The Promise Ring (Dear Jann Series 1)

Chapter 11: The Promise Ring

"So girl, tell me. Are you guys going on a date?" Amanda asked.

We were eating lunch in our school canteen when she asked me. Amanda was my friend and we spent a lot of time together with our other friend, Maya. We all met during our first year in college and since then, we were inseparable. They were not part of the cheering squad but they are very supportive with my dancing. They never get tired of listening to my problems and giving pieces of advice. They were the ones that I ran to whenever I needed someone to listen to my craziness.

"Not really." I replied in between chewing my food and doing last minute school requirements.

"Why not? I mean, you have Marvin." Maya said.

"Valentine's is not really my kind of day. We can always go for a date any day, but not on Valentines." I said.

"Whatever girl. I will be going out with Carl tonight. So, bye ladies. I will see you next week." Maya said as she prepared her stuff.

“It’s not yet Valentines, Maya.” Amanda said teasingly.

“It’s always Valentines, honey, when you have a crazy and madly in love boyfriend.” Maya responded with a wink.

Amanda and I needed to laugh. Maya was so in love with her boyfriend, Carl. I think she is a little too in love because she lets her hurt her physically whenever they have a fight. Amanda on the other hand was not in a relationship. As she said, she was just enjoying the sacred life of being single. No hassle and no tears. I needed to laugh at her principle.

"How come you don't date, Amanda? Why not date one of your suitors?" I asked when we were alone.

"Huh, me? Get a boyfriend? Then what? I will be just like the two of you who keep crying for a certain guy? Hell, no! But thanks anyways" she replied laughing.

Sometimes, she can be brutally honest with what she was saying. Although, she had a point. How many times did we cry and ran to her anyways? A lot of times, countless. She was right, but, stupid as I could be, I loved being in love. 

"So why don't you date on Valentine's day anyway?" she asked.

“Are you really curious or you are just fishing?” I asked back as she laughed.

“Curious, stupid! I just wonder, why not go out like the other couples here.” she said.

"Did you know that Valentine's Day wasn't really a romantic day as most couples thought it was?" I asked her instead.

"Haha, okay tell me about it." she said laughing with the idea.

"According to history, in the ancient times, before the death of St. Valentine, the celebration involved women getting bitten and sold into the lottery. All for the pleasure of fertility and marriage on one single day. Take note, a one night stand. They can marry you or dump you." I said.

"Seriously? Where did you get that info?" she asked.

"Mr. Google" I said and we started laughing.

The heart month or February had always played a special role in a couple's relationship. Although by history, Valentines Day wasn't really romantic at all. It was more of a horrible day. I guess time and history changes as it is passed through generations. Now, most people believe that February was for lovers, in a romantic way.

When I found out the dark history of Valentine's day, I became one of the people who are not fond of it . Aside from it's dark history, today's celebration is so commercialized. The restaurants are jammed packed with lovers. In most restaurants, you would need a reservation to dine in. Cinemas are no different. Long lines of couples wanting to watch the last full show of the movie. Even park benches are occupied with lovers everywhere. Sometimes, I wonder where they all came from. There are definitely a lot of people in love in this world. No, not my kind of date. Since then, I have never gone out on a date on Valentine's day.

Marvin and I weren't able to spend Valentine's day together since the day fell on a Friday. Which was really fine by me because I didn't want to go anywhere with so many couples at the same time. Besides, we were still in school doing last-minute requirements which were due the following week. However, we decided to spend the day together on the 15th of February.

As usual, I made my night trip going home to Philex that Friday night. While other couples were busy on their dates, I was there on a trip. I would have the whole night to rest and will see Marvin the next day. It somehow excites me to see him again. I really do miss him already, it made me wonder, what kept him busy. How is a Valentine's Day celebrated with him? I had no idea.

Saturday came and we met at our usual rendezvous, the 11-storey building balcony. The sky was overcast so we were unable to see our star. Instead, it was fog everywhere, making the wind chilly. Good thing I brought an extra layer so I wasn't really freezing. The weather made me a bit sad but Marvin has his own way of bringing some sunshine. It never failed to make me smile.

"Happy Valentines, babe" he greeted as he landed a small kiss on my cheeks.

"Since when did you get romantic?" I said jokingly.

"Since I met you." he said.

He looked at me in his most romantic way and held my hand. I can see there was something else on his sleeves but I didn't want to break it. If he wanted to surprise me more with his romantic antics, then let it be. It actually brings butterflies in my tummy but it felt good.

We did our catching up, from school stuff to family to almost anything we can think of. We were laughing every now and then from silly jokes he was telling me. As the night was getting deeper, the sky was clearing up. It was a great sight looking at the dark clouds clearing and revealing our stars. There they were, shining so bright beside the moon. I just love staring at it.

He saw me watching our stars. I saw him smile in the corner of my eyes. He placed his arms around me and whispered in my ears.

"I love you, Jann. I will always be grateful that I met you. I love every moment that we are together." he said.

I looked at him and smiled. He landed a  kiss on my lips. His kiss was demanding and deep, it was intoxicating. I kissed him back as he drew me closer to him. Suddenly, the chilly wind was not too cold as our bodies and heart were heating up like a fever. We both grasped for air after the kiss, we needed to chuckle. Few moments later, he squeezed my shoulder to get my attention. When I looked at him, he had a silly smile on his face, and almost wanted to laugh.

"May I dance with you?" he asked.

"What? There's no music." I said smiling.

"Just close your eyes and you will hear the music," he added.

I chortled with the idea. I never imagined myself to be dancing without any music, but here I was, ready to try it. I did it and just like what he said, the music was playing. It was like the music had been playing all along even before we started dancing. How was that even possible? I didn't care, I love the feeling. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. His heartbeat seems to be the ones responsible for making the music I was hearing. It was magical and I love every beat of it.

I tried to search within me why I was acting that way. I guess I finally do love him the way he wants me to love him. I wanted to be with him always. I finally found the peace that my heart had been looking for. Maybe this time, it will be better. Maybe it was Marvin all along and I was just wasting my affection on the wrong person. I want to give it a try and I promise I will do everything I can to cherish it. Maybe destiny had finally knocked.

"I got something for you," he said as he looked at me lovingly.

"You shouldn't have. I don't even have anything for you." I said shyly.

He just smiled at what I said. He opened his palm and there it was, a ring.  I gasped for some air when I saw it. I wasn't sure if I should take it or what. It was not fancy nor an expensive kind of ring but the craftsmanship was great. There were some stars and moon engraved on the ring. It was covered with blue resin that made it look like they were reflections from the water. It actually reminded me of the sea. I love how the stars and moon shine under the moonlight. It was very simple and yet captivating. I was speechless, I didn't know what to think and say.

Why did the ring make me stop thinking about destiny? Why was there a sudden pain in my heart? I should be happy. It felt like there was an invisible force trying to stop me from being happy when I saw it. My eyes watered but I didn't know what it was for. Was it for the ring he was giving me, or the pain I was feeling in my heart?.

He held the ring and took my hand.  Oh please, this is not happening! Please don't wake me up if it was a dream. He kissed the ring before slipping it into my ring finger. It fits perfectly. How did he even know my size? He kissed my hand again and looked at me.

"Take this ring, as a sign of my love-" 

"Stop!" I said abruptly.

He looked surprised. My word was left in the air as I tried to breathe. I didn't want to destroy the moment but I was overwhelmed with what was happening, I needed him to stop. There was some pain in my heart as I was looking at the ring and thinking of what he may ask me. It bothered me badly.

"Why?" he asked, looking hurt.

"Sorry, I… I'm just ..o-overwhelmed with everything" I stuttered. He smiled.

"Just let me finish." he said and I nodded with tears building in my eyes.

"This is a promise ring. Whenever you have doubts with what I feel for you, just look at it because it will contain all my promises." he started. 

"I promise to love you forever, wherever our destiny may take us. Whether we end up marrying each other or not, I promised to keep a certain part of my heart just for me. I promise that whatever happens, I will always be here for you. I hope that one day, we will be standing in front of the altar and saying our vows to love each other until death, do us part." he added.

His eyes were watery after he said all those words. He sounded so sincere and I love every word that he said. I was in tears when he finished talking. I still couldn't find the right words to express what I was feeling. He kissed my eyes to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks.

"I love you so much, Jann. I don’t know what I will do if I lost you." he said and kissed me. 

I looked at the ring on my finger. It glistened as I let the moonlight shine on it. There is that pain again. He raised my head so I could see my face. He smiled and wiped away the tears in my eyes. He cupped my face and kissed me on the lips. I kissed him back like I never kissed him before. I know for myself that time, he will forever be part of me. Just sharing the moment with him was like sharing a lifetime. A lifetime that we both build with a foundation of love for each other. It was indeed the most romantic Valentine's day that I ever had.