Kilig

I remember it like it was yesterday, the day you came back.

It was a typical December night for Ottawa. The cold air prickled against my cheeks and nose, the only part of my body left unbundled. The sky had fallen to complete darkness by dinner time, but I remember the way the snowflakes sparkled as they fluttered past the street lamps ever so softly. I recall leaving my apartment on Riverside that evening with butterflies in my stomach. I walked in silence down the road to the bus station that would bring me to you, my heart hammering in my chest and the butterflies not letting up for even a moment. 3 months time and 3,000 miles had kept us apart, but finally I could have you once more. Our future wasn’t clear but I didn’t care, it was our night.

The 25 minute ride on the 97-Airport bus felt like a lifetime, but every stop lessened the distance between us a little more. I had never been to the Ottawa Airport before, and I was so nervous about missing my stop that I got off a stop too soon and had a 10 minute walk to Arrivals. Sometimes love is so inexplicably powerful that it takes over your entire being. Darkness surrounded me but the glow of the airport in the distance pulled me forward. I didn’t feel frightened by my new surroundings, nor cold from the relentless winter. People always talk about that moment when you realize someone is the one. This evening was the moment I knew. Love doesn’t need explanation, it cannot always be rationalized. Love was my driving force that evening, and it pulsed through my being with unquestionable vehement.

 

I remember scoring a leather massage chair next to baggage claim but I couldn’t sit still. The butterflies had expanded their real estate and taken over my entire body. I paced anxiously, questioning the route of my nerves. I checked the time on my phone as I counted down the minutes to your scheduled arrival. 3 months isn’t a long time but it equates to a lifetime when you’re without the one you love. What if’s started plaguing my mind. What if I’m not who he remembers me to be? What if it doesn’t work out? What if he leaves again? What if…What if…

 

But then, when I noticed you in the distance, my doubts were silenced. I could feel your signature ear-to-ear smile even though you were still 100 yards away. Everything around us seemed to blur as I started walking, and then running towards you. Nothing mattered anymore. I didn’t care who was looking as I jumped into your arms and wrapped my legs around your waist. Tears were falling from our eyes as we laughed and kissed and touched and reunited. I could have held on to you for forever in that very moment.

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Inspired by the Filipino word Kilig –Written in response to the daily Filipino word prompt for Word High July.