Chapter One

TRENT'S POINT OF VIEW

CEBU CITY. I never thought I'd reach this place, not for a relaxing vacation, but to settle down and start a new life. I was still unsure whether I made the right decision of leaving Manila and moving to a place I've never been to. But my life has been a mess lately. Nothing's really sure in life, so why not take risks and welcome some changes, right?

I was welcomed by tall condominium towers, industrial buildings, malls, pollution and bumper to bumper traffic. Well, I thought I'd get away from all those things but I was apparently wrong. Cebu City almost looked like Manila. Maybe a little less messy and chaotic, but really almost the same.

It's been just an hour since I got off the plane but my head was already hurting like a bitch. Maybe because I haven't had enough sleep lately.

"Is everything okay?" my cousin Janine worriedly asked while driving.

She's twenty-five years old and has been based in Cebu since she graduated in College. She's a real estate broker who found her luck here. I constantly see her since she always visited us during family gatherings and important occasions. I could say that she's my closest family member since she's always been warm and supportive to me. That's why she's the first one I called when I decided to move here.

She didn't question my decision and immediately expressed her support for me. She offered her condo unit since she's moving to a different one that's more accessible to her workplace. I offered to pay rent but she declined. She said that we're family and we should be helping each other in any way we could.

"I'm okay. I just didn't expect traffic is also this worse in Cebu."

She scoffed. "What did you expect to see here? Mountains and farmlands? Well, we have that here. But Cebu is a highly-industrialized city. Whatever we have in Manila, they also have it here. Maybe even better.

I nodded. Maybe my life was going to be better as well here in Cebu. Maybe this is the place where I could heal and move on.

"So, how's life?" she asked again while we were stuck in a terrible traffic. We got caught in the rush hour.

"Same old shit."

"How are you recovering?" There was a hint of gentleness in her voice. She suddenly got silent as if regretting what she asked. It was a very sensitive topic that we've always avoided. I didn't know why she suddenly asked me that.

"I'm doing fine." I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. I didn't want her to worry. There's already so much in her plate and I didn't move to Cebu to become a burden to her.

"Good to know that. Don't worry, you're going to feel even better here. Cebu will do some wonders in you."

"I hope so."

It took us more than an hour to reach our destination. By the time we were inside the condo, we were both dead tired already. But instead of taking a rest, my cousin jumped right into fixing my things. She opened my luggage and started moving my clothes to the cabinet.

"Hey, I can do that. Don't bother," I tried to stop her.

"Oh, c'mon, I know you too well. If I wouldn't do this for you right now, your clothes will remain inside your luggage until next week."

"Hey, that's not true. You're exaggerating!"

"Well, maybe just a few days. But, really, just let me do this for you. I know you're tired so let me just fix your things and then cook dinner for you."

"You're pampering me too much."

" Just for today since I'm on leave. But I won't be able to visit you tomorrow and on the next couple of days. I'll be very busy with work."

"Workaholic as ever." I chuckled.

"Well, what can I say? I gotta work my ass for my dreams. I still have goals to chase."

I wish I could be like her. I wanted to be career-driven and goal-oriented. She was so focused with what she wanted to become. Her plans and aspirations are very specific and she even made game plans to make sure that she would achieve whatever she wanted to have.

But before I aspire to be like her, I needed to focus on myself first. I have to focus on my mental and emotional state since I have been in a very dark place lately. I needed to feel better first before I could start chasing my dreams.

I didn't notice that I slept already. When I woke up, my cousin already left. There was a note saying that she had to go somewhere important. But she already cooked dinner for me, so I could just eat it and then go back to sleep again.

I ate my dinner alone while listening to some indie music. It was already 7 PM and I could see the starry sky from the floor to ceiling glass window of the condo unit.

While eating, a painful memory suddenly visited my mind.

"Do you really think we can make it?" I asked Mike in a worried tone.

"Of course, we can. Don't you trust us?" He chuckled as if my concern wasn't a big deal. "This is us we're talking about, Trent. We're strong when we're together. Nothing can break us apart, right?"

"Not even our parents?"

"Not even the whole world." He gave me a reassuring smile. "We'll stay beside each other. They can never break us apart."

"You're not gonna leave me, right?"

"I won't."

I wiped my tears and tried to erase that memory in my head.

"Liar," I said bitterly. "You left me. You broke your promise."

I quickly finished eating and then washed the dishes. Doing such a simple task felt good. All my life, I've been sheltered by my parents. Everything was served to me on a silver platter and I always had people who would do things for me. Even washing dishes wasn't something I usually do. That's why it felt liberating now that I've finally decided to live alone and stand on my own feet. Although I wouldn't say that I'm totally independent now since I'm still using my parent's money. But my goal is to be financially-independent very soon.

In order to distract myself from sad thoughts, I decided to go out for a drink. I Googled the nearest bar in the area and found one that was ten-minutes away from my condo unit. I quickly changed into a comfortable outfit and went there to chill. The bar was not crowded since it was a weekday. There were only a few customers which was what I exactly wanted. I ordered a bottle of beer and sat in one corner where I wasn't really visible to other people.

"Good evening everyone!" A guy went up the stage with his band members which caught everyone's attention... especially mine. He looked really familiar. "I'm Marco and I'm with my band members to give you some good time tonight. We're BLACK LABEL and this is our first song..."

My heart was thumping drastically as I stared at his face. I couldn't event focus my attention on his sexy voice or undeniable stage presence. I was just digesting the fact that he looked exactly like Jus. Well, maybe not totally. Justin had a clean-cut and he wore glasses which made him look serious and sometimes unapproachable. Marco, on the other hand, looked really smoking hot and covered with tattoos. But despite the difference in their character, their similarity was still apparent and undeniable.

"Mike..." I whispered and then drank my beer. Shit, I couldn't breath! I was seeing my dead boyfriend in him and it was surreal. I wanted to cry but I stopped myself because I didn't want to break down in public.

"He's hot, isn't he?" A girl suddenly sat down beside me. She looked really cute yet out-of-place in her pink above-the-knee dress. She looked to sweet and innocent to be seen inside a bar.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Mariela. I noticed you staring at the vocalist like you really like him."

"N-no, it's not like that. He just looks like someone I knew."

"Oh, is that so? I bet he'd love to hear that story. Do you wanna meet him?"

"I'm sorry?"

"He's my brother. I can introduce you to each other, if you want."