Fractured Hearts

Hershey C. Briones
I
I love you, Rachel. I love you with all my heart and soul.., Richard murmured against her lips. She felt her smile
rather than see it. He deepened the kiss and she responded with much ardour. Hindi nila dapat ginagawa ito sa
harap ng maraming tao but hell, namiss niya ang girlfriend niya. One week sa ibang bansa meant not seeing Rachel.
Not holding her like [Link] kissing her like this. Kahit na nasa airport pa sila. He broke the kiss and looked deeply
into her eyes. Missed me?
Rachel bit her lip and made him wait for an answer. She shrugged and rolled her eyes. Ikaw? Mamimiss ko? How
long were you gone anyway?,she teased him while grabbing the front of his jacket and pulling him against her. I
missed this, though., she whispered before kissing the life out of him.
Kailangan....na....nating.....umalis. Richard said in between kisses. Or else...
Or else, what? Rachel challenged him and bit his lower lip. Akala ko ba namiss mo ako?
Tease. He chuckled and let go of her to grab his bag. Ipapakita ko sayo how much I missed you tonight.
Coward.
Richard suddenly dropped the bag and pulled her against him and kissed her. Hard. May sinabi ka?
Rachel just smiled and gave him a chaste kiss. I love you, too.

Rachel, will you marry me?
Rachel stared at the ring in his hands. She doesnt know what to think. She suddenly felt scared and...something
else.
Rachel, will you make me the luckiest man alive by letting me wake-up with you for the rest of our lives? Richard
asked her.
Almost ten years ago.
At the time, she felt like the happiest woman alive. Richard asked her to marry him and she said yes. She tried so
hard forgetting that part of her life and now it seems its back to haunt her again. She looked from the ring to the man
in front of her. He is fond of this man. He made her happy for the past few months pero hindi niya alam kung handa
na siya to take another step forward sa relationship nila. Hindi rin niya inexpect na magpropropose si Albert sa kanya.
So this was the reason behind the private and romantic dinner he prepared for her.
Albert... She was speechless. She didnt know what to say s she stared helplessly at him.
He smiled and understood. He held her hand and squeezed it gently. Hindi mo ako kailangang bigyan ng sagot
ngayon. I know weve only known each other for a few months. I dont want to rush you and Im sorry, Rach kung
nabigla kita. I just want you to know that Im sure you are the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love
you, Rachel. Whatever it is that is holding you back right now, I just want you to know that Im here to stay. No matter
how long it takes. Albert stood up and knelt on her side. He took the ring and placed it on her [Link] this. Its
yours to keep. Wear it when youre ready. Walang pressure okay? He assured her and kissed her hand.
She just smiled and nodded.
If only she could love this man as much as he loves her.



Ano?!?! Natalie almost shouted at her best friend. Being in a public coffee shop was enough to restrain her, though.
Naloloka ka ba? Here is a good man wanting to spend of his life making you happy and worship the ground you walk
on and you said no?!?
Rachel calmly took a sip of her much needed coffee before starting to work. Alberts proposal kept her from having a
good sleep last night. She kept asking herself the same thing over and over again. Ano ba talaga ang pumipigil kay
Rachel na pumayag sa alok ni Albert. Was it still Ric-
No. Rachel told herself. That man belonged to her past and it should stay there. Period.
Then why in the hell cant she just say yes to Albert and make everyone happy.
Will it make you happy? That irritating voice in her head asked her.
Hindi ko kailang ng lalaking sasambahin ako. I just want to be sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with Albert.
And no, I did not say I refused him. In fact, I did not say anything at all.
You hesitated. Natalie insisted. Was it because of.. Natalie asked hesitantly.
Dont even go there, Nat. I moved on and so should you. My decision to think things over is not for any reasons
related to my past but to my future. With or without Albert. She told her bestfriend sternly. Besides, naintindihan
naman ako ni Albert. Weve only known each other for eight months and already hes proposing to me. Things are
just going too fast, Nat at kailangan ko lang ng time.
Duh, even people who have known each other for a week ends up having sex, Rach. Natalie eyed Rachel
suspiciously who seems to look anywhere but her. No.. dont tell me. You two havent done it yet, have you? Natalie
asked her unbelievably in a voice that was too loud in Rachels ears. Hearing her best friends question, she almost
choked on her coffee.
Do I look like an easy lay? She asked in gritted teeth. At pwede ba hinaan mo ang boses mo kung magtatanong ka
na lang din tungkol sa sex life ko which I have no intention of answering. She looked at her watch and thankfull y they
were almost running late. Umalis na nga tayo, baka saan pa tayo mapunta dahil sa mga tanong mong yan. She
grabbed her coffee, stood up and turned to go. What she didnt expect was to walk straight into someone. She almost
lost her balance but thankfully a strong pair of arms held her up. Unfortunately her coffee was all over his shirt.
Im so sorry. Hindi ko sinasad- Whatever apology she was about to say died and completely forgotten when she
looked up and saw a familiar face looking back at her, completely amused.

Hello, Rachel. Richard greeted her shocked face.
















II.

Rachel? He called her name again. Hindi man halata pero nabigla din si Richard na makita ulit si Rachel. Its been a
very long time. Hindi naman ganito kaliit ang Pilipinas sa palagay niya. Seeing the woman who held his heart for a
very long time was...unexpected. It left him breathless. And the moment he laid his eyes on her, he realized one
thing. The one thing he kept buried deep inside his soul and pretended did not exist.
Rachel is the one.
She will always be the one. No matter how painful the last time they saw each other. No matter how much they had
hurt each other in the past. Rachel will always have a strong grip in his heart. Always have and always will.
Question is what can he still do to make this woman his again and forever...
Ang tagal na nating hindi nagkita. How long has it been? Eight years? Nine years? He asked Rachel who was still
looking at him like hes grown horns or something. He touched her shoulder. Softly but firmly. Rachel, okay ka lang?
As if his touch woke her from a dream, Rachel stepped out of his reach. Nakita niyang lumunok si Rachel. A sign that
shes nervous or something rattled her...or someone.
Richard. Was all she said.
You still remember me? He joked.
She smiled. Almost.
Syempre naman. Who wouldnt remember the biggest jerk in town? She said it softly and it made him think twice
whether it was a joke or not.
He let that barb go and smiled at her. Aray. First you spilled your coffee on my favourite shirt then you wound my
ego? Maawa ka naman.
I did-
Richard, anong nangyari? You look like a mess.
Napatingin silang dalawa sa babaeng lumapit at tumabi kay Richard. He totally forgot.
Karen.
Im sorry. It was all my fault. He heard Rachel explain at Karen.
Tumawa lang si Karan and held his hand. No, I dont think so. Sa tingin ko, hindi lang tumitingin sa dinadaan niya
etong taong to. She looked at him fondlyand he couldnt help but smile at her. Dont worry, you may look like a mess
but youre a hot mess. She winked at her. Sorry if nasayang ang coffee mo. She told Rachel. We can buy you
another if you want?
No! Its okay. Late na rin ako so I really have to go. They looked at each other for a moment but Rachel looked
away. Sorry.
Its okay Rachel. It was nice seeing you. He extended his hand and Rachel reluctantly took it for a moment and left.
You know each other? Karen asked after they found a table. Karen was a little curious and it was normal since he
called Rachel by her name and there was no malice in her tone.
An old..friend.
Should I be worried? She asked casually but he knew she was a bit worried. They both heard the hesitation when
he said Rachel was an old friend.
He was happy now. Karen makes him happy. It would be unfair for Karen if he acted on what he had just realized
about his feelings for Rachel. Besides, where could they both possibly go? Rachel and him were done. He would
probably never see Rachel again.

Never. He simply answered.