"What are you doing here?"
I found myself face-to-face with Sage outside my condo. A rush of surprise and perplexity swept through me. Question after question races through my mind – how did she find me? What is the reason for this? Why is she here? My heart was pounding in my chest and I can't help but to wonder what lies ahead in this unexpected encounter.
"Is this yours?"
She was holding a familiar coat, probably the coat I left that morning in the café.
"That's mine. Ba't ka nandito? How did you find me?"
Sage was wearing casual yet put together, shows an effortless chic vibe. A shirt top in a vibrant shade of blue complements her skin tone, and a pair of well-fitted, wide jeans complete the look. Comfortable yet stylish canvas sneakers add a casual touch to her outfit.
"I asked." She shortly said.
Kanino siya nagtanong? 'Yun lang ba pakay niya rito? Is she going to make me apologize for what happened earlier? Girlfriend niya siguro iyong babae kanina.
"Is that all?"
My eyes darted on my coat na hindi niya pa binibigay sa akin. When she noticed my eye movement, itinaas niya ang kamay at aktong ibibigay sa akin ang coat. When I was about to reach it with my hand, kaagad rin niya namang binawi.
Confusion clouded my mind.
"What?"
"I want my clothes back." she casually said.
"Ha? Anong damit?"
Don't tell me babawiin niya 'yung mga damit na ibinigay at iniregalo niya sa akin dati. I left it at Bicol at wala na akong balak na isuot ang mga iyon. It would sound immature if she wants them all back. Paano kapag nalaman ng girlfriend niya na nakipagkita siya sa ex niya ngayon? Wouldn't that cause some issues?
"The shirt."
"Anong klaseng shirt? Why do you want it back?"
"If you're asking about all your clothes, hindi ko na alam kung nasaan 'yun and I wouldn't want to waste my time finding them." I said, sealing my answers.
"Isang shirt lang naman ang kukunin ko."
This is so weird. Why would she go here for I don't know how just to ask me to bring back her clothes?
"The shirt you wore when you left the hotel."
A jolt of recognition runs through my body - the shirt I now possess is indeed the very one I had been wearing when I left the hotel after our encounter. As I thought back on that night at the hotel, a wave of memories from that evening washed over me. The haze of drink intertwining the vivid flashes of intimacy and passion.
"It's in the laundry." I said, evading my gaze when she kept watching my flushed reaction.
"Why did you leave?"
Her words hang in the air. I was taken aback by the question. I struggled to find the words to answer, my mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions. That simple question holds a world of meaning, echoing the lingering pain and unanswered questions that have persisted long our breakup.
"Why were you there?" I asked her a question.
"I brought you there." She answered.
"You drove me at the hotel?"
"Yes." I tilted my chin to meet her piercing, unwavering stare that speaks volume. She seems to change a lot for the past two years. She stands before me with a sense of confidence and maturity, her previously familiar features now framed by a subtle change in her style.
