On Finding Chance

Part 2 - Chapter 28

Today turned out far better than I expected. Contrary to his usual mysterious self, Dylan is a total carefree, gentleman. I honestly enjoyed being his girlfriend. If he had been like this when we were together, then no wonder I fell in love. Of course, the hugs and holding hands were awkward at first but he made me feel as if we never broke up. He did not mind if my palms were sweaty or if there were hotter girls flirting with him. He treated me like I am the most special girl in the world.

We have been doing this question and answer game all day. I found out that his dad is also a doctor, a cardiothoracic surgeon to be precise. His mom was a nurse but she quit her profession after giving birth to him. She shifted her attention in running their small pastry shop called Nurse's Delights instead. Dylan has invested in the stock market since he first got his summer job salary and continues until now. He talks about cars and music but not too much on sports. He loves basketball, though. He said it keeps him grounded and sane. I also learned that George is only a year older than me. They have been friends since Dylan and his best friend, Bryce, saved him from being bullied in secondary high. The duo have always been a trio after that.

We also talked about his colorful love life. His first love was a girl named Ella, their next door neighbor. They were together for almost five years but she left him for a guy in the army. He was so broken that he ended up playing around with girls. He did not cheat on anyone but he did not enter into serious relationships either. For the longest time, he did not believe in love. Then Roxy came, and the game changed. They met during the Sinulog festival in Cebu. It was Bryce's graduation request that the three musketeers travel to the Philippines and celebrate the Sinulog way. Long story short, Roxy entered the picture. What seemed to be a summer fling became a long distance relationship. They fell in love even if they were million miles apart. They tried making it work but everybody knows how highly challenging it is to maintain an LDR especially that Dylan was graduating from med school. Thus, he decided to end it and focus on his internship. He thought it was a clean break up. Unfortunately, Roxy thought differently. What happened at George's party was her admitting she still likes him. She knew about our separation and she tried her luck in winning him back. But, he was not buying any of it. "Besides, she is not the girl for me. You are.", he said.

Is he honestly this cheesy? He is making it difficult for me to cover up my feelings.

When it is my turn, I carefully filter the answers to his questions. I try to share with him the good memories I have instead of delving into my struggles. He knows that my mom and I moved to San Francisco for two years to help me recover faster. For someone like me who lost her memories, being in a different country is an efficient therapy. It was easier for me to adapt because no one knew me there. Nobody asked about the accident. Nobody knew about my condition. I was simply the new kid in the block. But when Harvey's band rose to fame, we decided it was time to go back. It was a hard choice for my parents. They thought my stay abroad was not enough for my healing. And in my honest opinion, they would have let me stay there forever if not for my constant bugging of wanting to go back here. I knew it was going to be tough but Harvey and dad are here. Home is here.

Dylan appears to get the whole picture and rarely asks about the endeavors I faced. But when he is insistent, I only provide bits of those dark times. Talking more about it will definitely ruin this weekend's mood and that is the last thing I want to happen.