The Rooftop
540 Words
Just three days after Samantha’s promotion to Senior Designer, the news reached someone she never expected—or wanted—to hear from again.
Marco.
“Wow, promoted ka na agad? I always believed in you,” his message said, as if they hadn’t ended things with bitterness.
Then a follow-up:
“Na-miss kita. Can we talk?”
Samantha stared at the screen, her jaw tightening. The same man who once called her boring for setting boundaries was now trying to worm his way back into her life the moment she leveled up.
Typical, she thought. He didn’t want me when I was protecting myself. Now that I’m thriving, suddenly I’m worth chasing again.
With a deep breath, she typed her reply:
“Please don’t contact me again.”
She locked her phone, but the irritation clung to her like heavy perfume. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t sit still. She needed air. She needed space.
So, she grabbed her ID, slipped past the hallway, and took the elevator all the way up— to the rooftop, the highest floor in the building.
The moment she stepped out, a gust of wind greeted her, cool and harsh against her face. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden hue over the skyline.
Without thinking, she shouted into the open air:
“PUTA!”
Her voice echoed, sharp and broken.
“Three months lang pero ako pa 'yung masama?! Ako pa ‘yung boring?!”
Her voice cracked as emotion bubbled up from somewhere deep. “All I did was protect myself!”
She was about to scream again when she heard it—soft sniffling from the far corner of the rooftop.
Startled, she turned and saw a guy sitting on the ground, knees up, face buried in his arms. He wasn’t just crying—he was quietly breaking down.
She froze. “Oh my God, I’m sorry—I didn’t know someone was up here—”
He slowly looked up, eyes red, voice rough. “No… it’s okay. Don’t stop. I needed that scream, actually.”
They stared at each other. For a moment, the tension dissolved into an awkward silence. Then, he gave a bitter laugh.
“Seven years. We were together for seven years,” he said softly, his voice trembling. “Yesterday, she broke up with me… kasi nahuli ko siyang may iba.”
Samantha’s lips parted, stunned. “She cheated?”
He nodded slowly. “A co-worker. Mas bata. Mas exciting, daw.” Samantha sat down beside him, keeping a quiet distance. “That’s rough,” she whispered.
“I gave her everything,” he muttered. “Lahat ng plano ko, kasama siya. Pero wala pa rin pala akong sapat.”
Samantha looked at the skyline, the city lights slowly flickering to life.
“I get it,” she said. “I gave someone my honesty. He left because I wouldn’t give my body.”
They both let out a short, bitter laugh at the absurdity of it all. “People are wild,” he said.
“They really are.”
And for the first time in a while, the rooftop didn’t feel so heavy. Two strangers.
Two heartbreaks.
One unexpected moment of peace.
- Writer
