Silence. Finally. It's been weeks of nonstop chaos—classes, group works, people I can't even understand. Sometimes I just want to run back to Dambayan. But it's gone now. And so is Ace.
And even now, the sadness won't leave me.
I walked to the garden spot at the edge of campus—the secret place we used to hang out in. At the far end was a small gazebo. Not many people passed by here, which made it the perfect place to be alone.
Then I heard it.
A strum. Guitar. Simple chords. Then a voice—
Soft. Familiar.
"I made a promise under moonlit skies…"
My world froze.
I didn't know if my mind was just playing tricks on me. But I couldn't be wrong. I knew that song. Ace and I wrote it.
"So hold on, for when the stars align again…"
I couldn't stop myself. Tears welled up in my eyes as I hid behind a pillar. And what hurt more—it was Zayden singing.
Zayden, who I didn't understand.
Why did he know that song? Why did his voice sound like that? Even the way he played the chords—it was exact.
But I didn't come out. I couldn't. I stayed in the shadows while he stood in the light, like a ghost from a past I wasn't sure was even real anymore.
---
Later That Night – Anton's House
Loud. Laughter. Full of noise and joy.
It was Anton's birthday, so we were all squeezed into his small terrace—some lights, chips that weren't crispy anymore, and a cake with a half-melted candle still stuck on top. Typical Anton—he didn't care about the setup, as long as we were together.
There were only four of us: me, Anton, Bryce, and Zayden.
They were all laughing, trading corny jokes. Anton was the most energetic, Bryce was chill but witty, and Zayden… well, Zayden was just being Zayden. Always throwing in a line, always full of energy.
And me? I stayed quiet. Smiling, yes. But not really. Not fully. It was like a part of me was still stuck in that garden spot earlier. With those chords I never thought I'd hear again. The song I wrote—with Ace.
"Okay, okay," Anton said loudly, "Serious question. What kind of fruit is Bryce?"
They burst out laughing even before the answer came, already knowing it would be ridiculous.
"Well… man-go on," Zayden answered, raising his brow. "Because he can't move on!"
They all groaned and shouted, "So corny!"—but laughed anyway. Typical Zayden—corny but charming in his chaotic way.
Bryce shook his head, grinning. "Wow. So that's where our humor is now?"
"Respect the pun," Zayden said with a wink.
And while they all laughed, I was just… staring at him.
That voice.
That laugh.
That smile.
I didn't know who he was anymore. Was he Zayden? Or...
"Who are you, really?" I whispered. Quiet, but loud enough to be noticed.
They all looked at me.
"What?" Bryce asked.
"Nothing," I said.
But I didn't stop. "No, seriously. Who are you?" I looked straight at Zayden. Their faces showed confusion.
"Kiera?" Anton asked.
"I'm serious." I stood up. "Earlier in the garden, someone was singing. It was our song—Ace and I wrote that. No one else knows it. And you—you were singing it."
Zayden went silent. He stiffened. But I kept going.
"Even how you dress. The words you use. The way you walk sometimes. The silence in you but the depth in your stare. All of it. Everything, Ace. Everything is you."
"What are you talking about?" he asked. But he wouldn't meet my eyes.
"Ace… is that you?"
My voice rose. I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Why do you know that song?! We made that song! Ace and I! And now you're singing it—like it's yours?!"
Tears were falling. And in the middle of the silence...
He laughed.
That annoying laugh. The laugh he used as Zayden.
"I actually fooled you?" he smirked.
I froze. "What?"
"Wait—what are you saying?"
He grabbed his bag and pulled out a small notebook—my diary.
"I found this under your bed."
My eyes widened. "You—read it?"
"Some parts," he said. "Not everything. Just the juicy ones. Like this one—"
He flipped to a page. Then he read it. Word for word.
> "You are my favorite hello and my hardest goodbye. Ace, if only you knew... you were never just my best friend. You were my first love."
"Stop."
But he didn't.
> "I hope one day, if you ever come back, you'll feel how much I loved you—even if I never said it."
He laughed. But not in mockery. It was bitter. Like he wanted to break himself.
"Ace is gone, Kiera."
"No," I said. "He's right in front of me. You—You sound like him. You move like him. You…"
"…Am not him," he cut me off. "I'm not your savior. I'm not your first love. I'm just the guy who read your heart and played it back to you."
"You're a monster."
"A monster who memorized your pain," he replied, "Every word. Every line. Because for some stupid reason, I wanted to understand why you still look at the stars like you're waiting for someone who's never coming back."
I swallowed hard. I didn't know whether to be angry or to pity him. But it hurt. It hurt so much.
"Do you think this is a game?"
Zayden stood. "Life's a battlefield—and you're losing without even knowing it."
"You don't get to use my pain as a weapon."
"Then stop making it your armor."
That hit me.
"Don't act like you know me."
"But I do," he said. "Because I read the parts even you were afraid to admit."
"You played with me?" I asked, voice shaking.
Silence.
"Was this all a joke to you? Just a prank?!" I was shouting now. "My trauma, a joke? My guilt—the guilt that I'm the reason Ace is gone—was that funny to you?!"
He looked shocked. He didn't know how heavy it was for me.
"I don't even know if he's alive or really gone. But every day, I blame myself. Because I was the one who told him we should cook… I was the reason for the fire… I…"
He froze.
"Fire?" he repeated, voice trembling.
I saw the way his face contorted. Like a memory he tried to bury was chasing him now.
"Wait…" he whispered. "There was… a small hut. Behind a tree?"
My chest exploded. I froze. "Why do you know that? Why do you know that place?" I asked, laughing in disbelief. "Zayden, what the hell?!"
I screamed, "Aren't you done yet? Are you really going to keep messing with me until the end?!"
But he didn't answer. Instead, he clutched his head. He couldn't breathe. Like a ghost was clawing through his mind.
"Answer me, Zayden!" I yelled. "Why do you know our secret spot?! Did you read that too?!"
He suddenly walked away. Almost ran out the door. Like he needed air. Like he needed to escape himself.
I followed him. I wasn't letting him go. Not now.
"You were cooking there…" he whispered, barely audible. "It was sunny. You were laughing. You brought marshmallows. You were happy. Then…"
He stopped. Closed his eyes. Trembling.
"…there was an explosion."
My knees gave out. "How do you know that?" I whispered. "I never wrote that down… I never told anyone…"
He looked at me. Direct. No smirk. No arrogance.
"Because… I was the kid. I was the one hiding in the grass."
My world shattered.
"What?"
"I saw you. I followed you. I just wanted to join… but I got scared. I was always scared back then," he whispered. "Then… I got curious. With the stove. The fire. The lighter."
"No…"
"Yes," he said, barely able to speak. "I opened the gas canister at the back. I didn't know. I thought it was a toy. I just wanted to show off. But when I smelled the gas, I ran. I hid."
I was trembling too.
"I cried all night. Because I knew someone was there. I knew someone got hurt. But I said nothing. I did nothing. As the years passed—I thought I could forget."
"YOU." I pushed him. "You were the reason. You're the reason Ace is gone!"
"Kiera, please—" Anton tried to stop me, but I didn't listen.
"I blamed myself for so long! I kept telling myself if I didn't make him cook, if we hadn't gone to Dambayan—he'd still be alive!" I shouted. Then—a slap.
He didn't dodge it.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
Another one.
"Why did you make me believe you knew nothing?!"
One more.
Until Anton grabbed my arm.
"Kiera, stop… please," he begged, crying too.
But I was furious. So furious.
"And then you—pretended to be Ace. You played with my mind. You made me believe you were someone else. You—"
BANG!
We were startled when something dropped. It was Bryce.
He had slammed his bag to the ground. He was trembling. Breathing heavily. Hands shaking.
Then—he shouted.
"SHUT UP!"
Silence. We froze. All eyes on him.
"He's not dead."
We stared at him.
"What the hell are you saying?" I whispered, heart pounding.
"He's not dead," Bryce repeated. Looking straight at me. "You keep saying he's gone. You keep screaming like you lost him forever. But I'm right here."
My mind started spinning. "What… what are you saying—?"
"I'm Ace," he said, loud and clear. "Bryce Ace Alcazar."
My eyes widened. I couldn't breathe.
"No… no, no, no…" I whispered.
He looked at me, tears brimming.
"Aylin."
I swallowed. "What did you just call me…?"
"Aylin." he said. "That's your name. Only I called you that."
My knees buckled. "What is happening?! What is this?!"
"I waited for you," Bryce shouted. "Every single day. I waited. But you never came back. You left me!"
"I did come back!" I screamed. "I went there! So many times! But you were gone! You disappeared!"
"Because you believed I was dead," he shouted. "You believed it right away. Even without a body. Even without proof!"
"What was I supposed to do?! Hope? Wait for nothing?!"
"YES!" he screamed. "Because I was here! This whole time!"
The tears finally fell. I didn't know if I should scream, laugh, or just collapse.
"You're lying…"
"I'm not."
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
"Because you looked happy. Because you were okay without me."
"NO, I WASN'T!" I screamed. "I was dying inside!"
"Then why did you leave?"
"Because YOU disappeared!"
We stared at each other. Both gasping for breath. Full of rage. And pain.
Then suddenly… silence.