Chapter 3

Though Serin gets so flustered she stiffens like a statue, she is quick enough to hide her shock. 

Gail does the same and acts like she’s really happy for Jeremy. “Oh my god! Our beloved Jeremy Sean already has a girlfriend? Wow! Congrats to you then!”

Jeremy just nods at her. 

“Oh! I forgot! I have to meet someone in the lobby. Gotta go now.” More lies. Gail throws Serin a bitter smile. “Let’s hang out soon, okay?” Hurting deep inside, she excuses herself and almost flies out of the hallway. 

At the closing of the elevator door, Jeremy immediately drops Serin’s hand and hurries back to his place, as if nothing happened. Serin can’t believe he leaves just like that without hearing a ‘thank you’ or at least an apology from him for using her as a fake girlfriend to shoo Gail away. 

Upset, she follows him. “I’m sorry to say this but you have already crossed the line, Sir Jeremy.” 

But he plays deaf, pushing Serin to block his way. As they face each other, he looks away with obvious haste, afraid he might see shocking things in those eyes again. He says, “Gail wouldn’t have seen you and I wouldn’t have needed to shut her up if you didn’t go outside.”

“W..What??” Serin feels terribly wronged now. “If you don’t want others to know that someone like me is staying here in your place, then let me go.” 

Chris is right about giving Serin a break because her frustrations have already piled up, Jeremy turns around to leave. 

“I’ve had enough, Sir Jeremy.” She stands in his way again very closely to stop him from escaping, making their eyes meet for real this time. 

To his surprise, no scenarios flash in those eyes. He feels greatly relieved. 

However, Serin snatches his relief too soon as she utters, “Heron.”

What a cruel attack, Jeremy struggles to hide his torment. Dark clouds visibly form in his eyes, and Serin can see them clearly. He looks so tormented he can’t move at all. What he can only do is stare at Serin while he’s suffering in silence. 

But why is Serin unhappy about it when she did intend to get back at him? It’s crazy that what she feels right now is terrible guilt, witnessing Jeremy in pain. 

“I.. I’m sorry,” she apologizes immediately. “It’s true that it was my intention to get back at you, and for me to do that, I had to mention.. that name..” Though tears already form in her eyes, she still refuses to look away. “The first time you confronted me, you asked why I called you by that name. The look on your face and the pain in your eyes clearly told me that the name itself could be your worst torment.” 

Jeremy is surprised that Serin already has a clue about his painful past. It’s a heartbreaking past he has been wanting to bury in forgetfulness. He can’t even dare reveal it to his best friends. 

“I’m really sorry, Sir Jeremy.. I know I can no longer undo what I did but please..” Her sorry eyes give in, and as she steps back, her tears overflow. 

Flustered, Jeremy can’t say or do anything but blame himself. If only he treated her nicely, she wouldn’t have wanted to get back at him. He has been really mean to her, so this time, he wants to sincerely apologize for everything.

He takes a step forward and is about to say he’s deeply sorry when he suddenly gets speechless in front of her. Why is Serin so beautiful up close? He stares at her. Her beauty is ethereal. And while those tears rush down her scarlet cheeks, her face glows even more, like a lovely flower dazzling in the rain showers. However, as he gazes at her, he can tell that there’s this sad and painful story buried deep in such goddess-like beauty.

“Heron, I miss you..”

Such words from Serin along with her painful crying instantly take Jeremy back to the night he first heard her long for that name.  But this time, he is sure that she’s aware she has just uttered those words of yearning. “What was that?? W..Why did you–”

Serin hurriedly walks away, coming back to her senses, for she blurted out something she shouldn’t have.

But Jeremy won’t stay still and have another unanswered question when there’s a lot piling up already. He races behind her and stops her from leaving. “What was that?” he asks gently, no longer wanting to treat her harshly. 

Now that Serin can’t escape from him anymore, she has no other choice but to tell him the truth. “Since I got discharged from the hospital, I keep having the same dream every night. It’s me wandering alone in a very unfamiliar place, longing for someone I can’t even remember. It’s so sad and painful. And that scenario in my dream suddenly flashed before me while I was crying in front of you a while ago. I must have gotten immersed in that moment that I unknowingly uttered, ‘Heron, I miss you.’ Those are the words I keep crying out in my dream every night..” 

That has Jeremy staring at her in so much disbelief. Heron has already reached Serin’s dreams not only once but repeatedly. Haunted and distressed again, he drags his heavy feet and walks away in silence. Serin, left alone, feels crushed. Jeremy is in torment, and it gets worse each day because of her. 

“Drink this first.” Chris shows up, handing her a glass of water. 

It’s too late to hide her tearful face, Serin quietly drinks the water. 

“What happened?” It’s Ken, showing up also. As he stands close to Serin, he makes her hold the box of tissue. 

Serin wipes her tears without saying anything, then looks at the two with such sorry eyes. 

“It’s never your fault why Jeremy is like that, okay?” Chris reassures her right away. “I’m not gonna say this just because Jeremy is our best friend but he is never the type who makes others cry. Believe me, he’s kind hearted, very selfless and understanding. It’s just that he’s going through a lot.”

“Thanks to his cruel life,” Ken adds.

Chris sighs. “The truth is.. Even until now, Jeremy feels crap about demanding you to repay the hospital bills he spent on you. He never really intended to do such a cheap thing. It’s just an excuse.” He’s about to reveal something that can surely deepen Serin’s guilt. “He can’t let you go yet for one main reason.” 

She gulps hard, hoping it’s not as haunting as not having a legal identity. “W..What is it?” 

Chris gestures at Ken to spill the truth to her now, so he does, “Jeremy found something in the pocket of your black dress. It’s a sketch of his face.” 

Feeling a lot sorrier and terrible, Serin totally understands now why Jeremy really wants her to regain her memory. 

“But don’t let that sketch get into you,” Ken adds, noticing Serin look more troubled. “All of us have look-alikes. It could be someone else.”

“Right,” Chris agrees to at least make her feel a little better. 

But Serin still feels the need to confirm if the sketch is really hers, so she thinks of doing something. 

Evening comes, and she’s ready to do it.

Chris hands her a sketch pad and a drawing pencil. “Should we borrow the sketch from Jeremy?”

She shakes her head. “No need. I think it’s better if I draw him without any hint of what is exactly in the sketch.”

“That makes sense,” Ken responds. 

“Call us when you’re done.”

Serin nods at Chris.

As the two guys leave her room, she tears a page from the sketch pad and flattens it on the table. Nervously, she takes the pencil and closes her eyes. A radiant smile from Jeremy flashes before her eyes the moment she visualizes his face, which is absurd because she has never seen him smile even a little. Then, a heavy feeling suddenly suffocates her. It’s longingness that surely feels so devastating she sheds tears instantly until the pain gets too deep. She cries hard, and it blasts even from the outside.

Chris and Ken come rushing. 

“What’s wrong??” they ask her in unison, seriously worried. 

Serin opens her tearful eyes but she can’t look at them. “I.. I’m okay..”

“But..” Chris bends down and faces her at eye level. “We heard you outside. You were crying so loud. And look at you, you’re still crying.”

“I.. I j..just..” Her tears can’t stop rushing. 

Ken makes her hold some tissues, also on one knee beside her. “It’s okay, you can cry..”

“Damn..” Shocked, Chris hurriedly stands up and takes the piece of paper from the table. “This is..” He is at a loss for words, looking at the sketch. He shows it to Ken. 

Goosebumps creep on them, for Serin’s new drawing and the sketch Jeremy found in the pocket of her dress are exactly the same, as if they are photocopied.

“I don’t think Jeremy should see this,” says Ken, still staring at the new sketch. “Looking at it now, I am sure it will cause him more–”

“Oh shoot! I just got chills!” Chris exclaims all of a sudden. 

Ken and Serin look at each other in confusion while Chris poses like a proud detective who has just solved a challenging case. He stares at the sketch in his hand and confidently says, “This is not Jeremy. Even the one he’s keeping. This guy is definitely the one Serin mentioned earlier.”

“Shit! You’re right!” Ken exchanges a high-five with Chris, then looks at Serin. “What is his name again?”

She replies reluctantly, “H..Heron..” 

“That’s it! Jeremy finally gets one answer to his piled-up questions.” Chris is so relieved. 

Ken feels the same, making him say, “Heron must be Jeremy’s doppelganger.” 

While Chris chuckles, Serin falls into silence, unable to feel the relief the two guys are sharing with right now because the new sketch along with Chis and Ken’s conclusion that it’s Heron will only give Jeremy more unsettling thoughts and emotions. 

“Let’s talk to Jeremy now,” Chris breaks the silence. “He should know the good news.” 

Ken nods, then tells Serin to get herself enough rest because of what she has gone through the entire day. As they leave the room, they head straight to Campbell Park and spot Jeremy right away.