Brian still remembered the very first day he saw Nicole. It was a year ago, during the annual Prom Night of his university, in Four Point Sheraton Hotel. On that night, from the far corner of his eyes, he saw a gorgeous girl, dressed in a black gown. From that moment, his eyes were fixed on her, awed by her beauty, particularly when she smiled. She was like an angel from heaven. His heart was fluttering, beating so hard that Brian was afraid his heart would just popped out from his chest. It was love at first sight for him. When it came to the ballroom dancing session, he braved himself to invite her for a dance. He never had any experience in ballroom dancing; he was just merely trying his luck. He walked straight up towards her but before he was able to make the move, his friends dragged him to another place. He could see that another male had invited her to dance. Perhaps it’s not my time, he thought to himself. He decided to join his friends.
After Brian had eased himself after playing with his friends around the hotel, he heard the sound of a girl crying. He thought he was hearing things. He checked out where the sound came from. He was literally shocked when he saw his sweet girl crying.
Walking towards her, he asked, “What had happened, miss? Did anyone bully you? I can always help you,” while offering a piece of tissue of paper for her.
“Thank you. You’re such a thoughtful person. No, no one bullied me. It was just because I’m disappointed with myself. I agreed to dance with a guy who was just trying to prove himself in front of his friends. He even tried to kiss me, even though I said no,” she said and cried even louder.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. But rest assured that I’m not a bad guy that wants to take advantage of you or whatsoever. Let bygones be bygones,” Brian was trying hard to console her, sympathy filled his heart.
“It was my first time that I’d ever dance with a guy. It supposed to be a wonderful occasion, and I never know that this would happen.”
“Yes, I do understand. How about I dance with you? Though I’m not good in dancing, but I can guarantee that I’ll do nothing bad to you. I hope that I’ll be able to erase that bad experience,” inviting her like a gentleman does.
Reluctantly, she finally agreed.
“But there is no music playing in the background. It will feel weird to dance,” she said and her cry started to subside.
“The music will come from our heart. It’s pure. Just listen to it.”
They started to dance like swans. It was such an unforgettable event for Brian. He sensed that she smelled so nice.
“I’m sorry. I’ve to go back now. My parents were waiting for me. I called them when I cried just now. I almost forgot about it. My name’s Nicole, studying in the first year of Bachelor of Business. And you’re?” Nicole said while they were half-way through their dance.
“My name’s Brian. I’m studying in the third year in Bachelor of Engineering. I’m glad to meet you.”
“Yes, I’m too. Hmm, before I go, do you mind if we exchange phone numbers?”
“With pleasure,” Brian said.
He was in cloud nine. He was able to get Nicole’s phone number. The joy was inexpressible with words alone. He went back to the hostel, and the next thing he did was to text-message her.
“I enjoyed the dance. I hope that you won’t feel down over the event that happened in the ballroom just now, OK?”
A few seconds later, his phone beeped. It was a reply from Nicole.
“I’m too. I’m glad that you were there for me just now. I really appreciate it. OK, I’ll try to forget about it, but I’ll remember the moments we danced together, even though it was without music.”
The message became his first stepping stone to win her heart. At first, they kept text-messaging each other, even during their lectures. A minute without her, Brian would feel restless. His love for her grew to be more intense and stronger. Soon, Brian revealed his feelings to Nicole during a field trip to Santubong.
“Nicole, there’s something that I had always kept secret in the corner of my heart,” Brian said, while strolling down the beach with her, against a lovely sunset backdrop.
“Hey, Brian, I’ve something to tell you as well. Anyway, you spill the beans first,” Nicole remarked, smiling.
“Nicole, actually …” Brian was trying to search for the appropriate word, “…actually, I’ve started to fall head over heels in love with you since the Prom Night.” Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he fell to his knees and proposed, “May I be the special someone, who will catch you when you fall, wipe the tears away when you cry?” while producing a blue rose in his hands.
Nicole was taken aback by his action. She was speechless. Teary-eyed and touched by his proposal, finally Nicole agreed, “Yes, I do…YES, I DO! I love you too.”
She ran to his side, hugged him, passionately and tightly. The moment seemed to be forever, and it would be forever embedded in their memories.
Months have passed after that special occasion. Their love grew stronger day by day. Brian and Nicole went for dates in the weekends, appreciating the moments they were together. Even their friends were envious of them; they were such a happy couple. Brain and Nicole would always support each other, through rain or shine.
The nightmare began when Nicole was selected to participate in a student exchange program. She’d to go to Melbourne
It was still alright for the first few months. Then, Brian felt something was amiss when she seldom text-message or call him. Nicole didn’t answer his phone or reply his messages. Brian even e-mailed her but in vain. It went on for almost a month. He feared for nothing but the worst. He was very worried that Nicole was in some kind of danger. He was too engrossed in getting her over the other side of the line, and almost cost him his Bachelor of Engineering degree when he forgot to submit his thesis to his lecturer.
On one faithful night, Brian’s phone rang loudly. It was Nicole! He jumped happily, not knowing that it would be a short-lived joy. He answered the phone right away, with a big smile on his face.
“Hello, Nicole. How are you lately? I was so worried when you didn’t answer my call or message. Where have you been?” Brian asked.
“Hi. I’m very fine here. I was quite busy with my life over here lately. Actually, there’s a purpose that I call you,” Nicole said.
“Ha-ha! I know. You want to tell me that you missed my voice, right?” Brian teased Nicole.
Feeling guilty, Nicole replied, “I’m sorry to tell you this but I have to be honest to you and myself. I have a new boyfriend here. Robinson. He cares for me greatly and we’ve been together for a whole three months now. I’m really sorry, Brian.”
Brian slumped down to the floor. It seemed that he had lost all of his energy.
“What?! You have a new boyfriend? Then what about me? Why this sudden? Didn’t I care for you as well? Are you dissatisfied with our relationship?” Stuttering, he continued, “We can…we can always…start all over again.”
“I’m sorry, Brian. But I don’t think that we can ever start over again. You’re a nice guy, but I love Robinson now. You can always find your new love, so don’t give up. I have to go now, to watch movie with him. Please take care. Bye.”
Brian tried to call Nicole again but to no avail. Finally, he understood the pictures that Nicole took with an unknown guy which was uploaded to her Facebook profile. The guy is Robinson. He still thought they were just friends, trusting her that she would be true to him. Why I didn’t see the signs earlier, he asked himself. Brian felt so helpless; it seemed that the whole world had came crashing down on him. Crystal-clear tears ran down his cheeks. In his 24 years of life, he’d never cried for anyone else, but this time he’d shed his tears for the first time. He couldn’t understand why such a thing happened to him. Brian had lived for Nicole all this while; he’d sacrificed a lot for this relationship. But now she’s leaving him for another man. He can’t blame anyone else but himself for the failure of this relationship.
He climbed to his bed, stared at the ceiling. Memories of Nicole and him were playing in front of his eyes, but they were no substitute for her. His tears couldn’t stop falling that night. The ordeal was just too painful to bear. He couldn’t find any purpose to walk through this life again. He felt so devastated, wishing that he could finish this once and for all. He got up, and wrote a letter for Nicole on that bleak night. Later, he called an airline company to book a flight to Mauritius
The next morning, Brian tidied up his room and dressed casually, bringing a travelling bag together. He said goodbye to his friends and text-messaged his parents.
“Hi, mom, dad. I’m going for a vacation today. It will be a very nice place, so I’ll be enjoying myself during this mid-semester break. Bye.”
Brian headed straight towards Four Point Sheraton Hotel first and went up to the sixth floor, back to the spot where he first spoke to Nicole. The memories hadn’t fade away from his mind, so fresh as if it just occurred yesterday. It was such a beautiful day with birds flying gracefully in the clear blue sky when he looked out of the window. He smiled.
A week later, Nicole received a letter. It was from Brian. Though surprised, she opened it and read the letter with tear patches. The letter was compiled with two flight tickets to Mauritius
It was July 4. It is the Independence Day for the United States
P.S. Love can be as lovely as a bed of roses, but it can be as deadly as a TIME-BOMB. So, treat your loved ones well.
