Watching Sunrises

Sweetest Escape

It's Pia's last day in London, and of course, instead of being able to sneak in a run while the sun's still up before turning in for an early night, she gets a message from Loren instead. "Punta ka sa flat, dear. Come in your best outfit, but sneakers and an umbrella are a must 💋👟"

Pia scrambled into her suitcase to find the dressiest outfit she brought and thankfully found a purple bolero and her favorite gray tartan pants that she reserved for those emergency situations. Plus her black sneakers that go with everything, of course.

She threw on the outfit as quickly as she could, put on some makeup, and did a last-minute check to make sure everything was in order. "Chill, Pilar. She's not going to make it a big deal if a stray hair's out of place."

After a final outfit check, Pia grabbed her purse and rode the underground train until she reached the station close to Loren's flat. Soon enough, she's right by Loren's doorstep waiting for her to open the door.

A few seconds later, Pia heard the sound of door locks unlocking, then out comes Loren dressed to the nines in a navy blue pantsuit with orange cuffs and a pair of denim sneakers.

Pia had to do a double-take upon seeing her. "Wow, Reg..."

Loren gestured for her to come in. "Pasok ka, dear."

Quickly, Pia entered the apartment and sat down on the couch. "So, Reg, ano plano natin today?"

"Well, I got us tickets to an exclusive chocolate tour in Chelsea.", Loren explained, showing the tickets. "What do you think?"

Pia's eyes lit up at the mere mention of a chocolate tour. "No way! Are you serious?."

Loren gave her that look. "Pilar, you know I don't play around."

"You know the way to my heart, don't you?"

"Ako pa.", Loren remarked with a smirk. "Anyway, let's go. Baka ma-late pa tayo."

The chocolate tasting tour, in Pia's opinion, was one for the books. She and Loren strolled around the swanky Chelsea area with the help of a tour guide and sampled more sweets than she ever thought possible.

They held hands for most of the trip (only letting go to eat more chocolate) and shared a ton of laughs over various stories surrounding the area. At the end of the tour, the two of them went to a special boutique where they tasted various chocolate bars while a guide explains the different undertones one can taste with each bite.

Pia thanked the lucky stars they had quite a bit of phone storage from the obscene amount of photos they took. Most importantly, she got to spend a day out with Loren before facing the reality of a long-distance relationship once she flies back to Manila.

After a long day, they finally arrived back in Loren's flat and sank back down on the couch and propped their legs on the coffee table. "Wow, that was a really long day, Reg."

Loren faced Pia and brushed off the hair off her face. "I hope you had a lot of fun, P. Last day mo na dito, so might as well make it count."

Pia sighed, her heart sinking when thinking about the flight back home. "That's the thing, Reg, it is my last day here. I'm going to miss being able to call you or pop in for a visit whenever we want to, you know."

When she said those words, Loren reached out towards Pia's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "London is great and has done me a lot of good things, pero balak ko pa rin umuwi after my MA. Marami akong plano sa buhay, excited na sumubok ng ibang trabaho, pero ung mga planong iyon, gusto ko kasama ka."

Pia cracked a smile at the thought of Loren considering her in her future plans. "So all this time, I was at the back of mind?"

"Of course," Loren said. "I never thought I would ever fall in love again in this lifetime, especially to a dear friend. Kaya lang ako natagalan bago aminin ito sa sarili ko was because–"

Loren started struggling to find the right words after that. She started pursing her lips, a telltale sign Pia knows meant she's trying not to cry again.

"...kasi natatakot ako. There, Pilar, I said it." Loren said. "Natatakot ako na magigising ka na lang isang araw na at iiwanan ako ulit. I left because I don't think I could bear the pain if you just got up and walked away without saying a word."

Pia stroked Loren's hair and tucked one lock behind her ear. "When I said I love you with my entire being, I really meant it. But this, the scared, fragile Regina who wanted to be loved, is who I love the most. I can't force you to let her out if she's not ready, but always know that I'll hold her close the moment she does decide to step out."

Loren nodded, tears falling from her eyes. It took a while for Loren to settle down before saying something again. "Alam mo, ipakita ko na lang ang ambag ko sa usapang ito."

She then led Pia to her bedroom and sat on her bed together. Next, she got up, opened the safe in her closet, and took out a wooden pink box with the initials "LR ♥ PJ"  on top.

"Whoa, is that–", Pia asked.

Loren then took the key and opened the lock. "Oo, nilipat ko lang ng lalagyan kasi di na kasya. Had someone sculpt the initials for me tapos ako nag-pinta."

Pia's eyes widened upon seeing the contents of that box again. It's bursting with mementos, receipts, letters, and polaroids sorted carefully by year. Loren then browsed to the current year and took out its contents. "Here, just go through them."

After Loren handed the pile of mementos to her, Pia browsed every single thing in that pile - various letters detailing what happened during that day (good and bad), receipts from times Loren visited a place because it reminded her of Pia, even some small watercolor paintings. "This is why she's the artist between the two of us."

"Wait lang, Reg, I'll get something.", Pia said before heading back to grab the journal, now enclosed in a rustic brown leather cover, from her purse.

She then came back and gave Loren the journal. "This journal's not as extensive as your box as far as dates go, but this is where I write every time I felt like writing to you. I wish I could bring the other journals, but that will have to wait until you get back."

Loren took the journal and after that, the two of them lay on the bed and started reading the letters they wrote to each other over the past year. For all their differences, there's one thing they both have in common, and it's their hoarding habit.

It's a habit that has saved their hearts in many cases, including this one.

Once they've finished reading everything on hand, they returned the things to where they belonged and placed both items on Loren's bedside table before sitting on one side of the bed.

Pia gazed at Loren's face one more time, paying special attention to her lips. "Since I'm flying back to Manila tomorrow, do you want to celebrate one last time?"

Loren returned with a knowing glance. "I'd be happy to."

Seconds after, Pia captured Loren's lips into a kiss and let their tongues do a bit of a dance. The next thing they knew, the shoes disappear, and so did the rest of their clothes, as they did the horizontal tango in the night on Loren's bed.

A tango that, even if it lasted for hours, still feels too short.

As they lay on the bed all spent from the dance, Loren clung to Pia and refused to let go. "Pwedeng wag ka na lang umalis?"

"Kung pwede lang, love," Pia replied, stroking Loren's cheek. "Alas, the Senate awaits."

Loren embraced Pia even more tightly and nuzzled under her chin. "Madaliin ko ung dissertation para maka-graduate agad."

"You? Rushing paperwork? Come on."

The two of them shared a laugh and snuggled each other close until they both drifted off to sleep. 

A few hours later, the sun rose over the River Thames once more, marking the beginning of the next part of their new journey.