April 15, 2017
Marcus apartment
Marcus looked out from the tall glass window in the living room of his one bedroom apartment on East 14th Street. The streets were filled with women wearing flowy and flowery dresses and trench coats, while men were wearing jeans with their hooded jackets. Still others has trench coats on in different colors.
Flowery trees filled the sidewalks and its petals were blown by the wind, showering the streets. Across his apartment, the coffee shop started putting out chairs and tables outside for the customers to sit. Oh how he loves spring in New York! He truly missed it so much.
He had been travelling a lot for the past year. Most of his projects were either in New York or out-of-state. He also visited the Philippines three times to check on how their resort was doing. His Uncle Dan took over it ever since he and his mom moved to New York years ago. His mom usually visited the Philippines with him once or twice a year and stayed there for about a month. But since last year, it had not been the case.
His mom was diagnosed of stage 4 breast cancer. She had been ignoring her pain for such a long time that they never knew she was sick until last year. His mom was a jolly woman, and always making sure she does not let anyone worry about her. So when the doctor told them that she has breast cancer, he could not believe that she hid it from him. Five months later, she passed away.
His stepdad, Alfred, was so devastated that he buried himself in his work. He would sometimes see him sleeping in his office and barely going home. He knew how hard it must have been for him.
He saw how his mom was when his own father died when he was younger. He would often hear her cry at night. She did not show it to him but he knew how she truly missed his dad.
So when she told him she met someone online, five years after his father died, he was happy for her. Finally, someone will take care of her again and make her happy just like his dad used to do. Alfred came to their hometown in the Philippines and spent time with them.
The first time he met Alfred, he knew he was the right one for his mom. He saw how he took care of her, making her feel like a queen. He bought her flowers everyday and helped out in the resort. He said they used to have a farm in Oklahoma before moving to New York when he was a kid, so he was not afraid to get his hands dirty. He treated him like his own son, and often said how he wished he had one like him.
Marcus longed for a father's love and so when Alfred asked him if he could have his approval in marrying his mom, he didn't even think twice and even volunteered to be the best man.
The wedding was a simple yet romantic wedding with only his mom's family and close friends and was held in Tagaytay.
Tagaytay was considered one of the most visited tourist spots in the Philippines and it had always been her mom's dream to get married again in that place, overlooking the Taal Volcano. He remembered how happy his mom was that day as he walked down the aisle with her. Alfred was a bit teary-eyed as he took her from him and exchanged their vows. It was surely memorable.
Alfred became more than his expectations of a father. He adopted him as his own, sending him to an Ivy League school to study architecture and later on, offering him a position in his own company. He had always dreamt of becoming an architect and Alfred fulfilled those dreams for him. But came with it was a price of being in the spotlight which he was not very used to. Having a famous stepfather made everyone's attention turn to him, mostly women.
Everyone thought he was a ladies' man. That every time a woman made advances on him, he would indulged himself. Though he did tried to have a serious relationship with most of them, none of them could surpass his standards. He still longed for a long-term serious relationship just like his mom had with both his dad and Alfred separately.
True love, which was very rare nowadays, was what he wanted.
He did made a promise once to someone and ended up breaking someone's heart in the end. He tried his hardest to forget that day but he just couldn't. He still remembered every detail... and how he had hurt her. He regretted it, but back then he had no other choice.
He had to break her heart...
And now, Marcus had to face her again in a few minutes because of a promise. A binding promise he made three years ago... and he had to make sure she agrees to it.. most especially now.
The intercom rang, stopping him from his thoughts. He went to the intercom nailed to the side of his main door and pressed the button.
"Yes, Sebastian," he answered.
"Hello, Mr. Jones. Ms. Nikka is here," informed Sebastian, the doorman.
'Nikka', he thought. 'She is here.'
"Sir? Should I let her come up now."
"Ahh... yes, Sebastian. Thank you."
"You're welcome, sir."
He released the button from the intercom then looked at his watch again. It is 10:45 am.
She was fifteen minutes early and yet he knew how Nikka was. She was always early in any appointments even before.
How he wished he could bring back everything the way it used to be. To erase that bitter memory for once and start over again... if only...
"You can come up now, Ms. Nikka," Sebastian told her as she paced around the lobby.
"Thank you, Sebastian," she replied. She couldn't believe it had been three years since she went back here. Sebastian never changed at all. He was still the polite man she used to know except he had aged a bit.
Nervous, she heaved a deep sigh. It had been three years since she last saw Marcus and she didn't know how she would feel upon seeing him again. She felt like the wound that he had left was so deep that she vowed to never see him again. She tried to move on after that day and forget him... along with the wonderful memories they had... by finding someone new.
Someone she thought she could trust and love. But, then, he turned out to be her worst nightmare. In which, up to this moment, she still went to counseling sessions and therapies.
The elevator door opened to the fifth floor. She straightened her white ruffled dress and balled her hands to control the shaking.
"It's okay, Nikka, " she breathed. "You can do this."
She walked across the hall to his apartment, masking the nervousness inside her, and was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened.
A familiar face stood before her.
'Marcus.'