowed in one man's eyes, while the other had a pale face. He recovered first.“Serene…” He reached out to her shoulder and called her name. The sound of his voice was unfamiliar to her. Serene looked at him, then to the man in the room, who had his back against them and was putting on his jeans. Then she looked back to him. Words which used to come to her mind fluidly suddenly were elusive. She just looked back and forth to both men, disbelief written in her face. Silently, she praye
If there was any blessing she can consider in her life now, it was her new job. She poured all her energy in her job that she would go home completely exhausted and would immediately fall asleep as soon as her back touched the bed. Exhausted, she had no time to think about anything, much more to feel about anything. She switched phone numbers and did not let her friends know about what happened, not even Mary. The pain she has was too much. She did not want to interact with anybody. Disconnecting from everyone saved her from having to tell another soul what happened that day, something she did not have energy for. Her heart felt so much pain and recalling the events will just reopen her wounds.A new lease of life is what she wan
In the blink of an eye, two years had already passed. After starting as a staff in the Customer Experience Department, now she got promoted to a Manager. In those two years, she dedicated herself to her work. She made sure she learned what needed to be learned and to deliver more the expectations. In the brief span of time, she also earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues and superiors. Everyone felt happy about her promotion.After work, she and her colleagues went to a KTV bar to celebrate her promotion. Food and drinks poured out. Serene gamely sang a couple of songs and drank her fair share of the alcohol. She has forgotten the last time she had this much fun.
The bright and warm sunlight touched Serene’s face. She winced with eyes still closed she pulled herself to a sitting position, resting her head on the headboard. Her throat felt dry and her head was like splitting into two. “Ugh, hangover”, she uttered under her breath. She clutched her head and by doing so, she noticed that only a white blanket covered her and was naked underneath.Her nakedness jolted her awake and immediately pulled the blanket further up to her neck and wrapped it around her body. Her eyes surveyed the room. The place was not familiar to her at all. It looked like a hotel room. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and opened her eyes again. She looked under the blanket that was wrappe