ELAYNE

Not distant

" I am sorry Ina" August spoke.

"I've known her since my highschool. We were so in love. Her friends were all my age and we almost spent all our time together. I was a.. reserved person but she wasn't. She was bold, reckless... Outgoing and brave. We became really close in a few years.
She had a habit of writing literature... And those letters.. were sent to me by her. It's the only memory I have of her. And Ina.. I don't want to forget it."

Ina's heart ached at his words. It was the worst thing the love of her life could tell her. She couldn't comment on it nor was she looking at him. She kept her head low, listening to him.

"One day, she got into an accident. Her whole family was affected. I lost her that day.. She didn't give me a closure"
his eyes couldn't hide the tears forming inside.

Ina lifted her gaze towards him, listening more attentively. The hurt of losing someone wasn't a stranger to her.

He continued,
"I tried to find her but she was just gone. There were a lot of things I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her but I never got the chance. Even though she never broke my heart, I was hating her.. I started hating how fast she moved on from me. And then, I moved out of town.
After a year... I came back to my hometown, not intending to continue the life I lived but.. You found me.
You initiated a conversation with me like I'm a stranger."
He started weeping hard, tightening his hands on her palms.

Ina's eyes grew wide at his words.

"What?" She asked, her voice shaky.
"We were strangers." She said.

"No!! I would've been a stranger to you but you were never... To me. When you lost your brother, I was the one you held onto. But... When you lost your parents, your consciousness decided to ju-just forget me. You forgot about my existence and started leading a new life excluding nothing but me."

His voice fluctuated and his breath was heavy, suffocating him.

Ina looked at Clave and Lola, not able to consume what she was hearing. Lola nodded at her, a tear dropping from her eyes.

"Wha--t" Ina asked, whispering.
Her heart was beating faster and her throat was getting colder. She couldn't believe it. She was not ready to accept that she indeed forgot about somebody that important.

"What.. i-is hap-ppening?"

She asked, keeping her hands pressed to the sides of her face.

"Calm down... It's okay. It's not your fault. Please don't cry. "
Clave said, caressing her shoulders.

"You all are mani-manipulating me.. I won't believe this." Ina said.

August shared glances at Lola and Clave, sighing.

...

Three years back

It was a busy day at school. Clave and the other members of the team were practicing .They were focusing on the game until Clave's eye captured the figure of a girl. It was clear that she was not focused on the training . Her face looked disturbed and angry.
Clave approached her to have a closer look at her moves.

"U good?"he asked.

"Not really." she replied.

"What happened? Are you sick or something?"

"No.."

"..."

"...."