The Obvious Heartbreak

Ring ring ring, the alarm beeped.

My eyes flew open as the lights passed through the blinds that painted the room in a yellowish hue. I positioned myself by sitting and grabbed ahold of the phone in an instant.

7:00 AM. Shit, I'm late.

I launched myself out of bed and hurriedly prepped for today—December 10. Two months after Kryz and I started texting. I skipped my bath and breakfast and went straight out of my room, hoping that I won't smell.

"Teka teka." My mom stopped me. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to surprise Kryz today," I said. She looked at me, her eyebrows raised. "At the cafe."

"Just at the cafe, okay?" She turned around and went back to the kitchen.

I nodded in reply despite her not looking at me.

On my way, I bought the most beautiful flowers at the florist. This should definitely work because it had left a dent on my wallet. If not, well, that leaves me broke financially and in relationship.

On the far corner of the cafe, I saw her—on our spot. Her hair was a a shade of brown that complemented her fair complexion. Amongst the rowdy crowd in the venue, she stood out. She was very pretty. And that comment doesn't give justice to how beautiful she is.

I let myself in the cafe—the hanging ornaments on the door chimed in as it moved. On short strides, I moved closer to her. Her eyes were still planted on her phone. And on a vacant seat on her table, a stranger sat across her. A male.

I froze on my spot, witnessing how they kissed and their glinted as their eyes met one another. Her smile was different from when we are with each other. And for all I know that smile for me was a grin of love.

But I should've known better. It was a grin of friendship.

With him, her smile was different. It was radiant... in love.

Her eyes grazed at me—face still smiling but painted with confusion. "Hey, Jake!"

"Hey," I managed to say, raising a hand that meant as a hello.

"I thought you're busy today?" She asked.

"Umm, I—" she cut me off.

"Let me guess," she said hastily. "You're meeting someone here!"

"Huh?"

"I mean, what are those flowers for, right?"

I eyed at the flowers on my hand. Shit, I thought to myself. I attempted to hide it behind my back she already saw it.

"You should've told me! I would understand naman! We're friends, diba? We don't hide secrets fr—," she said before cutting her off.

"I'm not meeting anyone." Killing the buzz, her face crunched up in further confusion.

Shit shit shit, I thought to myself. "It's for you." Handing her the bouquet. "I heard about your promotion and wanted to surprise you. That's all."

Her tensed face relieved and let out an "ahhh". "You're so sweet!" She got up and hugged me. "Thank you."

A cough boomed, and that caught our attention to the guy that sat by her table. "Oh right!" She let go of me and went near the guy. "Jake, this is Eric, my boyfriend," she said, gesturing at the guy with a buzzcut that matched his polo. "Eric, Jake."

"Hi," I said and shook his hands. And returned the favor. This dude is her boyfriend. Not me. Not that barista guy that kept on flirting with her. But this dude.

Then, the world fell silent between us, as the tension rose. Kryz let out an awkward laughter to bring us back. "You should hang out with us!" She then tried to grab ahold of the chair behind her.

"No no," I stopped her. "I had to go. I got an interview today."

"That's great!"

"Well, I'm not going to hog more of your time. I better get going!"

"Bye," the two of them said in chorus.

As I walked away from the two lovers, the cafe, and into the road. A surge of feelings came into being. But what was more evident was the anger that boiled up inside. Who was that guy? I thought there were no secrets between us! She never talked about him, or anyone else. Just her and her rants about her work.

I snapped back to reality when a car beeped at me. I was in the middle of the road, almost got hit by a car. "Sorry," I managed to say. My clenched fist relaxed when I saw my situation.

And when I further walked across the pedestrian lane, my mind still foggy, and my eyes blurred from the tears welling up, in a matter of seconds, I felt myself fly. Like all did not matter. But this painful feeling of metal on skin.

My limp body skidded on the asphalt road, soon halting until I found myself laying on the hot ground.

My eyes fell on a crowd of pedestrians that came rushing towards me as my ears rang so loud that others seemed to have been put in mute. The feeling of pain went away as fast as how the events had turned.

So, is this how I'm gonna die? On the ground, with almost no money to his name, and no one to call his.

I was birthed alone. And I will die alone.

I let the drowsiness get the best of me, and I blacked out.