We Meet Again

I wrote this so you would know that wherever you are, I am always watching over you... I know it's not allowed, but... why am I even writing this!!??? ​He doesn't even notice me... ​*/Suddenly, the wind blows hard and the paper flies away* ​Oh no!?! ​Nicko? ​No!!!!! ​Ahhh, what is happening!!! ​She was about to cross the street when the paper flew toward him just as a truck passed by. ​Nicko!!!!!! No!!! ​And that's where it all began. I thought it was the end... but it was only the beginning of how my life changed when I met him. ​That's why I decided to write a message on a piece of paper that he would never even get to read... ​*/It's raining* ​I hurriedly looked for shelter because I was soaking wet and didn't have an umbrella. A man approached me. ​Sh*t, he's handsome, a voice whispered in my head. ​"Uhmm, miss, can I share the shelter?" he said as he folded his umbrella. ​"Heavy rain, right?" ​"Yeah." ​I listened to my music and glanced over. ​Our eyes met, and he smiled... ​"Is there something on my face?" ​"Ah, nothing." ​"Ah, okay." ​A few minutes passed and the rain stopped. ​I hurried home, my mind racing. ​OMG!!!!!!!!! ​What was that guy's name?? ​Is this a sign???? ​Before anything else, I am Elena. ​Elena Magdallena, 18 years old, living in the town of Sto. Domingo. ​And this is my story... ​This is where I thought of writing an important letter... ​To the person I love most. ​The year was 2016 when we first met. I was a first-year college student then. ​I was a Nursing student. ​Because it was truly my dream to treat my grandmother, who was in a serious condition. ​I also thought this was the solution to our poverty. The world is quite playful, isn't it?? ​It was seven in the morning and I was about to be late when someone suddenly bumped into me-a guy? ​"Excuse me?" ​"I'm sorry, miss." ​"It's o-kay." ​Fast forward ​"Ms. Magdallena, you're late. Get out of my class." ​It was Ms. Donavan. A terror teacher. ​"Yes, ma'am." ​I'm always late; what's going to happen to my grades?? ​Whatever!! ​What a life!!! ​A few hours passed. ​I fell asleep. ​"Miss???" ​"Are you okay?" ​"Where am I??" ​"You're on the school campus." ​"What time is it??" ​"It's already 10 PM." ​"10 PM????" ​I hurried to leave. ​But I felt so dizzy... ​"What's happening?" a man asked. ​"Miss, are you okay?" ​"Umm..." Everything was spinning. The rain, the cold, the 10 PM darkness... it all felt so familiar. ​Wait. ​This feeling. This dizzying, "world-stopping" moment? I've been here before. ​Before the nursing scrubs. Before the terror teachers. Before the truck that almost took everything away. ​LUNETA PARK, 10 YEARS AGO. ​"Elena! H'wag kang tatakbo, madapa ka!" ​I ignored my Lola's voice. I was eight years old, my pigtails bouncing as I chased a piece of notebook paper caught in the summer breeze. ​"Wait! My drawing!" I panted. ​The paper didn't stop. It danced through the air until-SPLAT. ​It landed right on the muddy sneakers of a boy sitting under a Narra tree. He was crying. ​"Umm... excuse me?" ​The boy looked up. His eyes were red, but even then, they were the kind of eyes you couldn't look away from. ​"Is... is this yours?" he asked, his voice trembling. ​"Yes. It's a drawing of a hospital. I'm going to be a doctor someday so I can fix my Lola's heart." ​The boy wiped his tears with his sleeve. He looked at the muddy drawing, then back at me. ​"I wish you could fix my heart too," he whispered. ​"Why? Is it broken?" ​"My Mom left. She said we're too poor to stay together." ​I didn't know what to say. In the world of an eight-year-old, there was only one solution for sadness. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a half-melted White Rabbit candy. ​"Here. It's not a doctor's medicine, but it makes me happy." ​He stared at the candy, then at me. Slowly, a small smile cracked through his sadness. ​"I'm Nicko," he said. ​"I'm Elena." ​"Elena... like the Queen?" ​"No," I giggled. "Just Elena." ​BACK TO THE PRESENT ​"Elena? Hey, stay with me." ​The voice in the dark school hallway was deeper now. Stronger. But it had that same vibration. That same "Nicko" soul. ​No way. ​It can't be him. ​"Nicko...?" I whispered, my vision blurring. ​The man caught me before my knees hit the cold pavement. His touch felt like a memory I had forgotten I had. ​"How do you know my name?" ​And then, everything went black. The rain wasn't just falling; it was screaming. ​I stood there, hugging my nursing books to my chest like they were a shield. Great. Just great, Elena. You're soaked, you're late, and you look like a drowned rat. ​I closed my eyes, bracing for the cold... but the splashing sound of the droplets suddenly went muffled. ​Wait. The rain stopped hitting my head? ​I looked up. A navy blue umbrella was tilted perfectly over me. ​"Uhmm, miss? Pwede bang makisilong?" ​I froze. That voice. It wasn't just a voice; it was like a low cello string being plucked right in my chest. ​I turned my head slowly. ​Sht. Ang pogi.* He was taller than I expected. His white button-down shirt was slightly damp, clinging to his shoulders in a way that should have been illegal. He had this messy, dark hair that fell over his brows, and his eyes... ​They were deep. Like they held secrets I wasn't supposed to know yet. ​"Lakas ng ulan, noh?" he said, his lips curving into a small, playful smirk. ​"O-oo nga," I stuttered. Smooth, Elena. Real smooth. *** ​He folded his umbrella as we both stepped further under the narrow concrete ledge of the waiting shed. ​The space was tight. Too tight. ​I could smell him-a mix of rain, expensive mint, and something warm. Something that smelled like... home? I quickly looked away, fumbling for my earphones. I needed a distraction before he heard my heart thumping like a drum set. ​Don't look at him. Don't look at him. ​But curiosity is a traitor. ​I glanced over just as he was looking at me. Our eyes locked. ​Time didn't just slow down; it stopped. ​He tilted his head, that smirk growing into a full, heart-stopping smile. ​"May problema ba sa mukha ko?" he asked softly. ​My face went nuclear. I could literally feel the heat radiating off my cheeks. ​"Ah... wala." ​"Ah... okay." ​He didn't look away. Not immediately. ​He stayed there, leaning against the wall, watching the rain as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. But I could see his reflection in the puddle at our feet. ​He was looking at me through the corner of his eye. ​Who is this guy? And why does my soul feel like it's trying to jump out of my chest just to say hello to him? "I'm Nicko," he said suddenly, not looking at me this time. ​I nearly dropped my books. ​"Elena," I whispered back. ​"Elena..." he repeated my name like it was a song he was trying to memorize. "Nice to meet you, Elena." ​The rain began to thin out, the heavy gray clouds finally giving way to a pale light. ​"I have to go," I said, my voice barely audible. ​"See you around, Elena Magdallena." ​I stopped in my tracks. ​Wait. How did he know my full name? I turned back to ask him, but the shed was empty. Only the scent of mint and the sound of the dripping roof remained. ​Is this a sign? Or is this the start of something that's going to break me?