Heartstrings of Destiny

In the Shadow of Unrequited Love

"What is it that you want to tell me?" I asked after what felt like five minutes of silence. We stood together, about a meter apart, and he kept his gaze fixed on the floor. What was on his mind? Was there something he needed to say? Was the answer lying there, hidden in the patterns of the tiles? I couldn't decipher his intentions.

He took a deep breath, then another, and three more after that. His tension was palpable, and my own anxiety grew. "Well?" I prompted, urging him to speak.

"D-Do you still remember the reason why I got detention?" he asked, his voice trembling as he finally looked up to meet my gaze.

I nodded. "Yes. You said you got detention because you made a mistake of-"

"... of falling in love," he interrupted, taking two steps closer to me. My heart skipped a beat. Why did I suddenly feel so nervous? "Falling in love with you."

I gasped in shock, my mind racing. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. Things would only get more complicated. "Y-You're just saying that to mess with my head, Poopy. Stop playing your games. You're not in love with me," I insisted firmly.

"But I am," he declared, reaching out to touch my face and leaning closer. I could see my reflection in his eyes. They were beautiful, captivating. No, I couldn't let myself get swept away by this. "Why do you think you, out of all the people, were chosen for this task?"

"B-Because you said I was special," I replied, my voice wavering. "You said I had this... this golden streak, that I had the privilege to match people."

"And do you believe me?" he asked softly.

"So that's a lie?!" I exclaimed, feeling a surge of disbelief. All this time, I thought I was chosen because I was special, because I had that golden streak. But if that was just a lie... "One good reason why we are forbidden to fall in love is that we become liars, Candice. And I became a very bad liar. I made mistake after mistake because of you. God was not pleased that I fell in love. As punishment, he assigned you to me as a matchmaker. If you succeed, I'll be free of this feeling and you'll regain your ability to matchmake. You'll be able to fall in love with someone else, and I won't care. But if you fail, we both become miserable. You'll never have your soul mate, and I'll be left here on Earth to wander for eternity, neither immortal nor human, but something in between. I'll be left here to see you suffer, while I roam around in misery. It would have been fine if it was just me... but you still feel sorry for me. I hurt more when you hurt."

I couldn't bear to see him like this. Tears streamed down his face as he rested his forehead against mine. Why did it have to be this way? I felt his pain as if it were my own.

I raised my hand to wipe away his tears, and as I did, I realized that tears were streaming down my own cheeks. Why was I crying? Why did I feel this pain alongside him?

We cried together in silence as he pulled me into his arms. It felt foolish, yet somehow comforting, to share this moment of vulnerability with him. "I love you so much... it hurts every time you're with him," he confessed, his embrace tightening around me. "It hurts to know that I can't be with you, that I'm being torn apart whether I'm with you or not."

I hugged him back, wishing I could ease his pain. "I'm sorry... sorry if I was selfish," I whispered.

He shook his head, his voice trembling. "I'm the selfish one. I brought you into this and then prevented you from enjoying yourself. I'm truly sorry." He let out a hollow laugh, wiping away his tears before reaching to wipe mine. "Don't cry for me, Candice. I'm not worth your tears."

He kissed my forehead gently. "I won't hold you back anymore. Do what makes you happy."

"How can I be happy when I know what I'm doing is wrong?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

He chuckled weakly. "It's also wrong for me to love you, but I find happiness in it. But you're hurting too..."

"Part of love is pain. But don't worry... I can handle it," he assured me, kissing my forehead once more. "I'm sorry for causing you worry again. You should get some rest. It's morning."

I stopped him from leaving. "Please stay for a while," I pleaded.

"Okay," he agreed, allowing me to pull him to sit on the edge of my bed. "I have a lot of questions for you, and I want you to answer them honestly, okay?" I said.

He managed a smile. "Sure."

"You don't have a heartbeat, yet you fell in love. How is that possible?" I inquired.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I'm like a glitch in the system. I shouldn't be able to fall in love, but I did. My heart doesn't beat, but I love... I feel jealousy... I feel pain."

"If we complete the task and go back to before, will I still remember you?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "But I doubt it."

"But you'll remember me, won't you?" I pressed.

He shook his head again. "I'm not sure. Maybe I'll remember you, but the feeling will be gone. It'll be as if none of this ever happened."

His words saddened me. So that's the choice we face? Remember everything and endure the pain, or forget it all but lose each other? "What if I fail the task? Will I still be able to see you?"

"No. No one will ever see me. I'll be able to see all of you, but you won't be able to see me. You won't know of my existence," Poopy explained softly.

"But I would know... right?" Candice asked, seeking reassurance.

Poopy nodded. "Maybe. But you can never see me. It's like I'll be in a dimension all on my own. Get some sleep, Candice."

With that, Candice yawned. "Okay." She lay down and pulled the blanket up to her neck. "Poopy?" she called out as he stood up.

"Hmm?" Poopy looked at her and leaned down.

"I'll make this work. Don't be sad, okay? We'll get through this," Candice assured him.

He smiled. "I'm counting on you." He bent down and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight."

The next day, Candice was surprised to see a happy Poopy greeting her. He was smiling, radiant, as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Morning," Candice mumbled.

"Get up. You're going to fall," he warned her.

Grumbling, Candice raised her hands in the air. "Pull me up," she ordered.

Chuckling, Poopy held both of her hands just under the wrist and pulled her up. "Can I come with you?" he asked.

"Of course. Then they won't know you're there," Candice replied.

He shrugged. "Your hair is a mess," he commented.

Candice attempted to flatten her hair, but it refused to cooperate. She let it go and followed him outside the room to the restroom. After washing her face, she went downstairs without bothering to comb her hair, opting to tie it up instead.

Mom was already serving breakfast when Candice entered the kitchen. Her cousins were holding mugs, ready to leave.

"We've packed some food. We're all set to go," Krisha announced excitedly.

"We only go to the falls once, usually only on special occasions, so they're excited now," Sammy added.

Joseph immediately stood up from where he was sitting when he saw Candice enter the kitchen. He pulled out a chair for her.

"Coffee?" he offered with a smile, looking at Candice.

Candice felt like she was still floating. "Let me," she said, standing up when she saw that he intended to make her coffee. Her cousins even pointed at them as Joseph held her hand, trying to stop her from making her own coffee.

"It's frustrating. Why am I still in love with him?" Candice thought to herself, glancing worriedly at Poopy, who was trying to force a smile. It was evident that he was still saddened by the look in his eyes. Candice felt even more irritated with herself. "Why do I still have feelings for Joseph? Did he plan all of this just to hurt Poopy even more?"

She allowed Joseph to make her coffee and sat on the chair he had pulled out for her, her gaze still fixed on Poopy, who kept himself occupied by reading some recipes on the cupboard doors.

Mom urged them to hurry up and eat because it would be hot later on the road when they reached noon. So they all ate breakfast hastily and then prepared the picnic baskets and other items to take along.

Mom draped a large towel over Candice's shoulders, the one she used for swimming. Her cousins insisted on her wearing a bikini, but she refused, despite Joseph's playful coaxing. She couldn't bring herself to wear a bikini without going on a strict diet first.

Throughout the trek, Joseph supported Candice, which she found both sweet and overwhelming. Her hair kept getting stepped on, but she didn't mind much.

"Are you thirsty? Here, have some water," Joseph offered, for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"No, I'm fine," Candice declined.

"Okay. Are we still far?" Joseph inquired, noting they had been walking for about fifteen minutes.

"Just a little bit. See that tree over there? After we pass that, there's a curve to the right. It's about five minutes more to walk. You can hear the rustling, right?" Candice explained.

They stopped as Joseph listened intently, then nodded. "Yeah...sort of."

"Hey, you two! Why are you lagging behind? Save the flirting for later when we're at the falls!" Mom yelled at them.

They both chuckled. "She knows us too well," Candice remarked.

"There it is!" Joseph exclaimed.

"Let's swim," he suggested, taking off his shirt. Candice was momentarily stunned by his handsome appearance. "My boyfriend is so good-looking. I can't believe it!" she thought, blushing when she noticed Joseph catching her staring.

She joined him under the falling water, the pool resembling a small swimming pool. "That's the second part of the falls. The first one is taller and bigger. The third one is dirty and filled with mosquitoes. That's where the debris from the first two falls goes," Candice explained.

"Swim over here!" Joseph called from the other side. The falls were small but deep, so Candice was cautious. "Come on. Don't be scared. I'm here," he reassured her.

I nodded and attempted to swim, despite not knowing how. The water was icy, and I felt like I was having muscle spasms. Nevertheless, I persisted, knowing Joseph was nearby. But the discomfort persisted, and before I knew it, I was submerged underwater.

Suddenly, someone pulled me up, and through my blurred vision, I saw Poopy. He was soaked, still in his clothes, with his curly hair clinging to his face. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

I clung to his neck. "Y-Yeah..."

Joseph surfaced beside me. For a moment, I thought he spotted us, as his gaze seemed to land on our direction. Then he dove again, searching for me. Poopy guided me to the edge and steadied me against the rock.

"I'll leave you now, okay?" Poopy said softly.

I nodded, and he released me. Joseph resurfaced again, this time spotting me. They pulled me out of the water, and Mom wrapped me in a large towel.

"Are you alright, son?" Mom asked Joseph.

"Yes," he replied.

"Where did you disappear to earlier? You vanished suddenly," Joseph asked, surprised.

"I was just around," Poopy pointed to where he had been.

After that incident, they didn't let me swim anymore, and Joseph refrained as well, although I sensed he really wanted to. He's not accustomed to waterfalls, being a city boy.

"Come on. You should be enjoying the water," I encouraged him.

"I'll be right here next to you," he assured.

"What are you doing? I'm not leaving. I'm just here. Promise. Go," I urged him.

"You sure?" he asked for reassurance.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He grinned and planted a kiss on my cheek. "I'll be right back."

As he walked away, Poopy, who had been watching us, sat beside me.

"Thanks for saving me," I whispered, making sure no one else could hear me.

"Don't mention it," he replied.

"You were quick earlier. It's a good thing..."

He chuckled. "That's all I've got."

I looked at him, noticing the sadness lingering in his eyes even when he smiled.

"What's the feeling-" I started to ask.

"It hurts," he interrupted.

"Of course," I replied, my expression turning serious.

He turned to face me. "You wanted me to be honest, right? I'm just being honest."

"You know I can't help it, right?" I admitted, feeling a pang of guilt.

"If it would ease your guilt, then yes," he responded calmly.

"But I liked it... so I guess I'm intentionally hurting you. I'm sorry," I apologized, feeling conflicted.

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry that you love someone. Don't be sorry that you can't reciprocate the feeling of another. That's how it really is... not everything you want, you get. In my case, you're the only one I wanted... I can't have you yet," he explained with a bitter laugh. "I'm really unlucky."

"I hope someday you'll just become numb..." I murmured.

He sighed. "I hope so." His gaze met mine again, and he managed a smile. "But probably not either."