*Who's My Eternal*
*One Month Later — Kael's Farm*
*New York*
Noa left. So did Cindy.
Airport goodbyes were messy. Cindy cried into Elian's shirt. Promised video calls, visits, _I love you_. Elian hugged back. Said _me too_. Meant it as much as he could.
Noa hugged Cherry last. Long. Tight. Whispered in her ear: "Don't let him break you again. And if he does… call me. I'll come back."
Cherry nodded. Couldn't speak.
Then they were gone.
Just like that.
*Kael's House — 5 AM*
Elian started at sunrise.
He needed money. College fund was gone. Dad's meds weren't getting cheaper. So he took the job Mr. Kael offered.
Male servant. _Helper_, Mr. Kael called it.
Feeding chickens. Cleaning the truck. Fixing fences. Whatever needed doing.
He worked hard. Head down. No complaints.
Because 5 PM couldn't come fast enough.
*The Bay — Every Day After Work*
"Cherry."
She didn't look up. Kept mending the net. "What."
"I'm sorry."
"For what today?" Flat.
"For being stupid," Elian said. "For… for looking at Cindy and forgetting you were there. I didn't mean to hurt you. I swear. I was just… I was trying to be good to her. And I didn't see you."
Cherry snorted. "You never see me."
"I see you now," Elian said. Sat down. Not too close. "Short hair. Black shirt. Pissed off. I see you."
"Congrats," Cherry said. "Took you 13 years
He flinched. Deserved it.
Day two: He did her work. Hauled sacks before she got there. She showed up, saw them stacked, glared. "I didn't ask you to."
"I know," Elian said. "Just did."
Day three: He made a joke. Stupid one. About Mang Rodel's bald spot.
She didn't laugh. But her lips twitched.
Day four: Rain.
He stood outside her house. No umbrella. Soaked in ten seconds.
Mrs. Eva opened the door. "Elian! What are you doing?! Come in!"
"I'm okay, po," he said. Teeth chattering. "Just… is Cherry home?"
Upstairs, Cherry's window cracked open. "Are you insane?! Get inside!"
"I'm sorry!" he yelled up at the rain. "I was a bad Best! I left you on a rock! I carried her and didn't think about you! I'm sorry!"
The window slammed shut.
Two minutes later, the front door opened. Cherry stood there with a towel. Threw it at his face. "You're going to die of pneumonia, idiot."
Worth it.
*One Week Later — Same Bay*
Elian showed up. Like always.
Cherry was already there. Waiting.
He stopped. "Hey."
She looked at him. Really looked.
Tired. Wet from work. Hands calloused. No Cindy. No New York. Just him.
Showing up. Every day.
"You're annoying," Cherry said.
"I know," Elian said.
"You're not gonna stop, are you?"
"No."
Cherry sighed. Long. Dramatic.
Then kicked dirt at his shoes. "Fine. You're forgiven. Happy?"
Elian's head snapped up. "What?"
"I said you're forgiven, you deaf—"
He didn't let her finish. Tackled her in a hug. Full force. Both of them hit the dirt.
"Elian! You're heavy! Get off—"
"No," Elian said. Into her shoulder. Voice muffled. "Missed you. Missed my Best."
Cherry went still.
Then, slowly, hugged back.
"Idiot," she mumbled. "You're still on probation."
*Back to Before*
Just like that, they were _Best_ again.
School: Walking together. He carried her books. She stole his chips.
Farm: Side by side. Arguing about who was faster at harvesting.
Fishing Bay: Every afternoon. Him untangling her line. Her yelling when he scared the fish.
And the mangoes.
"Cherry, don't—"
Too late.
She was already up the tree. Short hair, black shirt, pockets full of stolen mangoes. Grinning like a devil.
"Cherry Pink! Get down here!" Mang Rodel's voice.
She jumped. Landed wrong. Elian caught her. Both of them hit the ground laughing.
Sometimes she got caught.
Punished with extra chores. Cleaning the coop. Scrubbing the truck.
Elian always helped. "Team Best," he'd say.
"Shut up and scrub," she'd say.
But she'd be smiling.
No kisses. No confessions. No weird looks.
Just them.
Like before Cindy. Before the rock. Before he broke her.
Like they were nine again. Sharing pandesal.
Elian watched her. Every day.
And didn't let himself want more.
Because _Best_ was enough.
Had to be.
And Cherry?
She let herself have him back.
Her Best.
And locked the rest of her heart up tight.
_You don't drown for boys who can't swim._
Even if they learned how to swim too late.
*Two Months After They Left — Daily Rhythm*
*9 PM — Cherry's Phone*
It rang. Same time. Every night.
"Noa," Cherry answered. Putting it on speaker while she folded laundry.
"Pink." His voice. Still warm, even through 12,000 kilometers. "How's the farm?"
"Same. Hot. Smells like chicken." Cherry smirked. "How's New York?"
"Cold. Smells like ambition."
They talked normal. Farm stuff. His classes. Her stealing mangoes. _Mang Rodel almost caught me today—_
Then it'd happen.
"I miss you," Noa would say. Casual. But not casual.
Or: "You know I meant it, right? At the bay?"
Click.
Cherry would hang up. Fast. Like the phone burned her.
Her face? Red. Betraying her.
Elian, doing his own homework on her floor, wouldn't even look up. Just say: "You in love with him or what?"
"No," Cherry would snap. Fanning her face. "He's just a friend. Stop it."
"Mm-hmm," Elian said. Biting his pencil. "Friends make you hang up like you got electrocuted."
"Shut up and do my math."
*Elian's Phone — Meanwhile*
He called Cindy. Every other day at first. Then every three. Then once a week.
It rang.
"Hey," Cindy's voice. Distracted. Background noise. New York streets.
"Hey, Cin. You free? We can video call—"
"I'm heading to class," she'd say. Fast. "Can we talk later?"
Later never came.
One time he tried at 6 AM her time.
"Elian, it's 6 AM," she sighed. "I'm busy. I'll call you back."
She didn't.
He stopped trying.
Cherry found him staring at his phone one night.
"She's probably busy," Cherry said. Sitting next to him on the steps. "NYU's hard. Classes, projects…"
"Yeah," Elian said. Not believing it.
Cherry saw his jaw clench. Saw the thing he wouldn't say.
So she reached over. Pressed her thumb right on his wounded arm. The one he cut on barbed wire last week.
"Ow! Cherry!"
"Stop thinking," she said. Didn't let go. "You're gonna give yourself a headache. She'll call when she can."
It hurt. But it worked. He stopped spiraling.
"Brutal," he muttered. But didn't move her hand.