One Stage At A Time [COMPLETED]

Prologue

Every high has its low. Every light has a darkness. Every beginning has an end.

Sa lahat ng nangyari nitong mga nakaraan, yun ang natutunan ko. All good things have to come to an end.

Nang panahon na nangyayari ang lahat, akala ko end of the world ko na. Akala ko hanggang dun na lang. Akala ko, ikakamatay ko ang sakit.

It was a pain I hadn't experience in my whole life. Para bang sa sobrang sakit, hindi ko na alam kung ano ang gagawin ko. Paano ko kakayanin kung ang taong makakapagpagaan ng loob ko ay ang tao ring naging dahilan ng sakit na naramdaman ko? I felt so alone. I felt something die inside of me.

Pero sabi nga nila, you don't die of a broken heart. You only wish you could. Kaya heto ako ngayon, buhay pa rin naman.

I heaved a sigh as I look at the sky in front of me. It was like a tapestry colored with different shades of orange and scarlet. At mas lalo pa itong naging maganda dahil sa repleksyon nito sa tahimik at kalmadong dagat. It was almost perfect. It was almost romantic.

Ganito rin ang panahon three months ago. It was a perfect day that was about to end with a perfect sunset. Or so I thought.

Nilinga ko ang lalaking kasama ko na tahimik ding nakatunghay sa magandang tanawin sa harap namin. His expression was blank. And it was a shame that the perfect scenery in front of us was not appreciated. He was looking at it without really seeing it.

Hindi ko alam kung gaano na kami katagal na nakaupo dito. Hindi ko rin alam kung napapansin pa ba n'yang may iba s'yang kasama o kung naaalala pa niya na may dapat s'yang sabihin sa akin.

Looking at him, I could see how much he had changed. Yung dating kulot at mahaba n'yang buhok ay clean cut na. I remembered how I would always joke about it before dahil para itong pugad ng ibon. Pero infairness naman, bagay yun sa hugis ng mukha n'ya. It made him different from all the others.

Meron na rin syang facial hair na talaga namang nakapag-highlight ng kanyang facial features. Mas nagmukha s'yang mature.

Then, there was his eyes. The same chocolate brown eyes that always showed me what was inside his thoughts. The eyes that would look at you as if looking straight into your soul. Pero ngayon, para bang itinatago nito ang kanyang emosyon. Before, it was all smiles, now it was covered with seriousness and depth.

His body was more mascular too. Hindi naman s'ya bulky pero kung titingnan, agad na mapapansin ang kanyang muscle sa braso at dibdib.

Overall, he didn't look like the boy who broke my heart into a million pieces three months ago. He now looked like a man ready to face the world.

I heaved another sigh and looked back at the horizon. Mukhang matagal pa bago sya magsasalita dahil malalim pa ang kanyang iniisip.

Hindi ko alam kung matutuwa ba ako o ano dahil sa magkasama kami ngayon. After almost three months, he finally stopped ignoring me and pretending that I didn't exist. He finally faced me and decided to talk about us.

Narinig ko s'yang tumikhin bago ko naramdaman ang kamay n'ya na pumaibabaw sa kamay ko na nakapatong sa aking tuhod. Imbes na tingnan s'ya ay sa kamay n'yang nakahawak sa kamay ko dumapo ang aking tingin.

With that simple touch, I remember all our good memories. Yung panahon na masaya kami. Yung panahon na kontento kami sa isa't isa. Yung panahon na mahal n'ya pa ako. Lahat yun naalala ko dahil sa simpleng paghawak n'ya ng kamay ko.

"Meg," tawag n'ya na naging dahilan ng pag-angat ko ng aking tingin. He was looking straight into my eyes.

Kung ang simpleng paghawak n'ya ng aking kamay ay nagpabalik ng masasayang alaala, ang tumingin sa kanyang mga mata naman ay nagpabalik ng lahat ng sakit. It reminded me of all those times when I cried myself to sleep. Those times when I wanted him back but he just ignored me. And all those times when I had my heart broken into million pieces.

His presence made me feel different emotions at a time. Pero may isang nangingibabaw.

Hinintay ko s'yang simulan kung ano man ang sasabihin nya. Ilang beses n'yang sinimulang magsalita pero hindi n'ya maituloy. And when he was able to finally say something, a lone tear escaped my eyes and I smiled a sad smile.

"I still love you," he had said.