Almost Lover

Chapter 9 - The News

The News

The strange thing about having loved someone and lost him is the sadness that you feel for the memories you shared even though you swear you've already let go and moved on.

Well, for me at least.

Whenever I give myself a tour of an avenue of my past romance with Akira, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic especially seeing incessant happy memories strewn around the place. I thought I was imperviable to the flitting images of my past love and the emotions those memories could create, but I'd still find myself reminiscing from time to time and cursing for allowing my mind to think of what could have been.

What could have been... These words are a natural depressant.

I had already let go of Akira and moved on, but nothing could stop me from shedding tears when I saw him on TV last night.

"Popular Japanese royalty, Her Imperial Highness Princess Masami of Takamura, daughter of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamura, first cousin of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, formally announced to the country earlier today her engagement to Yamamoto Akira, son of billionaire hotelier, Yamamoto Kaname, and grandson of former Prime Minister Nagamiya Masao.

Princess Masami and Yamamoto Akira first met in high school, and their friendship grew throughout the years and finally bloomed into the enviable love that they have for each other now. The two have reportedly been dating since last year, during the end of their senior year in college at the prestigious Tokyo University.

The wedding date has not been set, but one thing is for sure, fans of the celebrity couple cannot wait to see the two in matrimony..."

What does she have that I don't? Why can't he love me for who I am and not for who my family is? How could he let his family choose the one he should love? These were a few of the questions that went through my head whenever I thought of Akira.

I cried not because I still loved him. The reason of my tears was more of self-pity rather than longing for a love long gone. I felt sorry for myself for being dumped for another woman.

When I woke up this morning, I could hardly open my eyes due to excessive amount of dried tears crusting around the outer and inner edges. It was all because of nonsensical and unnecessary weeping.

I guess it's true what they say--you'll never really truly move on from a love in the past until you fall in love with someone else in the present.

I was in the kitchen and Wonhee was in the living room when I heard the news again. I tried to ignore it, busying myself with things in the kitchen as I prepared a large breakfast. Had I not tried to ignore the news, had I only joined Wonhee in the living room to re-watch it on TV, had I only admitted to Wonhee beforehand that I'd already heard about the announcement, my day wouldn't start out disastrous.

Her Imperial Highness Princess Masami of Takamura and new fiancé Yamamoto Akira were spotted during a morning jog at the Yoyogi Park. The two formally announced their engagement to the whole nation yesterday evening during a press conference at the Imperial Hotel Tokyo...

"SUNMIIIIIIII!!!!!!!"

I heard Wonhee move hurriedly to the kitchen, but I didn't think she would get to where I was standing that soon. If I had known she would run that fast, I would have made sure I was out of her way and we could have avoided colliding unto each other, and her coffee wouldn't have spilled all over my clothes (thank goodness it was already lukewarm and tolerable).

"WONHEEEEEEE!!!!!!" It was my reaction upon seeing the coffee all over me.

We both grabbed paper towels in the hopes that we could still salvage my outfit, but no. The big, irregular blotches of light brown stains remained where they were.