by L. Marcelo
They waited for her.
Minutes passed by and she continued. As she told them about her secret, she cried harder. She cried so much that she started to choke on her words.
As Therry, Thiara, Rayle and Tyler heard her every word, they had different expressions, expressions that she couldn’t see because her eyes were too blurry from her tears. She could’ve just stopped whenever she wanted to but she didn’t. Not because she didn’t want to but because the words were coming out from her mouth on their own.
“Y-you know… that time… Rayle…”
She looked at him. He didn’t say a word. He looked at her and waited for her to continue not wanting to interrupt her.
“When you first met me… Th-that was the f-first time, I met him again after leaving that world.” She paused just because her cry clogged her words. “I told myself that… that… that once our work is done… I wouldn’t a-accept any work from him.”
“But I c-couldn’t… S-seeing him again… and being able to s-spend time with him… It was h-hard not to…”
She started to cry even harder. Will she ever stop crying? Was there ever an end to it? Her words got harder and harder to understand and they knew she was near to saying something hard for her to say, to explain.
“I d-didn’t really want to f-fall too deep… b-but I did.” For a split second, there was a smile on her face.
She cried so hard it was too hard to notice it but not for Rayle. Not for someone who had eyes for her ever since she step foot in that office. He saw it. He saw how she smiled and he knew she was happy about it but she couldn’t be anymore because the man she fell in love so deeply with was now gone from her life.
That night, it was the first time Meahri cried so much in front of many people.
It was past 11 when she finished telling them what they needed to know. She knew that after what they found out, there was a high possibility that they wouldn’t want to leave her behind. They would want to stay and be with her but right now, it wasn’t what she needed. She appreciated them. She really did.
It was just that right now, she’d rather be alone.
Thiara who knew her the most out of the group sensed what her little sister wanted. She didn’t want to leave but she had no choice.
If she were in her place, she would most likely be the same. She wouldn’t want anyone to see her in her current state especially pity her. It was the last thing she needed. She took the initiative to be the one to make everyone understand that it was time to leave whether they like it or not.
Rayle was the one who didn’t want to leave the most. How can he afford to leave the girl he loved in her current state? He wanted to help but it wasn’t like he can do anything for her.
When they were about to leave, she remembered something and called Therry. She told him to wait for her for a second since she wanted to give him something. Thiara, Rayle and Tyler took it as a sign that they had to leave first so they did.
After a few seconds, she was back with two envelopes in her hand. It only took Therry a few seconds before he figured out what it was. They were letters and he was pretty sure he knew whom it was for.
“Can you do me a favor?” She asked.
“Sure. What do you need me to do?” He asked.
She gave him the envelopes with a smile on her face. It wasn’t a forced smile but it wasn’t a smile you can describe as happy either. It was somewhere in between. “Can you give this to Vhynce?”
He hesitated for a moment not because he didn’t want to do it but because he knew Vhynce so goddamn well that he knew the man wouldn’t even bother to look at it. He didn’t want her to be hurt any more than she was hurting now but it wasn’t like he could decline either.
Ever since the day of the incident, his little sister never asked for help especially when it was about Vhynce but here she was, asking.
Right now, it was the only thing he can do for her.
“Sure but you know I can’t guarantee that he’ll read this, right?” He didn’t want to say it but he knew it was for the best. It was better for her to not expect anything. It was Vhynce – the fucking stubborn rockstar - they were talking about.
“I know that…” She smiled. It was a smile from a person who was and someone who didn’t have any idea when the pain will stop… if it was ever going to stop.
“I don’t expect him to read them either but it’s worth a try… They’re pretty much the same letter so you can give him one tomorrow then the other one next time... I don’t know… maybe weeks from now or maybe months… I know he will never listen to me and I’m pretty sure he won’t forgive me either…” She stopped.
She looked like she needed some time to find her next words and Therry didn’t bother saying a word. He waited for her to continue.
“But I’m still hoping that he could at least read one of these letters for him to know my side of the story… How everything started… How he changed my life… and how thankful I am for every single second I spent with him. I know what I’m asking is impossible but I want to trust him…”
He could see it in her face that it took her a lot of time and thinking whether she was doing the right thing or not. She knew what was coming but she decided to give it a try because there was still a part of her that hoped that maybe… just maybe Vhynce would give her another chance.
He pulled her into a hug. “I’ll try my best to convince him to read it but I won’t give you my word.” He sounded pessimistic about it. He didn’t have to pretend. Both of them knew what would happen.
“It’s worth a try, right?” She sounded like she was in the verge of tears again. He hugged her tighter and patted her shoulder as he whispered the words, “You deserve better sis.”
Before he saw her crying again, he decided to pull away and bid his goodbye.
When everyone was gone and she was left alone once again. Everything started to sink in.
Vhynce was gone.
Whether she like it or not, he would never come back to her. Ever.
Chapter Three
Weeks passed by. Things were pretty much back to normal.
Vhynce was back to work. He had been working on so many things he didn’t know where to start. It felt like his boys wanted to kill him.
Weeks ago, when he went back to work, almost all his artists told him that they wanted to release an album. Since then, things that needed to be done didn’t seem to decrease.
Of course, as RMM’s CEO, as well as being their friend, he was happy for them. He didn’t think twice. He agreed to it but he made it clear that there should at least be an interval in between each album release.
Much as he wanted all of their albums to be out there all at once, he couldn’t let it happen either. It wasn’t because he didn’t want them to release it. He wanted the people, the fans to have enough time to appreciate each of their music. He knew his artists are not perfect but he also knew their music deserved to be heard not by just their fans but everyone else.
Their music wasn’t meant to be kept within their circle. It was meant to be shared with the world.
He knew what real talent was and he knew very well that his boys have it. He has full confidence in each of them. He’d vouch for them. He’d seen them improve and there was no mistaking that each of them still grew each day. Indeed, they are capable of a lot of things.
While he was busy with his boys and their albums, he had also been busy with non-RMM projects.
Just recently, one of his colleagues during his rockstar days proposed working with him. It was a music video for the upcoming album of his colleague and since it was a music video, he knew it would take a lot of his time. He didn’t need that. He couldn’t afford it.
Not right now. Not when he got his hands full with his boys’ albums.
At first, he was having second thoughts since he didn’t know whether he’d have enough time. Not to mention, it has been years since he last acted but his colleague insisted. After a long discussion and a
lot of convincing, he agreed to it.
As Vhynce busied himself with work, Meahri too was back to her normal busy life.
Ever since the night she talked with Therry and the others, each day, she tried to get better. She tried to move on. She tried her best but it wasn’t easy. It would probably never be.
Since that night, she’d never seen Peter and Ryan again. Since that night she never went back to RMM.
Therry and Thiara often drop by to see her. Not just to check on her but to also give her some work. The two didn’t plan it but it just so happened that around the same time Meahri went back to work, Thiara needed her help on so many projects.
Therry on the other hand, gave her quite a lot of new clients in the music industry. They were some of the people he was working with and some he worked with in the past.
Tyler still worked with her from time to time. Whenever he planned to release something, whether it was a digital single or a full-length album or even something as simple as a teaser for his music. He made it a point that Meahri worked on it. She was his go-to-person when it comes to anything that involved designing.
He wasn’t doing the girl a favor. He loved her works. He felt like he started to love it more and more especially after his last digital single. She outdone herself and since then, he knew he didn’t need to find another artist to work on his cover arts.
Rayle was still his usual self but something changed. He had always been nice to Meahri despite them fighting like cats and dogs but this time, he was gentle.
At first, she hated it. She preferred the old Rayle who always fought with her. She missed their usual arguments. It wasn’t that those things disappeared. He was just gentler now.
He started to treat her as if she was a precious diamond that he needed to protect in order for it not to shatter into pieces.
It bothered her.
She didn’t forget what he saw in his eyes that night. She knew it was love and with the way he acted now, there was no way to doubt it. There were times that she was so bothered by it that she talked to Therry about it. She expected him to side with her but he didn’t.
“It’s so not like him, you know.” Meahri said in frustration.
“Just because it’s not like him doesn’t mean it’s not true.” Therry said in a serious tone.
“But-“ She was cut off.
“Sis…” He stopped. He looked like he needed time to figure out what were the right words to use for his little sis to understand everything.
He didn’t want the truth to come from him. He didn’t want to tell her straight in the face that Rayle had been in love with her since she first step foot in RMM. The very first time he met her.
He didn’t want to say it before the kid does.
She looked at him, patiently waiting.
“Let me be honest with you.” There was a mixture of seriousness and concern in his voice. “That night, it was painful to see you in that state. It was even hard to stay there but we did because we want to. We love you sis, you know that, right?”
He waited for her to answer and she nodded like an obedient little girl.
“Because we love you, we didn’t like seeing you in pain. We’re not saying you shouldn’t tell us when you are in pain or you need help. No.” He looked at her straight in the eyes intensely. He knew that when he said that first sentence, the girl would automatically shut herself off from everyone.
“I won’t. I promise.” There was a hint of doubt in her voice but mostly she was sincere.
“What I’m saying is, when we saw you that night, we wanted to protect you. We didn’t want to lose our Meahri once again, the Meahri that touched our hearts. It’s the same for Rayle. He wants to protect you.”
He hoped that it was enough for her to understand what he was trying to say. He couldn’t find the right words to tell her why Rayle treated her that way without telling her the truth.
“But why is it only him? Tyler was the same. You and Thiara was the same too.” She didn’t want to ask any further but it just came out.
Oh little sis. Where have you been? How can you be this sensitive to the boy now when you had always been insensitive about his feelings since day one? He smiled in amusement.
“Are you saying Rayle is the only good person between the 4 of us?” He sounded offended. He wanted his little sis to give up the topic and just forget it. What better way to do it than distract her?
“No! That’s not wh-“ He cut her off.
“That’s exactly what you mean. I’m so gonna tell Thiara.” He sounded serious.
“She’s not gonna believe you. She loves me!” She sounded desperate. She wouldn’t forgive herself if Thiara believed it. The girl loved her like her little sister. She was the sister and bestfriend she always wished to have.
Now that Vhynce was gone in her life, she would never recover if she also lost Thiara. She couldn’t afford to lose anyone else again.
“But I’m her real brother. I wonder how sad she’s going to be when she finds out the little sister she loved the most thinks that she’s a bad person.” He looked sad and hurt.
“No Therry! Come on! You can’t tell her that. You know that’s not what I meant.” She pleaded.
“I’m so going to tell her that.” He frowned but deep inside he was laughing so hard.
Was he successful in distracting her? Goddamn he was!
Whenever she remembered what Therry did, she wanted to kill him. He told Thiara. At first, she didn’t believe him but with more words and explanation from him, she started to believe him. She felt so hurt that day that Meahri needed to explain to her non-stop just to convince her it wasn’t true.
When it comes to Rayle’s so-called ‘gentleness’, Meahri couldn’t argue any longer.
After Therry explained it to her, she didn’t want to but she started to get used to it. It was weird at first but eventually, she learned to get used to it. She tried asking Rayle about it and he always gave her the same answer, “Just like Therry and Thiara, I love you too Meahri.”
Whenever she heard him say those words, it never failed to make her realized how blessed she was to have such amazing friends.
She had been working for over 12 hours now so she decided to take a break. She lay down on her couch and Snoopy followed her. He got on the couch and lay beside her. She took the TV remote and started to browse through channels while her other hand continued to pet Snoopy.
As she browsed through channels, she suddenly stopped. She saw something. Someone.
Vhynce.
It has been more than a month since they broke up but seeing him was enough to bring back all the memories. Good and bad. She was still in pain but she couldn’t ignore how gorgeous he was like he had always been. She couldn’t stop herself from missing him.
She once left Vhynce for years and she survived.
Why was it that she couldn’t do the same when it has only been more than a month since everything ended? She realized it wasn’t the same because in the past, she was simply a fangirl who loved her rockstar.
Now, she was a girl who loved a man.
Then she saw someone beside him. It was her.
Trisha Jules, the beautiful girl who looked so perfect that she didn’t look real… that even Meahri as a fangirl thought the same.
At some point, she hated the girl. Trisha seemed to not have any flaws but Meahri knew it was just her being insecure. She can’t seem to accept the fact that someone like her could exist. She thought maybe it was just physical. That maybe, she was a bitch on the inside. But she wasn’t. At least, based on the things she heard and read about the girl.
She was perfect and girls like her were the kinds of girls who are in the same league as Vhynce. They are the girls who are meant to be with him and not people like her who are simple.
Trisha was Vhynce’s partner in some of his music videos in the past. She was the same girl who was reported that he dated. It was never proven but even Meahri saw the signs. She too was c
onvinced that at some point in time, they dated each other.
It may not be proven but when a woman’s instinct sense something, most of the time, it was true.
After not shedding a tear for weeks, that exact moment, she turned back into a crying baby. And it was because of the same reason, the same man.
She didn’t turn the TV off nor did she change the channel. She was obviously digging her own grave. Was she a masochist?
She wanted to turn it off but part of her didn’t want to and that part of her won. She didn’t want to turn it off because she hoped it would be enough to convince herself that it was time to give up, that they will never ever be back together again. She wanted to see that he was now happy with someone else then maybe… just maybe… she too can finally accept the harsh ending of her almost happy ever after.
Just like that, she was back to where she was when Vhynce left her that night.
Chapter Four
Another month passed by and still nothing had changed between Meahri and Vhynce. It has been 2 months since that night, since the last time they talked and seen each other.
While the two haven’t spoke nor had seen each other, everyone else was their usual self. Everyone in RMM, Thiara and Therry included, acted like nothing happened, that there was no such thing as Meahri and Vhynce.
They learned to accept it not because they think it was reasonable but because it was what Meahri wanted. They may think she was a martyr but she didn’t give a damn.
Being in the same circle of friends and colleagues, she knew it was better that way.
Everyone hated the idea. They thought that the two were running away from their problems instead of facing it. They preferred it if the two would confront each other and if there were no way they’d be back together then so be it.
All they wanted was for the two to end it in a way that both sides would get the closure they needed to move on with their lives. But no matter how they want it to be ended that way, they weren’t the parties involved. It wasn’t their lives so they don’t have the right to tell them what to do.