Chasing Sunsets

Chapter 48:

♪♪ You are the avalanche, one world away. My make believing while I'm wide awake...

I long for him so much. I don't know how I survived those years without him. Well, I guess his memories are enough to give me life to survive each day.

But that's not enough, really. I miss him so much—how his voice raise an octave higher when he's mad, the creases beneath his eyes when he smiles, how we synchronized our different time zones, and every skipped heartbeat in between our fights.

When his physical form left me, his memories stayed. He left a permanent mark deep within me. Like his every touch burned and will forever be scarred in my skin.

I always see his face in crowded rooms, his name on blank spaces, the color of his eyes in my morning coffee, his shadow on every sidewalk.

And I guess it will always be like that. He didn't just become my moon and stars, he became my sun, my universe, and so much more.

I remember the last time we talked before everything we had broke down in pieces. I could never tell that it would be the last one. We were so in love we were almost perfect.

Now why does it feel like we built a house we can never call a home? He's not gone for good, right? I could still get him back. I will get him back no matter what.

He's still my Nikos. I'm sure of that. He's still the man I love and loves me in return. Years passed but like we said before, our love is greater than time, distance, and everything that will come in our way.

Masakit yung mga sinabi nya sakin. Iniyakan ko yun ng ilang gabi. Pero kaya ko pa naman. Hindi pa sumusuko ang puso kong sabik na sabik pa rin sa kanya. I will get him back no matter what it takes.

Lalo na ngayon na muling pumapabor sa akin ang tadhana. Hindi naman to mangyayari kung walang dahilan di ba?

Nagrereview ulit ako ng papers ng clients namin nang may nakita akong isang significant na project. May project pala kami with Tenerife Estates. Yung kompanya ng kapatid ni Nikos. We were to build a condominium just 45 minutes away from Tenerife Heights. Ang laking project nito. Hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi nabanggit to sakin ng kapatid ko.

Somehow I was happy. Malaki ang possibility na magkita pa kami ni Nikos sa ayaw man nya o sa gusto. Syempre sa pamilya nya to. Bibisita naman siguro sya kahit minsan diba? Lalo na't hindi nya pa siguro alam na nagtatrabaho na ako sa kompanya namin.

I'm gonna start the chase. Wala akong pakialam kung magmukha akong desperada. I'm just trying to get him back.

Kinuha ko yung laptop ko at pumunta sa balcony. Doon ako nagresearch tungkol sa site na pagtatayuan ng condominium. May nasimulan na sila sigurado sa planning pero ako ang hahawak ng project na to kahit anong mangyari. Kailangan ko syang pag-aralang mabuti.

I immediately called my brother while browsing. May kasalanan pa sya sakin.

"Kuya..." Bati ko sa nasa kabilang linya.

"Serene, napatawag ka?" Sagot nya.

"Bakit hindi mo sinabi sakin agad yung tungkol sa Tenerife Estates?!" Naiinis na tanong ko sa kanya. Hindi sya agad nakasagot.

"Anong sabi mo? Hindi kita marinig." Tumayo ako at naglakad papalapit sa railing ng balcony.

"Kuya!" Napatingin ako sa kalsada sa baba. May itim na kotse nakapark malapit sa harapan ng bahay ko. I just shrugged it off.

"Hindi nga kita maintindihan. Bukas na lang. Bye—."

"Kuya naman e! Bakit hindi mo agad sinabi sakin?" Tumalikod ako at sumandal na lang sa railing.

"Ano ba kasi yun?!"

"May project tayo with Tenerife Estates! Wala ka man lang nabanggit sakin! Paacting-acting ka pa dyan, akala mo naman magaling ka."

"Tsk. Eh kasi aasa ka na naman kay Nikos." Sabi nya sa waring naiinis na tono.

"Kuya. Sa kapatid nya yung Tenerife Estates, hindi sa kanya. It's not like everyday ko syang makikita dun." Sagot ko sa kanya.

"Baka nakakalimutan mong engineer din si Nikos. He worked with us sa planning nung hindi ka pa nakakauwi."

"Really?!" I asked him, trying to hide my excitement but obviously failing. Anyway, that's unusual. As far as I know, Nikos doesn't like engineering. He took Civil Engineering dahil yun ang gusto ng nanay nya. Kahit wala na ang nanay nya yun pa rin ang kinuha nya pero mas pinili pa rin nya ang music after.

"Yes. Masaya ka na?" Sarcastic nyang tanong. "Wag kang kikiligin dyan. Nako, kung ayaw na sayo nung tao wag mo nang pilitin."

"Kuya naman..." Muli akong napaharap sa kalsada. Wala na yung kotse. Buti naman. Baka mamaya kidnappers pala yun. "Bakit kasi hindi mo agad sinabi sakin?"

"Hay nako, little sister. You're not so little anymore pero kailangan mo pa rin yatang pagsabihan ngayon. Alam kong gusto mong magkabalikan kayong dalawa pero sana wag ka masyadong umasa. Ang tagal nyong walang communication. Malay mo naka-move on na yung tao. Ayaw ko lang masaktan ka pa lalo kaya sinubukan kong itago sayo to kahit alam kong imposible."

"I know what I'm doing, kuya. Wag kang mag-alala." Humanda si Nikos sakin. Wala na syang kawala.

"At isa pa nga pala. Last week pa nagsimula yung excavation sa site. May site visit ulit next week. At baka this week mag-meeting tayo with the client. Ihanda mo na yang puso mo. Ang tigas pa naman nyang ulo mo."

"I will. Bye." I hung up the phone.

Bumalik ako sa harap ng laptop ko and sipped some coffee. I took a deep breath. I hope this is a good start.