Almost

Clear blue skies. Cool ocean breeze. Waves gently lapping on the shore.

The beach always has that unexplainable magic where it can bring two people from worlds apart together. It's a perfect backdrop for that perfect love story where boy meets girl, they fall in love and live happily ever after.

Sasha came to that tropical paradise for a much needed vacation--- away from the hustle and bustle of Manila. She also looked forward to visiting relatives she hasn't seen in a long time. She loved the beach too much that she didn't mind if her cousins didn't accompany her to the beach that day and instead threw her into the mercy of strangers. Friends of her cousins from the U.S. that were there on vacation too. Going into that trip she only had one luggage and a big beach bag that doubled as her hand-carry. Naturally, going back she only expected to bring home dirty laundry that would all of a sudden wouldn't fit in her luggage anymore (you know how you're bringing home the same stuff you packed prior to leaving but when you're packing at the end of your trip it won't fit anymore?) Little did she know that she was about to bring back something bigger... something unexpected.

And may be something she's not yet ready for.

Sasha is the type of woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to go after it. She also thinks that she's got life all figured out. But after having her heart broken a few times she realized that relationships are messy and dissapointing and therefore thinks that it's best to build a wall around herself. You know, to protect herself from people who are only out to hurt her. She feared getting attached too much. She feared letting any one in. She feared falling in love again.

"Hi. I'm Drew! I'm sorry I didn't get your name. You are?" He said to Sasha from across the table while stretching out his hand.

"I'm Sasha." She replied and shook his hand.

"It's really nice meeting you Sasha." He replied with a smile.

Sasha half smiled and half pretended to study the ants crawling on the sand beside her feet. She suddenly felt shy. She didn't know how to respond to Drew mainly because she's been talking and laughing with his buddies translating some of the words they didn't understand and he was the only one who actually showed genuine interest in her. She normally didn't feel this shy around men. She's even used to men hitting on her and always had a witty sarcastic comeback.

What she thought was an afternoon spent alone swimming on the beach turned out to be hours of talking to this stranger from a far away land. They hit it off right away. For two people who come from different worlds they had an instant connection. Albeit, he's not her type. She normally wouldn't give a guy like him the time of the day. Drew on the other hand wasn't used to coming up to girls and actually sustaining a long conversation. But something brought them together that one sunny day on that tropical paradise...

Sasha only realized that she has spent the entire afternoon with one boy when her cousins and Drew's friends pointed it out to her. She enjoyed being with him so much she didin't notice the time or the fact that there were 15 other people with them and she chose to hung out with just one. That was a mistake. I musn't allow myself to get any closer to him. I should start avoiding him. She thought to herself. She knows that this was only a temporary thing and it will all be over in a few days. I'm flying back home and so will he. I'll get on with my life and so will he.

But all her attempts to avoid Drew failed. Mainly because he followed her like a sick puppy and she loves having someone to pick on. He was an easy target because he lets her make fun of him trying to speak in Tagalog. She eventually gave in and agreed to go out with him. Since then they were inseparable.

Drew wasn't like the guys she dated in the past. For one, he wasn't intially interested in just getting into her pants (this of course came in later). The first compliment he gave her was "You're beautiful Sasha" and not the usual "You're really hot Sasha" (which of course he eventually said later on). Being with Drew felt like it was her "firsts" even though she's had a few serious relationships and then some in the past 25 years. The first guy she liked, held her hand, watched a movie with, went snorkeling with, who gave her red roses, the first guy she introduced to mom whom he also gave flowers to, the first guy she kissed... who made her heart skip a beat. But the best part was the fact that he makes her happy. For someone she's only met he sure knows how to make her laugh. She can be a total goofball and still be adorable in his eyes. And for the first time in years, Sasha finally allowed herself to break chunks of her wall.

Sasha brings out the kid in him. He hasn't met anyone like her. For someone he just met it feels like he's known her his whole life. He feels like he can tell her anything without the fear of rejection, she was someone he knew he could trust with his open emotions and deepest secrets. He loves goofing off with her and just being silly. She opened up his eyes to a world he didn't think existed anymore. He hadn't felt this happy in a long time. And for the first time ever, Drew showed her a side of him he never showed anyone before.

Caught up in their own little happy world, Drew started talking about the future. About what would happen when they go back to reality. He wanted them to be exclusive. Sasha agreed (but at that time she didn't know exactly what she was saying yes to). Drew thought that it was worth trying to make the long distance thing work. Sasha agreed (but at that time she didn't know exactly what she was agreeing to).

"We'll make this work." Drew promised kissing her on the lips.

But it didn't.

Long distance relationship is and was a terrible idea. It was awful.

And so he flies back to his country and Sasha stayed in hers. He promised he'd be back sooner than she thinks and would keep communicating with her. They tried to keep this up for a couple of weeks but the distance together with their cultural and beliefs differences and language barrier soon took its toll on the relationship. By the time he wakes up to call her she's already asleep. When she wakes up and tries to call him back he's already asleep. It started to get frustrating. Things started to fall apart.

Back in their own worlds, Drew wasn't the same person he was on vacation. Sasha started realizing that this isn't the kind of relationship she wants. He wants them to be exclusive but could not tell her where the relationship is heading. He just wanted to go with the flow and see where it'll take them. She wanted security. Now the word "exclusive" becomes confusing for her. She didn't know exactly where they are in the relationship. In her culture, they don't use the word "exclusive". When a guy voices out his intentions by telling the girl he loves her and the girl says I love you back then it's usually followed up with "So tayo na?" (So does that mean you're my girlfriend?) Then they officially become a couple. But in Drew's culture, exclusive means you're in a committed relationship but it doesn't necessarily mean that you love the person. Ang labo noh? (Confusing, right?) In Sasha's world you can only be in a committed relationship when you are both in love with each other. But not in his world.

Reality started sinking in. Sasha knew what they had to do. They needed to take a step back. She believed that they started their relationship prematurely. They skipped the "getting to know each other" part and went straight to the couple phase. She wanted to take things slow and go back to being friends first. You see, this was the part where Sasha didn't really know what she was saying yes and agreeing to. She wasn't really sure what kind of relationship they have. Are they boyfriend/girlfriend or in between? So what Sasha thought as them building the foundation of their future relationship based on friendship was misunderstood by Drew as them breaking up. So he disappeared without a trace. Leaving Sasha hurt and even more confused than ever before.

Vacation romances have an expiry date. It has a best before seal written in fine print. The catch is by the time you purchased it it was already close to expiring. It was that inconspicuous for a reason: it didn't want you to notice that it'll all be over even before anything really started. Because if you knew that then you wouldn't have bought it anyway. It only wants you to enjoy what you have that moment without worrying about the real implications. But as soon as it expires, reality will rear its ugly head and pull you back to the ground. You'll then realize that you're not the same person you were in vacation. That the defenses you let down is back up.

But as much as that vacation felt like it was just a dream it was also very real for Drew. For someone who's only dated but hasn't been in love in his entire 27 years of existence, he didn't know if what he felt for Sasha was love (but then again, something must be really wrong with a man old enough to get married who hasn't been in a serious relationship ever). He was sure that it was something he hasn't felt for anyone before. He knew that he has never felt that passion to care for someone so much and that someone like her doesn't come along to someone like him everyday. It was all new to him and he didn't know what to make of it. In his panic and fear he chose to just walk away from it all.

Sasha was just as confused. She knows that she wants to be with Drew but the whirlwind romance she had on that trip scared her. Everything was happening too fast. She was scared that she was falling for him. Because she was hell bent on protecting herself from pain and heartache, she held back and didn't allow herself to fall in love again.

And just like that they were back to being strangers...