Someday Soon, With You

Chapter 5

After that dinner, Mira and Archi often had other dinners together. She also finally had a lunch with Tita Dolores, and she’s so unlike her age. She’s very jolly and bubbly. She was a flight attendant and among the countries she visited, she liked Greece the most. That’s also where she got Aro’s name. Katharos, which means pure or chaste and Panermorfi which means beautiful in Greek. She also met the team, apparently the three, TJ, Yuan and Andrei were new but they know each other during high school and college days. They competed against each other. Mathew and Harold were Archi’s teammate since high school. They also know about Aro and Archi, and she finds it really nice that they looked like it’s not a big deal. Like it was very normal to have relationships like they have. It was a very beautiful friendship, not asking why or how, just simply being happy with each other.

It was just her who entered Archi’s world, because Archi doesn’t have a world to enter in her, because she doesn’t have it to begin with. Some of her officemates sometimes asks her if she and Archi were together, dating and stuff, when she told them no, they just stopped asking her. And that sums up her social life.

She might be imagining it, but she thinks Archi’s messages to Aro are getting fewer. Maybe, if that’s the case, it’s because of her. She is consuming most of Archi’s time. Every afternoon, Archi teaches her volley ball and they would eat dinner together. Sometimes they even eat breakfast together. Every Saturday they would go to the laundry shop together, practice volley ball with the team then eat dinner, sometimes with Tita Dolores, other times with his parents, but most of the time, just the two of them. On Sundays, they would go to the mass together, pick up their clothes and have dinner while watching a movie.

Archie might not really be aware, but her world is now turning around with him in it. It’s not like she’s so in love with him, but having him by her side gives her that sense of completeness. Like Archie is supposed to be where he is in her life. Sometimes, it terrifies her.

They just finished their dinner and walking out of McDonalds when she opened a topic.

“You know, I like TJ” she was talking about one of his new team mates.

“What?!” he asked with slight disbelief in his voice.

“No, not like like, that doesn’t make sense. Not that way. I like his snide comments” she laughed remembering some of those. “He’s so sarcastic and sassy to the team”

“You like him, like a crush?” he asked while they went inside Archi’s pick-up.

“No, I like him like a friend. We could go around judging other people that would be so funny” she said laughing a little hard.

“I don’t know, sometimes I really don’t get how we get along, I am so nice” he said looking so done with her.

“Yeah, do you remember when you yelled at me when you saw me eating fish balls in front of the office” she said with sharp eyes.

“Well, your officemates told me you didn’t eat anything for lunch then I saw you eating fish balls” he looked at her slightly apologetic. “I’m really, really sorry. I shouldn’t have done that” he said finally.

“Yeah, they thought it was funny, I thought so too. You sounded like a real grandpa” she said laughing again.

“I will take that, I deserve it” he said. “By the way, TJ is one of the tamaraws back in the days”

Back in the days, she thought. Archi really tends to speak like a grandpa.

“Their team was really great too, we lost to them at our final match in high school. His brother sometimes goes to the practice, though they’re like the exact opposite of each other” he said.

“Really? What about Yuan?”

“Yuan and TJ were team mates since high school, Andrei was from another team” he said. “By the way, I think you and TJ is just about the same age”

“Oh yeah? What about Yuan and Andrei?”

“Yuan and Andrei is a year older than you, while I am three years older than you and so are Mathew and Harold. TJ’s brother is six years older than you”

“How do you know that?” she asked.

“Well, it’s so hard not to notice each other back then. We’re living in a very small world.” They were already driving to Mira’s home.

“I’d like to watch one of your games. I bet it would be very intense” she said.

“Yeah, maybe you could play with us” he said smiling.

“I’d like that too” was the only thing she said.

It was quiet again. But the silence in both of them doesn’t feel it awkward, like they could just sat there and drive and be quiet and that would only feel alright.

“By the way, how do you know your officemates find it funny when I scolded you for eating fish balls?” he suddenly asked.

“Well, they thought you were my boyfriend. They asked me if you are”, she said. Her heart was pounding, but she could not say it differently.

“What did you say?” he said throwing a single glance at her and back in the road.

“Well, I said no. Like many times already, they kept asking” she said. He just created an ‘hmm’ sound and nodded. “I told them you’re not my boyfriend, but you almost are”, she said with a slightly sad smile.

And then silence, now this is awkward. After he parked in front of her apartment, Archi got off first and opened the door for her.

“Hey”, she started. “Is everything alright? Did I say something wrong? Was I not supposed to say it?” she asked. He’s been quiet for most of the drive after she mentioned the ‘almost’ part.

“Yeah. I mean no, there’s nothing wrong. I just─” he stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. He leaned closer and kissed her on top of her head. She could smell his cologne and felt his warmth, it should have been warm. The feeling, but no, she felt sadness in his every move. “Good night, Mira. I’ll see you tomorrow” he said and got on his pick-up truck.

She thought long about that night. How was that supposed to be wrong? She thought. It’s not like they’ve gone out together for just a few weeks. They were, like almost together, for almost ten months now. Then it hit her. Just ten months, and she’s acting like they’re a thing. They don’t even kiss; they don’t even hold hands. Well, sometimes when they were crossing a road. She’s scared of crossing the road alone. Maybe, it really is wrong, maybe, she’s crossed the line, maybe she’s asking for too much for just a little time they’ve spent together. Maybe they are not just friends, but they are not there yet. There’s a thick line between friends and more than friends. They could be like, sisters/brothers more than friends, or best friends more than friends, or any other way of being more than just friends, just not that romantic way more than friends.

She heard her phone beeped, it was the phone Archi texts when he wants to say something to Aro.

Wish you were here

She froze. They really are just friends. It’s not painful, she just felt like she woke from a dream. He’s still in love with Aro, and it’s not surprising. How could she ask for more? He’s only been good to her since they’ve met. He could’ve taken advantage of her the moment they first met, but no. He’s given her friends, and family, and his time. How could she do this?

She fell asleep that night feeling a familiar feeling, sadness and pain.

Archi

“I told them you’re not my boyfriend, but you almost are”

It’s been hours since they’ve separated but her words were still echoing in his head. They almost are. They’ve been together for almost ten months and if he’s going to tell her that they’re just friends, he knows as hell he’s lying. They are way past being just friends. Only if Aro was here, things wouldn’t be so complicated with him. They could just call it quits and he could court Mira. But he can't. This is so unfair for Mira. If Aro was here, would he be angry, or would he tease him like he usually does, if he was here, would that make any difference?

He took his phone and started typing.

Wish you were here

Message sent.

He stood up, took a jacket and car keys and started driving.

It’s 9:55 when he arrived at Dolores’ home. He knocked twice before the light turned on and the door opened with Dolores already in her sleeping robes. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”

She opened her door wider letting him in, “No, I was just about to sleep. Come in, I’ll just make a cup of coffee” she said as they went inside.

She joined Archi in the living room with two cups in her hands, one is coffee and the other is black tea with a bit of cinnamon and lemon. He missed that smell; he used to smell that almost every day. And the house, it seems like forever since he got there, but it’s still the same: the color of the sofa, the throw pillows, the pink carpet and chair near the window. Aro used to read his books there. It’s still the same, but everything has changed.

“So, what is it this time? Had a quarrel with Mira?” she started.

“No, we’re not, we’re just─” he was interrupted by the old lady.

“Oh please! Don’t give me that ‘we’re just friends’ bullshit” she said smiling gently. “What is it darling? Knowing you, I think you’re just about to confess about you and Mira’s real score” she said with a slight laugh.

He chuckled at her statements, “No, I mean, I don’t even know what the real score between us is. I know we’re more than friends. But, I don’t know. She a good person, and somehow, I enjoy being with her, but this really scares me, a lot. I don’t want to end up hurting anyone, especially someone like her. She’s so sweet and she’s been through a lot” he can’t help but just shake his head.

He felt Dolores’ hand reaching his, “So do you. You’ve been through a lot. Maybe that was the reason it’s you she met. After those long empty years, it’s you, because it’s you that she needs” she squeezed his hand, “And her that you need” she added. He stared at her for a while, “Don’t you notice that whenever you’re with her, you don’t send texts to Aro anymore? Sweetheart, it is so rare that you meet someone who heals you the way you needed to be healed, without forcing you, but hey! Look, she does! You might not meet someone like her again; she might not meet someone like you again. And don’t you think it’s just sad knowing that, you could be together, only if you just take all that risks and kissed her instead?”

He sighed a long sigh, “And what if he came back?” he asked.

“Oh, he will come back when he’s ready to come back. You know him very well. If he came back,” she squeezed another squeeze in his hand, “then he would be happy knowing that you didn’t live a miserable life while he’s gone” She chuckled a little seeing him think so deep, “You are a son to me, like he was. Whenever I see you, all I could think was all the time I spent with him. But all I could think now was how unfair everything is for you. All the time you’ve spent together, those are happy memories. I wish you happiness just as I wish his. Those memories, let it remain a happy one; don’t let it keep you from having more. You’ve had good times together, now it’s time for you to have more, anak.”

Her smile is so warm and her words struck him right in the middle. All he could ever do is reach out to her and hug her. “I love him”, is all he could ever say while keeping himself from sobbing.

“I know, and we could love him still, from here, and he could love us still from there” she said while rubbing his back.

He stayed till nearly midnight before saying good bye to Dolores. As he walked outside, he took a glimpse to their house and saw her mother looking just as startled as him.

“Oh, hey Mom, still up?” That felt a little embarrassing.

“Uh, yeah. I’m a little thrilled to know you can visit Dolores at this hour but you can’t even stay here for fifteen minutes every week end.” his mother commented.

“Mom, come on! I have a life outside you, and Tita Dolores isn’t so bad. You’re friends for what now, thirty years? You’ll get along!” he joked back.

“What?! You little─!” He started running to his truck before he could even hear his mother curse. “Find someone your age! Or someone three years younger than you!”

He started laughing at her mother’s statement, “Yeah mom! That sure doesn’t sound like someone we know. That doesn’t sound like segue at all” he added laughing. He beeped twice before driving and saw his mother waving in his side mirror.

“I just got back from the restroom when I noticed your lights are still on. It usually isn’t so I pried a little and saw him leave. What was that about?” It was Mrs. Cortez to Dolores.

“Oh, I think he’s about to have some life” Dolores said excitedly.

“Ooh! Just about time!” Archi’s mother said as the two ladies giggle in excitement.