Echoes of Us

Chapter Two

Flashback – One Year Before the Breakup (2021)

"Lex, ano ba! Ang kulit mo!"

Fio laughed, trying to snatch the notebook from my hands. But I was faster, holding it above my head, grinning as I flipped through the pages.

"Grabe, diary mo pala 'to ha!" I teased, waving the notebook in the air. "‘Fiel’s daily existential crisis’—parang title ng isang self-help book!"

She groaned, rolling her eyes before jumping up, arms reaching for it.

"Hindi ‘yan diary, Lex! Mga drafts lang ‘yan—sinusulat ko lang kung ano'ng naiisip ko!"

"So, parang diary nga?"

She huffed, finally managing to wrestle it away. But instead of annoyance, amusement flickered in her eyes.

"Bakit ba ang hilig mong mang-inis?"

I shrugged. "Ikaw naman, ang dali mong mapaasar."

She stared at me for a second before shaking her head, flipping the notebook open.

"Minsan iniisip ko, paano kung hindi tayo nagkakilala?"

Napaisip ako sa tanong niya, pero nginitian ko na lang siya. "Eh ‘di boring ang buhay mo."

She laughed, but something in her gaze softened, lingering on mine. "Minsan nakakatakot din ‘to, Lex. Kasi iniisip ko… paano kung isang araw hindi na tayo ganito?"

I didn’t know what to say. At that time, I never imagined a life without her in it.

So I just smiled and told her, "Eh ‘di hindi mangyayari ‘yon."

Because back then, I still believed we’d never change.

Present Day – Fio’s POV

I wasn’t supposed to say that.

Pero sa sobrang dami ng gustong sabihin, iyon ang lumabas.

"Hindi ako tumigil sa pag-iisip."

Lexa looked at me—really looked at me this time. Hindi ‘yung mabilisang sulyap lang, hindi ‘yung tipong magalang na acknowledgement. This time, it was intentional. Like she was searching for something—proof, maybe.

I wanted to look away, but I held her gaze. Kasi totoo naman.

Two years. Dalawang taon na akong may gustong itanong sa kanya.

"Naisip mo rin ba ako?"

Pero hindi ko kaya itanong nang direkta. Kaya ang kaya ko lang sabihin ay hindi kita nalimutan.

She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "Ano'ng gusto mong sabihin, Fio?"

I hesitated, fingers tracing the edge of my cup.

"Naisip ko lang…" I paused, thinking through the words carefully. "Kung babalik ako, magbabago ba?"

Lexa’s lips parted slightly, like she wanted to respond—but then she stopped.

"Ano'ng gusto mong magbago?" tanong niya, tono niya maingat, parang kinakapa kung ano ang gusto kong sabihin.

I let out a soft laugh, one of those tired ones—the kind that didn’t come from amusement but from everything weighing down on me.

"Hindi ko alam," sagot ko. "Pero alam ko rin."

Lexa raised a brow. "That makes no sense."

Napangiti ako. "I know."

Silence again.

But this time, it felt different. Hindi lang tungkol sa kung ano ang hindi nasabi—parang may hinihintay pa kami pareho.

Lexa finally leaned back, arms crossed, giving me that unreadable look she always had when she was deep in thought.

"May tanong ako."

I nodded. "Ano?"

She studied me for a second before speaking. "Kung hindi tayo naghiwalay dati… masaya pa kaya tayo ngayon?"

I inhaled sharply. Kasi ‘yun ang eksaktong tanong na matagal ko nang iniwasan.

And for the first time in two years, I had to face it.

Lexa’s question hung between us like an unfinished thought.

"Kung hindi tayo naghiwalay dati… masaya pa kaya tayo ngayon?"

I swallowed hard, fingers tightening around my cup. I wanted to say yes. I wanted to tell her that maybe, if we had fought harder—if we had tried more, held on a little longer—we’d still be together. Still happy.

But that wasn’t the truth.

And Lexa was never the type to entertain lies.

"Honestly?" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don’t know."

She raised a brow, as if surprised by my honesty.

"Two years ago, I thought we were meant to last." Napatawa ako nang mahina, more to myself than to her. "Pero kung tayo pa rin ngayon, baka hindi na tayo yung parehong Lexa at Fio."

She stared at me, waiting for more.

So I gave her what I could.

"Lex… alam kong pinilit nating maging okay noon." I exhaled slowly, pushing past the lump in my throat. "Pero hindi na natin alam kung paano."

There. The truth. The reason we stopped fighting. The reason we chose to walk away.

Lexa sat back, crossing her arms. "So you’re saying inevitable yung breakup natin?"

I shook my head. "Inevitable? Hindi. Choice natin ‘yon."

She blinked at me, like she wasn’t expecting that answer.

"Choice natin ang bumitaw," I continued, voice steady. "Pero hindi ibig sabihin madali ‘yon."

Silence.

Lexa, for once, didn’t have a response.

For the first time since we sat down, she looked almost vulnerable.

Like she, too, had spent two years wondering the same thing.

Lexa’s POV

Fio’s words shouldn’t have affected me this much.

Pero bakit parang may kirot sa dibdib ko sa narinig?

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. "Pero naisip mo rin ‘di ba?" tanong ko, pushing just a little. "Naisip mo rin ‘yung ‘what if’?"

She gave me a small, almost tired smile. "Araw-araw, Lexa."

That stopped me.

"Araw-araw."

I suddenly felt the weight of everything—the years apart, the unanswered questions, the thoughts we tried so hard to push down.

For the longest time, I thought ako lang ang may iniisip na ganito. Pero ngayon, knowing she went through the same spiral—knowing she wondered about me, missed me, thought about us—somehow, that hurt more.

I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head. "Tangina, Fio."

She tilted her head, amused. "Ano?"

"Ang unfair."

She smirked. "Bakit?"

I shrugged, playing with the sleeve of my jacket. "Kasi kung ganito pala, bakit hindi mo ako tinawagan?"

She let out a breath, long and slow. "Bakit hindi mo rin ako tinawagan?"

Touche.

The truth was, we were both waiting for the other to reach out.

And neither of us did.

Maybe that was the saddest part, tsk

I rested my elbows on the table, rubbing my thumb against the rim of my coffee cup.

"So, we were both waiting."

Fio smirked, shaking her head. "Mukhang ganun nga."

Napaisip ako. It was ironic, really—how both of us spent years thinking of each other, wondering, reminiscing. Yet neither of us had the courage to reach out.

"Sayang," I muttered. "Alam mo ‘yon? Dalawang taon tayong naghintayan tapos ngayon lang?"

Fio didn’t respond right away. Instead, she took another sip of her drink, her eyes scanning the café like she was looking for an answer that wasn’t in me.

"Maybe ngayon lang kasi… ngayon lang natin kaya," she finally said, her tone softer.

That hit differently.

Dati, we convinced ourselves it was easy to let go. Now, sitting here, I realized—it wasn’t.

"You think this is closure?" tanong ko, half-joking, pero may konting bigat sa tanong. "Parang pelikula lang ‘to, Fio."

She laughed under her breath, shaking her head. "Lex, closure isn't just one conversation.

I raised a brow. "Then what is it?"

She exhaled, leaning forward slightly, mirroring my posture. "Closure is when the past finally stops feeling like it’s waiting for you."

I paused. That was… an answer I wasn’t expecting.

Was our past still waiting for us?

Or had it already let us go?

Fio’s POV

Lexa just stared at me, letting my words sink in.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe it was too much, too soon.

Pero hindi ko napigilan. Kasi ganun ko ‘yun naramdaman.

Closure wasn’t always about knowing the answers. Sometimes, it’s simply learning to stop searching for them.

She sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Ikaw ba? Gusto mo pa ng sagot?"

"Sa anong tanong?"

Lexa leaned back. "Kung tama ba ‘yung naging ending natin."

I bit my lip. "Minsan."

Silence.

Then—Lexa gave me this look, half-knowing, half-curious. "Tama ba?"

I hesitated. "Hindi ko alam."



The truth was, I didn’t know if we had ended the right way. I just knew we had ended.

And maybe, that was enough.