Thread by @reminiscencetwt

𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 — 𝙰 𝚃𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚂𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢.

Thursday. 2:30 am.

As I entered the house, I can sense the cold breeze seeping into the tiny slits of the windows in the living room. It was an exhausting day at work, but somehow I can't manage to sleep. I was thinking that maybe if I ate something, I would feel sleepy after.

I browsed the cupboards and found the last cup of noodles from my stock. "This will do," I told myself. I proceeded to the dining table immediately to eat. To kill the boredom, I tried to write a few haikus.

It's 3:30 am already, and I'm still not sleepy at all. I hate this.

I guess there's nothing much for me to do right now so I went to the living room and stood in front of the huge window.

The city lights, the pitch-black sky... I swear, I will never get tired of this breathtaking view.

To add to the mood, I decided to use my turntable.

From HONNE to Adele, it was fun listening to the songs that I like while admiring this view right in front of me. All of a sudden, I heard the sweet voice of Tamia echoing in the living room.

It was 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵.

Ah. The song that reminds me of the past, of 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

Sept. 09, 2005. Medical school.

He and I were known as the popular and genius students of our batch. To be honest, it's funny to think how we instantly became best friends the first time we talked to each other instead of being the cliché "academic rivals."

Both of us were in the same circle of friends who were very close with each other. I can still recall when some would ask us before if we have liked someone in our group, and I always said never. That's what I thought until I fell in love with him 2 years after our first meeting.

College days were fun because of him. He was definitely the best study buddy and the life of the party. We didn't care if we would stay up all night studying as long as we have a nice cup of hot coffee to keep us wide awake.

Then there was the rain. Both of us find its sound peaceful and calming. It's as if it drowns and flushes all our worries in life. Rain will always be meaningful for the two of us.

Unexpectedly, there was a hint of raindrops on the windowpane.

It was raining already.

Since it was raining, I suddenly fancied a cup of coffee so I made one.

Rain, coffee, and the view of the city, everything is perfect.

Not until I thought about him again. The missed chances. The regrets.

I never knew that this coffee would be even more bitter than ever.

It was mutual. Both of us knew it was. We were each other's first love, but none of us had the courage to confess first since we were both scared and worried.

Our years of friendship are at stake. We can't afford to lose that.

I can't afford to lose that.

My train of thoughts was halted with an incoming phone call. It's Raia, a common friend of ours.

"Hey, are you attending on Sunday?" she asked.

I was taken aback with her question, but I managed to answer back "...of course, I will. How can I miss it? I'm his best friend."

After the short call, a deep realization hit me. I should stop this. I should stop living in the past. I've had enough of reminiscing those beautiful yet painful memories of ours.

I must move on and focus on my duty as a top surgeon.

And with that, I think I should go to rest.

After a quick wash-up, I went to my bed. As I removed my glasses and placed them on the bedside table, my eyes landed on that white envelope for the umpteenth time today.

"Be happy, John." was the last thing I muttered before finally drifting off to sleep.

𝙵𝚒𝚗.

#21stCenturyLit
#Shortstory
#MaiklingKwento