Playhouse

Prologue

Baifern packed the last of her things. She didn't bring much stuff, but it still took her a while to clean the room she's been staying at for the last six months.

She felt the slight pang of longing as she looks around the empty room. Her stay may have been brief, but it was definitely unforgettable.

Off Jumpol made it unforgettable.

Thinking about the man she lived with for the last half year made Baifern smile. Anything and everything about the crazy gorgeous guy never fails to make her smile - his great sense of humor, the way he gets excited when he talks about his dreams, even the sound of his voice when he laughs at his own silly jokes.

Some nights Baifern still wonders what would have happened if the two of them made different choices. Would they be in some place better than where they are now?

Baifern's phone vibrated with a message from the moving company she contracted to help her move her things. She started picking up her box of clothes and book manuscripts.

She went out of the room and passed by the living room where the sofa and coffee table are already covered in white sheets. Her thoughts immediately went to the times she and Off would watch mindless TV or some romantic chick flick. The naughty man would hoard all the popcorn Baifern made and finish it halfway through whatever they were watching.

God, I miss him.

"Excuse me, ma'am. You need any help loading your stuff to the van?"

Baifern nodded and directed the man to her old room. "Just a few more boxes inside the room on the left. Thanks."

After loading all the boxes, Baifern did a final check around the house to make sure she didn't forget anything. It would not be so easy to go back here once the real estate agent starts scheduling potential buyers for viewing.

She went to the spacious bathroom and laughed to herself at the memory of learning the Off has a weird phobia - he doesn't close bathroom doors (Baifern never really got the chance to confirm it, but her theory is that Off may have watched too many horror films when he was younger). The number of times they both embarrassed each other because of Off's weird habit were too many to count on both hands.

She then went to the kitchen. She opted to leave most of the kitchenware and dining utensils since her new condo won't have much space for it. The memory of Off's back as he struggled to make a decent breakfast is etched deeply in Baifern's mind. She remembered waking up in panic when she smelled something burning, only to find that the great Off Jumpol burned almost half a dozen eggs before he successfully made a sunny side up.

Once she's sure that she didn't leave anything behind, Baifern search for her keys and locked the front door, silently bidding her house, their house goodbye.

In just a short span of time, she made so much memories - good, bad, happy and sad ones, all of which she holds closely to her heart. Above it all, for the first time, she felt how it was to love fully and to take risks despite the fear of hurting.

Nobody was listening, but Baifern chose to speak out loud, as if talking to the walls of her old home.

"It wasn't suppose to last since the beginning," she said, clearly remembering that Off himself gave her the six-month deadline for her to get out of his house. "It was fun while it lasted."

"Don't be too dramatic now, B."

No. It can't be. He's not supposed to be here.

Baifern couldn't believe her ears when he heard a familiar voice.

"Off?"