Emilio Francine De Ramos

The campus garden lay quiet, cloaked in the early morning mist that softened the edges of the world. Dew clung to the delicate flower petals like jewels, catching the pale sunlight and casting tiny prisms of color into the air, which shimmered like whispers of forgotten dreams. I often came here to clear my head, seeking the steadiness of nature when everything else seemed to swirl in uncertainty. But today, an unusual weight hung in the stillness, pressing down like a heavy fog that obscured the path ahead. It was the kind of silence that hinted at words waiting to be said, an unspoken tension that vibrated in the air.

The night after the performance, I was devastated, like I had lost everything. I couldn’t find a reason to get up or do anything at all. But one person was there for me, Silas. When he saw me crying as Yuwan walked away, he didn’t say a word. He just pulled me into a tight hug. I was grateful for his presence, but deep down, I was torn. I didn’t want to use him as a rebound, not with my heart still raw from being broken. Silas, however, reassured me with quiet sincerity that he was here only as a friend, and nothing more, which I am very thankful for.

As I wandered toward the fountain, its gentle trickle a soothing soundtrack to my thoughts, I noticed a figure on the stone bench beneath the sprawling branches of an ancient oak tree. Heather sat there, her posture rigid, hands folded neatly in her lap, her gaze fixed on the dew-drenched grass. The sight of her stirred something tense in my chest. I hadn’t seen her since… well, since Yuwan broke up with her, though we’d never exchanged more than the occasional polite nod. I knew of her, of course, whispers of her closeness to Yuwan had circulated like a shadow in my mind, but we had both become ghosts in each other’s lives, drifting past one another in a world that felt increasingly fragile.

Not wanting to seem rude, I slowed my pace, weighing the decision to approach her. Just as I contemplated turning away, Heather looked up, her expression etched with quiet determination, as if she had been waiting for me all along.

“Emil,” she said, her voice tentative, the words trembling as they escaped her lips. There was a flicker of something vulnerable in her eyes that I hadn’t expected. “Do you have a moment?”

I nodded, curiosity and caution swirling in my gut as I sat down on the bench beside her. Her face looked drawn, the usual spark of confidence dimmed by something heavy, something that resembled regret, an emotion I was all too familiar with.

“I know we haven’t really talked,” she began, twisting her fingers together nervously, the sound of the leaves rustling overhead punctuating her silence. “But I… I need to talk to you. About Silas.”

The mention of his name sent a jolt through me, every instinct screaming for me to protect what was mine. “What about Silas?” I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.

Heather’s gaze flickered over my face, searching for understanding, for some sign that I might help her unravel the complicated threads of her feelings. She took a shaky breath, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “Emil, I need to ask you for a favor. It’s a lot to ask, but… could you… Could you let Silas go?” Her words settled in the air like an icy fog, freezing the moment between us. I stared at her, disbelief and shock coiling tightly in my chest.

“You want me to… let Silas go?” I asked, incredulous.

She nodded, her face flushed with embarrassment yet resolute, the kind of determination that could either break a heart or mend it. “I know how this sounds, and I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. Silas… he means everything to me. I’ve loved him since we were kids. He was always there for me, through everything. And now…” Her voice faltered, eyes glistening with unshed tears as she turned her gaze to the ground, as if searching for the right words among the fallen leaves.

“Why didn’t you ever tell him?” I pressed, keeping my voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging within me.

Heather looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together as if to weave a defense against her own vulnerabilities. “I was afraid he didn’t feel the same way. So I thought… maybe if I dated someone else, he’d be jealous and would finally see me the way I wanted him to. That’s why I started dating Yuwan.”

The confession landed like a slap, clarity illuminating the tangled web of history between us. The discomfort in her gaze, her sudden reappearance in Silas’s life, everything snapped into place with an unsettling precision.

“You dated Yuwan… just to make Silas jealous?” I asked, struggling to keep the judgment from seeping into my voice. Heather’s face crumpled, the weight of her regret as palpable as the morning mist swirling around us.

“I know it sounds selfish,” she admitted, her voice trembling, “but I didn’t know it would end up like this. I thought if I could get Silas to be jealous of me, maybe he’d realize he felt something too. But it backfired… horribly. Yuwan… he didn’t deserve it. He thought I cared about him, but I was just using him. And by the time I realized what I’d done, it was too late. I hurt Yuwan, I lost Silas as a friend, and now… now he’s with you.”

Her confession hung in the air, a fragile thread weaving through our shared silence, desperation spilling over into the space between us. “Please, Emil. I can’t stand by and watch him with someone else. I still love him. And… I’m afraid I always will.”

A strange mixture of sympathy and resentment twisted inside me, her history with Silas a complex tapestry woven with emotions she hadn’t dared to confront until now. I could see the pain etched on her face, the raw regret of choices she couldn’t undo. Yet her plea wasn’t fair, wasn’t right. Deep down, I knew the answer.

“Heather…” I began searching for the gentlest way to convey my thoughts. “Silas isn’t someone who can just… be handed over. He’s his own person, and I… I care about him too. What you had in the past is important, but that doesn’t mean you’re entitled to his future.”

Her expression crumbled, tears pooling in her eyes, the kind of sorrow that threatened to overflow. “I know… I know how it sounds, Emil. I know how unfair it is to ask this of you. But Silas has always been there for me, and I can’t shake the feeling that… that I should be the one by his side. I could have told him the truth back then, but I was scared.”

Her vulnerability softened my initial frustration, but I took a breath, grounding myself in the moment. “Heather, maybe you loved him then, but things have changed. He’s moved on. We all have scars, but that doesn’t mean we can reach back into the past and take what we want. Silas and I… we’ve been through a lot too.”

She shook her head, her voice breaking like fragile glass. “I know it sounds selfish, but… I’ll regret it if I don’t try. If I don’t at least ask you.”

The sincerity in her gaze tugged at something deep within me, a strange sympathy for the girl who had loved and lost in silence. But I also knew that her desires, her regrets, didn’t erase the connection Silas and I had built.

“Listen, Heather,” I said gently, my heart aching for her. “I’m sorry for what you went through. Truly. But I won’t step aside for something that isn’t mine to decide. Silas is his own person, and he’s chosen where he wants to be.”

She looked down, the moment hanging heavy between us, filled with the weight of choices made and futures unwritten.

“Do you like him?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper, as if uttering the question would shatter the fragile air around us.

The question struck me with unexpected force, as if she had finally given voice to the one thing I had struggled to define. Though the words hadn’t yet passed between Silas and me, I felt the answer burn brightly in my heart.

“Yes,” I replied, my voice steady and quiet. “I do.”

Heather took a breath, her gaze softening, a faint trace of acceptance mingling with the pain in her eyes. She nodded, the reality settling over her like a heavy blanket, a final act of surrender.

“Thank you… for being honest with me,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry. For everything.”

She rose from the bench, lingering for a moment as if she wanted to say more, but instead, she turned and walked away, her figure dissolving into the mist, leaving me alone with the remnants of our conversation.

When I found Silas later that day, he stood at the edge of the riverbank, the setting sun painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. He skipped stones across the water’s surface, the gentle plop echoing like a heartbeat in the fading light. Each stone sent ripples dancing outward, golden reflections shimmering like fleeting moments captured in time. His face brightened when he saw me, an expression of warmth and welcome that momentarily chased away the shadows of our earlier encounter.

“Hey,” he greeted, tossing another stone that skipped three times before disappearing into the depths.

“Hey,” I replied, moving to stand beside him, my heart still heavy with the weight of Heather’s confession. I could feel the words stirring inside me, the need to tell him everything that had transpired, but hesitation held me back, uncertain if it was my place to reveal her truth.

He glanced over, sensing my unease. “Is everything okay?”

I took a breath, steadying myself against the pull of uncertainty in my gut. “I ran into Heather today. She… she told me about her feelings for you. About how long she’s cared about you.”

Silas’s expression softened, nostalgia mingling with a shadow of sadness flickering in his eyes. He nodded, as if he had expected this moment.

“She and I… we grew up together,” he said quietly, the words laden with memories. “She was my best friend. We did everything together, and for a long time, I think I loved her too. But… things got complicated, and when she started dating Yuwan, I thought it was her way of moving on.”

“Did you ever feel the same?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, betraying the vulnerability I tried to keep hidden.

Silas turned to face me fully, his gaze earnest and unguarded. The golden light of the setting sun cast a soft halo around him, making him seem almost otherworldly. His voice was steady but tinged with vulnerability as he spoke.

“Maybe once,” he began, his tone contemplative, “I thought I loved Heather. But whatever I felt for her… it changed a long time ago. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t about who she was, it was about what she represented. She was a piece of my past, something familiar I clung to.” He paused, his eyes searching mine, as though grounding himself in this moment.

“But you…” His hand reached for mine, fingers warm and steady, anchoring me to the present. “You’re what’s important to me now.”

His words settled deep within me, filling the empty spaces carved by doubt and fear. For a moment, they seemed to chase away the shadows I’d been carrying. I squeezed his hand gently, feeling the quiet strength that flowed between us, a connection unspoken but undeniable.

“Thank you, Silas,” I murmured, my voice trembling as the weight in my chest began to lift. “I wish I could return your feelings the way you deserve, but… I’m not ready. Not yet.”

Silas’s smile was soft and understanding, a flicker of light amidst the encroaching darkness. His thumb brushed over my knuckles in a soothing rhythm, grounding me further.

“You don’t have to be ready,” he said, his voice calm but resolute. “Like I told you before, I’ll be here with you, no matter what. You don’t have to love me back for me to care about you.”

Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes, and I shook my head, a mixture of gratitude and guilt washing over me. “I don’t deserve this, Silas. I don’t deserve you.”

“Believe me, Emil,” he said, his gaze unwavering, his words soft yet firm, “you do.”

The river beside us glistened under the fading sunlight, its surface rippling gently, as though echoing the shifts within me. In that moment, the shadows of the past seemed to fade just a little more, and the horizon ahead glowed with possibilities waiting to unfold.

Later that evening, as I walked back to my dorm, I felt a newfound clarity settle within me, the evening breeze ruffling my hair and lifting the remnants of doubt from my heart. Heather’s confession, though painful, had illuminated just how far I had come from the heartache I once carried. Silas and I weren’t perfect, nor were we free of scars or complicated histories, but we were here, together, choosing each other despite it all. The past, with all its tangled threads, was just that, the past.

As the stars began to scatter across the night sky, twinkling like distant dreams, I whispered a silent promise, not to Heather, not to Yuwan, nor to anyone else, but to myself. I would trust in the love I’d found, honor the choices I’d made, and allow the past to rest, finally at peace.