More Than Just Friends

Prologue

Five years. That was how long it had been since we saw each other.

Not so long ago, we used to talk a lot. Even after leaving the country, he made sure that we were still in touch. Technology wasn't at its peak during these times, but the internet was in its prime. Having different time zones made it difficult for us to talk. Regardless of that, he still made sure that he was able to make me feel his presence around me.

Things were okay, or so I hoped it would have been.

Two years after he left, suddenly the emails stopped. I knew this would happen sooner or later, but it took at least two years for our long-distance friendship to last. It was hard. Back then, I was the type of person, who preferred old friends to meeting new ones.

Time passed by, and every day was going to be different. As much as I hate to say it, he was just going to be another person becoming a part of my life. The ones who add bits of memories onto your life, but don't complete the chapters following it. He sure stayed for a long time, and I'm saddened by the fact that he wasn't going to stay for the long run.

I'm a sentimental person, so connections that I lose hit me hard.

Things have changed a lot since then—I eventually met new people, went to different places, and experienced new chapters of my life—and he officially became a part of my past. I have been quite happy with everything, but Jake's memory continues to linger at the back of my mind.

He was right about one thing, though. His name is engraved in this on our friendship necklace. It served as a solid reminder. I made sure to cherish our memories and kept a piece of him close. Even if he was somewhere far away, I still hoped that he would keep his necklace as well. Was it silly of me to keep his little promise when we were young? It was one of the reasons why I never wanted to forget him.

I remember what my mom once told me that promises were the most precious thing any person is willing to grant. I was young. Not only that, but I don't know any better. All I knew was that our bond was strong. Again, I was a very sentimental person. I still am.

Growing up without him was not easy. Men were not so keen on befriending women, especially the more I got older. Things were a lot more complicated and some of them expected a lot just for being friends with a woman. Jake was the only guy I really trusted to be close to me. I guess it was because we were young, and we were still at the stage of being naïve.

It made me wonder if Jake would ever be like the other men I came across throughout my life. Would he also be wanting something else from me? I wouldn't really know, but I did hope he wasn't. It's crazy how even if he's no longer part of my life, I still make sure to add him, imagining what life will be like. A lot of these "what ifs" swirled inside my head. Seeing that he will not be part of my life anymore, made me realize that he probably did not plan on keeping the promise he made.

I sighed, letting the wave of nostalgia and melancholy creep over my restless thoughts.

As much as I thought of giving up his memory, something in me still wanted to keep it.

His memory matters. He matters to me. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep as I held on tight to the tag that bore his name and memory.

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Author's Note:

I am already going to warn y'all that this story is definitely not perfect. I started writing this at a very young age. English was also not my first language, but I was somewhat fluent during the time I wrote this. I just happen to not know how to write stories in correct structure, grammar, and flow. Then I put it through Wattpad at around 2012-2013. So basically my knowledge of writing wasn't as broad as it was now. So just imagine my 16-year-old self trying to write characters that were around 21–23 years of age. It was quite a struggle, yes, but now I have put this story out. I can definitely do a bit of changes if I could, but I can't make big adjustments that might affect the story line. If you read through this whole thing. You would notice the style of writing change through the first half of the story until the last couple chapters. I wrote that couple chapters around my late teens, almost 20. So I definitely can say that those parts have quite a mature undertone writing? I can't really tell but yes. I just wanted to be open about that because even, I do cringe reading through this story. As much as I cherish it. Definitely needs a lot of work.

Echo from 2023 here, I've pulled the chapters and currently started properly editing them! Thank you for your patience with me. ♥