So, what now?

Gerald actually professed his real feelings to her. Kim had to give herself a mental shake for she thought she was only dreaming. She had been waiting for so long a time but when the moment was finally there, it felt too good to be true. Of course, Gerald meant well but because of the broken heart that she had nursed for quite sometime, Kim just couldn’t give in. She was getting used to her life without Gerald.

“I love you, Kim…”

His words played back in her consciousness over and over again. She was almost on the verge of letting him know that her feelings for him was still there but something at the back of her mind was telling her otherwise. Gerald was her best friend and they were alright until she crossed the line and fell in love with him. Maybe they were really better off this way.

She was at the point of convincing herself that her decision earlier that day was the right one when she felt the tears still rolling down her cheeks. Sure, she felt relieved that somehow, they had been able to talk things through but why was she shedding tears for a lost cause?

She should be on top of the world. She could not ask for more as far as her career was concerned.

She should be happy, right?

Right.

Everyone in her family is doing well. She had been able to help them out and she was happy doing her part.

She should be happy, right?

Right.

Most of all, she had made the right decision regarding Gerald’s role in her life.

She should be happy, right?

Right…

Gerald on the other hand relived his moment with Kim that morning. He felt like the world stopped revolving the moment he had Kim in his arms. He could have stayed in that moment forever. Ironically, that hug signified an end to something.

It meant letting go.

He took a deep breath, hoping to ease the pain in his heart but no matter what he did, it lingered on. With his heart now drenched in tears, he comforted himself by thinking that he had been stupid for leaving her behind back then. He had wasted so many years and maybe, it was payback time for the pain that he caused her.

So he finally told her what he really felt but unfortunately for him, it was too late. If only he was brave enough to tell her back then…

He took out Kim’s picture from his wallet. It had been there all these years. Even if he was crying, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her.

“I love you, Kim and I will never stop loving you and all I want is for you to be happy. If this is what would make you happy…” Gerald spoke as if he was really talking to her. He wasn’t sure if he could just be friends with her but it was something that he had to endure. He would be willing to pay the price than lose her completely.

Over the next days, Kim and Gerald both worked on being “friends”. It was not an easy thing to do with the way they both felt inside but they tried, taking things one step at a time.

“Hi Kimmy!” Gerald greeted her when she entered the lobby. They were at ABS for the story conference of the episode that they would be doing for MMK.

Kim smiled back at him. “Hi Ge! Kanina ka pa?”

“About fifteen minutes, kumusta ka na?” He asked. It had been five days since they had that “talk” and they have not seen each other since. Gerald thought it would be kind of awkward to ask how Kim was doing but when Kim flashed him that smile, he thought that they could start renewing their friendship.

“Okay naman ako.” Kim answered. “Namiss kita…” She said matter-of-factly. It was true that she did miss him but she tried to sound as casual as she could. “Namiss kita, kurimaw!” She added.

Both of them laughed. It was a nickname that Kim had been calling him during their My Girl days. It felt good for both of them to be able to laugh once again.

“Ows talaga?” Gerald asked, still grinning. His heart somersaulted at what Kim told him but he was careful enough not to give things a different meaning. Kim meant well but he should leave it at that.

“Oo naman…ang tagal mo kayang hindi nagpakita.”

“Na miss din kita, sugar mommy.” Gerald pinched her right cheek. It was something that he missed doing.

“Ang sama mo! Anong sugar mommy!”

“Eh tinawag mo kaya akong kurimaw…” Gerald put an arm around her as they both walked their way to the conference room.

Kim thought she would feel uncomfortable with what Gerald did but she was surprised at how at ease it made her feel. It had been the way they were before, two friends just having fun.

“Sorry…” Gerald said when he realized what he was doing. He removed his hand from her shoulders and walked beside her.

Kim could only smile, assuring him that there was no harm done. She figured that if she wanted their friendship to work out, she just have to get used to their old ways.

“As you already know, you will be doing a true to life story and since our letter sender is based in Singapore and this would be an anniversary episode, the management has decided to have the shooting there.” Miss P announced as soon as the meeting started.

She then asked her secretary to hand out the some papers to Kim and Gerald.

“And that, Kim and Gerald, is the story.” She added.

Kim looked down and started reading. She felt cold all of sudden when she realized that the storyline was something that she could very well, relate with.

It was of two friends who went to the Lion City for work, the struggles that they both faced and the things that they had been through until, one fell in love with the other and the complications started.

“Miss P, are you sure about this?” She asked, glancing at Gerald who busied himself with reading.

“Yes, ang ganda nga ng story ng letter sender eh. This is something that you should not turn down.”

“Ilang days po ba tayo sa Singapore?” Kim asked, not knowing what else to say.

“Probably a week…is that okay with you?”

Kim nodded her answer. What with all the letters that ABS receives for MMK, this is the one that feel to them? Talk about fate playing on them.

Miss P then turned to Gerald. “Ge?”

“I don’t see any problem.” He said. The truth was that, he also felt a bit apprehensive about the storyline but then he thought, they were no longer teenagers and both of them are learned actors and had always been professionals with their careers and so for him, he would just take this as plain work. No matter how close the story is to their real lives.

“Alright, we are all set then. We will be leaving for Singapore, the day after tomorrow. Sasama ako to ensure that you two would not only work hard but play hard as well. Let’s all take this opportunity to have some well deserved R&R.” Miss P stated matter-of -factly.

Kim saw the excitement in the eyes of her manager. Deep inside, she was also excited but more than anything else, she felt nervous but she had to remind herself that it would not be about Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson. It will all be about the letter sender and her story.

So, it will be alright.

“Okay, Kimmy. This is it. Trabaho lang to at walang personalan.” She muttered to herself. Still the thought of spending an entire week with Gerald elicited a restrained sense of giddiness in her.

Kim had always loved to have the window seat. She was going to place her hand carry baggage in the overhead compartment when…

“Let me…” Gerald said, taking her luggage from her hands.

“Thanks.”

“Katabi mo si Kurimaw for this entire flight, okay lang ba sa’yo yun?” Gerald asked, smiling. Kim was already seated.

“Oo naman, bakit hindi?” She smiled back at him.

“First time natin to sa Singapore…are you excited?” Gerald started a conversation with her when he finally sat beside her.

“I’ve always wanted to go there. Ikaw?”

“Likewise…” Gerald took out a pack of chewing gum from his bag and offered some to Kim.

She took out one from the pack and smiled widely. “Banana flavored?”

“Favorite mo yan di ba?” Gerald said. He had always remembered her favorites. He knew them by heart. For the past years, he did just that. Eating her favorites, watching the films that he knew she loved and thought about her all of the time. It was his way of being close to her even if they were miles apart.

“Thank you!”

They spent the next forty five minutes catching up with each others lives. Talking about the highlights of their five years apart and several trivial matters which they felt were worth sharing. Laughter weren’t far and between because Gerald took it upon himself to make each anecdote as funny as possible for Kim.

“Tama na, Ge, please! Ang sakit sakit na ng tiyan ko eh…” Kim tried not to burst out laughing.

“Hindi, hindi pa ako tapos eh..may isa pa…” Gerald was chuckling too but he loved the sound of Kim’s laughter even more.

“Eh ayoko na…sa susunod naman. Hindi ko na talaga kaya.”

“O sige, basta makikinig ka ha? Promise?”

“Oo na sige na…”

“You’re sleepy, aren’t you?” Gerald asked softly when Kim yawned.

“Slight, napagod na ako kakatawa e. It’s nap time for me.” Kim leaned back to her seat and closed her eyes.

“Okidoki. You better make the most of our remaining hour in the plane.” Gerald hoped that the disappointment in his voice was not obvious. He really wanted to have more time to chat with Kim but he knew very well that she’s been too busy lately with showbiz engagements and need to get a catnap.

Gerald contented himself with watching Kim as she drifted off to sleep. She was really beautiful. His heart started to pound real hard at the sight of her. There was no way on earth that he could be over her. He was certain that he could never love somebody else but her…

He looked out of the window and sighed…

He realized that it was already dark outside. They had left Manila about six in the evening. Gerald took the airline blanket and wrapped it around Kim when all of a sudden, she moved and her head accidentally landed on his shoulders.

The warmth Kim’s presence brought to him that instant triggered his mind to walk down memory lane.

He remembered the time when they went to the States. It was Kim’s first time to go on an international flight and although her dad tagged along, she chose to sit beside him. Their first two hours on board was like a Q&A portion. Kim kept on asking him about US stuff and he tried his best to answer each of her questions. After they’ve had their dinner and their non-stop chatting finally took a toll on her, Kim promptly fell asleep on his shoulder. He felt her slight shuddering so he asked the flight attendant for a blanket which he carefully placed over them.

Once he heard her soft snoring, Gerald took the moment to smell her fruity scent, nuzzling her hair and temple. By the time he decided to join her in dreamlandia, his right arm/Kim’s pillow was already slightly numbed. However he dared not wake Kim up. His last thought before also giving in to a deep slumber was that it felt good just to have her close.