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It’s Valentine’s day again.
For others, it’s the day wherein you get all cheesy for your soulmate. It’s the day when the world gives love once every 364 days of misery. It’s the day when chocolate and flower shop owners rejoice because finally, they have a valid reason to raise their prices. It’s the day when romantic love songs would play on repeat on the radio. You would see overly happy and blooming faces as you walk on the streets, holding whatever sacrificial gift they have for their soulmate.
For Brett Yang, it’s another day to endure.
Other than getting annoyed hearing Crazy For You by Madonna and Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship everywhere, he has no other emotion to commemorate this holiday construct shebang that the world, has yet again, formulated. Working 9 to 5 in a law firm, barely getting by, he has no time to celebrate such things.
You see, everyday is like Valentine’s. With the nature that every human being in this world has a destined soulmate. When one meets his soulmate, in that moment when your eyes meet, fireworks will spark in the night sky. Happens everyday, mate. So when you meet your soulmate during the day, tough luck. Your first meeting sucks.
There’s fireworks every night in Brisbane. People would clap all of a sudden, knowing that someone in Brisbane had just met their soulmate. Brett thinks it’s just a walk in the park. But seeing those figures in the street in pairs, holding each other like their own life, the young man wonders if he will ever feel that sensation of warmth.
With that thought lingering on the back of his mind, Brett thinks that his Valentine’s will be miserable just like his life for the past 28 years.
“You’re still here, Brett?” His colleague Alice, calls out from the other side of the office hall. Brett snaps from his thoughts and sees the empty desks around him, with most of the lights turned off.
The young man sits up, noticing that he took a nap, leaning on his keyboard. “Shit—Oh, yeah. Got a lot of things to do.”
She chuckles. “Most of our colleagues are out early, you know, celebrating Valentine’s.”
“Yeah, and I’m celebrating with tons of reports and pleadings to draft.” He rubs his face in exasperation.
Alice puts on her coat. “Yeah, me too. But I gotta set those things aside for a while. It’s not everyday that people give love, you know.”
“Is it only during Valentine’s do people give love?”
“Depends on who you’re with.” She shrugs and gets her bag from the desk. “Well, I gotta go now. Have a good Valentine’s, Brett.” Alice smiles as she leaves the office floor.
“You too, Alice.” After she leaves, Brett leans back on his seat and sighs loudly.
He’s all alone in the office. He didn’t even notice that most of his colleagues were leaving earlier. Perhaps he was too immersed in his work or maybe his thoughts led him to another dimension. After hours of working and staying in one position, his workload didn’t seem to lessen. In fact, it piled up even more. “What is all of this..” He scans his stacked up folders. “I’ve been working for hours and it didn’t even lessen one bit? The hell?”
Brett stands up and groans. “I’m so burned out. I hate this. I hate doing all of this work.” He takes his coat and puts it on without thinking. The sight of his office desk makes him want to look away.
He was working the entire day and Brett really needed a change in environment before he combusts. He just wants to get mind off work for a day. “Okay, I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s but perhaps this is the time when I get to treat myself.” He pushes his eyeglasses closer to his bridge before getting his bag to leave the office.
He closes his eyes and sighs. “What am I even thinking? Am I really going to celebrate Valentine’s?” Brett closes the rest of the office lights and pushes the glass door to leave the hell hole for once.
Once he gets out of the office building, loud love songs playing is what he first hears. Specifically, Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey. And the first thing he sees is people on the street either holding their soulmate, chocolates, flowers, or proposal ring. Their smiles are wider than the Great Wall of China, stretching until the heavens. While Brett is holding his bag and dignity in tow.
On the back of his mind, he rolls his eyes in disgust. But seeing the glint and evident love in their eyes, with their soulmate marks shining bright, he feels a hint of sadness. But nobody knows that. He looks down on his soulmate mark on his wrist, pale and monotonous. The cold breeze of the night added up to the loneliness that is starting to build up inside of him.
Brett shrugs to set aside those thoughts and walks along the street. It was crowded as ever, people lining up at flower shops and candy stores. Fine-dining restaurants were packed, with people waiting for their name to be called outside. He doesn’t want to join with the hustle of the city to make him feel like he’s single than he already is.
He imagines himself seated on his couch, eating Ben & Jerry’s and takeout food while watching his all-time favorite movie Interstellar. Without hesitation, he goes to the nearest Chinese restaurant to buy himself some takeout food. Lobster chow mein with a side of sweet and sour pork should be good. The restaurant was by the bay of Brisbane River which was not too far from Brett. But he quickened his pace with the thought of a sea of people lining up at the resto.
As he approached the row of restaurants by the bay, some were packed and some were not. Couples were hanging out, walking, and sightseeing the view of the vast body of water with the clear night sky. They’re probably waiting for the fireworks to show, Brett thinks of himself. But he has a different agenda. He immediately sees the Chinese restaurant, his eyes lighting up in excitement of buying his comfort food.
But then his eyes dart to the huge line of people in front of it.
It looks like everybody was thinking of the same thing as Brett’s. His face falls in disappointment as he sees that there are couples lining up as well. Who in the right mind would consider going on a Valentine’s date in a Chinese takeout restaurant? “What the fuck..” He mutters.
The atmosphere started to become louder as music started to play from one restaurant’s speakers. And of course, they were playing love songs. What did Brett expect, christmas songs? He sighs in defeat as his eyes wander along the bay, looking for another restaurant option. “Should I just cook?” he asks himself. “Huh, I can’t even cook egg fried rice. Who am I fooling?”
“If there's a takeout hotpot here then I’ll consider it. But there’s none.” Brett internally groans as he is running out of options. The loud music from the speakers is bombarding his ears. “Curse this loud music. Curse loud songs.” Cue the bitterness.
Annoyed and hungry, his eyes focus on the scenery in front of him. The lights coming from the tall buildings reflected on the river. The calm movement of the waters made Brett jealous at some point. Why can’t he be like those waters? Moving, but not so much. They’re just floating. Chilling without a care in the world, just come what may on what force will settle upon their waves. Brett gets slightly annoyed and sentimental about it.
All this time, he’s been so focused and preoccupied. He has no life at all. The pendulum of events throughout his life never showed him down for once. But here he is, on Valentine's day, choosing to pry away from work once in a blue moon. He wouldn’t call it weird, but Brett thinks that this is just what he needed to realize all of this stuff. Maybe Valentine’s is making him feel that he is single in a good and bad way. It’s making him feel like he doesn’t have a life anymore. Heck, Brett doesn’t even remember what bubble tea tastes like.
And with that, a thought comes into his mind. “Yes, bubble tea!” he excitedly tells himself. “I haven’t had bubble tea in ages. I know that my favorite shop must be here somewhere.” His eyes hurriedly search along with his feet. The adrenaline rush is kicking in as he imagines the thought of finally tasting bubble tea after a while.
He doesn’t even notice the world moving around him. Not even the growing number of people, the night sky in a different light. Nor his soulmate mark slowly glowing.
“Aha!” Brett exclaims upon seeing his favorite bubble tea store from afar. It was on the other side of the bay. But he couldn’t care less about it. His legs can hardly catch up to the excitement building up inside of him. Call him crazy, but he loves bubble tea.
He passes by a few people who are walking at their own pace. He can see them glancing at him weirdly. They’re probably thinking like Brett is doing some kind of Korean drama scene wherein he’s walking towards the love of his life, enveloping them into his arms and living happily ever after. But no, he’s just excited for bubble tea.
With love songs still playing loudly in the background, yeah, he’s in a Korean drama alright. What’s only lacking is the other main lead.
As Brett paces towards the shop, he doesn’t notice a tall and lone figure approaching the opposite direction, holding a cup of bubble tea. The figure is preoccupied with his phone, scrolling down with whatever shit he’s dealing with while walking.
As if on cue, Brett’s phone vibrates in his pocket. He brings it out while still walking, checking who’s the one calling. His eyes squint as he sees that it was Alice. Brett accepts the call and puts in on his right ear. “Hello? Alice, I’m outside right now.” He chuckles. “Yeah, I get what you said. But I think I will die if I spend another hour in the office.”
“Yeah, yeah I know.” Brett talks louder as the music volume increases. “Listen, it’s pretty noisy so I need you to speak up. Yeah. I’m spending Valentine’s alone. Sad, huh? But it’s not like I’ve been alone all these years—”
He was suddenly cut off because a figure bumps into Brett, hard and sudden. He was taken aback by the sudden collision. “Shit,” he mutters.
“Oh shit! I’m sorry.” A voice calls out, making Brett look up at the person. “I am so sorry.”
His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes set upon the person in front of him. “I-it’s okay..” Brett manages to let out. He felt weird all of a sudden. Alice was still in the line, he’s approaching the bubble tea shop, love music is still playing, but why does he feel weird all of a sudden?
Maybe I am just hungry. I’m not in the right mind.
“It’s okay..” Brett repeats once more as the person is still before him, confused as he is. People were walking around them both and it felt weird that they’re still there. “It’s okay..” he trails off as Brett starts walking past him.
Until the person softly holds him back, taking a hold of his arm. It takes the other by surprise. What is happening to him? “W-wait,” he says, confused. “Y-your wrist..”
Brett looks down on his arm where the other is holding. His wrist was glowing in bright yellow, illuminating the subtle darkness surrounding them both. His eyes widened. “What..” He doesn’t have any idea. “What is happening?”
But then, Brett could see the other’s wrist as well, glowing with the same intensity as his. “Your wrist..” he manages to blurt out. The other looks down on his wrist, seeing his eyes widen. “Oh my god..”
“I-I don’t know what’s happening..” Brett tells him, timid and confused. “It’s glowing. It-It could only mean one thing..” A hint of realization sets upon them both.
In that moment, seeing the person in front of them, with both of their wrists shining uncontrollably, under the night sky, surrounded by people that were deemed to be strangers. Brett cannot believe that this is happening. The person looks into his eyes, looking like he already knows the answer.
Crazy For You by Madonna started playing in the background.
“I-it’s you..” the other trails off. “We’re soulmates..”
A foreign feeling settles upon them both. Foreign, but not unwelcome.
All of a sudden, Brett hears fireworks shooting up into the sky. He immediately looks up to see flashes of light launching into the air, then exploding to bring color into the plain night sky. The people walking by the bay stop in their tracks to stare at the scenery before them. Not knowing that those two people who got conspired are not too far from them. Brisbane River becomes more colorful than ever.
Suddenly his heart is beating fast like he just ran a marathon as Brett stares at the fireworks before him. He can’t believe that this is happening to him, still doubting if this is reality. Little did Brett know that the other paid no attention to the colorful explosion in front but to the sight of him.
Their soulmate marks glow like fireworks. But it doesn’t match the spark they feel inside.
Brett hesitantly sets his eyes upon the other, not knowing what to say. The other notices this and chuckles. It takes him by surprise, to hear such a laugh. It’s like Brett wants to hear it over and over again.
“Eddy.” His soulmate—Eddy holds out his hand. “Eddy Chen.”
Brett looks at the soft hand awaiting for him, and looks at the other’s face, soft and anticipating. He’s been all alone all this time; he can’t remember when was the last time someone held their hand for him, to accept and embrace him. But upon looking at the other’s stare, his features, his smile, his eyes, his aura, his everything, maybe Brett deserves this. Maybe he deserves the warmth, maybe he deserves to feel the spark that he is currently feeling, maybe he deserves to feel the intensity of this fiasco. Maybe he deserves to love and be loved in return.
Slowly but surely, Brett smiles at Eddy, holding in the tears that are threatening to come out of his eyes. Brett reciprocates the hand shake, suddenly feeling the warmth of Eddy’s hand. The warmth threatens to creep under his skin, bringing shivers. “Brett,” he replies softly. “Brett Yang.”
And with that, Eddy shows a bright smile, his eyes turning into crescent moons. “Nice to meet you, Brett.”
His stomach flutters upon seeing a smile so bright. “Nice is an understatement,” he says softly, not wanting it to be heard. But Eddy softly chuckles in response.
“I guess it is,” he replies, nodding shyly.
Upon seeing his smile, Brett could see images of them. Images of bubble tea and holding hands. Images of soft smiles and kisses. Images of whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ear. Images of laughter and joy, all the more. Images of happy and sad tears. Images of warmth, comfort, and love. Images of all the hope, possibilities, and even the impossible.
Crazy For You by Madonna continues to play in the background like a broken CD player. But Brett isn’t too bothered by it anymore.
The fireworks stop, the soulmate marks have glowed weaker, but the color of hope inside Brett and Eddy’s hearts intensify.