The city below is lit up by countless twinkling lights from buildings, streets, and vehicles, creating a mesmerizing glow against the dark sea and mountains. The bright colors of the city’s nightlife mix with the quieter, dimly lit neighborhoods, showing the city’s lively energy.

Cebu is one of the beautiful cities in the Philippines.

This was my home for 20 years, but this is also where my nightmare started.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have just landed at Mactan-Cebu International Airport. The local time is 10:45 p.m. On behalf of Celestial Airways, we thank you for flying with us, and we hope to see you again soon.” said the pilot.

Ang mga pasahero ay unti-unti nang nagsilabasan noong makakuha na kami ng signal mula sa mga staff ng eroplano.

Ako naman ay nananatiling nakatingin sa bintana kahit na ang tanging nakikita ko na lamang ay ang madilim na paligid sa labas.

Even if I know that seeing them here is impossible, I just can’t ignore the fear I feel by being here at the place where their power is influential and strong.

Being here scares me the most.

“Hoy! Halika na!”

Natauhan ako nang kabitin ako ni Hannih, nakatayo na ito at handa nang lumabas pero hindi niya ginawa dahil hinintay niya ako.

I took a deep breath before standing up from my seat as I forced myself to act cool amidst the feeling I had inside of me.

Maybe this is the time when I should force myself to face what I fear the most. I couldn’t let my fear stay that way, as I know that there will come a time when I have to let go of the things that burden me and focus on my present.

My past will always leave a scar that will stay with me forever, but I shouldn’t let it haunt me until eternity.

So what if I see my past here? What if I remember everything that happened to me in this place?

Sure, it will open my healing wound, but will that stop my life? Will it ruin my life? Will it kill me?

I don’t know, but I’m just hoping that it will not be as destructive as I imagined it would be.

“Hello?” I answered Kairo's call.

We had just arrived at the hotel where we would be staying for three days.

I just finished unpacking my things and taking a quick shower when he called. It’s already 12 a.m., so he’s probably at his condo now.

“Hi!” He breathed hoarsely. “Are you there already?”

I couldn’t help but smile as I heard his deep yet very comforting voice.

“Yeah…” I reached for one of my pillows as I hugged it tightly, imagining that it is him. “I miss you…”

He was the one who drove me to the airport a while ago, and while we were on the road, he had a lot of reminders for me.

“Huwag kang lumayo sa mga kasama mo ha?” he said as if I were a kid. “I put a medicine kit in your bag in case of emergency. You also have ointment and oils there in case your body is in pain or if you’re not feeling okay. Also, don’t go to places you are not familiar with, especially when you’re not with your classmates or teachers. Update me also with your whereabouts there, and call me if you need anything. I’ll keep my phone with me, so it will be easy for you to contact me.”

Sunod-sunod ang kaniyang mga sinabi na halos sumayaw na ang mga iyon sa utak ko.

“Hindi na ako bata, Kairo.” Natatawang sabi ko dito.

He glanced at me sideways. “I know, but hey, that doesn’t mean I’ll just let you go there without reminding you of some things,” he reasoned out. “It’s your first time to be there, so you must be extra careful.”

He doesn’t know.

Kairo doesn’t know anything about my past or about me. He only knew me as someone who works at a call center agency to support my studies. He knows where I work, my apartment, my college program, my school, my friends, and even my class schedule, but he doesn’t know anything deeper than those things.

And I’m just so thankful that he didn’t force me to tell him everything about myself. He didn’t ask about my family, which I found unfair since he let me meet his sister whom he had hidden for several years but eventually revealed to me even if we just knew each other for months now.

He really trusts me enough to let me know everything about him and also respects me deeply enough not to force me to tell him things I am not ready to reveal to anyone.

“I miss you too.” he sighed. “What are you doing there? Hmmm?”

I smiled to myself. Nakita ko naman na napatingin sa akin si Hannih na mukhang kuryuso sa kung sino ang katawagan ko.

Dalawa lang kami sa isang room na ipinagpapasalamat ko.

“Patulog na…”

“Really? I should hang up now,” aniya.

Umiling ako kahit hindi niya naman kita. “Huwag muna.”

“Why?”

“Could you…” I hesitantly trailed. “Could you sing for me?” Nahihiya kong tanong.

It was my first time to ask him this, and I haven’t heard him sing live because I just couldn’t find the right time to ask him this.

Tsaka nahihiya ako…

Baka singilin niya ako ng isang milyon lalo at alam kong bawat oras sa buhay niya ay bayad tapos ako itong magrerequest pa na kantahan niya ako eh puhunan niya pa iyon.

“What?” he uttered in shock.

I was about to withdraw my request, but he cut off my thought.

“Why is this the first time you ask me to sing for you?” he unbelievably asked.

“Huh?”

“You should have requested it before.” he said while chuckling.

I bit my lower lip. “Nahihiya ako.”

He laughed. “Oh wow?” aniya. “Okay, so now close your eyes… I’ll sing you to sleep.”

I followed what he said. I adjusted my position on the singular bed and hugged the pillow tightly as I put the phone to my ear, letting it rest there.

I heard Kairo humming an unfamiliar song kaya alam ko na kaagad na hindi niya iyon kanta.

“When we’re out in a crowd, laughing loud
And nobody knows why…” he started with his deep voice.

I smiled a bit, comforted by his voice.

He really has a good and clean quality of voice kaya hindi na ako nagdududa na isa siya sa pinakasikat na singer sa Pilipinas.

“When we’re lost at a club, getting drunk
And you give me that smile…” he continued, and I couldn’t help but be dazed by his voice.

I forced myself not to totally sleep because of his voice.

“Going home in the back of a car
And your hand touches mine

When we’re done making love and you look up
And give me those eyes…”

Unti-unti na talaga akong hinihila ng antok pero pinilit kong huwag makatulog nang tuluyan dahil gusto ko pang marinig siya na kinakantahan ako.

“’Cause all of the small things that you do
Are what remind me why I fell for you
And when we’re apart and I’m missing you
I close my eyes and all I see is you
And the small things you do…”

Those were the last part of the song I heard before dozing off to sleep.

Hindi ko na talaga napigilan at nakatulog na ako sa kaniyang pagkanta kaya naman noong magising ako ay kaagad kong tiningnan ang cellphone ko.

Nakita ko doon na umabot pa ng isang oras ang tawag bago iyon naputol. He also sent a message na mabilis kong binasa.

Boyfriend for real: Goodmornight, love… Just want you to know that you’re one of the reasons why my star is shining so bright💖

Hindi ko napigilan ang mapangiti. Mayroon pang kasunod iyon.

Boyfriend for real: You make everything feel right… My heart belongs to you…

He never failed to mention those sentences whenever he ends our conversations. That became his farewell each time we decided to sleep or in case we’ll do something. It really serves as the end of every conversation we shared.

Me: Good morning, baby!🥰 Sorry nakatulog🥲 Have a great day! Mwuah😘

Hindi ako nakatanggap ng reply. Mukhang natutulog pa siya kaya naman napagdesisyunan kong mag-ayos na para makaalis na kami ni Hannih.

“Si Kairo ba ‘yong katawagan mo kagabi?” tanong ni Hannih habang nag-aayos kami.

Napatigil ako sa pag-tuck in ng aming uniform white shirt sa denim jeans ko sa tanong na iyon ni Hannih. Napatingin ako sa kaniya na naglalagay ng kolorete sa kaniyang mukha.

“Oo, bakit?”

Sandali siyang napatingin sa akin bago nakangising naglagay ng blush on. “Nakatulog ka nang hindi napapatay ang tawag.”

I rolled my eyes as I started combing my hair. “Alam ko.”

She laughed loudly. “Pero hindi mo alam na nag-I love you siya sayo!”

Heat immediately crept up my face as my eyes bulged.

“H-How did you k-know?” Pasinghap kong tanong.

Kairo never said I love you to me kaya Hannih must be joking about what she said.

Her brows lifted up. “Tatanggalin ko sana ang cellphone mo sa pagkakapatong sa tenga mo kaso hindi ko alam na on-call siya sakto namang nagpapaalam siya tapos nagsabi ng I love you.” Pagkukuwento niya habang ang mga mata ay kumikislap sa tuwa.

I bit my lips—thinking if I should believe her or not.

“Wow! Tulalang-tulala, first time?” Natatawa niyang pang-aasar.

I only glared at her.

She probably would ask so many questions if I’ll be honest, so it’s better to just keep it.

Boyfriend for real: Morning🥰 Just woke up🙂

Nasa van na ako na magdadala sa amin sa first destination namin nang matanggap ko ang mensaheng iyon galing kay Kairo.

Hanggang ngayon ay iniisip ko pa rin kung totoo ba iyong sinabi ni Hannih pero nahihiya naman akong tanungin siya tungkol doon.

Hihintayin ko nalang siguro na dumating ang puntong maririnig ko iyon direkta mula sa kaniyang mga labi.

I keep him updated from time to time sa kung saan kami pumupunta na kaagad niya namang nirereplyan. Mukhang wala siyang trabaho dahil kahit anong oras ko man siyang itext ay nakakapagreply siya kaagad.

We explored some beautiful tourist attraction spots in Cebu, including The Heritage of Cebu Monument, Magellan’s Cross, and Osmeña Park.

All my classmates were mesmerized by how beautiful those places were while I acted cool since I’ve been there several times already.

Wala masiyadong nagbago sa lugar dahil parang ganoon pa rin iyon, tatlong taon bago ko nilisan ito. Ang pinagkakaiba lang ay maraming mga bagong establisyemento ang ipinatayo sa siyudad na mas lalong nagpaganda dito.

We ended our first tour earlier than expected, kaya naman noong maggabi ay hinayaan kami ng aming instructors na gumala nang kami-kami lang.

Gusto ko nalang sanang magpahinga pero pinilit ako ni Hannih na sa labas kami kumain. Malapit lang naman iyon sa hotel namin kaya naman pumayag nalang ako.

“Cr lang ako ah.” Paalam sa akin ni Hannih habang naghihintay kami sa order namin.

I simply nodded as I returned my attention to my phone.

I was updating Kairo when someone pulled the chair in front of me.

“Bakit bumalik—”

I stopped midway when I saw that it wasn’t Hannih who sat in front of me. I thought it was her, but I was mistaken.

Fear was an understatement to describe what I was feeling as I saw who it was.

That face…

That face is one of the scariest faces I’ve ever seen in this place.

Beads of cold sweat formed on my temples as I felt my hands shaking, forcing me to put down my phone on the table. My heart started to beat frantically in nervousness as I saw his dark brown eyes looking at mine.

I thought I survived a day without seeing some people who would remind me of my past, but I was wrong since the person in front of me was the main reason why I loathe this place.

“You’re back…” nakangising sabi nito na nagpangilabot sa akin.

That grin like a devil reminded me of what he did to me before.

I could feel my eyes heating and my breathing started to become heavy that I couldn’t almost catch some breath.

“L-Leave, L-L-Louie…” nanginginig ang boses kong sabi.

He grinned widely because of my reaction while my tears started to form in my eyes recalling the evilness he did.

He was about to reach for my face, but I immediately slapped his hand away from me, making him sigh in annoyance as his eyes darkened more in rage.

“L-Leave me a-alone,” naiiyak kong pakiusap kasabay ng pagpalis ko sa aking luha.

“We’re not done yet, Xyrene…” he said darkly. “You’ll surely be mine again.”

What he said before he left me there was enough to make me sob and cry over fear.

Using my shaking hands, I called someone who could help me with this situation.

“M-Mamie…” I sobbed the moment my grandmother answered the call.

“Are you crying?” she asked out of concern.

“M-Mamie, he s-saw me… L-Louie s-saw m-me...” humihikbi kong sumbong.

I heard her sigh heavily. “Hush…” she tried to calm me down, but the fear and trauma were not helping me. “Where are you? I’ll go there.”

I told her my exact location, but before she ended the call, she said something that intensified my fear.

“Take care, darling.” She heavily said. “Your parents are back… They know you’re here.”