FORGET ME NOT

"Good morning!"

Literal na napatalon sa gulat si Hope nang biglang nagsalita sa likuran niya si Kaden. Nanghihiwa siya noon ng sibuyas at dala ng pagkagulat ay aksidente na nahiwa niya ang daliri niya.

"Kaden!" Malalaki ang mga matang nilingon niya ang binata habang inilalayo sa ginagawa ang duguang daliri.

"Oops, I'm sorry!" Guilt flooded his handsome face as he approached her at walang pagdadalawang isip na dinaluhan ang sugat niya. "Hindi ko alam na magugulatin ka pala," dinala siya nito sa lababo para hugasan sa running water ang daliri niya.

"I can manage-" protesta niyang binabawi ang kamay sa mahigpit nitong pagkakahawak.

"Chef Hope, I really am sorry. Please let me do this for you..." sabi nito habang tinitingnan ang lalim ng sugat niya. Nahiwa niya talaga iyon ng halos one inch. Hindi siya magugulatin pero kapag ganoong lumilipad ang isipan niya, disgrasya talaga inaabot niya kapag nagugulat. "Where's the first aid kit?" Tanong nito sa saktong kakapasok lang sa kitchen na si Cindy na nagvolunteer na rin na kukunin iyon.

"Kaden-" napasinghap siya nang paupuin siya nito at naupo naman ito sa harapan niya while still examining her cut. "I'm okay... See, this kind of thing really happens to us who works in the kitchen..."

'Please leave me now,' piping hiling niya, her tears are already threathening to flow any moment. She couldn't stand having Kaden this close and not think he's not Rain.

"I know. Pero hindi ka dapat nasugat kung 'di kita nagulat." Tumingin ito kay Cindy na dumating na dala ang first aid kit. "Thank you."

"Kaden- okay lang talaga ako." Pagpipilit niya.

"I insist. Besides, baka maimpeksyon."

"Tama si Kaden, Hope," segunda ni Cindy "Doon muna kayo sa porch. Ako na bahala rito."

Nagpahinuhod na lang siya. Kaysa naman patuloy na tumanggi at sa huli ay magtanong ito kung bakit maarte siya.

But for the record, hindi siya nag-iinarte. What she was trying to do was protect her heart from the man who could potentially break it without even having the slightest idea about it. "Are all doctors like you?" She tried to start a topic habang nilalagyan nito ng gamot ang daliri niya.

"Caring?" Nag-angat ito ng paningin habang nakangiti.

"N-no." She needed to blink away her tears because even that simple smile from Kaden reminded her so much of Rain. "OA..."

Tumawa ito. And boy, did he look so much like her lost love? Kaden is Rain. She could feel it. Cindy must be right. He's just got an amnesia...

"Hey Chef, are you alright?" Tumigil ito sa pagtawa nang makitang tumutulo na ang mga luha niya.

"Rain," napakahinang anas niya.

"Sorry?" Worried nitong iniangat ang mukha niya para tuyuin ang luha niya. "Did I offend you? I'm sorry."

Umiling siya at sinubukang tumawa.

"M-my cut--- it hurts," she pretended to look at her finger.

"That much?" Arko ang kilay na tanong ng binata.

Tumango siya.

"Ba't ka nga pala nagpunta sa kusina? May kailangan ka ba dapat?"

"I was just going to say sorry to you about last night," niligpit nito ang mga ginamit at umupo sa tabi niya.

"Huh?"

"You were upset."

Hope looked away.

Last night. When he asked if she was already married.

**HOPE was taken aback with the question...

For a while, she thought she's going to burst out crying and tell Kaden that no, she wasn't married because Rain disappeared and after two years, dumating naman ito na kamukhang-kamukha ang napangasawa niya sana. "No," Myca answered for her bago ipinatong ang kamay nito sa kamay niya. "Hey, why don't we talk about you guys? When is the wedding going to be?" Mabilis nitong palit sa topic.

"Soon. Just haven't decided when," sagot ni Zoey.

Kahit na napalitan agad ang usapan, hindi na maitanggi ni Hope ang lungkot na nasa mukha niya.**

"I'm not," tanggi niya. "Is Zoey awake yet?"

"Yup. She went out jogging."

"Bakit 'di ka sumama?"

"She asked me to find you and apologize."

Yumuko si Hope at mariing ipinikit ang mga mata. Zoey just asked him to say sorry.

"But don't think na 'andito lang ako because Zoey asked me to... I intended to tell you I'm sorry kahit hindi niya sinabi."

"Wala namang dapat ipag-sorry. You've caused no harm Dr. Aragon." She smiled at him, one she knew very very well didn't reach her eyes... Pero 'yon lang ang kaya niya. "Balik na ako sa kitchen. Salamat dito." "No problem." Tipid din itong ngumiti bago siya tumalikod.

THAT night, Hope couldn't sleep. Alam niyang mali na isipin niya si Kaden. Hindi ito si Rain at ikakasal na rin ito. Pero kahit anong gawin niya, ayaw nitong lubayan ang isipan niya.

In the end, she decided to have a walk outside. Nang mapagod ay naupo siya sa swing. 'Yong may bubong at apat ang kasya.

"Miss na miss na kita," she whispered while staring at Rain's photos sa cellphone niya... Kahit saang anggulo niya tingnan, iisa talaga ang mukha nito at ni Kaden. "Ikaw ba siya? Did you finally come back to me? Pero bakit 'di mo ako kilala? Bakit engaged ka na?"

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Overwhelmed with pain and memories, binitawan niya ang phone bago ibinaon ang mukha niya sa dalawang palad para umiyak.

She cried like her tears were a well. Hindi maubos.

"Hope," naramdaman niya ang kamay ni Myca sa balikat niya, her friend sat beside her.

"Myca!" Mahigpit siyang yumakap sa kaibigan. "Si Kaden, si Rain... Isa lang sila, 'di ba?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes... Even if it will hurt me."

"Then let me call Jake," tukoy nito sa Detective nitong boyfriend.

Tumango siya habang hilam pa rin sa luha ang mga mata.

Few rings and Jake answered Myca's call.

"What? A week? ---No. This is already the third day of their seven-day stay. We can't afford to wait for a week. ---They'll be gone and if Kaden is Rain and we didn't find out at once, I'll forever blame you! ---Yeah. Of course. I know. You're the best Detective ever. Alright babe, I love you to the moon and back! Bye sweetie pie.. muah muah..."

Maiksi siyang napatawa sa kacornyhan ng kaibigan niya.

"Ganyan. Tumawa ka... Halika na sa loob?" Hinawakan siya ni Myca sa kamay at hinila na siya paalis.

Back in her room, she remembered to call her sister and realized that she left her phone in the swing. Ayaw na nga sana niyang lumabas. Kaso lagot siya sa ate niya kapag 'di siya nagtext dito bago matulog. So she grabbed her hoodie and went back outside.

HOPE remembered putting down her phone before she cried and Myca came. It was still in her gallery as she was looking at her and Rain's photos that time. To add, she was never a fan of password secured phones. Abala kasi ang tingin niya sa password.

So standing now few feet away from Kaden who has her phone, Hope didn't exactly know how to feel.

He was looking at the pictures!

"Kaden---"

"C-chef!" Kaden turned to her in complete surprise, for a while it was as if no one knew what to say. "I---" panabay nilang basag sa katahimikan.

"Is this yours?" There was confusion in Kaden's eyes nang iabot nito sa kanya ang cellphone niya.

"Yes... Naiwan ko." Kinuha niya iyon habang pigil na pigil niya ang mga luha niya... What would she tell him? Tatanungin ba niya ito kung nakita nito ang mga larawan? "T-thanks." Mabilis siyang tumalikod nang pumatak ang luha niya. "Hope," he called and she stopped walking.

"Yes?" She asked without looking back.

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"The guy in the picture- he looks like ----"

"Do you know him?" Putol niyang nilingon ang binata, her face already tear stricken

"I d-don't..." alanganin itong lumapit sa kanya, confusion was written all over his face.

"His name is Rain." She tried to smile despite the pain na pumipiga ngayon sa puso niya. "The man who gave me this..." nakahawak siya sa singsing niya, that ring she didn't have the heart to take off her finger up to this time.

He nodded. Kahit hindi ito magsalita, alam niyang gusto nitong tanungin kung nasaan si Rain. But she wasn't into telling him the details. Hindi ito si Rain. Kailangan niyang isaksak iyon sa isip niya.

"Is Rain from here?" He asked, there was something in his eyes that tells her he wanted to know the answer.

'No... He came one day and gone before I realized I lost him forever,' she wanted to say but chose not to answer. Another word would break her down.

Umiling siya and she needed to hold a hand over her mouth to stiffle a sob.

"I'm sorry," walang anu-ano'y niyakap siya ng binata. "I'm sorry---"

She cried in his arms and she could swear, it felt familiar, it was like coming home. Gano'n na gano'n ang pakiramdam ng nasa mga bisig ni Rain... The feeling was so the same...

"I'm sorry If my presence had to remind you of him..." He held her tight as if wanting to ease some of her pain.

Did he have any idea how much she was hurting?

"Hindi mo ba talaga siya kilala? Maybe he's your relative. Magkamukha kayo, there must be some connection--- it couldn't be just mere coincidence," kumalas siya sa yakap nito and held his face with her both hands. She was shaking and desperate.

"Hope..."

"Please... Tell me... You know him..." she begged. "A twin perhaps? Do you have a twin?"

"I don't have..."

"A cousin?" She was raising her false hope "There's got to be some blood relation. No two persons would look so much and are not related..." Patuloy niya pero napatigil nang makita how sorry Kaden was. "You don't really know him? Not even the slightest bit?" Mahina niyang dagdag.

"I'm sorry... I really don't"

Binitawan niya ito at nagpunas ng luha.

"I'm sorry," tumawa siya. "I just thought that maybe you can tell me where he is... Who am I kidding anyway? He's not coming back anymore... Sorry..." Mabilis siyang tumalikod at patakbong umalis. "Chef Hope!" He called pero hindi na siya huminto

It was already too much... Kung titigil pa siya ulit, baka isipin na niyang ito talaga si Rain. And that she couldn't afford to think. Kaden's a committed man...

It's either she'd end up worse than her current state or she's going to chase for her happiness and destroy a happy and almost perfect relationship in the process.

Either way, it's not going to work well for her.

Zoey deserves Kaden. Kaden loves Zoey. They should be together...