november 16, 2019.  

"That woman is just like you, Tianya." Zixuan stated with a chuckle.

"What do you mean, Ma?" Tianya asked while casting her mother a curious look.

"Still so young yet worrying about so many things when you don't need to or even have to. You need to live life and be in the present. Not worry about the future or the past."

"C'mon, Ma. I have to worry about you. Who else will?"

"Your father could if he didn't turn out to have another life with another family while doing the same with us for nearly thirty years."

"Ma. That's all in the past now."

"No. I don't care that it's all in the past, TianTian. To think that the one he cheated on me with was a close friend of mine's."

Zixuan frowned.

"You never mentioned that part."

Her mother scoffed.

"No need to mention if not important."

"But Ma."

"But nothing, Tianya. That so-called father and husband no longer matters to us and is not a part of our lives anymore. I will guarantee that until the day I die."

"Ma."

"Tianya, please. I know he's your father, but he has never contacted us again and acted like we were nothing when he got exposed."

Zixuan glanced at her daughter with glistening eyes.

"So It's just you and me, my sweet daughter. Always have been and will always be."

"Okay, Ma. Okay. Just you and me. Always and forever."

"That's right. Anyways, I'm still kicking, aren't I?" Her mother mused as Tianya rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Ma, yes you are."

She still cast her mother a worrisome look while squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"I still worry and I've been busy lately to care for you."

"TianTian, relax, it should be the other way around."

"I know, but still."

"I know, darling, I know."

Tianya aided her mother to the Nizho University Hospital for her mother's bi-weekly checkup. Once it was over the mother and daugther were at the bus stop after picking up the prescribed medication her mother needed to take.

"Ma, you have to make sure to take your medication, okay?"

Tianya reminded her mother as they waited for the bus to arrive.

"Dr. Aguilar said you have to watch your stress level. You're not getting any younger."

"Aiya, Tianya, stop fussing about me. I'm an old woman and supposed to be like this. I know what to do and how to care for myself."

Zixuan dismissed her own health notion as she shot her daughter a look.

"You should worry more about yourself. You should be married by now and giving me grandchildren."

"Ma."

Tianya shook her head with a laugh while taking a hold of her mother's arm and leading her onto the bus.

"I'm serious, Tianya. You need to worry about your own life, especially that no-backbone-man you're still dating. Wilber."

"Ma, it's William. Anyways, we haven't even talk about such things yet alone about having kids."

She helped her mother settled into an empty seat before taking the one beside her.

"If it happens, then it happens."

"Psh, such nonsense talk."

Zixuan made a face upon hearing her daughter's words.

"The two of you have been dating for years now and should have already settled down despite my dislike of him."

"Ma, it's only been four years today."

"Four years is still a long time. What else can I do? I have nothing better to do, but sit around and watch the TV all day."

Tianya's mother sighed heavily.

"It's boring doing nothing, TianTian. I miss tending to my garden every morning and evening."

"What about the pier fishing? I thought you were having fun with that?"

"I was, but the weather is cold for me to stay out too long."

Tianya patted her mother's back with an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry, Ma. Your health will return to normal and you'll be out and about tending to that lovely garden of yours in no time. In the mean time I'll buy you one of those succulents that's easy to care for. Anyways, I think the day will come sooner than you think before you know it about me and William."

Tianya smiled as she remembered seeing a tiny black velvet box in the backseat of William's car the other day when he had picked her up for work in the morning.

"Soon, Ma. Very soon. Just you wait."

She patted her mother's hand.

"I will wait just because I care for you although I don't approve of William still, but he makes you happy."

Tianya didn't mind her mother's commented and reminded her about her medicatin.

"Make sure to take your medication tonight, too. I won't be home as I'll be celebrating my anniversary with William, alright?"

"Alright. Just make sure he finally proposes to you this year."

"Ma."

"I'm just saying. If it's been that long, then he needs to commit. That's all."

"Ma."

"Okay. Okay. I'll make sure to take my pills tonight."

Later that night Tianya got ready to celebrate hers and William's fourth anniversary of dating. She wore a very stylish white top over black skinny jeans, and cute black and white Converse heels to match that she has only worn a few times. Tianya tried to maintain her energy as she was usually mellow and calm about almost everything in her life, but something like this was a bit different. It was a very special moment she was sharing with her loved one and hoped to spend the rest of her life with. So for her it was something to be expectant about.

So Tianya was just being extra excited as she believed tonight would be the night where her long-awaited vision of marriage would come true. Beside's the concerns of her mother's health, life was going well. Her job at the bank had given her a new salary raise which helped in the care of her mother. Of course she lived a very normal life and at first thought she was too average and maybe weird for William, but their time together over the course of four years had changed her view of that. Or so she believed.

Tianya waited in her living room for William to buzz that he was down below. She had to call him twice before she was able to get through to him to ask when he was going to pick her up for their date. Even then, he briefly apologized about it all and told her he would be there in fifteen minutes. It was another hour before he finally arrived with several apologies and the pair was able to start off their evening. Tianya told herself that William was just busy and stress with work and forgave him when he apologized once again.

She forgot about the whole incident upon arriving at the high-end restaurant of Skylight Terrace. Tianya couldn't believe her eyes of the wondrous view before her due to the fact that they were at the luxurious Skylight Terrace where it took several months to even reserve a reservation. Her heart thumped rapidly against her chest as she was overcome with anxiousness and silent excitement. Tianya tried to remain tranquil as possible as she didn't want to get ahead of herself now.

And throughout that evening it was marvelous and everything she had dreamed of in Tianya's eyes. The evening went wonderfully and beyond her expectations of it all. William was extremely charming, quite attentive, and even complimented his girlfriend here and there with lots of small kisses to her knuckles every so often. It was everything and more. She was such a cute mess and she nearly forgot about the whole ordeal of a proposal until she witnessed a quartet entering the area with violins.

At first Tianya assumed William got them to play to set the mood, but it wasn't until they surrounded a table next to theirs. Tianya smiled awkwardly trying her best to hide her disappointment as she cheered along with everyone else as the man proposed to his girfriend. Luckily, the woman had said yes and everyone in the restaurant loudly cheered for the lovely couple. Tianya looked over at William and wondered if he would delay the proposal due to the couple besides them. She didn't have to wonder for long when her boyfriend asked for the check and no dessert. Tianya was looking forward to having something sweet, but didn't voice it.

Still though, Tianya remained hopeful. Maybe there was another place he had planned for them afterwards as it was still early to retire for the night. Unfortunately, nothing happened afterwards of what Tianya assumed was going to occur that night. There was no extra place to visit after Skylight Terrace. No special dessert to make up for the one that didn't come after dinner. No candlelight mood or musicians playing a special song and surrounding them. And there was no William getting up from his seat to kneel on one knee in front of Tianya ready to propose to her and spend the rest of his life with her. There was no tiny black velvet box presented in Tianya's sight to gasp at the tiny item inside.

Instead she was sent back to her building complex in Praumitse with no mention of a proposal and left with a quick kiss to the lips at her doorstep. Tianya's anniversary of four years soon felt more like it was any other date that they had in the past just extravagant this time around. There was nothing special and Tianya realized that William didn't even mentioned their anniversary. Tianya hoped that he would've said something as she was the one that normally said stuff concerning their status and the likes. Tianya felt that in every romantic expectation, the guy would take the lead and that night it made her realized that William had never done such things in their relationship in all of these years.

Of course he showed her that he cared when others were around and doing this and that whenever she invited him over to visit her mother. At first she just thought it was just her mother being difficult with him, but realized to this day that her mother still didn't like the guy and only put up with him for her daughter's sake. Tianya also realized that she had never once met his parents or even brought up the matter either. Tianya shook the thoughts away while letting out a slow breath as she entered her house and up the stairs to her room in a quiet manner. Was it just her or was the rose-colored life she had looked at William with were now fading fast.

Almost like she was on auto-pilot Tianya went about her nightly routine like normal while scenarios played throughout her mind. She checked up on her mother who was sound asleep and double checked that she had taken her medicine as well to which her mother did. Tianya then tidied up the house before refreshing herself with a long and warm bath. After that, she got comfy in bed with the covers pulled close to her chin. Tianya wondered if she was just overthinking everything and maybe had missed the times William was quite romantic and cared for her without her knowledged. Still the inkling feeling of what she may have suspected all of this time was now edging itself to the front of her mind.

Tianya didn't want to think any longer upon it or feel that it could be possible, but as of right now a lonely feeling settled upon Tianya. She didn't want to feel the loneliness creeping upon her, but it was getting harder to push those nagging thoughts away, especially tonight of all nights as it marked her four year anniversary with William. She brushed the stray tears away while getting out of bed as she took a small blanket with her and grabbed her phone along with her earbuds as well. Tianya headed out of her room and to the living room that had a balcony.

Quietly opening the sliding glass door and barely shutting it, she settled herself upon the recliner with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. Tianya plugged in the earphones and played sad ballad songs from her hand-phone that had a playlist she always went to. She allowed the device to pull the aching thoughts from out of her instead of trying to suppress her own feelings into overtaking her. If she could separate those parts of her from her real self, then maybe reality wouldn't hurt so much in the end. Still though deep within her Tianya knew that you could only keep the reality away for so long before reaching your breaking point.

november 19, 2019. 

A few days passed and Tianya hadn't heard from William since their date. She sent him good morning and good night texts since then, but no response. She was left on read countless of times, but now she was desperate for a response. William also hasn't picked her up for work either and she just resorted in taking the bus like usual as to not pester him about it. Tianya knew he was a busy man with being a secretary and a personal assistant to his boss, but even then he found time to reply to her and hang out with her. Now, it just felt weird and out of place. Like Tianya couldn't help feeling the inkling feeling from that night of their date. It looked marvelous and felt wonderful at that moment, but once it was over it just seemed lifeless and lacking any real warmth.

That feeling hadn't faded completely like it usually would, but lingered around longer than she had liked. So Tianya decided to check up on her boyfriend after work although she's only ever done this a handful of times. The last time she visited him, William wasn't particularly happy about it. She had interrupted him during an important meeting. He had rushed her out of the company as quickly as she had entered. She told herself she wouldn't do it again unless she notified him. Well, today she wouldn't and there was something within Tianya that nagged at her and she just couldn't suppress it. It's been four years, but she felt like everything wasn't as blissful as she had originally thought all of these years.

When Tianya entered the courtyard she was mesmerized by the absolute beauty of the garden on this beautiful day. She didn't realize that the courtyard of MOLDIR was so lively and co