Bound By Fate

Chapter 1

Have you ever heard of the term "lovers since friends"? To put it simply, it describes two individuals that became really close after meeting each other right off the bat, shouldering each other's burdens through thick and thins as if they were in a courtship. While it may seem like a fairy tale, it actually exists on every single one of us, and it begins with just an introductory handshake or head nod. The reason that we don't feel that way to our friends is because of the analysis conducted by our brain. It observes the people around you, and whoever deemed unsuitable will have our interest in them decreased. It sounds cruel and surreal, sure, but it is evident in our everyday conversations. Picture this – you are to converse with someone you hate for exactly an hour, and arguments are not allowed even if he spits at you and throws insults at you for that duration. Do you think you can make it through?

Now, switch that person with your crush. Needless to say, you would want to spend the whole day with him or her. You would want to know about him as much as possible, and eventually enter his or her life after having mutual interests with one another. Notice the difference between both conversations? Even if you miraculously manage to talk to The Hated One, you could feel the awkward tension hanging in the air, itching you to leave the room so that you wouldn't have to see his face for another second. But if it was your crush sitting in front of you, you would try to contain your anxiety and leave a good impression on them. Either that, or you're just a nervous wreck, but whichever works.

With that being said, our brain functions much more complicated than anyone could fathom. Till this day, scientists can't fully debunk the elaborate explanation on how emotions work, nor how thoughts sometimes flash an image in your head so that you recall correctly. However, the more illogical, spiritual would be that there is a library in everyone's head. Remembering something means that you are dusting off an old book and rereading it; forgetting implies that that book was lost somewhere, and recollecting it afterwards shows that you've found it; loving someone means that you are hooked on reading a certain book, eager to gather as much information about its contents as possible.

Then again, this is all just a placeholder speculation while the brainiacs grind their gears for the real answer. While there are other – less viable – theories regarding the third eye or chakra, it isn't the actual, scientific answer that researchers can agree on. The older generation thought that it was the work of invisible beings that play the role of matchmaking with the people they find interest in, which is basically Cupid from the younger echelon of society.

Regardless, the emotion of love is – and have always been – a manipulative trickster. It forces you to play its game until someone raises the white flag; it voids your logical thoughts and replaces them with irrational urges; it turns you into a lovesick fan girl that yearns for attention from the people around you. We all know why the last one is the most horrifying example, but that is why we see many unfortunate people lose in the battle against love. Granted, those who emerged victorious did not leave unscathed either. Simply put, no one's a winner in this fight. Well, maybe the third wheel is. 

Which was why I gave up on him a few years back.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat at the thought of him. The mug of tea in my hands was swirling from the ceiling fan. I peered out of the window of the café with emptiness in my eyes. Has it really been three years since we last seen each other? Apparently college work that piled on endlessly became a time machine for me to travel to the future without me knowing of it. I had been trying so hard to cope with it to the point where day and night seemed meaningless to me. It felt like I had been in college for decades when it was only thirty-six months. Maybe it was time for a break? No, there was much work to be done, and I had a hunch that there would be more to come.