Josh Rain MontezI yawned several times as if something was pulling the corners of my eyes, urging them to close. Despite the temptation to shut them, I resisted, repeatedly blinking until my cellphone rang, interrupting the quiet moment. I quickly answered the call while driving."Why?" I asked Sissy as soon as I picked up."Where are you?" she inquired."I'm on my way to pick up Patty," I responded."You're probably late in leaving home earlier," she blamed."The party doesn't start until later tonight—""Did you think I wouldn't know? You came home in the wee hours last night with Ramil. That's why you're sleep-deprived now," she continued with her sermon.I sighed. Ramil was always so loyal to Sissy that I ended up taking the fall. "And you believe too much in what Ramil—""Oh, Josh. I'm telling you. You might have an accident on the road because of your drowsiness. Call me when you reach Aika's place. I'll have Rodnie pick you up—""No need, Sissy," I quickly cut her off
Josh Rain Montez"Oh, that's Rica!" Patty happily said beside me. "Oh? Yannie?!" she added before walking towards Sissy. Yannie blinked and quickly averted her gaze from me. "Happy birthday, Rics!" Patty greeted Sissy joyfully, and they embraced."Good thing Josh brought you here safely," Sissy commented, shooting me a glance."Of course, Josh is always careful when he drives with us," Patty said, then turned her gaze to Yannie. "Hi, Yannie! Glad to see you here!""Hello," Yannie replied simply to Patty."Bro! She has the same name as your former textmate, that Yannie!" Byron approached and whispered to me."Stupid! That's her," Ramil retorted to Byron."Really?""Let's go inside!" Sissy invited everyone, holding Yannie's hand. Before pulling her away, she gave me a sharp look as if warning me not to cause any trouble with her friend.In the end, I just scratched my head as they all went inside."You didn't know she was coming?" Ramil asked me."No," I simply replied."So,
Yannie Ace Ruiz"H-Huh?" I was completely stunned and speechless in front of Josh while we were close to each other, and he was holding one of my hands. Suddenly, I felt weakness in both knees, unsure if the beating of my heart inside my chest was still normal. I worried that he might hear the loud thumping noise it was making.Josh cleared his throat, meeting my gaze with a penetrating look. Finally, he spoke again, "This is your room, so I should be the one to leave." He said softly, releasing my hand gently. He slowly moved away from me and then quickly turned around and exited the room.Once he left, I could finally breathe normally. It was as if I had just released a breath I didn't know I was holding. I didn't understand why he was here inside. I was surprised when I entered, finding him lying down and asleep on the bed. I didn't intend to wake him or disturb his rest, but seeing him here caught me off guard, and I couldn't help but let out a loud gasp.I gently tapped my for
Yannie Ace Ruiz"Hi, girls," Ramil greeted us with a smile. Veron gave him a stern look while I offered a small smile. Perhaps Veron was still annoyed with him after our encounter earlier when we arrived here.I sneakily glanced at Josh beside Ramil, surprised to find him looking at me. Our eyes met, and I caught him staring. I suddenly coughed, catching myself off guard, and quickly turned away."Are you okay?" Veron softly asked, gently patting my back. I gave her a subtle nod."Let's take a group picture!" Ate Aika suggested cheerfully."Sure! Let's go!" Ramil agreed, pulling Byron and Josh a bit closer to us. Veron subtly squeezed me, bringing me closer to them until Josh and I were side by side in the middle."Okay, one, two, three!" Ate Aika counted, holding the camera in front of us.I forced a small smile, even though I felt awkward. Especially when..."Okay, just the two of you now!" Ate Aika happily instructed Josh and me, causing my eyes to widen."P-Pardon?""Patt
Yannie Ace Ruiz"Yannie, is your shoulder still hurting?" Veron asked as she sat beside me.I gave her a small smile and replied, "It's fine now. I'm okay, don't worry."Veron sighed. "Sorry, huh. Maybe I shouldn't have insisted on bringing you here.""Huh? Why?" I asked with confusion."Because I'm annoyed with Josh. Since we arrived here earlier, he didn't even bother to approach or talk to you. I pushed for it, thinking there might still be a chance for you two. Now, look at what happened..." Veron said, sounding guilty."Don't worry about it. Maybe that's just how he is towards me, so it's fine if he doesn't want to talk to me," I replied, with a hint of sadness in my voice. "But let's not dwell on that. Let's just enjoy ourselves here.""That's a good idea!" Veron agreed, pulling me up from my seat. "Let's go!""Where are we going?" I asked, curious."The party for Ate Rica is not until this afternoon, right?" she inquired, and I nodded."Yes, not until this afternoon,"
Yannie Ace RuizVeron quickly opened the door of our current location when there were consecutive knocks from outside. Ate Lory, the smiling woman introduced to me by Ate Rica earlier as one of her friends, greeted us."Hi, Girls! The dinner party for Rica is about to start. You can go outside now," she said with a smile."Okay, Ate. Thank you," Veron and I replied, and she left us."Let's go," I invited Veron, but I was surprised when she stopped me."Wait, Yannie.""Why?" I asked, puzzled."You seem too excited to go out. Eager to see Josh, huh?" Veron teased me, causing both my cheeks to warm up."N-No, not really. We're being called, so it's better to go out—""Come on! You can't fool me. I understand you're excited to see Josh again—""I really am not—""But it's better if we freshen up first.""Huh?" I asked Veron with confusion.She smiled at me and gestured towards the large mirror in our room, guiding me to the chair nearby. "It would be better if you let your hai
Yannie Ace RuizI can't understand myself why I'm hurting so much from what I saw earlier. I know I have no right to feel this way, but I can't help but dismiss my own feelings.I continued walking even though I didn't know where my feet were taking me. It's as if they had a mind of their own, just wanting me to get away from there. As if doing so would somehow ease the pain I was feeling.I came to a stop in my walk when tears suddenly fell. I didn't want to cry, but the tears flowed involuntarily. I slowly lifted my gaze and surveyed my surroundings. I saw the shoreline and the bright moon surrounded by stars. I hadn't realized that my feet had led me to the beach.From where I stood, I sat down on the soft sand. The surroundings were quiet, although there were still a few people around. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore seemed to provide comfort during those moments.I admit that one of the reasons I came here was in the hope that Josh and I might still reconcile. Bu
Yannie Ace RuizI don't know how long I've been lost in thought because of everything that happened last night. My mind keeps replaying last night's events and Josh's words to me."So, leave her alone because this girl is mine."I know Josh only said those words last night to ward off two foreign guys bothering me at the beach. But until now, I don't understand why my heart still races because of it. Especially when..."I don't like seeing you with another guy. I don’t know why. I just… I just hate it.""I don’t know why… I just… I just don't want you to think that I like someone else."My heart feels like it's about to burst, and my cheeks burn. I don't want to overthink or get my hopes up. But because of what he said last night, I can't help but hope and let my heart fall for him even more."Yannie!" I jolt as Veron startles me. "Looks like you're deep in thought there. What's wrong? Any issues?""Huh? Uh, n-nothing. Nothing at all," I stammer in response to Veron. She sits b