Me, My Ex, and Him

Chapter 2: Somber Summer

          Wait, hold on a minute. Okay, stop! Back it up! I wasn't prepared for that. I didn't understand how to react. It was as if my world had fallen apart. I held it in and stepped back from my then boyfriend. Should I be mad at him for not telling me? 

          "It was all so sudden gyud, Love. Believe me, I want to stay here with you. But my parents want me to study college in my hometown." Yvan explained.

He tried to keep himself together as he explained while I was still in shocked of that new information. He told that me that he was leaving for good and was unsure of ever coming back here in Manila. I tried to hold back my tears while conversing with him. I questioned him whether we should keep this relationship or just let it go. He couldn't answer me. He wanted to stay together as much as I did but we knew things would be different once we separate ways. 

 We're confused. I didn't want to break up, but at the same time, I wouldn't know how to handle a long-distance relationship as I'd miss him too much. I was overthinking about so many possibilities that could happen if we'd push through with a long-distance-relationship. We both tried to stay calm as we composed ourselves. 

          "I'm okay with having an LDR if you are. Mahirap pero, I'll try for you, for us." I suggested.

I was waiting for an answer amidst his silence. 

          "Let's go back to where we started." He told me.

Yvan took a deep breath.

          "Best friends." He said. 

Our eyes met in agreement. I nodded to him. Little did we know that night would end with a heartbreak. We cherished every second we had that night.  All throughout, we just stared at the stars, with his hand around my shoulder as I leaned unto him much closer. 

          How time had passed. It was already our graduation day from senior high school. We congratulated each other for our academic achievements. He was awarded best in music while I was awarded best in arts. He then invited me to have lunch with his older sister and her fiancé to celebrate our victory. So, we ate at a fancy restaurant. 

          "Ate, mamimiss ko talaga kayo." I told them. 

          His sister smiled at me and told me she'd miss me, too. It was the perfect time for me to ask about his plans for the future, and so I did. Yvan was sure to pursue music while studying. And then we kept babbling about our promise to each other that we'd stay best friends no matter what. That we would communicate and keep in-touch with each other. 

 I also learned that Ate Sally was getting married and I was so happy for them. Hence, it was one of the reasons why Yvan needed to go back to his hometown. His elder sister and his fiancé were to settle in Cebu. At least two of us here are getting a happy ending. Yvan even hoped he could visit here in Manila after his graduation, but he was uncertain of the probability as his father had discouraged him from traveling around for the reason he might just want Yvan to help with their family business in Cebu. 

          That was it. It was the day my ex-boyfriend was going to depart Manila for Cebu. He drove while I sat shotgun on the way to the airport. The car ride felt somber, so I cherished our last moment of seeing each other. I couldn't believe I won't see him anymore. I'm going to miss his smile, his touch, and pretty much, him. We were so emotional. When we finally arrived at the airport, Yvan told me to drive his car back to his aunt's house where he had lived for ten years.

My summer was somber. I would not get out of my house. I spent my days and nights crying, watching TV, eating sweets, and ignoring my friends' messages. Even Yvan's messages. I could not process how I was feeling. The break-up took a toll on me so bad. Not having Yvan around felt something new and unusual to me. But I tried to cope.