Loop

8

His heart stops and his mouth runs dry. He knows that voice. He recognizes that voice in all the dreams and in all eleven universes.

He glances up and sees the brown-haired girl from his dreams standing right in front of him. His heart is about to rip itself out of his chest.

"Nakalimutan mo." She thrusts his copy of The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea to him nonchalantly. On instinct, he looks for her charm bracelet. He frowns when he sees a simple plain silver band with nothing attached to it. There is no crescent moon and no number sixteen. Where did they all go?

He slowly stands up and takes a hesitant step toward her, drawn by the big, brown eyes he knows all too well.

"Maine?"

Her smile quickly vanishes, now replaced by a look of alarm. She drops the book, abruptly spins, and flees.

"Maine? MAINE!" He runs after her through the wide corridors, but she is fast and she zips through the benches and halls effortlessly. He picks up his own pace, fueled by the promise of seeing her again and making sense of it all. "Maine!" he calls out urgently. "Please!"

Find me again.

She dashes into a passage meant only for employees, and he follows her into the tight little corridor. He manages a weak smile as he realizes where they are. "Dead end 'yan," he calls out. She slows down as she sees a wall loom ahead of her. She turns to him with a panicked look in her face, a mouse cornered in a maze.

RJ leans against a wall as he tries to catch his breath. "Maine, please. I'm sorry, I just want to talk..."

"How do you know my name?" Her panicked voice echoes throughout the small corridor.

What could he tell her? I've seen you in my dreams. You sat with me on the plane. You were my wife. Think, dammit, think. Say something.

No words come out of his mouth.

"Why did you run after me?" she continues, still gasping for air.

"Why did you run?" he shoots back.

Don't stop asking me.

Ignoring his question, she straightens up and walks past him, back into into the wide open space of the airport lobby.

"Maine," he calls out again, a little more loudly now. He starts to chase her again, bumping into a couple of teenagers before he finally grips her shoulder. She turns, her eyes inexplicably filled with panic and regret. "Please," she mutters. "Let me go."

He looks at her, his breath still hitching from his sprint. He tries to think of a way to get her to stay a while longer.

Coffee! You kept asking me out for coffee and you never stopped. Kulit mo nga, eh.

"I just want to thank you for returning the book." he begins. "Can I at least buy you a coffee?"

She wedges her bottom lip between her teeth and vigorously shakes her head. "No need. It's fine. Just be more careful next time." She takes a step back and glances at the airport exit.

You kept asking me out for coffee and you never stopped.

"Maine, please. Please have coffee with me," he pleads, grabbing her hand. "I need to know what's going on."

"You don't understand. I have to go," she whispers as she tries to free her hand from his.

On cue, the airport ceiling rumbles as the rains beat down harder.

You kept asking me out for coffee and you never stopped.

"One coffee. That's all I ask," he pleads again. "Ang lakas ng ulan. Walang taxi sa labas. Di ka rin makakauwi."

She looks up at him, her eyes tired and wary.

"Just one coffee, Maine. Please. Then you'll never have to see me again."

She inches closer to him and he follows suit. Suddenly, everything around them grinds to a halt as if the world has plunged underwater. The only sound he hears is the beating of his heart as it slows down to the rhythm of a metronome. Tick, tock, tick, tock. As her warm vanilla scent envelops him, she tiptoes and whispers something that makes his blood run cold.

"Do you really want to do this again, RJ?"