Match Made in Heaven

Prologue

He was the best part of my life, akin to a timeless film etched in my memory, its scenes unfolding with exquisite detail and emotion.

His gentle touch was like a breeze, cold yet comforting, a paradoxical reminder of what I've lost. A bittersweet caress that spoke of lost yesterdays. Each day, his absence is a silent echo in my soul, a yearning that weaves through my being. What am I doing? With a shake of my head, I try to get rid the clinging shadows of yesterdays. Three years have passed by-why does his ghost still linger in the corridors of my mind?

My friends often muse that we're a match made in heaven, opposites in every sense yet inexplicably drawn together, as if by some cosmic magnetism. I quit my customer service job years ago. I don't want to work where he does. It would make things too complicated.

Breaking up with him was the hardest decision I've ever made. It broke my heart day by day, but I didn't have a choice. As of now, I'm still trying to live my best life here in Thailand. Nakakapagod maging guro dito, nakaka-homesick. Walang araw na hindi ko namimiss ang mga barkada ko na kasama ko palagi, at siyempre, siya. Pero ito ako ngayon, mag-isa. Pero ayos lang naman, para ito sa future. May mga kasamang mga Pinoy na guro naman ako dito, kaya kahit paano, nabawasan ang pangungulila ko.

I kept telling myself I had moved on from him, but deep down, I knew it wasn't true. Living in Thailand has opened my eyes. The world is too vast to confine yourself to one person. You shouldn't make a person your entire world. When I first arrived, I visited all the tourist spots. It cost a lot, but it was worth it. It helped me heal from the pain of my past, from him. Yet, the funny thing is, it healed the pain but didn't help me move on from him.

Kinuha ko ang mga gamit ko sa lamesa at lumabas na ng faculty office para umuwi. My body was aching from standing from morning till afternoon. Is this a sign of aging? It's exhausting to be a teacher, but there's a fulfilling sensation when you see your students learning something new.

Habang palabas ako, I saw some students who greeted me as I was leaving through the school gates.

"Goodbye, Teacher Armani!" sigaw ng isa sa aking mga estudyante sa Mathayom One o first year.

"Goodbye, Natchada!" I waved back at her.

"Teacher Armani, someone was waiting at you outisde," sabi ng guard habang itinuturo ang magandang itim na kotse na nakaparada sa labas.

Kumunot ang noo ko at tinitigan ng maayos. "Sino ba 'to?" I never saw this car before, so I just nodded to the guard and walked towards the car to knock on its tinted glass window. Don't tell me sinusurpresa ako ng mga baliw kong barkada?

"Hoy, mga may topak, lumabas kayo diyan!" I suddenly stepped back when the owner came out from the driver's seat. As I saw who it was, I was astonished, frozen in place while my eyes were fixed on him. I haven't seen that face for years.

As I stared at him, memories of when we first met came flooding back. It felt like destiny was toying with us, casting us as the star-crossed lovers in a romantic film, unable to escape each other's orbit. This was my fear, him following me here. He knows too well that I'd inevitably return to him, just one move and I'd foolishly fall all over again.

His features had matured, etching a map of the time we'd spent apart. Oh, how I missed the mesmerizing depth of his oceanic eyes, drawing me into a familiar whirlpool of emotions. The golden hour cast a glow on his perfect tan skin, accentuating his handsomeness-a sight that rekindled the longing to feel the softness of his lips once more.

I gulp as he comes closer, pulling me by the waist, pressing his body against mine. "Armani Cuevas, I'm done with these stupid games," he says.

"Let's go home, my love."