Secret for Vinhelm #3 Read online

  Right after the concert, everyone was worried about him. The injury wasn’t serious but it was obvious in his face that he was in pain. They can see him flinch whenever he moved his arm.

  They tried to convince him to cancel the other stops but he didn’t want to. There was no way he would. Not until he made sure he would get his girl back.

  ********

  After another all-nighter and not having a minute of shuteye for two days, Meahri was able to lie down and relax while she waited for a client’s reply. She wished she could fall asleep. She knew it was the only way for her to not think about anything. It was her only escape. She wanted to sleep but she can’t. Not when the client she was waiting for was an important client.

  Her finger was busy pressing the TV remote as it continued to switch channels while her mind wandered somewhere else… somewhere it shouldn’t be.

  Everything came back to her. They were rushing like streaming water that didn’t show any sign of stopping. She missed him. Again.

  The next second, her doorbell rang and it woke Snoopy up. Meahri went to the door and the not so little fella followed behind her. When she opened the door, it was Therry.

  “Hey sis.” Therry sounded worried.

  “He—“ She was cut off when he touched her cheeks.

  She didn’t know she was crying. He held her in his arms to comfort her. He knew it would never be easy for his littler sis to move on but what he didn’t expect was for her to cry so much when it had been months since Vhynce left her.

  He wondered if she cried this much every day and he knew the answer to it. How can he not know it after seeing how much weight she lost and how swollen her eyes were? He can’t afford to imagine how much she cried every night with no one beside her.

  “Hey… Can we talk?” He sounded hesitant.

  He was debating whether or not to push through with what he came for. He wanted to not do it and stay beside his little sis but at the same time, he knew he had to. Not for Vhynce but for him. If there was something she wanted to keep from Vhynce then so be it but he needed to know everything.

  She didn’t say a word. All she did was nod.

  They head to the living room with Snoopy following them around.

  When Meahri sat on the couch where she was lying down a while ago, Snoopy jumped on top of it and lay down beside her. His head was on her lap. Therry took the couch opposite to them and he adored the sight in front of him. The little guy knew how to take care of his mom and Therry was happy that Meahri had Snoopy beside her. He may be a dog for other people but for Meahri, Snoopy was family.

  Therry should’ve sat beside her but not now. He wanted to look at her, observe her and watch her reaction. He knew she was a very honest person but there was nothing that can be more honest than her face specially her eyes.

  “How have you been?” He knew the answer to his own question. He only asked because he didn’t know where to start, what question he should ask first.

  “As you can see, not so good.” She made a sarcastic laugh.

  As honest as always. He thought. The more he looked at her, the more he hurt. He can’t still remove the fact that it was partly his fault. If he didn’t bring Vhynce her way, they wouldn’t be where they were now. If he didn’t recommend her to Vhynce, the two wouldn’t meet.

  He always blamed himself for it but he can never undo his mistake. What he can do now was to try everything he can to make up for his mistake.

  “How’s work?” He asked.

  “It’s still the same.” She forced a smile. Seeing it, he told himself that it was enough. He couldn’t watch this any longer.

  “Meahri.” He sounded serious.

  “Therry.” She said his name slower than she used to. She begged for him to stop, for him to not ask any question.

  “We both know what I really want to talk about. Meahri, let’s stop this. Let’s drop the front. Let’s stop acting that everything’s fine, that you’re fine when we both know you’re not. I’m here. I’m willing to listen to everything.”

  “Meahri. I hate to see you crying but I need to know. You know I won’t leave until you tell me everything. You need to let it out. If you’re mad at Vhynce then be mad at him. If you want to punch him, I’m here. You can’t live the rest of your life keeping it to yourself. It will hurt you more.” He stopped when she chocked on her tears.

  “The more you try to be strong, the more you act that everything’s fine, that you can just forget everything, the harder it will be for you. I’m here Meahri. You know I’ve always been here for you.”

  “Therry...” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “Tell me what’s wrong, sis. I know there’s something else.”

  “I don’t know… I really don’t understand it.” She too was surprised to hear what she just said.

  “What are you talking about?” He asked wanting to understand her too. She wasn’t making any sense.

  “Whenever I remember how I lied to you and Thiara, I hate myself. You guys treated me like a real sister. You were the brother I always wished to have and Thiara was the sister, the bestfriend I always wished to have.” She mumbled.

  He tried to understand what his little sis was saying. Part of it he understood but mostly, she still didn’t make sense. He knew there was more so instead of asking, he decided to wait for her to continue.

  “I always wanted to tell you and Thiara but I was just scared. I was so scared that if I tell you everything you’d hate me. You know ho—“ She was cut off.

  Finally, Therry understood.

  “Meahri, I’m not Vhyn-“ Now, it was his time to be cut off.

  “I know.” She sobbed.

  “I didn’t want to lose you. I already lost Vhynce and I can’t afford to lose you or Thiara. Every time I get to be alone with you, I always thought of telling you the truth. I’ve been dying to tell you the truth but the thought of losing you is what stopped me every single time I try.”

  “I grew up alone Therry. My mom died after giving birth to me. My dad died when I was 10 and I never had any sibling that’s why when I met you and Thiara I felt so happy. I’m not telling you this to pity on me.” She cried harder.

  “I don’t and you’ll never get it.” He assured.

  There was a promise behind his words but for someone like Meahri whose thoughts was all over the place, there was no way for her to see it.

  “I was so scared. I was too scared that if I tell you everything, you and Thiara would disappear.” She sobbed.

  “Meahri, you will never lose me or Thiara. Truth is, we’re not the only ones who feel that way.” He paused when he saw the slight change on her face.

  “Meahri, everyone you met at RMM, each of them treated you the same. When everyone found out that you were a fangirl, everyone was surprised but none of them hated you for it. They loved you for how you treated them, for your company, for your attitude and most of all, they loved you for who you are and not for being an artist.” He stopped for the second time when he saw her smile. It felt like a long time since he saw her smile, a genuine smile.

  “Rayle… He loves you Meahri… You know, after seeing how much Vhynce hurt you, I blamed myself for everything.” He couldn’t hold it any longer. He didn’t know if the kid confessed his feelings but whether he did or not, he wanted to apologize in advance for what he was about to do.

  She didn’t ask why but he already knew that she was about to ask. Her face was too easy to read.

  “I was the reason why you and Vhynce meet again. I always thought that it was all bad that I sent you his way but whenever I see Rayle, whenever I see how he looks at you, even for a bit, I feel that I did something good…”

  “I just wished that Rayle was also the person you fell in love with but no and it was something that can’t be forced. I know how much you love Vhynce. I’ve seen the two of you.” He stopped when he heard Meahri said something.

  “In the past, I never wished to find someone else, to love some
one else…But when I met Rayle and realized how good he was to me. It also came to me that maybe Rayle was the man that God sent to help me forget, to help me move on…”

  “That maybe he was the guy that I deserve…. Vhynce was too much for me. He was too good for me… Truth is, I always thought he was too good to be true.”

  He wanted to butt in but he found himself speechless after hearing her next words.

  “It’s just that I love Vhynce so much. I think I love him too much that I’ve forgotten how to love other people… Therry, how I wish it wasn’t him but love is not a pageant that I can choose who’ll win my heart.” She started crying again.

  He remained silent not because he wanted to. He was simply loss for words.

  “You know I find it funny… In the past, I always dreamt of being with him, of spending my life with him. But there was a problem and it’s always the same thing. It’s his fans. They were the ones who are always showing up and ruining everything. Of course, it’s normal. Vhynce is a rockstar.” She stopped as she studied Therry’s face.

  She expected him to say something but he didn’t. He was obediently listening to her.

  “Who would have thought that the thing that I’ve been dreaming of would become reality? The only difference was, it wasn’t his fans that ruined it. I was the one who ruined everything. Who would have thought that I would also be the reason why my dreams would be shattered into pieces?“ She confessed.

  “Meahri... I hope you don’t mind me asking but I have to ask. How did everything started?”

  He was curious. He knew she shared some of it when she talked to him, Thiara, Rayle and Tyler before but he had a feeling there was something more, something deeper. He wanted to know more about her, about how she learned to love Vhynce this much.

  “Everything started when I first met him on a Valentine’s Day. I was the lucky girl that year. It was 6 years ago. I didn’t know who he was. Not even a single idea.”

  “After he left the café that day, I officially became a fangirl. I was never a fangirl but I became his fangirl. He was the one who introduced me to that crazy yet amazing world. It was a world beyond my imagination… a world where you learn to love unconditionally.”

  She saw him smiled. He finally understood everything and knowing how smart he was, she didn’t have to make it clear for him.

  “Everything started from that one encounter with him. I graduated around the same time he retired. When I heard the news of him retiring, I thought, maybe it was God’s way telling to remove that distraction in my life.” She stopped as if she was trying to figure out what her next words should be.

  “4 years ago, when I was a fresh graduate, the only thing I had in mind was to earn money. I wanted to earn so much so that I can afford my own place and while I was doing that, I didn’t realize I was also getting closer to my dreams and farther away from him. What I didn’t expect was after 3 years I’ll meet him again but this time not as a fangirl but as an artist. It never crossed my mind because I never expected to receive a project from the music indus–” She was cut off.

  “Then I came.” He added and a smile formed on their faces.

  The more he listened to Meahri the more amazed he got. He couldn’t believe that he was hearing all this. He never thought that fairytales were true but with Meahri and Vhynce, he was able to prove that fairytales were real.

  It was goddamn real.

  It’s not a coincidence that after 4 years, these two met again. It’s definitely not a coincidence... It’s fate. These two were destined to be together. He smiled at the realization. He was very happy to be part of something so amazing. He now understood that all of Meahri’s pain was all part of it.

  It was the first time he saw fate in action and it was something he’d never forget in his life. It was so hard to watch but it was more than worth watching.

  “Meahri.” He sounded serious all of a sudden.

  “What are you going to feel if I tell you that where you are now is exactly where you should be?”

  She thought he was joking but realized he wasn’t. Not with his face and voice filled with nothing but seriousness.

  “Serves me right, huh?” She said sarcastically.

  “Trust me on this sis.” He assured.

  “You do know that I don’t understand what you’re talking about, right?” She asked in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

  “I know. Right now, you won’t but you will soon. Can you promise me one thing though?” He sounded hesitant.

  “As long as it’s not free service from me for the rest of your life then I’m good.”

  The two burst into laughter.

  “Promise me that you won’t give up on Vhynce.” He sounded like he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was aware that she was still in a lot of pain but he needed her to promise. He needed her to say it. At least when she does, he can assure himself that she really won’t give up on Vhynce.

  Vhynce was in the middle of his plan in winning Meahri back. All Therry had to do was make sure that she wouldn’t stop loving him until the last stop of his concert comes.

  “Therry… Making a promise wouldn’t make a difference. I still love Vhynce. I’m still going to love him after a year and maybe the year after that too. I’ve committed myself to him for 6 years. It’s something you couldn’t forget that easily. We’re just really not meant to be together. I guess it was fate’s way of telling me that it’s over, that it’s time for me to end this craziness and move on.” The pain was too obvious on her face.

  No it’s not. It’s the way of fate telling you to fight for him. It’s her way of making you realize what her real plan is… that you and Vhynce are fated to be together. He wanted to say the words but instead he said something different but not so different from his exact thoughts.

  “Just give Vhynce one last chance. All I’m asking you is to take a leap of faith that maybe it’s not the end, that maybe it’s just a challenge given to you that you need to overcome to prove how much you really love him. Just this one last chance, Meahri.” He pleaded.

  “I hope you’re right, Therry.” She sounded like she wanted to believe in his words but the amount of pain she had for the past months stopped her from doing so.

  It wasn’t easy to believe again especially if it was something that only you belived in. No matter how much you wanted to believe and fight for it, the time would come when you get tired.

  “I know I’m right.” I hope I am. He wanted to say it but he can’t. He was scared that if he did, She would have more doubt and right now, it was something he didn’t have room for. He too was hoping that he was doing the right thing.

  He was frightened for Meahri and Vhynce. The two had gone through a lot of pain and he was scared that the pain was too much that it had replaced the love they have for each other.

  I hope it’s not yet too late. He thought.

  “You know, after your secret was revealed, I always wanted to ask you something.” He confessed.

  “What is it?” She sounded curious.

  “The first time you met Vhynce, that very first time you had your eyes on him, did you ever thought that he was perfect?” The second after he utter the word ‘perfect’, he saw a smile formed on her face.

  “Because I’m his fan?” She added.

  “Yeah... We both know that fans think their rockstar is perfect, that they are the best in the world despite the mistakes they made. I was wondering if you also felt the same towards Vhynce.” He wasn’t sure if he should be asking it but he have to. He wanted to know. He was curious.

  “Honestly, yes… I guess that’s how it is when you’re a fan especially if you’re still new. Since you’re new, all the things you know about him are all good things but as time passed by, you learn that he also has his flaws, that he’s not perfect…”

  “After knowing Vhynce for some time, I knew he wasn’t perfect. He never was and will never be and that’s the reason why I love him… Him being not perfect is what ma
kes him real.” She explained.

  “But he’s a rockstar, shouldn’t he be perfect? At least in his fans’ eyes?” He asked.

  He also experienced being a fan but not like Meahri’s level. He was a fan of Michael Jordan because he’s an amazing basketball player but not to the point that he would chase him, buy his merchandise and all those stuff. He simply looked up to the man because he was good at what he does.

  “Exactly. But then again, he’s not. At least for me. If he was perfect, I had to be perfect too in order for me to meet his standard. His flaws remind me that I don’t need to be perfect, that I just need to be me.”

  Meahri’s feelings for Vhynce were overflowing. It was too obvious in her words, in her face and most of all, in her eyes.

  After everything that happened between them, she still loves Vhynce a lot. She looked like she loved him even more. She was too busy loving him silently that she didn’t have any idea how Vhynce was working hard just to get her back.

  One who loves unconditionally and one who was willing to give everything just to get his girl back. If these two were not destined for each other, I don’t know what they were.

  Therry smiled.

  He too was happy for his little brother and little sister. He saw how hard and painful their journey was but he also knew that it was all worth it. The two may not know it but they will find out soon enough.

  Chapter Four

  "You're here!" Her uncle Felix greeted her as soon as she opened the door.

  "Sorry I made you guys wait. I had to finish something before coming here." Meahri sounded apologetic but Felix felt something weird in her voice. She may not be his real daughter but he had been with the girl long enough to know if something wasn’t right.

  "That's fine. We just finished preparing dinner." He assured as he approached her to guide her to their kitchen.

  "Hey aunt!" She greeted her aunt Emilia who was busy mixing the salad.