by Iaz Grant
"You should have your meal now. You already skipped your lunch." Chelsea immediately caught up with her friend.
"Oh, sorry. I think my profession was taking a lot of me these days." Gwen then looked around just to find Manny sitting at the bar watching her. She gave half a smile which the man returned with the same density.
"We already ordered for you. It should be delivered in your room, but since you're already here, I told the manager to just serve it."
"Okay, thank you, Chelsea."
"That's just fine. Take your time eating your dinner. We'll be on the beach. We asked to have a place for the bonfire. Just follow us when you're done."
Gwen just nodded and just followed the group to their exit with her eyes. Outside, Manny kept on looking around just to see if Gwen was coming around. Chris just patted his shoulder and shook his head. It is to send him a message to find Gwen.
A little later, when everyone was drawn into their game, Manny found Gwen walking on the beach, but not to join them. She seemed to be enjoying the night sky alone. He looked back to their friends and tried to sneak out, but then Sophie found him.
"Where are you going Manuel?" she asked and everyone looked at him.
"Huh? I'll just need to use the comfort room. I'll be back."
"Alright. Do it faster okay?"
Manny just nodded and parted himself from the group. He searched for Gwendolyn's whereabouts around the resort and found her sitting on the rocks far from the beach.
"What are you doing here alone?"
Gwen looked at him and smiled, "The moon is shining beautifully tonight. I was just enjoying it. It's just a shame I haven't brought my camera with me."
"Then, you can use my mine."
The female psychiatrist just looked at Manuel as he lends out his cell phone for her personal use.
The Tour
The next morning, everyone agreed on taking a little stroll around the Mexican street. Since Manuel was half Spanish, he knew how to converse with the Mexican people. He also tries and lead their group to have fun while walking around the vicinity. From behind the back, he can see Gwen smiling as she was stopping store by store. She's having fun, but she can't understand a bit of what the seller means.
Gwen was surprised when someone speaks from behind her. When she turned around, it was a blond American man speaking in Spanish. He asked for the same figurine that she was asking for. The moment he stopped talking with the Mexican woman, he looked at Gwen.
The blonde man smiled, "She said it's 50 bucks in their currency."
"Uh, thank you." Gwen was a little confused, but she still smiled.
"You're a tourist?"
Gwen nodded. She looked at him holding a camera and she smiled, "Are you staying here as a photographer?"
"Oh, yes. You can tell I can see." the guy presented his camera on one hand and waved it a little.
"It’s not hard to understand. You spoke well of their language. Thank you, by the way."
"Not a problem. I also owe you one."
Unknowledgeable of the eyes that's watching her, Gwen was chuckling and talking to the stranger. She even looked at the photos it presented from its camera. Manny was watching over Gwen and slowly, his feet dragged him to her location.
"Gwen," he called casually.
Gwen and the man looked at him, "Manuel, oh, sorry, did I slow the group down?"
Manny shook his head, "It’s just fine. They kept going. Harry can manage."
"You are with a group of friends then?" the stranger asked Gwen.
"Uh, yes, we are actually-"
"Can I take my partner back?" Manny immediately punched in, "Our friends are getting further from us. Do you have anything else to say?"
Gwen and the man were both surprised at suddenly snappy words from Manny. Gwen quickly put a grip on Manny's arm which the latter took off and held her hand, "Let’s go. Chris will surely get mad if they have to search for us in this crowd." He said.
"It’s just fine. You can go with him. It’s nice to meet you, Gwen."
"How-"
"Gwen, let’s go." Manny insisted as he was pulling her hand.
As he kept on walking, Gwendolyn doesn't know how to untag herself from Manuel's grip. She just bit her lower lip and just keeps on following the man. In a less crowded place, Manny finally lets go of her hand and sighed.
"What's wrong with you? You shouldn't be rude to strangers." Gwendolyn was trying to explain things towards Manny, but she just earned a glare, which almost makes her step back.
"How can you be so slow? That man was trying to bait you with his camera. Can't you see the look in his eyes? Gwendolyn, you are not a teenager anymore. You can't just simply play dumb and cheesy just because a handsome man noticed you."
She then glared at Manny. The latter then gulped. He bit his lip and exhaled, "Fine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. It’s just that, this is Mexico, Gwen. Isn't this your first time being here? You can't seriously trust a stranger for your safety."
She pouted, "But you also don’t have to burst on him like that. You even glared at him."
"Sorry, it’s just making me irritated." Manny then offered his hand again, "Let’s go? The others were already gone. They rode the bus."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Well, I told them I will come and find you. They noticed not having you around, so I guess-"
"Manuel! We should go back to the hotel now. They probably think that I am still lost."
But Manny just grinned at her. He pulled her closer to him and kept her hand on him, "We should take this chance to enjoy the whole place. Besides, I can send them a message anytime."
"Are you sure?"
"I am. Don't worry; we will be back before dinner."
"Have you been here many times?"
"Yes. My mother was taking me here for vacation. Though their ancestral home was already sold, we still came here a lot of times."
They started walking hand in hand as they enjoy looking at every stall in the street. They even tried to have some of the Mexican street foods, which Gwen surely enjoy. They also kept on wiping each other’s face with their handkerchiefs.
"What does the woman said?" Gwen asked when a woman wearing a long skirt and bandana talked to Manuel after they brought some souvenirs.
"Oh, she said that we looked good together." Manny said it casually, but then Gwen felt a little embarrassed, "No, don't get too shy about it. It’s just fine. Don't you like it? Don't you like that even when a long time had already passed, we still have that chemistry?"
Gwen chuckled a little, but then she said, "Even though it’s not true? Even though who have a wife now and children of your own?"
The smile on his face suddenly faded, but he recovered it after a single moment of time, "I'd rather not spoil this chance of being your man. We haven't done this before, have we? Every time we go out then, we always do it with Harry or Chris or Chelsea. Let’s just play dumb couples even just for now." Manny said it with a smile on his face.
She just then smiled back and nodded, "Okay, if that's what you want. Then, I am Gwendolyn Meyer and you are Manuel Greyson."
"You forgot to add something else."
"What?"
"You forgot to add that we are high school students having a romantic getaway." Manny then held both her hands and said directly looking into her eyes, "We are a teenage couple having fun on each other’s sides."
Gwen just smiled and then touched his face gently, "I'll be glad to have you with me, Manuel."
The Couple in Mexico
"What do you want to do next?" Manny asked as he kept holding Gwen's hand.
"Hm, I think we better go back to the hotel. They might think about how we're doing." She insisted as they both holding their drinks.
"Well, that's true, but I want to go to the beach."
"Isn't there a beach at the resort?"
Manuel looked at her displeased, "As if the guy’s will. Let me have you all to myself."
/> Gwendolyn had chuckled before she hooked her arm in his, "Okay, then show me a place that can be ours for today."
He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "There a public beach near here. We can get in there and walk with our bare feet."
The female doctor smiled, "That would be fun, I guess."
Manny brought Gwen to a beach wherein few people were coming. They chose to take off their shoes and drifted their feet on the warm sand. They played with the waves. Manny was always behind Gwen holding her on the waist and carrying her whenever the waves are coming. Their laughs are ringing on the beach. They took some pictures together. Manny took photos of her whenever she's walking alone.
"It’s like the old days," Manny said as they finally sat down the sands.
"Yes. I never thought that we will be able to spend a day like this."
"I told you that we are still in high school and we are Manny and Gwen."
"To be honest, I was wondering. What happened to the two of us, Manuel?"
He then looked at her with the same expression of doubts. They looked at each other thinking. Gwendolyn put her arms on the top of her knees and leaned her head on it.
"Do you think that we can be as happy as now if we didn't break up?"
"Are you regretting losing me?"
Gwen smirked, "I am regretting why we didn’t talk about anything at all." She sat straight again, "I was wondering, have you ever tell me that you wanted to be a professor? Have I ever said that I wanted to be a psychiatrist?"
Manuel can't do anything, but to shook his head and then nodded, "I haven't heard from you that you even wanted to get into a university after we graduated. We just kept on having fun as friends. As we were just Chris, Harry or Chelsea, it is because every time we go, they go with us. Everything we do, they do it with us. It’s just like, our relationship was plain and platonic."
"And then, that happened, right? That night happened, the night that I chose to challenge you."
"And I bargain myself off." Manny stood up and walked in front of Gwen looking down at her, "No matter what, I shouldn't have said what I have said. I should have a stand like a real man. I shouldn't have doubted you or call you names just because I can't live to my words."
She shook her head, "It’s my fault too for taking it too far. If I didn't tell you that lie just to test you, you wouldn't say all those things. Being parents during that time will surely put us in a lot of problems."
"Still, I should have said that I can be the father. That I should say I am going to raise my child with you. Even if it’s a lie, isn't that what's broke us?"
"What broke us was the reason we always doubt each other. If we didn't do what we did, we could make it longer."
Suddenly, Manuel kneeled down on one knee and took her hand to his chest, "We can do something about it, right?"
"We can't. You know that we can't. We are separated for more than ten years. You are married now and with a family. I, I am married to my profession."
"Can't we even just for the rest of this trip?"
Those words seemed to mellow Gwen's face. She put her free hand on his face and touched it gently and lovingly. She softly caressed his face and smiled, "Tell me what you want to hear from me, Manuel. Tell me something you wanted to say."
He swallowed and cleared his throat, "Gwendolyn Meyer, can we start over again, even just for this trip alone? I promise you, whatever happen, I will forget tomorrow and today and get by our usual lives. Just let me prove I can still be the man you shouldn't have regretted loving faithfully."
She finally cracked a sweet smile before saying, "Yes."
They then both stood up and embraced each other. As their eyes met, Manuel slowly flattened his lips on hers. She closed her eyes as she lets him fill her senses with the passionate kisses they had long to forget. She wrapped her arms around his neck while his hands are touching her waist to back pulling her closer to his body.
"You still taste of cherry lip gloss."
She laughed as she hung on his neck, "Something’s never change, right?"
When they went back to the hotel before dinner, they acted all civil and casual. They kept their hands in their pocket as they approached their friends on the table.
"Where the hell did the two of you gone to?" Chelsea asked hastily, "We were so worried!"
"I'm sorry. I was enjoying the street market and I forgot that I am with you guys." Gwen explained as she sat down beside Chris.
Manny sat down beside Chelsea on the other side when he caught up with Harry's stare, "Where did you hole up all day?" Harry questioned.
"I just joined her strolling around. Can't you see the bags we had on our hands? It’s souvenirs."
Manny and Gwen took one sneaky glanced at each other before they shut themselves up with the others.
Last Day
Waking up for the last leg of their trip, the group decided to do a big party on the one side of the resort. They rented one villa for them. Harry, Chris, and Manny were all busy decorating the whole place.
"I think this is the best high school reunion of all." Harry declared.
"It really is." Chris agreed.
The women and the others are decorating and even placing the tables in right places. They also prepared the games and chose the host, which is Chelsea. They contributed to the game prices and foods.
"Well, we better take this day like it is the last." Gwen said and suddenly the atmosphere felt heavy. The faces around her turned a little sour, "Come on! I said 'like it is the last', but it won't be the last right? I bet, you guys will come and call me again for this kind of events. We just have to enjoy it like it will never happen again. It’s like our graduation day, right?"
Manny chuckled, "Gwen is right, we should enjoy this like we never enjoy in our lifetime. After this trip, we are going back to our daily lives and we will find it hard to schedule new events for our reunion again."
"Gwen and Manny had a point, but do you think you guys are off the hook?"
Gwen and Manuel just looked at each other without any clue.
"Since the two of you had made us worry last night, the two of you will be assigned on buying the gifts for the games," Chris commanded.
"Hey," Manny tried to resist, "I thought there are already gifts in here?"
"No. You will be assigned to buy reunion souvenir gifts for all of us. As you can see, we don't have anything to commemorate our first reunion."
"Yes, I can see that, but is it really okay if we are the only people to choose our souvenirs?" Gwen asked as she slipped her hands into her back pockets.
"It’s just fine. Just make sure it’s neither obscene nor ugly."
Everybody just laughed and so as Gwen and Manny. The two left the resort riding a cab to the marketplace. With one smooth movement, Manny held Gwen's hand the very moment they climbed into the car. She just looked at him and smiled.