50: Two Against All Odds part 2

A lot of things have happened on their first day in Mexico.

Their days 2 and 3 went smoothly, which made up for their overwhelming 1st day of the trip.

Their days 4-5 focus on one major city like Mexico City for museums, historic centers, and food.

“We will be meeting my Mexican Filipino fan, who offered a brief tour.”

“My boy has fans abroad,” Aleya giggled proudly of her son.

They decided to meet at a certain spot. Everyone rides in two taxis, one for each family. They arrived at the meeting place.

“Hi!” A guy holding an iced tea approached them and gave Drino a high-five.

“Hey, it’s nice finally meeting you, Edmont.”

Edmont is wearing black shorts, black rubber shoes, light blue sleeveless polo, and a white undershirt. He is tanned, 5’10”, in his late 20s, with curly, slightly long hair, a pointed nose, stubble, a small tattoo on his left arm, and wearing brown sunglasses.

“I’m Edmont, Drino’s fan for a year. I’ve been living here as a digital nomad for two years. My mother is a Filipina, and my father is Mexican, who died when I was young. I invited Drino to come visit this country. I am more than glad to welcome and tour you.”

“Edmont, these are my parents, Mom Aleya and Dad Handro. And these are my girlfriend’s parents, Tito Dantonio and Tita Yorgina.”

All of them said hi to him.

Edmont gasped at what Drino said at the latter part of his introduction.

“You have a girl? Since when?” Edmont glanced at Ashmille, who was wearing a face mask.

She didn’t expect to be introduced as his girlfriend to a fan. It wasn’t a requirement, but he did.

“Yup.” Drino smiled. “I haven’t made an announcement yet, but please keep it lowkey.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

“We’re not hiding it, but we wanna have a good time here where no people know me, except you.”

“Sure, I got you covered.”

Upon meeting Edmont, they rode a bus to their destination.

“My friend would be so jealous of me to meet you like this. She is more of an avid fan than me. So, I took this opportunity to meet with you, and I will tell her this story when I visit the Philippines.”

Ashmille sits beside the window, Drino is in the middle, and Edmont sits beside the aisle of the bus. Drino and Edmont continued talking like they were old buddies.

For this day, they took a trip to the Teotihuacan Pyramids on day 4, climbing the Sun and Moon Pyramids for incredible views of this ancient city.

It is sunny and slightly windy. A perfect combination for picture-taking and long walks. They started climbing. After the short climb that their parents were able to conquer, they saw the structure right behind the temple of the feathered serpent.

Drino continued to record videos and take photos for his vlog. Today’s trip was adventurous and exhausting.

For day 5, it is an art and markets day. In the morning, they explored the Museo Soumaya with its captivating architecture and art. They delved into local crafts at a market.

Ashmille stopped at an old lady selling goods like souvenirs. She bought a couple of items of merchandise to gift her friends and workmates. She removed her face mask for a moment to drink water.

“You don’t have to wear face masks. You’re cute,” Edmont approached her.

“It’s not like that.”

“Or are you wearing that to evade his fans?”

“It’s hot. My face can burn. I can be allergic to dust.”

She made this allergy move from the kidnapping to the Mexico trip. It seems she’s fond of using her fake allergy as an excuse.

“Whatever your reasons may be, I want you to know you’re safe here.”

“Not really safe when I got catcalled and robbed on our first day here.”

“And those things exist in our local country.”

“Yes, yet it feels different when you’ve been victimized in a foreign country compared to a local.”

“I know,” he chuckled. “I’ve experienced both. Both felt savage, but savage in different ways. You’ll feel way more helpless and lost when you can’t control something you can’t in a different place.”

“I’m not a traveller myself, but I’m learning a lot from this. Travelling is both fun and sad.”

“Coming back to reality is tiring, that’s why you’re here to relax and be yourself.”

“You have a point, but you’re still his fan.”

“Are you doubting me that I might expose that you’re his girlfriend before he could?”

“I’m not saying it that way. But it’s better to assume the worst. His fans can be toxic sometimes. I’ve read hateful comments, and what’s worse is when he got kidnapped by one of his obsessed fans.”

“I heard that. It’s devastating that such people exist. I haven’t known Drino for a long time, or what kind of person he is in real life. He’s wearing many masks for his career, but one thing is for sure. He is genuine. He’s not doing this to impress me as his fan but simply because he’s having fun and wants to savor this moment that may not last. He wants to escape the real world for 7 days to be in a world where nobody knows him. I became his fan because I was deeply inspired by what he does. I became a digital nomad because he encouraged me and his millions of fans, and I want to do the same.”

Ashmille fell silent.

“If you don’t trust me, I hope you could trust your boyfriend.”

She got hit by what he said. If she’s wary of the people that surround them, at least she can calm herself from the worries she had if Drino trusts Edmont.

***

Edmont went back to his home after two days of touring them. While Drino’s group went back to their hotel to rest for another day’s adventure.

“Are you alright?” he asked Ashmille. “Edmont talked with you? How was your convo?”

They are outside the hotel, heading towards their separate rooms.

“He is a good guy and a genuine fan.”

“I know I could trust him,” he smiled.

“Alejandrino…”

“Yup?”

“Ah, nothing. Good night. Thank you for today.”

“Sweet dreams.”

They went into their respective rooms.

***

Their day 6 is all about natural hot springs and an interconnected network of caves and tunnels, set amid lush tropical greenery in Grutas Tolantongo!

They took a hot spring bath. Ashmille went out earlier than her mother and Aleya. They left them for a while. She came back only to find that her mother had returned to their hotel room. She asked her mother what was wrong, and her mother told her that she and Drino’s mother disagreed about their difference in beliefs.

Ashmille’s family can be described as a silent home. Little to nobody argues. If there are conflicts in their household, they are mostly resolved through silence rather than expressing emotions. To others, it might seem like strangers living under one roof. Drino's home is noisy. Everyone expresses their opinions, ideas, and feelings.

After reflecting on this, Ashmille pondered not only the differences between them but also with their families.

She met with Drino outside of the hot springs.

“We might be in a different country, but whenever I am with you, my world suddenly shifts. I don’t mind it, but the problem is, only my world shifts. I feel like I belong with you, but I don’t belong in your world.”

Ashmille’s tears are forming gradually as she feels pressured in Drino’s world. She has self-doubt and a fear of intimacy that prevents her from fully committing to and trusting her partner. This is a problem she had to work on herself.

“Aside from my career, does this have to do with my and your parents? They had a misunderstanding, but it’s now under control.”

“That’s one factor. Even if our parents approved of our relationship, some things do not align.”

“That’s okay. We’ll figure things out. We’re blessed enough that they gave us their blessings.”

“I’m not famous, not pretty, not rich, not within your radar. Things will get harder than before if we reveal our relationship to the public. I already fear you're one fan, but what happens when millions of them would strike at us at once?”

He removed her face mask.

“Several boys in our class had a crush on you. They said you’re timid and mysterious. Someone who lives in her own bubble but can dominate the world if she wants to. Anjoe, Savi’s boyfriend, called you pretty. Jeron admired you for your competitiveness. He couldn’t keep up with you being his thesis partner, so he teamed up with Terryl and Anthasia. Terryl confessed his feelings for you. Now that you know these, see yourself as someone beautiful inside and out. You don’t need to fit into my world, nor do I need to fit into your world. We will create a world of our own.”

It is not like Ashmille never expected Drino to become famous and successful, but she never expected that their distance would grow as much as this. She never caught up to him, no matter how much she tried. But she also questions herself if she needs to catch up. It’s like living in two different worlds with the same person.

Their Mexico trip was their 10th date since college. This is also their first date as official couples who had been blessed by their parents.

Ashmille is a camera-shy girl. She has only a single social media account, but she rarely visits and posts. Mostly, she can be contacted via text message or through chat apps. She widely uses chat apps for work, family, and friends.

But this time, she became more confident about herself. They may have misunderstandings about their own values, but Drino was able to understand and empathize with her. Ashmille gradually enters his world, and it’s now clear to her that this is what he loves to do.