“thank you for waiting, enjoy your coffee,” said the lady behind the counter as she presented him with his order. “thank you,” he replied back, took the tray and headed to the mezzanine. he had driven almost two hours uphill from the city to the coffee shop overlooking the most fantastic view he had ever seen. a gust of cool breeze welcomed him as he exited the staircase while scanning the area for a place to sit. the mezzanine was half-empty so he went to the far end to settle down so he can take a better look at the scenery. “nothing like inhaling fresh air,” he said to himself as he inhaled some of the cool air surrounding him while surveying nature’s glory before calmly sitting down. he then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and started to look inside to see how many he has left. “this seems just about right,” he uttered as he took one and lit it up. after making his first puff, he leaned back on the chair and held the cup of coffee in the other hand, as his thoughts began to wander.

“looks like you need some company,” a female voice suddenly blurted, piercing the calm serenity he was in.

“no, not really, but i guess it wouldn’t hurt,” he replied as he motioned the lady to the chair opposite him.

“thanks,” she said back as she took her seat. “great view, isn’t it?” she added. “i always try to come up here when things get too rough back in the metro. it’s kinda like a retreat for me.” he still was looking at the view as her comments went by.

“i take it you often come up here?” he then asked, breaking the uneasy silence she didn’t quite expect.

“at least i try to, with all the things going on in my life right now. i barely have time for myself,” she said as she paused to sip on her ordered beverage. “how about you?” she asked.

he let out a soft, short chuckle as she ended her question. “i haven’t been here for quite some time,” he then answered. “at least i hoped i would be coming back after the last time i was here, but…” he trailed off, not wanting to reveal so much to the stranger in front of him.

she slowly nodded, realizing what he was talking about. she then reached for her purse and went through her things as if she was looking for something. “lost something here, too?” he jokingly asked, noticing her fidgeting among her things inside her purse.

“no, i think i may have run out of cigarettes,” she answered back, frustrated as she kept looking inside.

“here, it’s my last one,” he said as he handed the pack with the last stick inside. “you can have it.”

“are you sure?” she reluctantly asked. “yeah, go ahead,” he insisted.

“thanks,” she said, taking the pack. “don’t worry, i won’t ask for a light,” she added as she took out her lighter.

another period of silence came. breaking the uneasy ambience again, she asked, “why are you here then?”

he did not answer immediately. it was either he wasn’t sure of what to say, or if he would even answer the question at all. he surely wasn’t about to reveal some things about himself to this woman, yet at the back of his mind, maybe this was something that he wanted. or, that he needed. after all, he was almost certain that nothing else would happen that would’ve made things a lot easier for him–or a lot simpler that it would have made complete sense. then, at that exact time, he wondered what was the real reason he came back to that place, though he told himself that the next time he would come back, it would be with that person whom he shared almost everything with, except that person took them and ran away with it, leaving him in the dust yet again.

“i came back here because of a promise, a promise made to me,” he said as he tried to look her in the eye. he finished off his cigarette and added, “yet even though that promise wasn’t fulfilled, i’d rather come back here, pretend that everything is the way they should have been, and then go back, leaving what was supposed to have been back here, with everything else i have inside for her.”

she was taken aback with what he said. never before has she met someone with potentially everything she would want in a man. yet, at the back of her mind, she knew, that something special happening with this man is not right now. he was still hurting, that she understood. but part of her wanted so much to get to know this man who offered her a seat, a cigarette, and a small insight into his life.

“i see,” she finally replied back as she bowed her head down, realizing that the conversation would go no further. “what then?” she asked, hoping that a slightest hint would come her way.

realizing what he had to do, and finally coming to terms with the inevitable, he finished his cup of coffee, calmly stood up, looked at her and told her before heading towards the exit, “now, it’s a two-hour drive back home.”