Yannie Ace Ruiz"Let your child go. She's of the right age now.""I know she's of the right age. But not all of her decisions will be good for her. What if that guy ends up hurting her?""Don't judge that boy so quickly. He seems like a good person. You saw how respectfully he came to ask for our permission. He faced us properly.""But don't we barely know him?""Well, how can we get to know him better if you won't allow him to court our daughter? And if every time he's here, you chase him away? He's asking for permission to court our daughter to prove himself to us, to show that he's worthy of our trust."I bit my lower lip while watching my parents argue in front of me."Hon, didn't you see? Just by looking at that boy, he seems to come from a good and decent family," dad said to mom, which made my mom sigh."Is that it? So you don't like that boy because of that? Because he looks like he's from a good family?""I just don't want our daughter to get hurt.""Hon, by doing th
Yannie Ace RuizI quickly moved away from Josh when I heard him call out to the woman in her mid-40s who suddenly entered Josh's house. She was elegantly dressed, adding to her already authoritative aura."G-Good day," I stuttered as I greeted her, standing up. Josh also stood beside me, still staring in surprise at the woman he called his mother."What are you doing here?" Josh asked the woman with a furrowed brow.A small smirk played on the woman's lips. "What kind of question is that? I’m here because, of course, this is my house."Josh swallowed hard. "I mean… why are you here? Why is it sudden?""It is not sudden, Son. Your Daddy and I have been trying to reach you several times, but we couldn't contact you. I didn't expect to find you here, and..." Josh's mom shifted her gaze to me, scanning me from head to toe. "With someone else."My heart raced with anxiety as I felt a wave of unease wash over me from the way Josh's mom looked at me."Who are you, dear? What are you d
Josh Rain Montez"Mommy, what is this?" I asked with a furrowed brow, quickly standing up from my seat to stop her from leaving.Earlier, all I could do was accompany them during dinner while Arriane was there. I didn't touch my food, but I couldn't refuse Lola's invitation to sit at the dining table with them even though I felt extremely irritated because I couldn't understand why the person I never wanted to see again was here now.After they finished eating, Lola invited Arriane to the living room to watch a movie, leaving Mommy and me alone in the dining area."What?" Mommy innocently asked, looking at me.I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the frustration I was feeling. "You know what happened between Arriane and me, don't you? We broke up a long time ago. She's not my girlfriend anymore, Mommy—""Then who?" Mommy cut me off. "That girl earlier? Are you for real, Son?""Yes, Mom. It's Yannie. She's my girlfriend," I replied directly, and Mommy observed me for a moment
Josh Rain Montez“Where have you been?”I was immediately startled when I heard my Mom's voice from behind. I took a deep breath before slowly turning to face her. She was sitting on the sofa, her arms crossed, and I hadn't noticed her right away when I came home.I didn't respond to her questions right away, instead, I remained silent, looking at her. She stood up and approached me."Where did you sleep last night? Why did you just come home now?" she asked in succession.Because of that, I couldn't help but smirk a little. I couldn't believe her questions because it was the first time she had asked me like that."What's wrong? Why are you asking me that now?""What?" She furrowed her brow.I took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. This is just new for me. It's the first time you've asked me these kinds of questions." She was taken aback by my answer. And then I spoke again. "I need to get ready. I still have to go to my internship.""You don't need to go there anymore," she sa
Josh Rain MontezI began eating quietly, and fortunately, Arriane finally fell silent beside me. But she must have noticed that I wasn't touching the beef caldereta she had placed on my plate."Don't you want any? It's delicious. Isn't it one of your favorite dishes?" she softly asked me."Maybe I'll eat that next time, when you're not sitting beside me," I coldly replied, still not looking at her."Josh, I know you're still mad at me. But please—""Can you just please shut up and eat?" I quickly cut her off."It seems like you two are having a serious conversation," grandma remarked, smiling at both of us. "How long have you been together?"Everyone fell silent at grandma's question to me and Arriane. Of course, Arriane's parents were aware of what happened between us. They knew that Arriane and I had broken up a long time ago because I had respectfully informed them when I ended things with their daughter. Grandma, on the other hand, had no idea, as this was the first time she
Yannie Ace Ruiz"Time flies so fast, right? It's already summer, and we'll be in our 3rd year next semester!""Yeah, it feels like we just enrolled for the 2nd semester. Now, we're already in our 3rd year!""So, what are your plans for this vacation? Are you going home to your provinces?""Hmm. I might not go home yet. I might look for a summer job first. How about you guys?""Oh, I like that idea!""Count me in too. I heard there's a fast-food restaurant that's hiring part-time students this summer!""Nice! Where is it? Let's apply. What do you think, Yannie?""Yannie?""Hey, Yannie!" I was startled when Veron shook me gently."H-Huh?""Are you okay? Why do you seem to be lost in thought?" Ivory pointed out."Huh? Uhm... y-yes, I'm okay.""Are you sure? You seem not okay. We've been chatting here for a while, but you've been quiet the whole time," Jenny said."What's wrong, Yannie? Tell us about it," Veron urged.I let out a deep sigh followed by biting my lower lip. I
Josh Rain Montez"You're always coming home late, aren't you?" I stopped walking when I heard my mom's voice.I turned to face her slowly and answered calmly, "Even though I come home late, I'm not doing anything wrong."She just looked at me, seemingly deep in thought."I'll go rest now," I said politely, turning away. But I stopped again when she spoke once more."We will have a party next week." I looked back at her. "It's your birthday party, so get ready.""I don't need a birthday party, Mom. I'm fine with just a simple celebration," I replied."We will have your birthday party next week, and that is final," she insisted, making me sigh. "Besides, our business partners with your Dad will be there. So, it’s a big party.""It's up to you," I finally gave in and turned away from her again. I started to walk away when she spoke once more."Invite her." I quickly looked back at her. She smiled at me. "That girl. Invite her here. It’s your birthday party, so it’s only natural t
Yannie Ace RuizI carefully looked at a beautiful sky blue dress in front of me and the matching white sandals. Just by looking at them, it was obvious that they were expensive, almost as if they didn't suit someone like me.A few moments later, my phone rang with an incoming call. Josh's name appeared on the screen, so I quickly answered it."Hello?""Hello, my love! Have you seen it? Do you like it?" he greeted me cheerfully with a series of questions."Of course, I like it. But, Josh, you didn't have to buy me such an expensive dress—""Why not?" he interrupted. "I like that dress and the moment I saw it, you were the first person that came to my mind. I'm pretty sure it will suit you. It's like it was made just for you," he replied sweetly.I took a deep breath. "You're something else.""Just wear it tomorrow, okay? Please?""Okay. I'll wear it. How could I refuse the birthday boy?""Thank you, my love!" he said happily."I'm the one who should be thanking you," I replie