Are We Too Late or Am I Too Soon? (Completed ☑️)

ALTERNATE ENDING

In the duration of their fake marriage, New eventually fell in love with Mint and the kid, Mina (originally, I planned to name the kid Mina.)

Tay and New lost communication after New left until they accidentally met one time in the coffee shop where they frequently go in the first year of their relationship.

"Newwiee?" The barista called.

Just as when he went to the counter to get his order, Tay opened the comfort room and was about to go out when he stopped because he saw New in front of him. He stood frozen for a while, unable to move nor speak. When New turned, he saw Tay, too. They stared at each other for what seemed like a long time until Tay spoke.

"Hi."

"Hi," New responded.

Tay then closed the comfort room's door and was just about to pass by New when the latter called him.

"Tay."

Tay turned around and just looked at him.

"Can we talk?"

---

Both decided to talk in the parking lot. They were leaning on New's car with a respectable space between each other. They were silent for a minute or two until New spoke.

"How have you been?"

"I'm fine. Left the industry for quite a while now," Tay answered without looking at Tay.

"Yeah, I heard that. What do you do now?"

"I'm taking up my doctorate at the same time teaching at Chula."

"Oh, that's good. So, you pushed through with it finally, huh? Before you were just talking about wanting to have a doctorate degree."

"Yeah."

They were silent again for a few seconds when Tay spoke.

"You? How are you and Mint? And Mina. How is she?"

"We're good. Mina just turned four last month and we're planning on enrolling her in a nearby pre-school. Such a jolly kid." Tay noticed how New's face brightened up at the mention of his daughter. "She talks a lot, too. Just like you." New turned to Tay and smiled. Tay returned the smile before turning away, looking at the horizon, and drank his iced coffee.

New took a sip from his drink, too. He contemplated what to say next but Tay beat him to it.

"I'm happy that you're happy New. It just sucks that's it's not with me."

A tear escaped Tay's eye and New saw it.

"I'm sorry, Tay. I'm sorry if I just left you behind just like that." New started crying, too. Tay looked at him and he let go of his own tears. It still hurts me to see you cry.

"I was really planning on going back. Everything was planned already but I never expected to fall in love with Mint and the kid. I'm sorry, Tay. I'm sorry if I broke my promise of spending forever with you."

Both of them are crying hard now. New is holding his chest with his left hand while his right is trying to wipe the tears that won't stop falling. Tay, on the other hand, used his both hands to wipe his tears and comb through his hair. He sighed loudly and spoke.

"I waited for you, New. I waited for years. I thought you'll come back. I prayed every day for you to come back but I guess no one above heard my prayers." Tay paused as he's having trouble breathing now. "When you left me just like that, I was really hurt but what kept me going was the thought that all of this is not real and that you'll be back in my arms soon enough. You didn't even tell me you were not planning on going back anymore. You just kept me hanging, waiting."

"I'm really sorry, Tay. I just got scared. I really thought of talking to you but I feared that once I see you, once I hear your voice, everything might change again. I love Mina, Tay. I got attached to the kid as she did with me. I can't leave her. So I chose not to see you anymore. Then eventually, I learned to love Mint, as well. Sorry for keeping you hanging, Tay. I'm really sorry."

"Are we really too late, Hin? or am I too soon? That it's not really me in the end?"

Tay suddenly left without waiting for a response. He felt so much hurt because of what he heard. All this time, he had been pining for a lost love and had been waiting for nothing.

I love you, New. So much. I hope in our next lives, you'll choose me instead.

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