To Catch a Gust of Wind [COMPLETE]

Chapter 4 - She of His Soul [#16]

"Tell me you'll come back," Thea said to Rafael the night he was to go back to Manila. Summer vacation was over, that means school days were to begin shortly. One night they were on the bridge standing under the light of a full moon. He had gone to Thea Marie's house beyond the village school to say goodbye. After he said his parting words, he left the house and Thea insisted she walked him outside.

They trudged along the grassy path beside the school towards the bridge. When they reached the bridge, they stopped for a while. Rafael touched Thea Marie's left hand, slowly holding it by the fingers. He pulled her towards him and he kissed her on the lips, softly, then the heat of passion overcame him. All the feel-good chemicals were released in his brain...oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin...that he kissed her passionately. Affection and euphoria enveloped them in a moment, their minds entangled into one electric sensation that holds the universe in their hearts intact since it began...

That night Rafael remembered well. "I'll go home when school is over," he said. "Every summer till summer ends."

"That's a year from now," Thea replied. "It's a year too long. It's just a year to you maybe, but it's centuries for me. You could come home during the semestral break or Christmas season."

"I'm not promising you, but I'll try, if funds permit. I have to focus on my studies. I have two more years of college. Father said I should devote all my time and find work afterwards. You know how hard life in the hacienda has become. You should do the same, too." Rafael and Thea were sitting beside each other on the concrete railing of the bridge. Both were silent for a while, trying to guess what each other was thinking. Life in the hacienda was a reality they faced every day. It's on top of any activity that their folks could think about to ease their families' hardships. But it's not every day one could experience the love hormone when you bond and become attached to someone.

"What happens then? You leave and I'll see you in a year's time. Much could happen between now and then." Thea started the conversation again. She looked up at the moon. It was so particularly bright this evening. There's that man in the moon figure looking down on them. Are they trying to be out of touch with reality?

"Trust me, Thea. I'll be here next year. It will be alright for both of us." Rafael said.

"There are many beautiful girls in Manila," Thea said matter-of-factly.

"Aha, now you're becoming jealous at some faceless woman that only exists in your imagination." Rafael smiled at Thea. She could see a hint of mischievousness in his smile.

"You know what I'm talking about," Thea said. She faced him. "Tell me, what's Manila like."

Rafael thought for a moment. "Manila is many people," Rafael began. "You could never be alone. The first week after I arrived, I almost cried. If you wanted to be alone, just stay in your room. Outside is full of people, whenever you go, they are there with you but not for you. I guess it's because I miss the old place, this hacienda, this road. If you wanted to be alone with your thoughts, you go for a stroll along this road and no one will see you, much less, bother you."

"See, there are many people in Manila. And that include beautiful girls. You could fall for one of them. It doesn't take long for you to charm a girl with your sweet talk. Before you know it, some girl is in love with you," Thea said and she's serious.

"I know only one girl I'm in love with, and she's sitting beside me right now," Rafael said. "All what you've said won't happen. Just trust me." He put her hands over her shoulders as she sat there beside him. He pulled her closer. Thea leaned towards Rafael, placing her head on his chest. Rafael smelled her hair.

"I know what shampoo you're using," Rafael said.

Thea Marie pretended not to hear him. Of all the things he had been saying tonight, this one's out of place. Breaks the romantic feeling. Rafael could be foolish sometimes, intentionally.

"I trust you," Thea said softly. "It's just...I can't let go of this feeling. Some girl might steal your heart from me."

"That won't happen. I promise you," Rafael said.

"Promises are made to be broken. Don't promise what you can't keep." Corny as it might sound, the phrase still rings true.

"I'm yours, I'm giving you my heart, you can keep it. I cross my heart a hundred times. I love you, Thea Marie."

Thea Marie was quiet for a while. She could hear Rafael's heartbeat inside his chest, the throbbing and pulsing of a heart charmed by a girl under the enchantment of the man in the moon.

"I love you, too, Rafael." She gave Rafael a rose. She had been holding it for some time.

"Hmm," Rafael said as he smelled the flower. "Roses wither. They don't stay forever, as all flowers are."

"Silly," Thea said. "It's not the rose I'm giving you. It's my heart. Bring my heart with you when you leave. And when you come back, I'll pray that your heart is still mine and yours to give."

"It's always mine to give to you," Rafael said.

"Even if I become naughty?"

"Even so."

"Even if I'm the last girl in the world?"

"Even more so."

"Even if I become ugly?"

"Don't push it too far," Rafael teased her...