***

"Fluke. . ."

Someone called my name.

"Hey, Fluke!"

I heard it again, but I didn't want to wake up yet.

"Fluke, wake up!"

It became clearer this time. It was the voice I was longing to hear. I immediately opened my eyes to see the person I've been wanting to see for a long time.

And yes, he was there. Sitting on a chair beside my bed was my Piyapon.

"Piyapon?"

"Yes, Fluke. . . It's me." He said and smiled at me. That smile that I used to see every day, and the smile that I missed. "I missed you."

My tears suddenly fell from my eyes, and he was instantly next to me to wipe them.

"Don't cry."

I couldn't control it anymore, and I hugged him as I sobbed even more.

"I missed you so much, Piyapon."

He hugged me back and caressed my back to calm me down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." He pushed me a little to look at me. "I'm sorry for not coming back. I'm sorry for not even telling you how I felt before I left you. And I'm sorry for whatever you had to experience when I was gone."

I just stared at him, as if memorizing his face. I held his cheek and caressed it. I wanted to tell him everything I felt, but nothing came out.

"I am here now to tell you that it's about time, Fluke." I looked at him in confusion. "It's time for you to be happy. He's the right one for you. . ." and just like a cue, my tears fell again. "You're still a crybaby." He chuckled as he was wiping my tears. "I know he's gonna take care of you and make you happy. And I will be at peace now knowing that you are with the right person." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"How did you. . ."

"I can feel it, Fluke." He smiled. "Take care of yourself. . . And I love you with all my heart, Fluke."

I suddenly woke up from my dream whispering his name. My eyes were still wet, and my heart was beating fast. "Thank you for visiting, Piyapon. You will always be in my heart." I whispered to the air.

***

"Hey there, Sweetie!" Liza greeted me, "What brings you here this early? How are you?"

I decided to visit her right after I woke up. I just took a shower and didn't even bother eating breakfast. I wanted someone to talk to.

"Lizzie. . ." I said and hugged her. Her hands immediately caressed my back to calm me. "He visited me in my dream."

"Let's get inside." He took my hand and led me to the dining. "Sit down first and I'll get you something to drink." As he gave me a glass of water, she started again. "Piyapon?" I nodded in reply. "What did he say?" She asked, so I told her everything. "He's right, Sweetie. Maybe he knows that Ohm is a good person and he's the one you are destined to be with. Tell me, how are you and Ohm now?"

I suddenly felt shy and looked down. "We're good. Honestly, we're way much more than that. We get along pretty well. He's such a good person, a very thoughtful and loving gentleman. He never makes me feel alone and neglected."

"So what are you waiting for?" She asked.

"I don't know? There were times that I want to tell him that it was okay for us to be in a relationship already, but I got chickened out and ended up not saying it. It's just that. . ."

"Don't you think Piyapon's visit is the sign you were waiting for?"

"What do you mean?"

"He said that it was time for you to be happy and that he was the right one for you." She said and held my hand. "Maybe this visit was the closure you've been waiting for. For you to let go of him and to let yourself be free and happy with someone else."

I thought about it for a while and nodded a little. "Maybe. . ." I said, but I knew to myself that he was the one, and maybe I just need a little more time to tell him about it. "Can I stay here for a while?"

"Of course! You can stay here as long as you want." She answered. "But won't your lover be worried sick if he can't find you at home?"

"He has a photoshoot today."

"Oh. . . Wow. You did not even deny that he's your lover, and you even know his schedule."

I smiled shyly. "Lizzie! Stop teasing me now. And to tell you the truth, we're almost lovers, right? He also tells me his schedule even if I don't ask."

"He's really good. I glad my judgment didn't fail me again." She said proudly.

We spent the day with the kids until they were fetched by her mom. Her parents wanted to spend time with their grandchildren and asked to borrow them for a sleepover, to which Liza gladly agreed.

We went to the mall to spend more time, talking and shopping, just like we used to when we were still not so busy with everything.

"Oh. New is somewhere in the area." She said while still looking at her phone. "He's asking if we could have dinner together."

"Sure," I said, then my phone rang. "Wait. I'll just answer this." After the call, "Ohm wants to join, too. Will that be okay?"

"Very much okay."

We chose a restaurant that had tables with enough distance to each one since Ohm was joining us. The restaurant was known to value its customer's privacy.

He arrived and sat next to me. "Hi." He smiled at me and caressed my cheek. "How are you?"

I smiled back and was about to answer him when Liza caught our attention.

"Uhm. . . Excuse me, lovebirds! I'm here." She said and pointed to herself. "I'm not invisible, right? Hello?" Then she waved her hand.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Phi." Ohm said shyly. "Good evening, Phi." He said and gave his respect to Liza.

"Fluke, I'm taking back what I said about him. that he's a good person." She said and Ohm's eyes widened. "He didn't even realize that I was here, too."

"I'm sorry, Phi. I just missed him."

"Liza, stop teasing him." I reprimanded my best friend who immediately laughed.

"I'm just kidding, Ohm." She said with a smile and we continued talking. "Finally, Honey! What took you so long?" She asked New when he sat next to her. "I can't stand being with these lovebirds. They're too sweet."

New kissed her on her cheek and hugged her. "Don't worry honey, we're much sweeter than them." He said it and winked at Ohm and me. "Have you ordered?"

We ordered and talked about how our day was while waiting. We took our precious time savoring our dinner since we couldn't do it often because of our schedules.

"I'll just go to the washroom," I told everyone and stood up.

I bumped into a man on my way back to my table from the washroom, for I was not looking ahead.

"Oh. I'm so sor. . .." I said as I looked up and was surprised to see the man I did not wish to see again.

"Fluke. . . Hi!" He said.

"Ma. . . Mark?"

***