Victor's Forbidden Desire

“Victor!” “Victor!” The shout of the crowd was resounding inside the airport as they saw Victor coming out. There were a lot of people, especially from the media. They didn’t mind standing for a couple of hours just to witness his arrival. That’s right. After bagging the gold medal from the SEA Games, he became an instant celebrity. He was like a hero in everyone’s eyes. Why not? It had been four decades since the country got its last gold medal for the swimming competition. His win really brought pride to the country. Victor was perplexed when he saw the people waiting for him. They were jammed in the place just to see him. He couldn’t believe it himself, but he won the prestigious contest and that’s why people were so excited to see him. His hard work finally paid off. He couldn’t explain the feeling he had at that moment. But despite the excited crowd in front of him, Victor’s eyes were still searching the whole place. He didn’t expect that he would be welcome by a big crowd. It was just too overwhelming. He roamed his gaze around. There were just so many people. And the cameras continued to click. He was almost blinded by the flashes of the cameras. Every media wanted to cover his arrival and every reporter wanted to hear something from him. Each one wanted to be the first to ask a question. He had to squeeze himself out. It was like those scenes he saw in a TV series. But the only difference was he was not an actor but an athlete who had brought home a gold. He represented the country among other southeast Asian countries, and he topped the Olympics. He was proud of himself, and he knew that he deserved it because of all the hard work and sacrifices he needed to do. Victor smiled widely when he finally saw what he was looking for. Finally, he was able to see where his family and friends along with his girlfriend Cynthia Cruz were. His heart was jumping in joy as soon as he saw them. His heart was pounding so fast when he saw his girlfriend. It had been over two months since he saw her and just as always, he was mesmerised by her enchanting beauty. Her round eyes were sparkling. Her luscious lips looked like inviting him for a kiss. She had been his girlfriend for two years and yet still, she was taking his breath away. They have known each other during the celebration where he also won a gold medal during the Palarong Pambansa.(national game). Her father happened to be the coach of the Taekwondo team. So, during the victory party, their team was invited and Cynthia came with her father to the party. That night was so magical for him, and he couldn’t forget the moment when he met Cynthia. His life changed. He felt like he found the half of his heart because the woman never failed to support him in what he was doing. Cynthia was always there for him during his practice even with the contest. She would always be sitting at the bench while she was cheering for him. Victor couldn’t help but smile because of the warm welcome. The banners were all displayed in the arrival area and at the same time there were also tarpaulins waved by their supporters. His eyes finally focused on his girlfriend. Though he could feel his heart beating so fast. He could feel the whipping up emotions inside him. “God, so this is how it feels,” Victor said to himself as he slowly walked towards the woman he loved with all his heart. He never thought that he would be experiencing the slow-motion effect that he just usually saw in movies. He never thought that the world could really stop the moment you find the half of your heart. He knew that he was being cheesy, but it was what he was thinking. And he knew that he was right to pursue Cynthia. His eyes were on his girlfriend and as he got closer to her, he could feel the tears forming in both corners of his eyes. Victor couldn’t help but think what he had done in his past life that he deserved to be blessed like that. Did he save the country back then and he was rewarded with this kind of life? He could say that he had almost everything that he wanted in his life. He belonged to a loving and supporting family then he met Cynthia. The woman had loved him so much. He let out a deep sigh when he was already in front of the woman. He tried to calm himself. He was like a child in front of his crush. The next second, without a word, he knelt in front of her. The crowd were all shouting but he was deaf with the loudness of the world, all his attention was on Cynthia’s answer. The woman’s eyes went round while she covered her mouth with her hands. There were tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. Victor sniffed. He took something inside his pocket. “Ms. Cynthia Cruz,” he said in a low voice, almost cracking. “You are the one that I have been waiting for and I am sure that you are the half of my heart. Will you make me the happiest man on earth and say yes?” He said and then he opened the little box that he was holding. Inside the box was a diamond studded engagement ring. It was a ring that he personally designed for the woman when he went to Korea. Cynthia gasped when she saw it. And, everyone was excited and were already shouting “Yes”. The people were so loud but for Victor, it was a deafening silence and the only thing that he could hear while waiting for Cynthia to answer was his heart that was beating so fast inside him. “Yes, I will marry you. I promise to support you and I will always be on your side,” Cynthia said, which made him lift her up and then spin her around. The people in that place were all shouting because of the happiness that they felt for the couple. Victor didn’t care about the people around them and he could only hear the sound of the clap and the whistle coming from the crowd. Cameras were all clicking in different directions. It was perfect coverage for the media people. Finally, Victor arrived home along with Cynthia at his family house. It was just a simple house at the front of the main house, there were small cottages under the tall narra tree. Those were perfect for relaxation time. The way going inside the main house was paved and on both sides were different potted plants that served as a guide in the way going inside. His phone was beeping non-stop as he was receiving a congratulatory message to almost everyone because of winning in the sea game and for finally being engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Cynthia. There were a lot of people inside their house, mostly their relatives because his family made a simple celebration for welcoming him and for him bringing home the gold. On top of that, it was also worth celebrating to have Cynthia as a new member of their family. His engagement to the woman was what really made him so complete that night. He felt like the happiest man in the world. Though, he already brought her before and introduced her to his family. Victor and Cynthia were officially dating and in a relationship. He was so proud that the woman was his girlfriend. Everything about her was perfect in his eyes. “I am so happy for you, couz. It seems that finally you have already moved on from Chris. What do you think of her?” Edlyn said, which made him stunned. Victor just shrugged his shoulders when he recovered from shock. The truth was,he already forgot everything about Christine. He never thought of her even just a single day so he couldn’t help but be surprised because of what his cousin said. It’s been three years since the woman vanished. She was gone like a bubble. Suddenly, the memories flashback inside his head as if they only happened yesterday. He just came back to their place after participating in Palarong Pambansa (National Game) where he also won an award. He went back to school but unfortunately, Christine was nowhere to be found. The woman was missing in action without a trace nor a single word from her. Three years had passed and he finally moved on. That was proven by the engagement that he and Cynthia had. The woman would be his wife. He will build his dreams and family with Cynthia, Christine was already out of the picture. In a few months' time, he was going to graduate as a civil engineer student while Cynthia already graduated and she was teaching in one of the prestigious schools here in Manila. He couldn't be prouder because for having the woman has his girlfriend and for the woman to choose him to be the man to whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. “Maybe, she is now working or probably, she is now happily married," he responded. Edlyn was Christine’s friend and their classmates. She was the one who introduced Christine to him. “You think so?” “Yes, I am sure of that. Aren’t you wondering why she didn’t even contact you when she left?” “Well, because that's what she told me to tell you,” Edlyn said and then she pouted her lips which made her frown. “What did you say?” He asked Edlyn. He saw how the woman bit her lower lip and then suddenly shook her head. “Nothing, forget about what I have said. Just pretend that you did not hear anything,” Edlyn said and then she stood up. She went to Cynthia and his mother who were busy talking to each other in one corner. Victor was left in shock. All of sudden, he felt that Edlyn knew something about Christine that he wasn’t aware of but whatever it was, it was something that he shouldn’t be concerned about especially now that he was already engaged with Cynthia. Just now, his father arrived and got inside of the living room holding his mobile. “Guys, attention here, please,” his father was referring to his coach Edgar, “I just received some great news. Victor is chosen to participate in the olympics by next year and that’s six months for now,” his father announced which made him jump in the air. “Yahoo!” he shouted and then after that, he hugged and kissed Cynthia in front of everyone. The house was filled with howling and applause for the good news that they received. “Congratulations, babe!” Cynthia said while they were hugging each other and then Victor lifted Cynthia’s head and crossed the distance that was between their faces. “Come on, Victor! There are kids here,” one of his cousins shouted and they all laughed because of that. He was very happy about his achievement at his young age and in a few months, he was about to graduate and his dream of joining the Olympics would soon come true. Victor was busy talking with his friend when his phone rang and he saw the caller was his coach Edgar. He excused himself to answer the incoming call. “Victor, you are invited for an interview on the morning show of Ms. Gretchen in Morning Talk so you have to be ready. It’s a live show at around ten in the morning so be there beforehand and do not be late.” “Alright, Coach. I am going to be there. Are you also going there?” He asked. “Yes, we are all coming. Let’s just meet at the studio.”