The Woman who was Never Mine (English Version)

Chapter 2

Levi

It had been a week since I saw Maya again.

And somehow, that one meeting was enough to mess with my head.

I texted her almost every day.

Most of the time, she didn't reply.

But when I called, she actually answered-though she always sounded busy, like she had a hundred things going on.

Still, she agreed to meet me.

Friday night.

And tonight was Friday.

I stood in front of my mirror, staring at my closet like a teenager preparing for his first date.

Pathetic.

After a few minutes of debating with myself, I finally chose a black V-neck shirt, jeans, and black shoes. My hair was brushed up neatly, though it had grown a bit longer than usual.

Simple.

But decent enough.

It was only 7:00 PM.

She told me she'd call me to tell me where we should meet.

So I waited.

Thirty minutes passed.

Then an hour.

Then two.

By the time I checked my phone again, it was already 9:00 PM.

I sighed and leaned back on my chair.

Did she forget me?

Or worse...

Did she change her mind?

After another few minutes of waiting, I finally gave up and called her instead.

The call connected.

"Hello... Maya? Where are you?"

"Who's this?"

I froze.

"It's Levi."

"Oh! Levi!" she said suddenly. "Sorry... I forgot."

I closed my eyes and shook my head.

Of course she did.

"Uh... just come here to a bar," she continued. "There's an acoustic band playing here. Wait, I forgot the name of the place. I'll just text you the location."

Before I could say anything else, she ended the call.

The noise in the background was enough proof that she was already inside the bar.

A few seconds later, the address arrived through text.

I grabbed my keys and left immediately.

The bar wasn't hard to find.

Music filled the place as soon as I walked in. The acoustic band was playing on a small stage near the corner, and the dim lights gave the whole room a relaxed vibe.

Then I saw her.

Maya was sitting at a round table near the center of the room.

She wasn't alone.

Another woman sat beside her, and a bucket of beer rested on their table.

Great.

I walked toward them.

"Maya."

She turned and looked at me.

"Hey!" she said casually. "Sorry, I forgot we had plans today. Sit down."

I pulled a chair beside them.

"Maya, this is Jenny," she said. "Jenny, this is Levi."

We shook hands briefly before the three of us turned our attention to the band again.

A few minutes later, Jenny suddenly stood up.

"Maya, I'm heading home," she said. "Sorry I can't stay longer."

"No worries," Maya replied.

Jenny then looked at me and smirked.

"Well, you've got company now," she teased.

Then she leaned closer to me and whispered just loud enough for Maya to hear.

"By the way, Levi... Maya is happily married. So you don't stand a chance."

She laughed before leaving the table.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

Well... that was straightforward.

Maya called the waiter and ordered another bucket of beer.

"Want another drink?" she asked.

"You already ordered," I replied. "Do I even have a choice?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she focused on the band performing on stage.

After a few minutes, I decided to break the silence.

"Not bad," I said casually. "You can still go out like this even though you're married."

She glanced at me.

"Where's your husband?"

"If he were here," she replied calmly, "he'd be the one sitting beside me."

"Oh."

"So... where is he?"

"Work."

She took a slow sip from her beer.

"We're in a long-distance relationship."

That explained it.

"We agreed that Friday nights are okay for me to spend with my best friend," she continued. "But since I moved here, Jenny and I won't be able to meet as often anymore."

"Then I'm here," I said. "I can keep you company every Friday."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Do I have a choice?" she replied lightly. "I don't have anyone else to hang out with here."

"Jenny's busy now too?"

"Yeah. She has things to take care of."

I nodded.

"I can be your companion then."

She stared at me for a moment before speaking again.

"What about you? What if some woman suddenly shows up here and starts yelling at me?"

I laughed.

"That won't happen."

"Why?"

"Because we're also in a long-distance relationship."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Oh really?"

"Where is she now?"

I took a slow sip from my beer before answering.

"She's been dead for three years."

The table fell silent.

Maya's expression softened slightly.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"It's fine," I replied. "That was a long time ago. I've moved on."

She nodded and turned her attention back to the band.

A few seconds later, the guitarist began playing a familiar melody.

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now.

Maya suddenly smiled faintly.

"That was my husband and my theme song," she said.

I nodded slowly.

"I always miss him," she added softly. "That's what long-distance relationships feel like, I guess."

She finished her glass in one shot.

I did the same with my bottle.

Something about seeing her like this felt strange.

She wasn't the cold girl I remembered from years ago.

Tonight, she seemed... more open.

Maybe the alcohol was starting to kick in.

"Let's go," she suddenly said, standing up. "I think I reached my limit."

Outside the bar, the night air felt cooler.

"Want me to call a cab for you?" I asked.

"Nope," she replied. "You call one for yourself. I brought my car."

"Oh-"

She suddenly stumbled.

Luckily, I caught her before she could fall.

For a second, she was practically in my arms.

"S-sorry," she muttered, quickly pulling away. "Just go home."

"You look drunk," I said. "Let me drive you."

"No. I can handle it."

I shook my head.

"Nope. I insist."

She stared at me for a moment.

Like she was trying to decide if she could trust me.

"Don't worry," I said gently. "I'll get you home safely."

I even raised my right hand like I was making an oath.

She looked away first.

Then she tossed her car keys at me.

That was her answer.

The drive was quiet.

Too quiet.

I wanted to ask her so many things.

What happened after college.

Why she pretended not to remember me.

Why she looked at me like a stranger.

But I stayed silent.

She stared out the window the entire time.

Finally, I spoke.

"Maya... want to grab some soup first before going home?"

She gave me a suspicious look.

"After drinking, soup is good," I explained quickly. "It helps with the hangover."

She stared at me for a few seconds.

Then she said-"Fine."

I smiled slightly.

"I know a place," I said. "The one we used to eat at before. I heard they're open 24/7 now."

She frowned.

"The place we used to eat?"

Then she looked straight at me.

"Were we close before?"

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

Why did she keep asking that?

Was she pretending?

Or avoiding the past?

"Let's just go there," I said.

The soup place looked nicer than before.

"Maya, sit down. I'll order," I said.

"Do you still want the same one you used to order?"

She ignored me and walked straight to the cashier instead.

She ordered lugaw overload and two take-out meals.

"For my daughter and my helper," she explained briefly.

I ordered my own bowl.

When she tried to pay, I stopped her.

"I'll pay."

She ignored me again and handed money to the cashier.

I quickly pulled out my wallet and did the same.

The cashier looked awkward.

"Ma'am... I'll just accept sir's payment since he's the gentleman."

I smiled.

Maya said nothing and walked to a small table for two.

When I joined her, I couldn't help but smile slightly.

"We used to eat here all the time during college," I said.

She looked up at me.

"You used to do your assignments here. And you taught me algebra when I didn't understand it."

"Do you remember?"

She closed her eyes briefly.

Then sighed.

"Levi... please."

"I don't know," she said quietly.

"I can't remember anything. I'm not even sure how we met."

My chest tightened.

"So please... don't tell me things about the past."

"My head hurts when I try to remember."

"O-okay," I said softly.

"Sorry."

The rest of the meal passed quietly.

I changed the topic whenever I could.

She listened.

Answered politely.

But something still felt distant.

After we finished eating, I drove her to the gate of her subdivision.

She asked me to stop there.

"I'll commute from here," I told her.

"Maya... next Friday again?"

"I'm always available."

She smiled faintly before driving inside the subdivision.

And just like that- I was alone again.

Flashback

11 Years Ago

I eventually earned Maya's trust.

It turned out she wasn't very friendly with people.

In fact, I was practically her first friend in school.

She gave me her number because we ended up in the same group for one subject.

And somehow, little by little...

We started getting closer.