Lightless Sunshine

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

What? Hi?

Did I hear it right? He said… hi?

The beat of my heart was amazingly thumping fast. Just like before. It was beating so hard and loud I’m afraid someone might hear it.

I looked at him with my widen eyes. My lips were partly open. Tinikom ko ang bibig at tumikhim. I opened my mouth again to speak but nothing came out.

Why is he here?

Kumunot ang noo ko.

“Sunshine, come here,” Grandma said while smiling warmly at me.

I stayed rooted on where I stood. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Icarus Del Cianco was standing tall, masculine, lean, neat, and down right handsome right in front of me. He had grown up handsomely. He’s no longer the boy before I used to have a crush with. He’s now a man. A man with a well-tone body and a man with a face of perfection.

“Sunshine?” I heard Grandma’s voice again but I couldn’t seem to understand it as my eyes fixed at the man I met since I was a kid and a part of my past I wanted to get over with.

We were still looking at each other’s eyes as if we see nothing in the world but our very own hearts and souls. He was looking at me with mixed yet familiar emotions on his eyes.

The sparks in my heart were still there, it was pulsating at a fast pace as the seconds became a minute and still, we didn’t look away.

Suddenly, memories of the past came rushing back. From our first meeting, school scenarios, at the park, in his car, mall, our friendly dates, in the café, and everything we had during our teenage days. It was still vividly clear to my mind how the strong friendship we had broke and made our life miserable in a snap of a finger.

And primarily, our goodbyes to each other. He stood up and held my hand as we swayed our hips simultaneously with the music he chose himself. He fulfilled his promise to be there on my 18th birthday and be my first and last dance as he kissed the tip of my nose.

It was still vividly delineated in my head how we started happily and ended up tragically. And every time I would remember it, the pain I tried so hard to forget seemed to be coming back.

He used to be my friend. He used to be my knight in shining armour. He used to be my foundation when I was so weak and tired. He used to be my light when the darkness was pulling me.

We never had a romantic relationship but he has a special place in my heart. He was the father of my unborn child, the man I allowed to dig into my life, and the first man I had a crush on. The man I only allowed to see me inside. The man I gave the chance to see my soul and pain… And the same man who broke my heart into tiny pieces until the pieces themselves couldn’t be seen as they vanished like how ashes got flew off by the wind of the past.

Right in the moment, I see nothing but the man I got to meet before but a stranger for me now.

I smiled back at him. It’s all in the past now…

“Mama!” I heard my son’s voice from my back that made me snapped my head away from looking at Icarus.

Franco was running towards my direction as tears fell down on his soft cheeks. Yumuko kaagad ako at niyakap siya. “Why are you crying, baby?” I asked softly, rubbing his back.

He often cries unlike his brother, Avan. He was kinda emotional about everything at talagang dinidibdib niya ang mga bagay-bagay sa paligid niya.

“Where have you been, Mama?! I was looking for you!”