Suddenly, I was reminded about the lyrics of Papa’s favorite song. It was What Am I Living for by Eddie Peregrina. What am I living for if not for you? Baby, nobody else, nobody will do. What am I longing for each lonely night? To feel your lips to mine, to hold me tight...
What or who am I really living for? Am I really living to begin with? Without Ingram, I could live longer because I would be safe from the curse. But I wouldn’t be able to be happy. I would exist, but I wouldn’t live. And after a couple of years, I’d die like any other human in the world.
Why am I hesitating? Does it really matter if I’d die earlier? What matters was that I made every second of my short life count. I’d die happy. Other people didn’t have that kind of privilege. Others had lived their whole lives without knowing what happiness really meant.
With that thought in mind, I pulled out my jacket on the rack and wore it before leaving my room.

“INGRAM?”
My shoulders drooped when I saw that all the lights inside Ingram’s apartment were off. Still, I walked towards the door and knocked even if his car was not in the garage. “Ingram? I thought you said you’ll always be around?” There was no answer. I knocked harder and louder. “You’re a liar. You told me that you will protect me but you left me again.”
“I never left, Brianna. I’m just here, I’m always here.”
I gasped when I heard that familiar voice. I glanced around but I couldn’t see him.
“I’m up here, darling.”
I looked up and saw Ingram standing on the roof of my apartment. “I’m here every night. I only go back to my apartment before the sun rises.”
“Get down here! It’ll be bad if others see you there,” I yelled out of relief and worry.
When Ingram jumped from the roof, I had to pat my chest to calm my heart. It might take me a while before I could get used to this.
He was now in front of me. He was about to hold me but he hesitated. He placed his hands inside the pockets of his maong jacket instead. I missed his caresses. From the light coming from the full moon, I could see Ingram trying to hold back his smile. I suddenly felt conscious. I wasn’t even able to comb my hair or put a powder on before going out.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you laughing at me?” I asked in a grouchy voice to hide my embarrassment.
“I’d never do that. I’m just happy.”
“Why?”
“I heard you.” His smile broadened. That smile was just too beautiful that I couldn’t help smiling, too. “You said, ‘Damn it. I’ve fallen for him.’ And then I heard you say my name.”
My smile faded. My cheeks flushed. “I’m in love with someone whose eyes and ears are probably ten times better than mine. Should I bid farewell to my privacy now? You could see and hear everything-“
“I love you, Brianna.”
I bit my lower lip to stop myself from sobbing.
“I’ve missed you so much, darling, that it hurts just watching you. It hurts not being able to touch you, kiss you, and make love to you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
In a blink of an eye, his arms were now wrapped around my waist. I embraced him back.
“After a long time, I’m finally seeing a glimpse of light because of you. Can I take back what I said before? Be mine, Brianna. Be mine amid the curse, amid the danger. Be mine and I won’t just see glimpses of light. I will see the entire sky. With you, I’d get to see even the rainbow. I know that this is selfish of me but-“
“Yes, Ingram. I will be yours,” I said softly. “To hell with the curse. Let’s stop worrying about the future. Death will happen anyway. Let’s just live merrily. I don’t need to have a long and safe life if I’m going to be miserable without you.”
Ingram gently cupped my cheeks. “I’m not going to be the best man for you, darling. We’re different in so many ways. I couldn’t give you the family I know you longed to have.” Insecurities filled his eyes. “We can be together during the day. But I have to minimize using my mark. I can’t stay anywhere under the sun. You would have to close the windows and the curtains when you’re with me. I’m sorry.” He breathed sharply. “After all that I said, would you still like to be with me? You’d never have a normal life again-“
I silenced him through a kiss. “It’s okay. Normal is boring anyway.”
I remembered the man in my dreams. Everything about him and Ingram were the same except for their face because I haven’t seen his face yet. I told Ingram about it.
He chuckled. His eyes were shining when he spoke, “The witch that I met hundred years back told me that my other doppelganger will receive a sign from the Universe, a sign that I’m bound to come in her life. The signs would be revealed through her dreams. The dreams can be as intense as the storm or as gentle as the wind. In your case, no doubt, it was the intense one.”
I see. And here I thought he was a product of my imagination without knowing that I was fated to dream about him. I don’t know what waits for me and Ingram. And I don’t want to know anymore. He loves me and I love him. That’s all that matters.
I smiled at him. “You will never be alone in the dark again. Every time you’d play hide and seek with the sun, I’ll be with you. Through the light and the darkness, I will stay with you.”