You're Are Here (Under Revision)

Epilogue

Orvyn had two problems: her hair, and Desmond Lim. Her locks, which she had attempted to tame using a set of colorful clips she had bought back in her trip to Paris, still managed to be all over her face. They almost did not serve their very purpose in her life, to at least make her look presentable. She almost looked like a cartoon character that didn't manage to have a decent amount of screen time.

The latter, on the other hand, was the real problem, still the real deal. The way he made her feel even after everything was the real problem. The way he could send butterflies to her stomach just by simply showing that he existed was the real problem.

Palipat-lipat ang kanyang tingin sa salamin at sa screen ng kanyang laptop habang pinakikiramdaman ang malakas na pagkabog ng dibdib. She decided to stop looking at the mirror when she finally accepted the fact that she'd never look different even if she'd stare at her reflection for a couple more hours.

But how couldn't she?

She was giddy, and the giddiness was making her feel uglier. She could even feel the want to puke.

'See you.'

Two words. Just two words, but they already had that effect in her.

Curse you, Desmond, and the tricks that you're playing on me!

The last time she saw the guy was on their graduation ceremony. She wasn't even able to say hi because he was gone just a few minutes after the ceremony was over. She could still remember how devastated she felt back then even when she knew that they were supposed to give each other space. But that was the last time they'd be seeing each other, and no one knew when they'd be able to see each other again, what was she supposed to feel?

"Have you finished packing your things?" Kaagad niyang isinara ang kanyang laptop nang marinig ang boses ng kuya niya. Napataas ang kilay nito nang makita ang ayos ng kanyang kwarto. She was almost done packing, but not quite. Her room was in a big mess, clothes sprawling around the floor, Gimcrack playing some rock song that she managed to add to its system with some coding, and her. She was just an epitome of a mess.

Tumango-tango siya. "Uh, I'm almost done," she managed to say.

Owen didn't look convinced, but he didn't push further. "Okay. Just go downstairs once you're done. I'll drive you to the doctor."

Napamura siya nang mapagtantong may session nga pala siya sa araw na 'yon.

She turned Gimcrack off, and just did the things she needed to do. She needed to see Doctor Lim before going back.

-

"Well, Orvyn, how do you feel?"

Orvyn could swear that she probably looked dumbfounded after hearing that question. She bit her lip, and thought about the right things to say. Nang dumapo ang kanyang mata sa stress ball na nasa mesa ay kaagad niya itong inabot. "Scared." She breathed. "I haven't seen him for almost two years now, and although I've been hearing some news about him, it's still different when I think about meeting him again after...basically everything."

Doctor Lim, who coincidentally had the same surname as Desmond, smiled at her. She had met the doctor just a few months after they flew to Italy, and she had been her therapist since then. Orvyn couldn't even explain how the sessions helped her cope up with all the stress. "Do you wish to cancel your trip back to the Philippines?"

Kaagad siyang napailing-iling sa tanong nito. "Italy is great, but there's just something with the Philippines that I just don't quite explain."

Namayani ang katahimikan sa pagitan nilang dalawa. Huminga nang malalim si Orvyn tsaka napayuko, napatitig sa stress ball na hawak-hawak. "It's just that I don't know what to expect. I've been thinking about it so much that I no longer know what to do. It's the same feeling when you prepare for an exam so much that in the middle part of it, you seem to forget everything that you've prepared for."