A Piece Of Me

Epilogue

As he looked down upon the ground where the woman he loved was buried, he recalled the things that changed his life for the past three years. Some of the memories were worth looking back to, but some... he wished he could forget. They were either good or bad, heart-warming or heart-wrenching, everything he experience was because he started to care and feel love. 

As he was in his deep thoughts, tiny droplets started pouring from the dark sky above. He welcomed the cold touch of the rain until it soaked his clothes. Bending down, he reached for the gravestone and traced the casted outline of her name. It was already three years since she had passed and still, he could vividly recall the event that costed her life. Although it had been years, part of him still blamed himself for he wasn't able to protect her.

"I miss you," he mumbled weakly, feeling a slight pang on his chest. As he stared solely on her name inscribed, as though memorizing it, he felt his phone vibrated on his pocket. With a sigh, he got up and fetched it, unlocking it, then read the message, unbothered by the droplets on the screen. In spite of the acute nostalgia he was feeling that moment, his lips curled up into a smile as his mood was instantly lightened up just after reading it.

Silly, he thought.

Shaking his head, he shoved back the gadget to his pants' pocket and looked down once again on the gravestone. 

"Happy birthday." With those last two words, and a newfound contentment in his heart, he stood up and began walking away from the grave. Leaving her usually would bring him pain, he didn't want to leave her, that as though he could still feel her, want to feel her, even if she was already six feet under, but, for once, as he strode away, he felt respited, knowing that she didn't want to be the reason for him to stop living, or so he thought,... and knowing that someone was waiting for him. 

The ride to his suite was nothing but smooth. It was what he liked, no traffic, no taking of extra time to wait. When he stepped in to his abode, he promptly went straight to the bathroom to have a shower. He wasted no time for he was needed in his office. His life, since he went back to being the CEO of Lacela Corp., had been like those years ago, except that he was changed, he wasn't what the city known him for, the city's billionaire CEO and a playboy. In fact, he had liked what he became, he was much different, more mature than the young CEO he was. 

He stepped out of the shower and dressed to his usual work attire. Then after, grabbing the phone from the nighstand, he sent a quick text to her before going out of his suite and got in the elevator with few other people inside. His phone vibrated in his hand and when he looked at it, the smile like earlier had once again appeared on his face. He always loved it how she could make him smile that easily. She always knew what to say to make him feel better.

As the elevator dinged, he waited for the others to come out first, then him. Striding to the exit, he often received smiles on his way, mostly from women and with an act of politeness, he always returned their smiles.

"Office Mr. Lacela?" Bruce, his new driver asked with a kind expression as he was by the exit.

"Yes, Bruce," he replied, shoving the phone to his chest pocket before getting in.

*

Like any other days, the day was busy and hectic. Meetings here and there, signing documents and doing other important and necessary stuffs, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Amidst his busy schedule, he still managed to find time in calling her, because talking to her, would always remind him that after all the tire works, the boring meetings and exhausting documents piling up, he had someone at home waiting for him. With just that, it made all his wearies from day to day, worth it.  

"Mr. Lacela? Mr. Fleming is asking to meet with you. He says it's an urgent matter," Sarah, his one and only secretary since then, spoke bringing him out of his pensive state. He sighed as he thought that it was urgent, it must be something important. He glanced at his watch then back to his secretary.

"Tell him to wait for tomorrow. My fiancee would get home soon, I can't let her wait," he said nonchalantly. 

"Yes Mr. Lacela." With a curt nod, Sarah turned her heels towards the door but stopped when he called her. 

"You can take a day off tomorrow, I don't want you working in your birthday Sarah." The secretary upon hearing him, smiled in appreciation and thanked him before exiting his office. To him, it was like a small favor, but to Sarah, it meant a lot to her for she could spend her entire day with her one year old daughter.

As soon as he was done with settling everything on his desk, he excitedly went out of his office with an only thought, his fiancee. It was always like that for him, after work, he felt revivified to go home as he would never be too tired for her. He always missed her, every second apart from her was like a wasted second for him. After all, he wanted to be with her as much as he could, thinking that every tick of the clock was important.

As he reached the building, he thanked Bruce the driver and went in with much vigor. The day was good for him but for his fiancee, it was a great day, for sure. He got in the elevator and pressed the button to his floor. He waited patiently and then when it dinged, he got out and strode to his suite. Opening the door, he was greeted with soft slow music on the background, telling him that she was already at home.

Shrugging his coat off and loosening his tie, he walked further inside and heard the shower running in the bathroom. Thinking that it would be a while before she would finish, he poured a glass of scotch and walked to the balcony to get a good look at the view of city lights below. Watching the twinkling scenery below, he was pulled into a pensive state again. He thought of how he had been through so much since he found love. It was the beautiful thing that happened to him as he got to experience other feelings aside from excitement and pleasure. He loved to love and being loved and even if it was a new concept for him, he was liking it--loving it until that love was taken from him. Yes, love was a beautiful thing that happened to him...but it also brought him devastation and grief he could never imagine. It almost drove him to madness and the will of living had ceased to exist inside of him... But who would have thought that after years of being away, in isolation, he once again found love. He wanted to welcome the love blossoming inside of him but he was confused and overwhelmed, he almost lost her. Almost, but it wasn't too late and thankfully he did the right thing of not letting her go... or he could have missed out his second chance of love. 

He had found love again, he thought he would have a happy ending until his nightmare had emerged once again during that night she was shot for protecting him...

"Hey you," the sweet voice of his fiancee brought him back to his senses as her arms were wrapped around his waist from behind at the same time, "What's on your mind?"

"Just recalling something," he mumbled. The arms on his waist brushed off as she took the glass from his grasp and sipped from it. He smirked then brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"How's your pratice?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Ohh, I say we are ready for tomorrow... But I'm sorry for not coming with you earlier, I promise I'll visit her tomorrow after our debut." With a smile, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her gently.

"It's fine. I'm sure your sister would understand. And...congratulations! I can't wait to see your band debut tomorrow. I'm proud of you honey."

"Thanks baby. I'm excited just thinking about it...Thank you baby for being with me while I'm chasing my dreams. It's because of you that I'm here, you inspire me, you push me to my dreams, I can't thank you enough. I love you baby. I love you so much Luke."

He leaned in and kissed her passionately, pouring all the emotions into it, "And I love you too, Claire."

In that moment, for Luke and Claire, it was just them in the world, kissing passionately in a cold starry night... overlooking the dazzling city lights underneath... and for once, it felt like it was the beginning of his happy ending...