Euphoria (AU MaiChard Fanfic)

Prologue

                

16 July 2015

Nicomaine Mendoza stared at the man standing only a few feet of her. She felt like she knew him. How is that possible? I have never seen him before. Am I growing crazy? And yet, she found herself staring at him intently, trying to decipher why she found herself drawn to him.

There was something about him. He looked well-off and was dressed to the nines. He was attractive, with sleek black hair and high cheek bones. But that's not what really caught her attention.

At first, she thought that he looked happy, but a few moments later, she noticed a sense of emptiness and despair in the air. He was expressionless, simply staring at something or someone. Well, it certainly matched the atmosphere of the cemetery.

They were currently in an exclusive cemetery with beautifully manicured grounds somewhere in Laguna. An elaborate gate marked the entryway, eye-catching carvings of symbols of mourning are spread out, and expensive flowers and candles adorn each tomb. It was a graveyard reserved for those who can afford to pay an arm and leg for a burial plot.

"Okay lang kaya siya?" She squinted her eyes, realizing that the man was talking to thin air. She couldn't make out the words he was saying but she could tell that he was speaking intently, pausing repeatedly for a few seconds before continuing.

She immediately looked around the cemetery until she found a grave near to where he was standing. It was littered with fresh flowers of various types and sizes. Oh, maybe he's talking to one of his relatives? His parent? A girlfriend? Or perhaps a wife or child who died too soon? Ang tsimosa mo, Nicomaine.

She wanted to know more, but it was really none of her business. She was just here to visit her dad who died three years ago. He was caught in a crossfire of a drug bust operation on his way home. The criminals tried to take his car, and while he didn't put up a fight, they shot him multiple times because he moved too slow. He was already dead when they brought him to the hospital.

The police ruled it as an accident, telling her that he was just an off-duty investigator in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Others, on the other hand, claimed that he was the investigator working on the case and he was killed because he disclosed the location of the drug syndicate. Either way, he's dead and those involved weren't even prosecuted for homicide because the lawyers they hired failed to take the case to court.

After a few moments, she realized that the sun was setting and it was time for her to go home. A pile of cases for her Remedial Law 1 class is still waiting for her.

She took one last glance at the man and started to walk towards her car.

***

From the corner of his eyes, Richard Faulkerson Jr. watched the attractive young woman leave the cemetery. He pretended not to notice, but he knew that she has been staring at him for the past few minutes.

He wasn't really surprised. He figured that she recognized him. His restaurant was recently featured in a magazine and the piece included a rather flattering photo of him. They even dubbed him as the '23-year old entrepreneur who will someday take the country by storm.'

"What a joke. 'Wag na silang umasa na mangyari iyun," he scoffed to himself.

Because in reality, managing a restaurant sucks and hiring the right people is a nightmare. It's not a glamorous job and he doesn't see himself expanding his restaurant anytime soon. He supposed it was a good thing that he doesn't really have to stay in the country.

He will always choose to go abroad nature-tripping — rock climbing, mountain climbing, or wakeboarding — over anything else. He has been burning through life in search of the next adventure; trying to live life to the fullest while he still can.

Still, he has never forgotten his mother. For as long as he could remember, RJ has been coming back to the Philippines each week to visit her. It has been years since I last saw her...but I still miss her. He tried to stop so many times, but he could not bear to choose anything else over his deceased mother.

Once daybreak hits, RJ would immediately drag himself out of bed and drive from whatever hotel he is staying at to this cemetery. He would hold an overnight vigil, leaving just before midnight. He would just sit on a spot near his mother's grave, waiting for her to appear before him. Just kidding.

Nothing new really happens when he visits his mother. Until today.

The thing is, he doesn't normally speak to his mother during his visits. It was one thing to stay here the whole day, quite another to speak to someone who is now long gone. But today, he just spoke out loud. It was like everything he wanted to say to his mother just flew out of his mouth.

It was surprising because he barely said the words that he uttered on a normal basis. It was too honest. It made him too vulnerable. And he's not like that. At least, not anymore. Maybe having a complete stranger watch him had a significant effect...or maybe he's just thinking too much.

He shook his head, forcing such thoughts away before turning his back and leaving the cemetery. He should focus on preparing for his next adventure.

As they went their separate ways, they hadn't realized that this is the moment when their lives were changed forever.