Chapter 5: Tranquil

Equilibrium.

Serenity, despite her name meaning the state of being calm and at peace, has never had a taste of being in the said state. Not once was she able to live without crippling anxiety.

Vince’s presence? It does give her a sense of safety, but never peace. That’s contrary to the nature of their relationship.

A sigh escaped from Serenity’s lips as she threw her shades at the pearly sands of the island her father had always loved. An extremely breathtaking view, with the lovely sands and the calm waves.

Tranquil. If a single word could be chosen to name the entirety of the island, it’d be tranquil.

And so does her system obtain a state of equilibrium, as she finally has nothing to fear. Serenity has taken refuge, at long last.

“Hey, Vince…” she muttered as she sat on the sand, not minding the sand that stuck to her bare skin. “Do you think I’ll forever be safe here?”

“Only time will tell, ma’am.”

She sighed as she tapped the space beside her. “Drop that. We’re the only ones here. Now, come here and chat with me.”

“No can do.”

Rolling her eyes, Serenity snickered. “Goody-two-shoes…”

“I’ve broken your father’s rules many times now, Serene. Let’s stop pushing our luck further.”

“Can’t I at least have a chat with my childhood friend?” Serenity hissed at Vince.

“Childhood friend?” He let out a sarcastic chuckle at her remark. “We’ve become something far different from that, and you know that. There was no going back, if you recall the things you said that night.”

Right.

How could I forget?

Serenity could only sigh in defeat as she stood up to make her way inside the house. She knew it was high time she stopped messing around with Vince, but how is she supposed to when her system aches for him?

Another sigh.

She didn’t know how many times it had been, but the inexplicable feeling of wanting something was urging her to take another risk. And so she looked back at Vince, who was also watching her as she strutted across the sands.

“I’ll go take a walk by myself. Please don’t follow me.”

Serenity’s face remained impassive as she walked away, unable to bear the tension present between her and Vince. It was as if every breath felt heavy, the air contained the unsaid words and ignored feelings.

Nostalgia filled Serenity as she kicked the sands she stepped on, her feet unknowingly leading her to the place she once knew as her sanctuary. The one Little Aia so dearly loved.

“Oh, Aia…” she whispered to herself, sighing deeply. “How disappointed you must have been to see what I’ve turned into.”

As if she’d gone mad, Serenity chuckled as she made her way to the dirty wood swing her father made for her, not minding whether her pearly white dress got stained. With her now empty eyes, she stared at the serene surface of the ocean, fully aware that what lies beneath the far horizon is most likely unquenchable turmoil. It does resemble her, does it not?

She doesn’t want to see it nor does she want to continue thinking about it. And so she closed her eyes as she lightly swung, afraid that the old swing would break down. Time has washed over it, after all.

Serenity wanted to calm herself down. And so, as her eyes remained shut, the scent of the sea began to fill her senses. Now, the only thing she could think about was the sea as the waves crashed into the shore in a way that was nostalgic to her.

Everything feels the same. Except they’re not.

“I’ve grown tired of this…” Serenity mumbled to herself as she silently hoped that Vince would find her.

That’s what she’s grown accustomed to.

She’ll push everyone away, isolate herself, and pray that Vince picks her back up. But every time she does, the distance between them grows. And she believes it is the only way he’ll run back to her.

“Serene…”

“I told you not to follow me.”

He sighed as he walked towards her, his hand immediately reaching for hers. “Sorry about what I said earlier.”

“It’s the truth, Vince. There’s no need to apologize.”

Silence overcame the two as she took his hand, trembling in fear that she would fall back in. Vince noticed. Of course, he always does.

The tranquility that overcame their systems seemed superficial and short-lived. They know it will be much too different soon because Sephiro Lopez is not an idiot. Vince is almost certain he already has a hunch.

“Serene—”

“Aia,” she cut him off. “Can you call me Aia? I just…want to feel like myself again.”

He doesn’t want to. If he could choose, he’d say no to it for the first time. But it is Serene. And he couldn’t say no to her.

To Vince, Aia is different from his Serene.

“Aia,” he called, and Vince swore he saw her eyes glisten for the first time. “I like Serene better.”

Serenity chuckled, shaking her head. “You don’t. You just like Serene for sex. That was all it has ever been, Vince. Stop denying it.”

“No.”

“Vince, let’s be real for once, hmm?” Serenity replied sarcastically.

And that puts an end to the facade of tranquility they’ve both been putting up. As if the barrier they put up has finally been broken down by a single statement, penetrating through the thoughts they’ve been keeping to themselves.

Serenity’s heart swelled with emotions she didn’t want to deal with— fear, longing, and empathy. The tides she had been desperately trying to control had begun to rage inside of her. It was as if there was a whirlpool inside her that was dragging her down to the deepest trenches of the raging sea.

With a heavy heart, she looked away and decided to call it a day. The stars had already dotted the dark sky, shining upon the two along with the moon.

“Let’s just go back. It’s late already.”

“Serene…” Vince called, almost pleading.

“We shouldn’t push our luck further. You said it yourself, Salvador.”

It was as if the distance between them wasn’t enough already. Serenity calling Vince by his surname was the biggest blow to their relationship yet.

There it is again.

The two are pushing each other away. In a place where there’s only the two of them, with no one else to interrupt, the two are still bound to find a way to be more distant from one another than they already are.

Serenity lost control. Again.

“You can go ahead upstairs. I’ll make dinner,” Vince said. At this point, he had already given up when Serenity didn't even want to hear him out.

“I’m not hungry.”

He sighed as he blocked her way with her big frame. “You’re my responsibility, Aia.”

Responsibility. Aia.

Serenity’s heart ached at those words. She wishes it didn’t, but after all this time, she’s still nothing more than a little kid that needs people to take care of her.

Except it’s Vince that she needs.

Her mind was all over the place, and she didn’t have the luxury to ponder about such things anymore. And so she decided to just listen to Vince.

“Then, I’ll go upstairs first.”

As Serenity made her way upstairs, she couldn’t fathom the plethora of emotions she was bound to take head-on. As the door closed, Serenity mentally turned into the child she once was.

The room was still the same, except it had turned glum. It was the same room she filled with the happiest memories she had ever had. Some of the photos have faded overtime, now remaining as nothing more than a shadow of what Serenity has become.

Slowly, she sank on her soft bed as she felt overwhelmed by the burdens she had to continue carrying. As several minutes passed while waiting for Vince, Serenity slowly dozed off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Vince realized Serenity wasn’t responding when he called for her. And so he decided to take the food to her room, having realized that she must have fallen asleep.

“Serene?” he called, forgetting about her favor to call her by her childhood nickname.

Ah.

She’s fallen asleep, he thinks to himself. He slowly placed the tray of food on a nearby table before gently sitting beside her, hands immediately reaching for her cheeks.

“As lovely as always.”

It was something Vince was afraid to say out loud. After all, he had agreed to never speak about those feelings to his Serene nor to anyone else. It’s a vow that came out of his mouth back then.

Gently, he brushed the strands of hair that covered Serenity’s pretty face away, studying her features as she slept like a vulnerable child. The Serenity that’s asleep beside him was far from the ever-sophisticated and composed Serenity he spends every single day of his life with.

“Ah, Serene…” he whispered to himself as his head drooped in frustration. “How could I ever hope to own you like you own every piece of me?”

Vince is painfully aware of how complicated their situation and relationship is, as it has become entangled with the threads of responsibilities and fears they both have. Even so, he’ll never walk away from his Serene, regardless of whether it meant death.

Never.

But those were simply the words Vince knew she wanted to hear.

Slowly, he laid beside her and stared at the empty ceiling, wondering whether things could change as the two of them spent time together on the island all by themselves.

Call him greedy, but he’s praying to whoever could hear him that no one would come to intrude. Vince knows he can’t have her all to himself, but he would kill for it.

“Vince?”

Slowly, he got up to assist her. “Food’s ready.”

“You should have woken me up.”

“Apologies. You were fast asleep.”

“That’s fine…” Serenity replied softly as she stood up, rubbing her eyes as she tried to wake herself up.

Vince took a deep breath as he followed after her. “Did I wake you?”

“Yeah.”

Serenity, unable to stand the awkward silence as she ate, decided to finally speak. “Do we have anything to do on this island?”

“I’m not sure. But I can explore the island tonight.”

“Tonight?” Her brows furrowed at what he said. “It’s dangerous at night.”

“I’ll be fine—”

“You always say that, but you’re always covered in bruises when you come home to me.”

Vince shook his head. “If it’s for you, I’ll be fine.”