Work Text:
"Bob, how do you deal with change?"
A sudden, hard-hitting question slipped through Luis' lips. Robert had to stop mid-drying his hair, settling his damp towel on his shoulders. He turned to his best friend, who was sitting on his bed, looking at the dark forest through the window. Only the sound of the ceiling fan and the crickets fill the room. Robert furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think of a good answer, before replying:
“I trust in Him.”
Luis’ mouth tugged into a smile. The reply is very Bob, alright. Still, he feels unsatisfied with the answer. He was already doing that, always has been. Psalm 55:22 rings in the Filipino’s mind— “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”— but the fear in his heart did not dissipate, no matter how often he conversed with the Lord about his worries.
Luis shifted his position, laying his body down completely to the mattress. His left hand fiddles at the small wooden pectoral cross resting on his chest. Robert, after setting the towel to dry, joins him, sitting at the edge of the bed. He rests his hand on top of his spare hand. For warmth, for comfort, a silent “I’m here.”
“To be frank, I’m scared. These last few months will be the last time I will see most of our batchmates in a long while, or perhaps ever. I would have to leave the city I grew up in, to blend in a new environment, with new people. I have plans for college, but then again, you never know,” Luis choked a small laugh in an attempt to lighten his depressing confession. “It’s too many uncertainties for my mind to handle.”
Robert’s gaze softened at the man's vulnerability. He clasps Luis’ hand with both of his hands. Whilst giving him a reassuring smile, he responds, “Still, I believe there is a good path ahead of you, Chito. You’re an overachiever, clearing the curriculum with ease. You're also an active member in multiple clubs. You can do anything so long as you put your mind into it, and the Lord— God would guide you every step of the way. He will be with you until the end, even when I cannot be at your side.”
Luis felt his heart twitch, hurt by the inevitability that he and Robert would diverge paths. That, like other people he cherishes, they would grow distant. He closes his eyes, the thought is too painful to handle. Subconsciously, Luis tightened his hold on Robert’s hand, as if begging him not to go. Robert could only squeeze his hand back.
To his surprise, Robert also gave him his confession. His voice spoke, almost in a whisper, “I do wish—no, pray— that I would remain by your side. Beyond this retreat, beyond our high school years.”
The wind passes by, rustling the branches of the nearby trees. A choir of leaves.
Luis opened his eyes, turning to his dear friend. Robert gently stares at him, his ears slightly pink. Luis smiled, his overwhelming affection for him eliciting a wistful smile.
“Let’s pray and hope it’s in His will.”
A set of frantic footsteps echo through the Horacio de la Costa Hall. The source sped through the hallway, muttering ‘excuse me’s and ‘sorry’s to every person he sped by. Luis is late, way too late, as it’s fifteen minutes in since his Philo 11 class started. However, just after he apologized to the lady he almost bumped into, his speed came to a halt, his recklessness causing him to crash onto another person. It was a pretty hard fall, the ache ringing onto their muscles.
“Sorry!” The younger man exclaimed, his voice panicked. He stepped back to give the other person some space. “I didn’t mean to—”
His thread of apologies were cut by a hearty laugh.
“It’s alright— just be careful next time.”
Luis adjusted his glasses, his eyes focusing on the man now standing before him.
Bob.
Luis’ face shifted from surprise to a bittersweet smile to a full on beam. It took all his effort not to embrace Robert right then and there. His enthusiasm easily infects Robert, greeting his friend with a welcoming smile. “It’s been a while, Chito,” the American spoke. It still makes his heart giddy after all this time.
“A while indeed, Bob.”
I’d have to thank the Lord for this, Luis thought to himself, perhaps later in Gesu.
For now, he basks at the reality that he would have Robert in his life again— as God willed it.