Rosamia: When Petals Speaks

PROLOGUE

I’m here now, walking toward our classroom. After the long semester break, I’m back again. When will this school year finally end? I’m already tired of studying. I just want to start working instead. I’m sick of research papers, feasibility studies, activities, and plays. I let out a sigh.

“Theaaa!” I heard a familiar voice. I turned around and saw Joaquin.

“Are you going to class now, or to the canteen first?” he asked.

Joaquin has been my best friend since grade school. We’ve been classmates all the way until now, in our fourth year of college. We’ll be graduating together, and I hope we both make it there.

“Sure, let’s go. I’m starving too,” I replied. I hadn’t eaten breakfast before leaving the house.

When we reached the canteen, Joaquin went straight to the counter to order while I searched for a table for us. He already knew what my favorite order was.

I caught sight of Joaquin speaking with a girl while carrying the tray of food meant for us. She was in tears, and he gently handed her a handkerchief before leading her toward my direction. As they drew closer, I realized who she was—the stunning beauty from the Psychology Department, the kind of girl everyone admired.

“Her boyfriend just left her,” Joaquin whispered to me, his face twisted with sympathy. He then turned back to her. “Why don’t you join us, Miami?” he offered kindly. “Do you want me to order you something to eat?”

She only nodded, too broken to say a word. With a small smile, Joaquin left us for a moment and returned to the counter.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked gently.

“He doesn’t love me anymore… he left me,” Miami whispered through trembling lips before breaking down into tears all over again.

“Sometimes love isn’t about holding on, but learning when to let go,” I told her softly. “It hurts now, I know, but this pain will not last forever. One day, you’ll realize that being left behind doesn’t mean you are less, it means you’re being led to someone who will truly stay.”

“I begged him to come back to me, but he doesn’t want me anymore,” she cried, her sobs growing louder.

“H-he already has someone else…” she stammered, words breaking apart as tears kept spilling down her cheeks.

I held both of her hands, and that simple gesture made her look up at me. Her tear-filled eyes searched mine, as if silently asking for strength she no longer had.

“Miami,” I said softly, my voice calm and steady, “you don’t have to carry this pain alone. Let it rest here for a while. And when you’re ready, you’ll find the courage to rise again.”

It was as though time stilled for a moment. The trembling in her shoulders eased, and though her tears hadn’t completely stopped, there was a glimmer of calm in her gaze, as if the weight pressing down on her heart had begun to lift.

I noticed the change in her face, her sobs had softened into silence, and she dabbed the last of her tears away with the handkerchief. When she looked at me again, there was a fragile but genuine smile.

“No wonder they call you the Love Whisperer,” she said, her voice steady now. “Thank you, Althea… you really lightened the weight inside me.”

I shook my head lightly. “It’s nothing, really,” I told her, though my chest warmed at her words.

“Everything good now?” Joaquin’s voice broke in as he appeared beside us, balancing another tray of food. He set it down in front of Miami with an encouraging grin.

“Here, eat this. Food can heal more than you think,” he said playfully.

Miami gave a small laugh, and the sound felt like sunlight breaking through the clouds. Joaquin and I chuckled with her, and for the first time, the heaviness in the air seemed to dissolve into something lighter,almost hopeful.