To Catch a Gust of Wind [COMPLETE]

Chapter 4 - She of His Soul [#18]

They stood beside the breakwater. Reflections of buildings shimmered as long, colorful ribbons of light dancing in the waters of the bay. People converged along the length of the Baywalk, some of them holding hands, touching each other incessantly, enjoying the moment, telling jokes, filling the air with boisterous laughter. If joy is to be remembered, it can be caught and preserved, as flashes from cameras and cellphones capture the moment.

They sat on the concrete wall of the breakwater. For a time they listened to the sound of the waves breaking against the big stones forming the wall. It was relaxing, one reason people flocked to the Baywalk. But not to Thea Marie.

"Would you care to tell me how it happened?" Thea Marie asked. "How it all began?"

"There's no need, Thea. As I said you can forget it," Rafael replied. He stuck to his statement. Seemed he already made up his mind not to tell.

"Remember your promise? Or maybe you have forgotten. In that case, I'll refresh your mind. You said you've given your heart to me. So you gave in to temptation?" Thea stood up and faced the bay, her hands crossing over her chest. Her hair blew across her face.

Rafael stood up, walked one arm length away from Thea Marie. The lights reflected on the water was just breathtaking. Someone played music from one of the open-air cafes nearby.

"...I've done a hundred songs from fantasy to lies, but this one so real for me that I'm the one who cries..."

"Look, Thea, I'm sorry," Rafael said. "I could tell you all in time, but there's no need for that. It would only hurt you more. Ok, I gave in to temptation. The bottom line is that I felt really lonely here. I was lonely until you came. Do you know how I've felt during those years when we're apart? I couldn't stand it. I need somebody to bond to." Rafael edged closer to Thea Marie, careful enough not to be heard by people strolling along the length of the Baywalk.

Thea Marie turned to face Rafael. "You think I didn't know it? You're not the only one who suffered. I missed you all those years. I have suitors, you know. I turned them all down because I have already given my heart to you. What do you think one reason why I came here in the first place?"

"It's easy for you to say that. You're with your family back in the province. Here I have none," Rafael said.

"Don't you talk to me about loneliness. You have plenty of pretty good excuses for everything." Thea Marie cried silently. For the first time in her life she cried over love. A desperate act by somebody who thought she could control herself.

Silence.

"...This one's for you wherever you are, to say that nothing's been the same since we've been apart..."

Rafael touched Thea Marie's shoulders. "I'm sorry I hurt you. Not that I meant to. Give me another chance."

Thea Marie wiped a tear from her eyes with the back of her hand. For all the wonderful things about love, she only realized this time that tears were part of it. What would she say to the man she had loved all these years?

"Say please," Thea said.

"What?" Rafael asked, surprised. Realizing what Thea had just said, he smiled. "Please give me another chance. I'll make it up to you."

Thea Marie took a deep breath. He felt Rafael's arms over her shoulders. How could she deny him that chance?

"...This one's for all the love we once knew, like everything else I have, this one's for you..."

"Promise me you'll never leave me," Thea Marie said. She leaned on Rafael's shoulders.

"Promise," Rafael said. He held her tight, oblivious to the people around them. He had won her back. They had each other, that's all he cared for now. "Let's go to my apartment." This time this would be for good.

And the rest, as they say, is history...

Rafael blinked. He came back to the present. He barely heard what Thea Marie had just said. "...I'll let you go. I hate to say this, but maybe your heart is never mine in the first place."

[End of Chapter 4]