Love and Resilience

The Last Bouquet (pt 2)

POV 'to ni Jovana nung nakipag hiwalay sa kanya si Serena.

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JOVANA’S POV

I had been counting down the days to this moment, my heart light with excitement. Today was our third monthsary, and I could barely focus on my shift at the hospital. I had been imagining the evening I planned with Serena over and over again, meeting at the coffee shop where it all began, just like what we did on our first date.

The end of my shift couldn’t come fast enough. As soon as I was finished, I headed straight to the flower shop I’d picked out the day before. Pink tulips; the ones Serena had casually mentioned loving during one of our dates. I smiled, imagining Serena’s face lighting up when I handed them to her. With the bouquet carefully wrapped, I made my way to the coffee shop’s rooftop, a place that had become our special spot.

As I climbed the stairs to the rooftop terrace, I found a quiet corner, my heart racing with anticipation. I checked my watch and realized I still had a little time before Serena would arrive. I sat there, gazing at the beautiful pink tulips I had gotten for her, wondering how something so simple could carry so much meaning.

But as I waited, my mind drifted to the past few weeks. Something had been off with Serena lately, I could feel it in my bones. Serena had been distant, always busy, always making excuses when I wanted to spend time together. I had chalked it up to work and life being busy, but now that I was sitting here, waiting for Serena, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was going on. Was Serena pulling away from me?

Before I could dwell too long on that thought, I saw Serena walking toward me from across the terrace. My heart leapt, but then dropped just as quickly when I noticed the look on Serena’s face. Serious. Sad, even. I smile faltered for just a second, but I pushed the worry aside and stood, greeting Serena with her usual warmth.

"Serena!" I  greeted her with a bright smile, standing up as I approached her. I handed her the bouquet, my are eyes sparkling with hope. “I got these for you. I thought we could celebrate our monthsary here, where it all began.”

She took the flowers with a trembling hand. “Thank you, Jovana. They’re beautiful.”

"Jovana, there’s something important that I want to talk about."  She began, her voice is wavering.

I felt her stomach drop. I knew that tone. “What is it, love? You’ve seemed distant lately, and I’ve been worried.”

She looked down at the bouquet in her hands before a words “I’ve been thinking a lot about us… about our future.”

My eyes searched for Serena’s eyes. “What are you saying?”

“I think it’s best if we break up,” She said “I need to focus on myself right now, and I don’t want to drag you into something that might not work out.”

I blinked, trying to process the words that had just come out of Serena’s mouth. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not like this. We’re happy, weren’t we? How could Serena say something like that?

My face fell, my eyes wide with shock. “Break up? pero bakit, Serena? We’ve been so happy. Akala ko okay lang ang lahat, nag celebrate tayo ng monthsary natin a month ago tapos  ngayon ganito sasabihin mo sakin? Serena, naguguluhan ako."

“It’s not about what’s wrong with us,” She said quickly, tears stinging in her eyes. “It’s about me needing to deal with some things on my own. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”