A & M Imagines

Malaya

"Hanggang dito na lang?"

"Hanggang dito na lang."

"Thank you. Thank you sa lahat ng oras at pagmamahal na binigay mo. Sorry, dahil hindi ko kayang masuklian yun lahat ng buo. I'm truly sorry."

"Alam ko naman. Everything happened so fast for you, for us. Sometimes it's unbelievable."

They looked at each other's eyes and see that it's still there--the love and respect that they have for each other, it's all there. But the situation is making it hard for them to continue. They don't want to end up hurting each other so they decided to just let go.

"Richard."

"Nicomaine."

With one last hug, they turned around and went their own separate ways.

"I love you."

Those words hung in the air, unspoken.

-----------

"Hoy, Richard!"

"O! Maine!"

"Tungkol saan ba yung project?"

"Ayan tayo eh. Absent kasi ng absent."

"Sige na naman Kuya Richard, be a friend and hand me some notes. Hehe"

"Kuya ka diyan."

"You know you toot me. Haha"

"Hay nako. Huwag mo akong dinadaan sa ganyan Nicomaine."

"Sige na kasi. Hahaha"

"Oo na, eto na."

"Yiiiee! You da best!"

Richard and Nicomaine were on their first year in college when they met through mutual friends. They had this instant connection that they didn't ever have with other people. They became friends. They were inseparable. When one is present, expect the other to also be there. It was always Richard AND Nicomaine. Never Just Richard or Just Nicomaine. During their junior year in college, their friends started to tease them about being together.

"Bakit 'di na lang kasi kayo? Tutal 'di naman kayo nagjojowa ng iba, lagi naman kayong magkasama, kayo na lang!"

"Oo nga! Lagi kayong magkasama kulang na lang magdikit na yang mga tagiliran niyo. Hahaha"

"Hay nako, ' di ko type 'tong si Richard 'no! Masyadong good boy. Hahaha"

"Akala mo ba type kita? Asa!"

"Wooohhh! Mukha niyong dalawa. Diyan nagsisimula yan sa mga ganyan. 'Di na kami magugulat kung magiging kayo din sa huli."

Nicomaine just rolled her eyes and Richard just laughed it off.

It was always the same when friends open the topic. She would make snarky remarks and he would just laugh it off. But one day, things changed. It was a Thursday afternoon, at a friend's house and everybody was having fun playing video games. Richard arrived late as he was doing his Student Body President duties before coming over. He rang the doorbell and it was Nicomaine who opened the door for him. He didn't know what it was. He just laid his eyes on Nicomaine and it felt different. She was just in sweatpants and her hair up in a bun but his heart was suddenly beating rapidly inside his chest.

"Huy! 'Di ka pa ba papasok?"

"A, huh? Eto na papasok na."

"Guys, the late Richard Faulkerson Jr. has just arrived."