THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW
The wind carried a sharp chill across the water as their boat cut through the waves, four passengers among a larger group bound for town.
Sasha sat beside Angelo with her arms folded tight, her lower lip pushed out in a pout. Across the vessel, Andeng and Junior kept to themselves. It was a public ferry—roomy enough for dozens heading to the same destination.
Sasha noticed the heat of other women's gazes fixed on Angelo, coming from the benches in front and beside them. A strange flutter rose in her stomach, and she jabbed her elbow into his side.
"Ouch… something wrong?" Angelo said, his eyes dropping to the sulking woman next to him.
He had to smile at the set of her jaw. He knew exactly what was bothering her; this was not the first time women had looked his way. But Sasha was not like the others. Different in ways that had kept him close from the moment he first saw her.
"Move over here." Her voice was thick with pique, and he felt a quiet amusement warm his chest.
"Hmmm… all right." He shifted as she asked, then looped one arm around her waist. He felt her body jolt slightly against his, and the contact made him want to hold her tighter still.
They stayed that way until the boat glided into the town's harbor. Angelo guided her carefully, never straying from her side as they stepped off the planks and onto solid ground.
He drew a sharp breath—then let it out in a long stream as a strong gust of wind rushed over him. He tilted his face to the sky, his grey eyes catching the light with a mix of amusement and something he could not name.
When he looked back at Sasha, the expression faded at once. She was beaming, her face bright with joy as she moved close and linked her arm through his.
"Hurry up! Let's go thrift shopping!" She shouted loud enough to turn heads around them, and the weight returned to his features.
She stopped when she realized he was not walking.
"Angelo?"
Every time she said that name, he wanted to laugh. The name she had given him—the name that hid everything he truly was.
"Sasha… how will you take it when you learn the truth? I am not Angelo. I remember exactly who I am." He stared at her worried face as the thought echoed in his mind.
"No, nothing. Just felt dizzy from the ride." He lied, then pulled her forward as he started walking.
"Hey! You two are so slow!" Andeng's call snapped them both back to the moment.
Sasha's eyes went wide as she took in the racks of clothes spread before her. She nearly shook Andeng's arm clean off her shoulder as she leaned in to look closer.
"Wow! This would look perfect on Angelo!" Her excited cry pulled glances from everyone nearby.
Andeng grimaced and planted her hands on her hips, eyeing her friend with raised brows.
"Could you be any louder? Where did those two run off to anyway?" She asked Sasha.
Sasha shrugged. "Junior took him somewhere, right? Let them be—this is our chance to pick stuff that'll look good on both of them." She grinned before turning to sift through the hangers of secondhand garments.
Andeng sighed. "I suppose they won't get lost or anything." She crouched down to look through the piles on the ground.
A soft smile stayed on Sasha's lips as she browsed. She kept picturing how each piece she touched would fit Angelo, though she could not say why she was so certain about her choices.
"Hmmm?" Her eyes narrowed as something caught her attention deep in the racks. She almost squealed when she pulled it fully into view.
"H-Holy…!" She gasped, then bit down hard on her lower lip to muffle her excitement.
It was a leather jacket—nearly new, with just the right cut for him. Not too tight, not too loose. She grabbed it along with a pair of ripped men's jeans, her face lighting up as she imagined him wearing them both.
"Andenggg!" She called to her friend, who was busy with her own selections.
Andeng turned her way. "What is it?" Her eyes widened as they fell on the clothes in Sasha's hands.
"Whoa… looks like you hit the jackpot." She stepped closer to inspect the items.
"I know! And it's only two hundred pesos! Angelo's going to love this—I just know it'll look amazing on him."
Andeng watched Sasha as she spoke, her own expression softening as she recognized the feeling behind her friend's words. They had been with the man for over a month now.
"You really do love him, don't you?" She asked suddenly. Sasha froze where she stood, and Andeng almost laughed at the stunned look on her face.
"Looks like you haven't even admitted it to yourself yet?" She teased, chuckling lightly.
Sasha's heart hammered against her ribs. She did not know what to say, only that her hands were starting to shake with nerves.
"I-I don't know." She managed, then turned and walked quickly toward the cashier to pay.
Andeng sighed as she watched Sasha avoid the conversation entirely. Sadness settled in her eyes.
She and Junior had not planned to tag along today. But when she heard Sasha and Angelo were coming into town, something had pulled at her—and she had insisted her husband come with them.
Because Andeng knew the truth. Angelo had never lost his memory at all. He was only pretending, biding his time until the moment was right to leave and vanish from Sasha's life.
She had overheard him the night he borrowed her phone to make a call. She could not bring herself to tell Sasha—not now, when she could see how deeply her friend cared for him.
She pressed her lips together and kept the secret locked inside her chest. It was better they had come along, she thought. Soon enough, they might return to the island without the man Sasha loved.
"Did you like it?" Sasha's face was split by a wide grin as she held out the leather jacket and jeans she had bought earlier.
She could not contain her excitement as she waited for his reaction. Angelo took the items and turned them over in his hands, examining every detail.
"Well? I'm good at picking stuff out, right? I knew this would look perfect on you—I just knew it." She chattered as she watched him, her eyes bright.
They were alone now. Andeng and Junior had stepped away to buy things of their own, saying something about giving the two of them space. They sat on a bench in the park, in a quiet corner where few people passed. The rest of the grounds were busy and loud—there was a town league game being played ahead of the upcoming fiesta.
"Did you like it?" She asked again when he said nothing.
"Yeah… I like it." His voice was low, and her smile stretched wider still.
Her heart leaped with happiness, and she looked away from him, leaning back against the bench to stare up at the sky. It was turning orange and peach as the sun began to set.
"Isn't it great? I think it's branded—you'll look so sharp in it, like you're worth a million pesos." She said, her gaze still fixed above them.
Angelo watched her for a moment, then folded the jacket and jeans back into the bag. He could not deny he loved the gift, especially knowing she had chosen it just for him.
Doubt clouded his mind, heavy with thoughts he did not want to have. He did not know how to handle what was happening between them. He was not blind—he had felt her feelings growing for him all this time.
"Angelo… you know…" She turned to face him, her voice shaky as she avoided his eyes.
Angelo forced himself to stay calm, his face giving nothing away.
"Hmmm?"
This time, she met his gaze directly.
"I-I like you, Angelo."
He was caught off guard, his mind going blank for a moment.
His mouth opened, but no words came out. He closed it again, pressing his lips together tightly.
"I love you, Angelo." She held his eyes steady. "I love you—and this is the first time I've ever felt this way about anyone." Her confession made him draw a quiet breath.
A tightness seized his chest. Guilt washed over him, and anger burned in his veins—anger at himself for being unable to speak, unable to answer her properly.
He felt he did not deserve her love. That even if she loved him with every part of herself, he could not love her back. No—more than that. He could not allow himself to love her back. Not when he was meant to leave tonight, to return to the life he had left behind.
Angelo smiled at her—a real smile, warm and true.
He leaned back against the bench and looked up at the same orange sky she had watched earlier.
"I… I still remember the first time we met. It was so sudden, but… it's become one of the most important memories I have."
Slowly, the smile faded from his face as he thought back to the day the waves had washed him onto the beach.
"It must be fate that brought us together, Sasha. But I am not the man you think I am. I cannot love you back. Not now." He wanted to say it all.
But the words stayed locked in his mind as he prepared to stand and walk away, leaving her alone with the happiest days he would ever carry in his heart.