Gain & Loss

alyssa ran back to the room, hoping to find tyler. however, as she entered the lift on the right to head down to the room; tyler entered the lift on the left to head down to the lobby.

alyssa walked into an empty room. what was left of him was an envelope and a letter...

Dearest Alyssa,
Darling i know you are mad at me. you ought to be and i don't blame you for your outburst. however, you should know my stand in this. colin needs help and i have to help him; regardless if you like him or not. He is still my best friend. If you are really serious about not marrying me, i will accept your decision. But i want you to know that i still love you.

Tyler

alyssa cried when she read the note. she had rejected the love of her life just because of a sudden moment of anger. now, alyssa wished that if she only could turn back time.

***

shayna cried her whole way to her parents' room. she checked her face in the mirror in the hallway. they were swollen and teary. she pulled out her eye drops and foundation; hoping that they would do wonders on her face. she didn't want timothy or her parents to find out about this. she shouldn't be crying for colin. he had done injustice to her heart, time and time again.

why did she sumit herself to this type of heartbreak? she surely do not deserve it and she felt that she had someone better waiting to marry her... what the hell was she crying over colin? the more she thought about it, the more she cried. the irony still stands.

finally, shayna braced herself and knocked on the door. surprisingly her parents look exceptionally chirpy. she figured something was amiss.
"there you are! we've been expecting you!" Mrs. Fong said as she hugged her daughter tightly. shayna was skeptical about all this festivity but she didn't reject them.
"why are you all so happy?" shayna asked.
mrs. fong was about to rattle everything when timothy interrupted, "i think we're late for our luncheon. i think we should make our way there."

mr. fong second that as he pulled his wife out through the door as he kissed his daughter on the cheek.
"i'm just glad you're here," mr. fong said. shayna was glad that her father knew the right words to say each and everytime though he doesn't know what went on. he was her mentor and her guide in life. a precious father.

timothy squeezed shayna's hand. "baby, are you alright. you look so pale."
shayna looked up at her fiance and tried to smile, "yeah i'm fine. let's get going." that was all she could manage right now. if she had said anything else, she would start to burst in tears again. timothy pulled her closer for a long kiss. shayna felt herself fit back in place again. she was in the arms of love.

timothy, shayna and shayna's parents headed down to a quiet little restaurant where they would just talk and chill out together. shayna's parents were due to leave in a few days and this was one of the last few times they could do this until she returns home from her scholarship. timothy was being the nicest future son-in-law ever. he made sure that shayna's parents were always chatting and they just got along. shayna was glad that her parents approved of timothy.

"i think we ran out of drinks. i'll go get some more..." timothy volunteered. though everyone on the table tried to refuse the kind offer, timothy just left the table. shayna felt that maybe she had to be honest with her parents. they were her only channel of release since alyssa had her own problems to settle.

"papa, mom. i have something to tell you guys," shayna said.
"what is it dear?" mrs. fong asked excitedly, thinking that shayna was going to tell them about the engagement.
"it's about... colin."
mrs. fong was taken aback, "colin? what has he got to do with the..."
"... dear, let our daughter finish," mr. fong said and looked intently at his precious daughter.
"colin came to look for me... a few days ago and we met."
"you still have feelings for that boy?" mr. fong asked.
"at first, i did. he seemed like a changed man. so different from the past... until today," shayna explained, "lila is suing him for making her pregnant and not taking responsibility for the baby."

both her parents gasped in horror.
"i knew he was going out with lila but lila sure didn't look pregnant when i took leave," mr. fong said.
"papa, anything can happen while you're here. lila's not the type that would lie about these stuff. sad to say, only colin would," shayna explained.
"have you told timothy anything about colin?" mrs. fong asked, "he should know about it."
"i want to, mom. but it just seems so insignificant. i know timothy loves me... and it superceeds the need for him to know about colin. we just look so happy."
Mr. fong placed a hand on his daughter's lap. "i trust you know what you are doing. we will always be supporting your decision," he said.
shayna forced a smile, "thanks."

"look what i bought!" timothy said, as he walked back to the table with two jugs of lemon tea. he noticed the three solemn faces and got worried.
"did i miss anything?" he asked.
shayna smiled and helped him with the drinks. "no you didn't. we just had a family discussion."
"will i be an active participant next time?" timothy asked shayna.
she just smiled and replied, "in due time."

***

tyler and colin sat at the departure hall. tyler was trying to call up lawyers, press and anyone who would be able to provide information about the whole situation. colin just stared out the window, aimlessly and stoned.
"alright. thank you Mr. Yong. We will meet you as soon as we arrive. Yes, i'll remind him. Thank you," tyler said befor ehe hung up the phone.
then tyler turned to colin, "colin... i've got..." he noticed colin's distracted look.
"hey buddy. you alright?" tyler asked.
colin turned to his friend and nodded, "just want to get this over and done with. lila has got my family and business into a lot of trouble. i don't know how to face them."
tyler clapped his buddy's back, "everything will be settled. if you know in your heart you didn't do it and she's lying; you'll find the evidence to back it up."
"thanks ty for doing this. i really appreciate it. i hope alyssa will understand," colin said.
"it's alright buddy. you know we go through anything together. but i'm not so sure about lyss... she seemed pissed and immediately broke off our engagement."
colin punched tyler lightly on the arm, "she'll forgive you. she loves you."

tyler shrugged, "i hope so."