Someday Soon, With You

Chapter 2

Archi

“Alpha, have you seen my glasses? I don’t know where I put it, I’ve looked everywhere!” it was Aro hysterically reacting over little things again.

Archi looked at him and shook his head, “I don’t know what I’ll do about you anymore. You really are a hopeless case.” He reached for the eye glasses that were just on top his head.

“Oh”, was the only thing Aro can say when he realized he just put it above his head.

Alpha Archibald Abril Cortez is his full name; he’s one of the fire-fighters in their city. The other boy with him is Katharos Panemorfi Perez Montenegro or Aro. Sometimes when he feels really annoyed, he would call him Kathy. Aro is very popular among the girls because of his good looks and his body built. Aro have had three girlfriends during their high school and college days while Archi had four. They are neighbors and that’s why they became best friends since they were children. From primary school to secondary they were classmates and team mates in the volleyball team. During their college days, they were not classmates since they took different courses but they are still team mates in volleyball. Aro’s usually the captain and the setter of the team while Archi is the ace and a wing-spiker. They enjoyed playing volleyball and were good at it, in fact they were always competing at the national level since high school. Now three years after college and they both are adults working in their respective fields. They are living in the apartment they were renting since college. As a child, Archi always wants to be a police officer but politics and power has corrupted the image of the uniform for him. It’s like living in a society where you would feel scared seeing a policeman rather than feel safe. Aro on the other hand works as a marine biologist in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which is based in Mary Land, United States. Working there is a stepping stone to his ‘real’ dream which is to see a mermaid. He had this childhood obsession about mermaids, he still has it actually.

Aro smiled sweetly at him knowing how stupid he looked just a while ago. Archi on the other can do nothing about it but to smile. He kind of missed being with him, Aro just comes home two weeks every six months. And those two weeks were really short since he would divide his time with him, his family and processing his papers.

Archi kissed him quickly, “breakfast is ready”.

“That’s what I always miss here, your breakfast, or Mom’s” Aro is holding his hand while they walk to kitchen.

“Then you should finish it if you miss it that much”, he said knowing how Aro don’t always finish his meals.

“Of course, I can finish it if I am the one putting the food in my plate, if it was you, you always put portions good for five persons”, Aro complained.

“Hey! Stop whining!”

“Oh. Okay. I’m sorry” Aro said smiling as he exaggerates his apology. He knows that that’s how Archi shows his concern for him.

Archi led him to the table and prepared the plates and his food. It is his last day in the country again and he misses him already. He never really thought they would end up together, that they would end up being more than just best friends. When they first came out as a couple, they both became confused about their genders since they are living in a very conservative country. They thought they are both homosexuals, but then they realized they are never attracted to other men aside from each other. Women still attracts them, only they are in love with each other. After sometime they just stopped thinking about it and decided why does it matter. They are in love with each other, they are attracted to women, they are happy and that’s the end of it.

They spent their day inside the apartment watching movies, eating and talking about everything and anything. Archi was looking so intently to Aro as he was talking enjoyably about his work.

“After three years of being in the laboratory I will finally work in the field! Can you believe it? Finally, finally! Maybe I will meet mermaids this time”, his eyes are so wide because of all the excitement he feels as he talks about it.

“Okay, here we go again. You will never see a mermaid there, they would be too afraid of your creepy face” he repeatedly told him mermaids aren’t real, for as many times as he can remember, but Aro never listened.

“Yeah, right! You also told me I will never be accepted in NOAA but look at me now. I’ve been working there for three years now”.

“I only said it because you want to work there for the mermaids” He explained, enjoying their conversation. He likes it, hearing him talk, looking at him looking so excited, the smile, the voice, the laughter. He loves it.

“And now I will finally be working in the field! I’m so excited; if I saw the mermaids I hope they will abduct me”, he said cheerfully. But his voice suddenly softens, “but then, I will stay for another nine months. Not six this time, but nine. Is it okay?”

“What do you mean ‘is it okay’? Of course, it is. That’s your dream. Just go and I will always be just right here when you came back”, Archi said thoughtfully reaching his hand.

Aro smiled and stared at him, “You know what, I was thinking how on earth you aren’t cheating on me. I’m not here with you, you’re free to fool around, are there no girls attracted to you anymore?”

“What do you mean no girls are attracted to me? You just don’t know how tiring it is to drive women away because of my looks? If chasing them off burn calories, I think I would look like a kite, a walking body of bones and skin.” They both laugh at his statement. “What about you? Are there any women fooling around you there?”

“Lots. Only I don’t like them”, he said honestly.

“Me too”, he said. “Because I’m in love with someone else”.

Its thirty minutes before the flight, Aro and Archie were sitting side by side in the waiting area. After three years of going back and forth in the country, Archie didn’t feel sad as much as the first time he see him off. Nevertheless, he’s still sad.

“You know what Alpha, every time I leave here there’s this one song that keeps playing in my head”, Aro was looking at the clock near the bench they were sitting.

“What? Farewell?” Archi asked jokingly.

Aro laughed it out, “Leaving on a jet plane”.

“You’re right, especially the part:

There’s so many times I’ve let you down

So many times, I’ve played around”, Archie was almost laughing singing that part of the song.

It made Aro chuckled. And he continued singing that certain part,

“I’ll tell you now, they don’t mean a thing

Every place I go, I’ll think of you

Every song I sing, I’ll sing for you

When I come back—” he paused, “I’ll bring your wedding ring”. He smiled to Archie whose eyes now widened.

“Good afternoon passengers. This is a pre-boarding announcement for flight PR126 to New York. We are now inviting those passengers with small children, and any passengers requiring special assistance, to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes time. Thank you.”

“I think you’re one of the passengers requiring special assistance”, said Archie trying to be cheerful.

“Yep! If women saw me, they would flock just to take pictures. It might cause stampede. I really need special assistance”, Aro said with a smile. “I will not be able to call you when I get there, I will go straight to Mary Land and then start working in the field. You know the flight schedule when I return right?”

“Shall I fetch you here after nine months?”

“No, I will call you as soon as the plane took off—”,

“To all passengers for flight PR126, regular boarding will start momentarily. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Thank you.”

It was the announcement again. “You really have to go.”

They both get up and Aro wore his backpack. Archi was watching Aro’s back as he went near the departure area, “Alpha, I’ll see you in nine months. For now, I will see the mermaids first! Ha-ha!” He was very cheerful that it made Archi laugh too. Aro waved both his hands with a very wide smile to Archi while the latter just made a quick wave of goodbye.

“Don’t skip your meals!” It was Archi while waving.

9 Months Later

“I’ll be going ahead guys!” Its 5:30 and Archi is very excited to go home because after nine he’ll be seeing Aro again. His return flight is 7:30 that evening. Archi dropped by the market to buy something for dinner before going home. He bought shrimps and milk fish, Aro always prefers seafood over red meat. At approximately 6:45 he has finished cooking dinner. He swept the floor and wiped the desks and TV. Aro is allergic to dusts. After taking a bath, he opened the TV and waited for Aro’s text.

After two TV programs, Archi noticed it was 8:45 in the evening and Aro haven’t texted him yet. He took his phone and started texting.

Hey dumbass! You’re late!

Message sent.

He looked at the foods he cooked, I will have to reheat this, he thought. He was preparing to reheat the foods when he thought about Aro, this is the first time he was this late. Maybe he went to his family first, but it still isn’t right because he would’ve told him if that’s the case. Maybe his phone battery is drained. He thought about the possibility of him going straight in his family’s home, he’s really an i***t, he thought. He still reheated the foods just in case he still decided to come over.

9:17 in the evening, still no text. His head is starting to heat up; he took his phone and started typing.

Hey! If you will not come over you should’ve at least informed me, I cooked dinner. Message sent.

After 10 minutes, still no reply. He really did it now; Archi could feel his blood boiling again. Just you wait until you get back here; I will really kick you until I’m satisfied. Message sent.

Hey! Are you really not going to reply? This isn’t funny anymore. Message sent.

After a while his phone rang, it was an unknown number but obviously an overseas number. Maybe it’s Aro, that i***t; he really can’t stop dissing him in his head.

“Hello?”

“Good morning. Can I speak with Mr. Alpha Archibald Cortez please?” It’s an unknown voice; Archi can already guess its foreigner because of the accent.

“This is Archibald Cortez speaking, how may I help you?”

“We deeply regret to inform you that your fiancé was caught up in an accident during his team’s field work at the Western Pacific Ocean. He was one of the biologists who went with the exploration team. We lost contact with the submarines for a week now, the investigation is still on going and retrieval teams are being dispatched continuously.”

Archi’s head was pounding the whole conversation. The submarine was lost? “I’m sorry I think you called the wrong person. I am not acquainted with—”

“You’re one of the contact persons KatharosPanemorfi Montenegro written in case of emergency. One is Mrs. Dolores Perez-Montenegro, his mother, whom we called earlier this day and the second is you, Mr. Alpha Archibald Cortez, Sir, his fiancé. We deeply regret the accident that’s happened; we are currently deploying search teams for their safe retrieval. Thank you and we’re so sorry.”

He’s so confused at the moment; he took his jacket and the car keys and went to Aro’s house. It was a fifteen-minute drive. When he got there he saw his Mom and Dad comforting Aro’s mother who was frantically crying and uttering Aro’s name over and over again. She stopped for a moment when she saw him wide-eyed approaching them.

“Archi!” Her voice is so weak and soft. “My Katharos, our Katharos is gone!” Her voice is shaking as she tries to talk through her sobs. Her gaze stopped at the box in the center table. She opened it and reached for the smaller box inside it. “Sweetheart, I think this is for you.”

Archi tried his best not to cry, there is so much tears that night, any more feels unnecessary. He opened the box and saw a ring with a note inside.

It’s more like a couple’s ring but yes, I guess I’m asking you to marry me.

I told you, ♫ when I come back, I’ll bring your wedding ring♫

I’m good looking, good at everything I do, could you ask anything for more? You’re a lucky man Alpha I fell in love with you! Ha-ha!

This is it, the last straw. He covered his head down and silently cried. He already wrote him as his fiancé. He kind of knew that Aro would ask him to marry him, abroad of course, since same s*x marriage isn’t legal yet in the country. But he knew, and he would’ve said yes in the first place.

“It’s not yet confirmed, Tita. Maybe we can still find him”, he said trying to comfort Aro’s mother and himself.

“Maybe. They made a mistake with one of them. One researcher was listed in one of the submarines but apparently, he didn’t board it. There was a substitution. He died during the earthquake though. His body was found. There are still eight missing biologists.”, Aro’s mother was starting to calm down.

“What do you mean there are still eight missing, Tita?”

“There was an 8.9 magnitude earthquake. That might also be the reason for the missing submarines, no one knows for sure, yet. But the house they were staying collapsed. Most of the researchers were only injured but eight of them are still missing. They sent search and rescue teams, but either situation Katharos was caught up, all we can do is pray.”

Archie’s put his jacket in the sofa as soon as he got back home; his head feels so empty, like it was full of cold air inside. It seems like there was a sudden numbness in his heart. Tita Dolly was right, its either Aro was one of the biologists in the submarine that went missing, or with the other researchers in the building that collapsed.

Why? Why does it have to happen now? It’s his first time in the field. He looked at all the food he prepared; he thought they would be together by now. He took his phone, looked for Aro’s contact number and started typing:

To: DumbAro

I thought you’d see me in nine months. I’ve waited for you. Of all the things I thought you’d dumped me for, I never thought you’d dump me for a mermaid. Are you with the mermaids now? Are you happy? Did they abduct you like you’ve always dreamt? Aro, come back to me now, I heard mermaids love to eat human flesh. Don’t be deceived, they’ll only hurt you. Come back to me. At least I love you more than they do.

Message sent. Tears rolled in his eyes. He can’t take it anymore; it’s like situations that would happen only in movies. He lied down in the sofa, feeling all the helplessness as he fell asleep.

Two weeks after the call they were all eagerly waiting for updates, they watch foreign news, read additional information in the internet when another call came up. Archi started coming in their family house again after the accident; he almost always sleeps in Aro’s house with his mother, Dolores, just so they can wait for news together.

“What do you mean? Aro was not one of them?” It was Tita Dolly talking on the phone. “That means he’s might be one of the biologists in the missing submarine?” She was crying again, “How on earth a submarine could just get lost? Did you get your equipment’s from the 19th century?”

“We sincerely apologize, Ma’am, but we can’t say anything for sure unless we found both or either one of the Pisces submersibles. We regret what happened in the Pisces IV and V vessels, we truly do. That’s why we are currently employing search and rescue teams for them.”

Dolores cut the call and burst into sobs.

“They found seven bodies, he’s not one of them”

“There’s still one, Tita. He might have still survived”

“The seven bodies they found were all burried deep."

Dolores is beginning to lose hope, but Archi, Archi cannot be the same. He shouldn’t be, he knows more than anyone else, Aro won’t leave him. Not like that.