I STARED at the crowd walking past us as Bright pulled me gently towards her side. My legs are now recovering from the infliction of injuries. However, it is still obvious that I can't walk for too long, nor can I walk straight without getting off-balanced.She held my hand tight, her long slim fingers intertwined with mine as she navigated through the people."Darling, what would you like to visit first?" she says this under her breath before turning her gaze towards me. We were currently in another mall past the previous one, and unlike the other, there were more stalls, boutiques, and entertainment places in this establishment.I only stared at her blankly before she managed to point at the stall close to us."How about eating tacos at Taco Bell?" she suggested, before pulling me towards its direction. She then let me sit at one of the tables and immediately ordered food for the two of us.Truth be told, I could have escaped her immediately upon her turning her back on me. However

LIGHT radiated from the television as the sound from the speaker engulfed the four corners of the room. What was flashed through the screen was a person speaking in fluent English, narrating news for today's date.I stared at the local news, my eyes blinking at each and every changing image."What are you watching?" Bright suddenly pulled me from my deep thoughts and embraced my neck in a hug.I didn't speak a word and just continued to stare off-screen.Truth be told, I cannot understand what I am watching. All I know is that light is blinking from the television as I continue to hear mumbling words."Do you know that the police are currently investigating the man's sudden disappearance?"Her lips against my ears made me feel tingly from the inside."Rumors are circulating and I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming days . . . a man will be knocking on our door again, demanding to enter with a search warrant," Bright added, her lips nibbling through my ear."Don't you find it exciti

FOR THE first time in a long while, I was able to come out of the apartment. Bright's mother happens to tell me to buy some stocks for the apartment.As I navigated my way down the elevator, memories immediately came rushing back into my head.It was exactly eight months ago when Bright took me to this condominium, and I met Sam a week after settling down.We would always coincidentally meet in the elevator, probably because we were staying on the same floor.Truth be told, he was a nice guy. I understood each and every word that came out of his mouth, giving me advice when I needed it and becoming emphatic about my situation.However, it wasn't something I could call love. I wasn't in love with him.As soon as the elevator door opened to the ground floor, I started walking down the street and was welcomed by the same guard from before."It has been a long time since I saw you, Ma'am! I'm glad you came back," the guard greeted me.Immediately, a wry smile formed on my lips as I heard

THE CURTAINS were swaying slowly as the light embezzled me from my sleep. I couldn't help but yawn and stretch my arms out.Morning had just started, and the sunlight radiating from across the window pane put a smile on my face.As I looked around the room, I was greeted by the gleaming sight of white colored wallpaper, followed by the same bedroom I had been sleeping in for the past few months.Afterwards, my eyes landed on the woman sleeping close to me, with blonde locks of hair and pale porcelain-like skin.I couldn't help but plant a kiss on her neck.On Tuesday morning, I was able to get up early and cook breakfast for the two of us. I prepared everything for the day and woke her up at around seven o'clock in the morning.Once we finished our breakfast, she started navigating through the morning, preparing herself for classes.Meanwhile, I went back to my usual job taking care of the garbage and cleaning up the place, until she called out to me to bid farewell and pecked me on t

"I love you."• • •THE FIRST time I laid my eyes on her, I thought that she was just a stranger. I'd walk past the streets in heavy rain.I didn't think that there would be a time when I'd develop feelings for a woman who had just fainted and was longing for death to arrive.I closed my eyes as I felt the heavy pouring rain engulf my ears. I was on my way to the parking lot when the rain suddenly poured down. Coincidentally, there was a waiting shed not too far from where I was as I held a paper bag close to my chest.As my eyes slowly looked at the darkness of the sky, I saw the gray clouds swallow the sky and nothing but the sound of vehicles maneuvering enveloped the place.Students such as I am were now on their way to their own destination and the light drizzle became rain. I reached out my hand to touch the water falling and felt the cold touch of liquid.It reminded me of her eyes. Those cold, indifferent eyes.I thought that the first time I saw her, her eyes were always blac