Fate

Lunchtime happened in Sagada. The rain calmed down; however, the dark clouds stayed the same, moving to the south. The group was eating lunch at the villa. They ordered a takeaway from the canteen nearby. Local food. Fresh from the backyard, farm kind of food. It wasn’t a noisy lunch, but it wasn’t the silent kind, either. They still talked about a lot of stuff.

“Wonder how our grades—”

“Oliver!” All shut down his talk about their finals exam. They never want to talk about it anyway. He found it funny, though; it was his way to keep a conversation light after the flashback of Trinity and Eugenio.

“I’m just joking. Though I’m still curious and shocked,” As he took a bite of the food, he asked, “You’re really friends with Sam?”

“Yeah, but she left when it was Senior High School since that school didn’t offer courses,” Eugenio answers.

“Then, how did you both end up enrolling through B.I.U.?”

“I don’t know…/I guess it’s fate.” Eugenio was unsure, yet Trinity was sure it was that. The rest were confused about which was the answer.

“So, which is it?” Kelly asks them again. She wants to be sure which one is the right one.

“What I said.” Both said in unison. “Mine.” Again, in unison. Seems like they really do get along; in fact, they might even have a telepathic sense with each other. The rest laughed at what they were seeing. Both almost got into an argument, but Aka, who was beside them, calmed Trinity down.

“I think you two should eat.” Aka shuts down their argument instantly. She really does embody a warm, personable feel. Everyone does the same, eating their own lunch. The rain poured once more, but it wasn’t as loud and hard as the last time. Around half past two, the rain still fell. Half were asleep, the others were outside, under a roof, watching the rain.

“So, Aka, do you love the place?” Eugenio asks her.

“Mhmm. I love it!” 

Aka loves the cozy weather. She takes a sip of the local coffee that the host offered to them yesterday. It’s her favorite coffee so far, so she had two cups. “I so love this coffee.”

“Aren’t you acidic?” Gregory asks Aka, concerningly.
“No,”
“You must be blessed being able to drink two cups.”
“My mom would always tell me to make her a cup, and I couldn’t handle it, so I tasted it after stirring.” 

She takes another sip of coffee.

“I would have been in the restroom twice with one cup.” Eugenio, being sarcastic, however, is being real.

“Then shouldn’t you be in there already since you’re drinking already?” Gregory hits him hard with that response. However, Eugenio counters.

“Well, I just started—” 

His stomach grumbled. He puts down his cup, raises his finger to signal it's time. Off he goes to the restroom. Gregory and Aka were left alone at the shed. Aka, still holding the cup of coffee, Gregory admires the scene.

“Greggy…” Aka calls him out softly.
“That’s the first time you called me that.”
“Well, I want to shorten your names.” 

She does have a point. Aka does shorten everyone’s name when calling them out. Gregory laughs at the sentence, yet he couldn’t say no when she said it. 

“Anyway, why Kelly?”
“Heh? Excuse me?”
“Why? You don’t like her anymore?” 

A little rumble from the clouds could be heard. Both looked at the skies, but heard something from inside.

“Eek!” 

Even with thunder from a distance, she couldn’t help but be frightened.

“So why her, Greggy?” Aka pointed with her eyebrows at that person resting inside. Gregory was sweating profusely; he might as well dodge the question.

“Because…” Aka tilted her head slightly to the right as Gregory answered, with a look that was anticipating and confusing. “She is… awe… some.” 

What a simple answer.

“I know, there’s more.” 

Was Aka pressing him further here? This isn’t the Aka Gregory knew of. However, he somewhat felt the humour and innocence in that statement.

“Well, this may sound niche, but it’s the way she makes people around her do better.” Gregory senses that trait of hers from the beginning. “I just love the way she made it look easy, even though she has a hard time on herself.” 

Aka fell in love with that answer, and she was grinning and blushing from that. Gregory notices the expression.

“Aka, you seemed to love our dynamics, no?”
“It’s because you two are really meant for each other.”
“I mean,”
“I’m back!” 

Eugenio came back from the calling. He sits down, grabbing his cup of Joe. “What’s with the stares?”

“Nothing!” 

Gregory and Aka are together, not wanting to repeat their talk.

“Not fair!”
“I’ll tell you everything if you tell us the real reason.” 

Aka negotiated some exchange of intel with Eugenio. Feels like she can be a spy for some government.

“Real reason?”
“Why do you and Trini go to B.I.U?”
“Aka, if anything, I don’t really know.”

“It’s fate!” 

Looks like someone was fed an unsure answer. She enters the conversation with such conviction that she may or may not disturb the neighbors.

“Trinity, you’re too loud.” 

Eugenio had to remind her where they were. The open field and mountains may as well echo her words later. She covers her mouth in embarrassment as she apologizes, facing the sky. 

“Hey, Mother Nature forgives you, however,” She sits down beside Aka. Didn’t grab a cup of coffee. Her “morning” hair sticking out, Aka fixes her hair.

“I actually want to know how we ended up in the same uni?”

Everyone was ready to hear the answer from Trinity, and they all stared at her. Looks like another story session will be heard from her. She opens her mouth and reveals the truth.

“The only reason is that I got rejected by other universities.” 

Simple answer. No overexplanation. Just a reason that seems irreversible. The rest were convinced by the answer.

“I mean, that is inevitable.” 

Gregory follows up with what he just heard. The rain finally stopped after hours of rainfall. The heavens open up slowly, and the fog covering the mountains wipes away. The campfire may as well continue its progress later.

“Oh, there you guys are!” The villa owner sees them by the shed and approaches them. “My daughter said she invited all of you to the mini-bonfire?” 

Everyone nodded at the owner, to which Kelly woke up and immediately went outside to the shed.

“Yes, the officer at the tourism office?”
“Denise loves to invite anyone to our monthly activity.” The owner gives a good laugh at it. His hands were already covered in some black dust and had some wood dust. “Anyway, I’m preparing some wood and charcoal. See you later!”

“Wait, sir!” Gregory halted the villa owner. Something doesn’t feel right. “May we help you out?”

“Oh, please don’t.”
“We insist, too. We want to experience what it’s like to build a campfire.” Oliver, somewhat half-awake, wanted to help. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone to do. Building a campfire and how the locals share their culture in the mountains. The owner sighs in relief that someone is helping them.

“Alright, follow me.” 

Everyone follows the owner where she gets wood. As they closed the villa door, someone’s door of thoughts hadn’t fully closed.

“Eugenio, everyone, I’m sorry if I lied.”

Grade 12, Senior High School. King of Majesty National High School.

“Eugenio!”
“Trinity?”
“Have you applied for college?”
“Yeah. Blue International U.” His laptop was showing the school website that he had fully applied to. Trinity smiles at him, knowing he can pass. However, inside her, something unsettling fears her heart. Eugenio notices something even beyond the smile. 

“Trinity, you applied?”
“I have…” She was embarrassed
“Nice. Hope you pass.”
“I will, definitely…”

On the walk back home, the sun sets behind them, and the sound of the traffic from miles out is heard. As night begins to swallow, she asks a question that wasn’t bothering Eugenio that time.

“Have you ever thought you won’t see me again?”
“Huh? What’s with the question?”
“It’s just that… with Sam and James not even with us, and we’re entering college, I feel like this will be our last school year together.” 

Trinity didn’t want to lose another one of his close circles. Seems like she has been accepting the fact that they won't last long.

“Trinity,” She looks at him, with eyes that sparkled in his face. The walk was slow to Trinity’s, but it was a meaningful conversation. “Even if the rest are somewhere else, I’d think we can meet somewhere…”

“Eugenio…”
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Huh?” Her gate was in front of her, ready to welcome. “Oh, yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

He waves at her goodbye and walks towards home. Trinity enters the home, then opens her laptop.
So many universities in her search bar and history.
However, the only university that had her eyes on was the one where Eugenio was going.
She remembers the words that he said to her during the walk.
She knows he meant it.
He doesn’t break promises.

“I’m sorry, Eugenio, but I still want to be with you…”

*Click*

Meanwhile, at Eugenio’s, he was on his bed and in his home clothes, looking at the laptop, the same site he was on earlier, the word “applied” on his screen. He looks at the open sky. Remembers what he said to her during the walk.

“I hope to see you more…”

Blue International University. Opening day. Freshman year.

“Okay, where is my room—”

*Bump*

“Oh, I’m so… sorry…”
“Miss, are you… okay?”
“Trinity?!/Eugenio?!”

He helps her up. Still startled that she is in the same university as he is. Likewise for Trinity. She laughs at the fate that happened to them. He was confused about why she was laughing. Until she reasons out.

“I guess we really are stuck together.”

He smiles at her and gives a subtle head pat.

“And I’m happy to be with you, Trinity!”