Kung Saan Tayo Natapos

11: closer to the end

"so malapit na matapos yung filming diba?"

Tito boy asked, I nodded, king answered with a yes.

"okay ka na ba?" tito boy asked me, I smiled,

"okay na po ako, I'm sorry about last time po" tumango lang si tito boy, we talked about it before the program started.

We talked about the movie, generic questions lang, which king and I answered simple, no spoilers. Patapos na yung filming, the trailer was already out,

"are you staying here?" tanong ni tito boy which got me out of my trance.

"a month lang po after the release, then I'm going back to germany." I asnwered truthfully.

"why?" he asked,

"I don't have a family here tito boy, doon may naghihintay sakin, may uuwian ako, hindi ako nag-iisa sa bahay." I smiled sadly, I avoided king's gaze.

"wala na ba talaga kayong chance king?" baling ni tito boy kay king, king shook his head,

"I love my girlfriend tito boy, I love kryza, as much as I love gia, hindi po tama." he answered, and I smiled at him.

"so you said mahal mo si gia, but hindi pwede kasi mahal mo din si kryza? Explain please." tito boy asked, curiosity evident in his face,

"Mahal ko si gia, mahal na mahal ko, pero hindi na eh, it's the end of the line, it's the kind of love na kahit ako hindi ko maexplain, I want the best for gia, I want gia to be safe, but I don't want to be the person that makes gia feel anything. Gia was my first love, and that will always stay with me kahit hindi na si gia yung nagbibigay ng spark sa buhay ko. It's kryza now tito boy, si kryza yung gusto kong pakasalan." he answered, I smiled. Tito boy nodded,

"and what about you gia? Minahal mo din ba si king?"

"Mahal na mahal tito boy, but like he said, this is the end, the thing we had in the past was the closest thing we had to forever, pero it was not meant for us, I was not meant for king, this is the end. We reached the end of the line separetely, masaya siya with kryza, and I'm thankful that he is, honestly, kryza is a nice woman." I smiled and swallowed the lump in my throat.

At 24 years old, I didn't know what to do, after the interview finished, king and I said our goodbyes to tito boy and to each other. Somehow, this goodbye felt different, it felt strange.

King was far from strange, King was the most familiar person in my life, he saw every part of me, of how I struggled to wake up early, of how I look like in the morning, he knows everything about me, my background, my maternal side, king was familiar, and this is the first time he felt strange.

"gia wait!" umikot ako para makita yung tumawag sakin, it was king. He smiled,

"gia oh" inabot niya sakin ang isang maliit na box, I looked at him.

"that was the ring that I was supposed to ask you with, I figured na it was time to give it to you. Sige una na ako, bye! Ingat!" and he jogged towards his own dressing room.

I opened it when I reached my dressing room, it was a simple diamond ring, hindi ganoon kalaki, but thats what I loved about it, king knows that I am noy a big fan of jewelry, and I tried it on, it fit perfectly. Sa ilalim ng maliit na unan, I saw a white paper peek through, inilabas ko 'yun.

It was drawing amari made, a piece of folded paper, kaming tatlo yung naroon, and I cried even harder when I got to my house. Pulling the paper close to my chest.