Remember Us

Chapter 5: To escape

Seirine has spent the night in the coffee shop, drowning herself with thoughts and wonders. Three cups of coffee and two slices of cake later, she has finally decided to go back to her apartment. She heaved a deep sigh and started walking out of the cafe. It's almost dawn and the bluish light of the sky flooded the streets with its calming beauty. The cold wind touching her skin made her shiver a bit that made her silently wish that she brought a jacket with her. The idea of a jacket brought back the memory of the hooded guy by her door. Was he the kofi guy?

Her trance was interrupted as she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Only one person would call her at this hour and she can't help but smile.

"What's up my favorite person?" Seirine chucked upon hearing the voice that sounded tired and happy at the same time.

"What's up? Why are you awake? It's still so early and you are definitely NOT an early bird" Sei joked as she made her way towards her place. At the back of her mind, she can imagine the scowling and the person's rolling eyes as she breathed heavily on the other line.

"Well, I just called to tell you that I'm coming home!" Wide-eyed and in shock, Serine felt giddy and excited knowing that her best friend will be back. She won't feel so alone anymore.

"NO WAY! When will you be here? Have you finished your major project? Should I pick you up? Would you like something to eat when you get here? LILY ANSWER ME!" Lily's laughter can be heard from the other line as Seirine spoke way too fast and way too much, barely hiding her excitement.

"Calm down, girl! Breathe, will you? I'll be home soon. And nah, I'll just come by unexpectedly so I'll catch you with your boys" Lily has always been pushing her to date around and have a "little fun" but it never felt right so she never tried.

"You still sneaking around, Little Sei? Tell momma Lily about your boys or I'll catch you" Lily's famous line whenever she brings up the date thing, with the thought that Sei is just too shy to admit that she's goofing around with a boy.

"Yeah, whatever. As if you'll catch me with someone." She fumbled her keys from her pocket and entered the apartment. She can't help but smile at the other door beside hers. Hopefully, in a few days, the place will be flooded by Lily's noise once again.

"Yeah, whatever. See you soonest! I'll be coming home soon so you better watch out, Sei!" She laughed devilishly before hanging up. Sei can do nothing but chuckle and shake her head in disbelief that her best friend will be here soon.

Lilith Esmeralde Avantgarde, her best and true friend, the person who never failed to keep her sane. She's studying Archaeology in the same university as Sei but has been wandering around for her major project. Lily is a very adventurous and outgoing lady and people would often wonder why they are friends at all when they are the exact opposite of the other. It's been months since she left and it has been too quiet ever since.

As the sun slowly peeks from the clouds, Sei can't help but reminisce about the first time she met her best friend back in high school. Sei was extremely introverted and very gloomy, the reason why people often stay away from her because of the presumption that she is cursed and that something bad will happen to them once they get entangled with her. But Lily befriended her despite her multiple attempts to block her in her life.

"You want people around you. You want friends. You just overthink and you pretend to be okay with being alone. You push people away because you are afraid that the moment you smile again, they'll be gone in the blink of an eye. But I am here now and I will stay." She said seriously after she confronted me as I try to avoid every interaction we can have. I know that I don't deserve to have friends. They'll end up being taken away from me, forcibly or out of their own will.

"No one will stay if you don't even give them the chance to prove themselves to you." She said as she walked away. I guess she also got tired of trying her chance to be friends with me. I cried hard for the almost friendship that I would've had if not for the fear of losing them again. The skies start to turn gray, signalling the rain that is coming and I have no intention of getting off of this rooftop. I crumpled down into my knees, hiding my crying face against the cruel world. I am used to being alone. It's okay to be alone. I should be alone.

"You thought I left huh?" I raised my head to see Lili smirking before me with 2 bottled lattes on her hands. She just shook the bottles on her hands and offered one to me. I sobbed hard and went to hug her.

"It's okay, Sei. I'm here now. I'll protect you. I won't leave you." She said and the skies started to shed light again

Feeling nostalgic, she can't help but miss the old times. High school was fun and bearable only because Lily was by her side. She is her best friend, her protector, and her ultimate partner in everything that she does. Their bond is so strong that even distance and absence can't change how they treat one another.

"Even though Heaven blessed me with a friend like Lili, it still does not erase the cruelty that life has given to me." She smiled painfully as she knows that even though Lily is coming home, it can never change her state. She will always be miserable.

"Sometimes, things get so heavy that I sometimes wish that I can escape reality even for just a day. That probably is the reason why I dream of Jae a lot. Maybe my desire to escape has built this dreamland that takes me away from the real world." Holding on to that thought, she can't help but to feel excited about going back to the flower field, a place wherein her problems and past won't catch up with her. She hurried to bed and tried sleeping all at once. Before the sleepiness took her away, she silently wished that she could go back to that place again.

"Welcome back, Seirine." He said with a soft smile. Her heart melted by the warmth he gave her, the warmth that she rarely gets in the real world.