Fated To Love You

❤ Shay’s POV ❤

IT has been more than a month since my parents passed away and I can still remember it as if it just happened yesterday. They were in a car accident, and their bodies were both mangled. So, we decided to have their bodies cremated for the wake. Our family and friends mourned over two marble jars with their ashes in them.

The accident happened just as I was finishing up my final exams for the semester. I was actually supposed to meet up with them and celebrate with a dinner. I have been waiting at the restaurant for more than an hour, with no sign of my parents. They weren’t answering my calls or texts as well.

Until I got that fateful call. It seemed surreal, and I initially thought it was a joke. I thought that my parents were playing a prank on me. I realized it wasn’t a joke when I saw their bodies lying in the metal beds in the hospital morgue.

I didn’t cry right away. Somehow, I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing. When the first tear dropped, it kept going. There was never a moment that I wasn’t crying until their urns were finally laid to rest in the columbarium.

If it were up to me, I would have just stayed where I am and lived in the same house where I grew up and lived with my parents. I was an only child, and we moved to Iloilo City when my father got a promotion from work.

Their office opened up a branch here, and he became the head of the branch. I was three years old when we moved here. I was an only child, and we had no other relatives here, so it was just me and my parents

Most of my father’s relatives are living abroad, while my mother’s only sister, Aunt Mariana, lives in Manila with her husband and two daughters. I didn’t know them that well and wasn’t close to my cousins at least because we lived far away from each other.

My aunt insisted on me living with her when my parents died. She said that she can’t bear me living alone in a city with no other relatives around. I was an incoming third year in college, and I could just transfer to my school’s Manila branch, but it isn’t that easy for me to relocate to a relatively strange city. They may be my relatives, but my aunt, uncle and cousins are relative strangers to me as well.

I eventually gave in, since I felt that my aunt would not stop convincing me until I agreed. With the small amount of time I have spent with her, I could say that she’s a nice lady, and she seemed really worried about me being on my own.

I have finished packing up stuff and was ready to move. I have sent my other stuff earlier through courier. I only have one luggage, a laptop bag, and a crossbody bag to take with me when I travel to Manila. My flight is in three days, and I am ready to go. Somehow, I still felt like I wanted to go away somewhere just so I could clear my head before starting my life in the new city.

Boracay would have been a good choice, but I don’t have a lot of money to spend at the moment. Besides, it’s too crowded for my taste, so I decided to look someplace else.

I have been to Cebu a few times, and there are plenty of nice beaches there I can go to.

Rather than book a flight, I decided to get a ticket to the ferry. The boat ride from Iloilo to Cebu should take about 12 hours. I also found a resort and booked a room. I plan to stay in Cebu for a day, which gave me plenty of time to make my flight.

I decided to change my flight to depart from Cebu instead of Iloilo. This way, I won’t have to go back to Iloilo again. This would save me both time and money, while still fulfilling my plan to unwind before heading to Manila.

The boat is supposed to leave in three hours, which gave me plenty of time to have a snack before heading to the pier.

My aunt and uncle brought my car to Manila earlier. They also took care of selling the other properties that my patents had that I won’t really need anymore. I refuse to have the house sold, and agree to just have it rented when I left. This way, I’ll get an income even if I’m not working.

My parents left a significant estate for me, but it’s specified in my parents’ will that I am not allowed to touch them until I’m 25. They left more enough to pay for my college education until I graduate, and to support whatever I might need.

I arrived at the pier with plenty of time. I have ridden this ferry before, and it’s one of the nice ones. I booked a solo cabin because I wasn’t in the mood to socialize with strangers at the moment. I will probably stay in the cabin for the duration of the trip, except for when I have to eat.

The boat left on time, and I decided to lay on the bed and watch a movie on my phone. This got boring real quick, and I can’t seem to find anything entertaining to do inside the cabin, so I decided to get out and walk around.

It’s still early, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the ocean. I leaned against the rail and looked at the water. It’s very calming, and I couldn’t help but smile. I closed my eyes to listen to the waves. I was suddenly annoyed when I heard a voice interrupt me.

Annoying Voice: “Miss, are you okay?”

I opened my eyes and got ready to berate the annoying man when I saw a handsome face smiling at me. I got a little distracted and cleared my throat as I said “Yeah, I’m okay. What makes you think I’m not okay?”

Annoying Handsome Man: “Well, to be honest, you look like you were going to jump off the rail.”

Shay: “I’m not jumping off the rail. I’m not crazy. I’m not suicidal either.”

Annoying Handsome Man: “My mistake, I’m sorry. Why don’t you relax?”

I breathed in and out a few times and was initially relaxed with just hearing and smelling the sea. I smiled immediately.

Annoying Handsome Man: “I’m Tristan.”

I turned to look at the man who introduced himself as Tristan, and looked at the hand he extended towards me. What is he doing? Did he think I wanted to be friends?

Tristan: “Non-crazy and non-suicidal people would usually shake my hand and tell me their name.”

Shay: “To be honest, I just want to be alone right now.”

Tristan looked disappointed as he put his hand down. I felt a little guilty, but I am not in the mood to socialize with anyone, and his handsomeness would not change that.

Tristan: “Okay. I’m sorry. I’m going to leave you alone now.”

I smiled and turned back to look at the sea. Tristan stayed standing next to me, while looking at the sea as well.

Shay: “I thought you were leaving?”

Tristan: ” I said I was going to leave you alone. I didn’t say I was leaving.”

Shay: “What’s the difference?”

Tristan: “Leaving you alone means not talking or bothering you. Leaving means getting out of here altogether. I’m enjoying the ocean & there’s not a lot of places to hang out in here, so I’m staying right here.”

I let out a derisive sigh before walking away from the railing. While walking away, I couldn’t help but smile. That man may have annoyed me, but somehow, he entertained me a bit as well.

I decided to head back to my cabin and take a short nap before dinner.