Please protect my heart...

"Hey dude, it's been a while! It's nice to see you back! So you finally graduated huh?" said Edward upon meeting his junior, Kenneth, at the Ang Mo Kio hawker centre. They were hugging each other before they both settled in the yellow plastic chairs.

"Wow wow, is this celebration or what?" said Edward upon looking at the ice bucket filled with five big bottles of Heineken, where one had been opened and almost empty.

"Serve yourself dude," replied Kenneth while passing a froze empty glass to Edward.

While Edward filled his glass, Kenneth finished the almost full glass at one shot.

"Hey hey, easy dude! What's been going on? Anything going wrong?" asked Kenneth.

"She is absurd!!! How could she get jealous over nothing just because I told her I'd meet up with her friend." He banged his empty glass onto the table and refilled it fully.

"Who? Your girlfriend? Not bad ah, you even have a girlfriend now. Where is she from?" asked Edward.

"It's her own friend you know! How could she get jealous over it???" continued Kenneth while ignoring his friend's question.

"Well, maybe something happened to her before, before you knew her. Just like what happened to my sister," explained Edward.

"What happened to your sister?" asked Kenneth curiously.

Edward gulped his cold beer before continuing his story.

"Well, it was happened after she and her boyfriend graduated. Instead of settling down here, she went overseas trying her luck to find a job, which meant she had to have long distance relation with her boyfriend. 

When she returned, just two months later, she found out that her boyfriend ended up having another relationship. What made it worse, the girl was her own friend. 

My heart is fragile. Handle with care (Picture source: Google.com)

It started with a meeting, you know, borrow books, as they both shared the same passion, reading and writing. Then more meetings discussing the books they both read. You know, when two single and lonely people got together, anything would happen." Edward stopped for a while and drank from his glass.

"But we are just friend. It's her friend some more!!! I will never do anything cross the line!" Kenneth replied him, still feeling agitated.

"It never crossed in her boyfriend's mind too before. Of course, as it would be ridiculous to fall in love with his girlfriend's friend. But, you know, thing happened." Edward explained.

"What kind of thing happened?" 

"They ended up falling in love with each other. Well, when they both realized, it's been too late. The worst thing was, my sister found out about their relationship with her own eyes." Edward stopped and drank.

"How?" asked Kenneth curiously.

"She came back earlier as to surprise his boyfriend. It was on their three year Anniversary. She went to his house, only to find him and her own friend sleeping naked below the blanket."

"Oh Gosh!!! That's horrible!!!"

"Yeah, it was! She was utterly devastated with the whole thing. She cried endlessly and almost fell into depression," continued Edward.

"I.. I'm sorry to hear that. Which sister that you have? Sorry, you have four sisters in the family right?" asked Kenneth.

"Oh, it's not one of my sisters. She is my god sister. You might know her too! She is our senior, from the same Uni that we attended. Leyla. You know her?" 

"Leyla? I heard she got married not long after she graduated. I thought with the same guy she dated during college days" replied Kenneth.

"No no. It wasn't. Not only that," Edward continued. "Just for your own record, please keep this only to yourself. She told me she married with her husband not because she loved him."

"What??? Why???" 

"She had lost trust with any man. She said, she would never be able to love someone as much as she was before, anymore. And it was due to that incident. It had created deep scar into her heart."

"So, you mean, she settled with her husband without love?"

"To be exact, it's her husband that loved her so much. After knowing what happened to her, he loved her even more. He wanted to protect her, defend her - her fragile heart - from being hurt again. And for her, being loved is much much much better than loving someone." 

Loving and being loved quote (Picture source: Google.com)

"Oh.... my... I didn't know this thing happened to her," claimed Kenneth.

"Ya, poor Leyla. But she wasn't poor anymore. At least she had someone who loved her deeply. It's even better that her husband would never betray her," said Edward.

"Ya, but marrying someone she didn't love, wasn't it like putting herself to life sentence jail?" Kenneth asked. 

"Well, who knows his love might change her heart. It might make her capable to love again," replied Edward. "Anyway, cheers man! Just treasure what you have now! Don't waste the love that you both have for each other. As life is short. We will never know what will happen tomorrow. A day more fill with happiness is better than sorrow, isn't it?"

They both clinked their glasses. "Cheers!!!"

"Hey, btw, let me call my girlfriend. I miss her. I'll tell her I won't meet up with her friend. You are right Edward, I should protect her heart, instead of hurting it. I think, you can finish the rest of the bottles by yourself dude! I've had enough. I gotta go. See you again dude and thanks for the conversation!" Kenneth left the table hastily with its remaining bottles still in the bucket.

Be your own hero quote (Picture source: Google.com)

Slowly from a far, the melodious song became clearer...

"Baby, you should know that
I've been afraid to try
I'm healing from some things and
My tears are pale and dry

I said, "I'm through with love"
You made it all a lie
You turned my never ever
Into one more time

If I happen to fall
(I feel it coming on)
In love
(Think I could fall in love)
Please protect my heart

Happen to fall
(Been through so many things)
In love
(I'm turnin' fragile, baby)
Please protect my heart

Deep in my heart I believe
That you really care for me
I pray that this time
Love lasts eternally..."