// one shots // ft. jedean

// Love Won //

    Jema stood there in the crowd.

    Another face amongst the guests, crowding the newlywed to wish them well. She stood there, watching the love of her life, beaming down on everyone, in another man's arms. She kissed her husband's cheek with her lips that are colored like roses, her favorite flower, leaving a mark, smiling with all the joy and happiness in her heart.

     Jema was standing there, at the far end, laughing at her despair. It's like she's in a game with fate, and of course, she's losing. She continued watching Deanna in her pearl white wedding gown as she steps down the church steps while grasping on Ricci's arms.

    She looks very beautiful in that gown for it makes her look more angelic than she already does.

    Turning away, Jema started to walk out of the church, listening to her loud empty footsteps on the aisle that was filled with scattered rose petals. With each step, she could hear her heart crumpling as the rose petals crumpled underneath her feet.

    An image flashed in her mind as the memory of receiving the wedding invitation seared.

    The cream envelope was slid through her apartment door and she picked it up when she woke up. Curious, she opened it and a fancy writing stood out, 'We invite you to our wedding' it read. She nearly collapsed when she saw the name of the bride. It wasn't surprising as she already expected it, but not this soon. She wasn't prepared. Along with the invitation was a note from Deanna with two words that echoed since she left.

    I'm sorry.

    Those two words had caused Jema to drown herself in alcohol and drown herself in her own tears and despair. She would take gulps after gulps and bottles after bottles as she looked again and again on the paper with the bride's name and someone else's name. It took weeks of drunken nights and hangovers to finally get her to woman up for this wedding and put on a brave face.

    A light tap on her shoulder shook her back to reality. She whirled around to look the eyes of the person who stole her heart and stepped on it.

   "Jema, okay ka lang ba about this?" Deanna said as she redeemed her hand from Jema's shoulder, leaving her bare and vulnerable.

    "Oo naman," she replied, faking one of her happy grins that were once true before she became all miserable and shit, "Congratulations."

    She extended her arms for the bride to shake. A few moments before Deanna hesitantly grasp on her hand, a look of worry was on her face as she stares at Jema's glistening eyes from the tears she's holding back. Jema noticed it, of course, so she blinked them away and chuckled.

    "Hey, wag ka nga nakasimangot," they shook hands, "It's your happy day, ngiti ka na." So Deanna did, she smiled, but it was apologetic.

    "Yan."

    "Oh diba mas mabuti. I wish you all the happiness," Jema retrieved her hand, "And pumapayag akong pangalanan nyo yung first child nyo after me," she joked.

    "Jema-"

    "Goodbye Deanna, see you sa training," she walked away quickly afraid that the love of her life would see her face with twisted emotions.

     When she finally drove out of the church's gates, she went straight to a beach, parking meters away from the sea. She stayed in her car, letting a single tear escape her eye that soon turned like an overflowing faucet. Their memories played in her mind like how it would in the movies.

    The picture of Deanna laughing everytime she would hide her face from the IG stories, or the late nights when Deanna would wake her up with a text to say something silly and stupid and she would tell her to go to sleep, or the moments where they would steal a kiss or two, or when she would wake up in the morning to see Deanna. Her Deanna.