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
Yannie Ace RuizSince Veron and Ramil returned from scuba diving, I've noticed that they rarely argue now. Like at this moment, Ramil is helping Veron carry her belongings out of the room. It's already four in the afternoon, and everyone is busy preparing to leave."What happened?" I ask Veron as she distances herself from Ramil to retrieve her own things for the car."Huh?""Why did Ramil help you carry your stuff?""Oh, that? It's nothing. Maybe he just wanted to help," Veron replies. Just as I'm about to continue our conversation, she abruptly changes the topic. "By the way, Yannie, I think we might struggle with commuting home later.""Huh?""It's almost rush hour, and we might encounter heavy traffic.""Yes, I thought about that too. But we don't have a choice but to commute home, right?""Why don't you join us on the way home?" We both quickly turn as someone speaks from behind us. We see Ramil smiling at us."Yes, Yannie. I'll give you a ride and drop you off at Josh's
Veron VelazI was surprised and halted in my fast-paced walk when Ramil suddenly confronted me."W-Why?" I asked, astonished, as he stared at me intently."Why are you following me? I thought your boyfriend was supposed to take you home," he inquired."I'm not following you! Can't I have the same route?" I retorted irritably. "And, by the way, it was just a joke about going home with my boyfriend. He's too busy with other things," I added."Really? Or maybe... you just don't really have a boyfriend?" he asked with a teasing grin.I gave him a sharp look. "I don't know about you, but you better stay there!" I said before continuing to walk past him.It reminded me of the ongoing argument with my boyfriend since Friday. Up until now, he hasn't bothered to talk to me or check how I'm doing. I know him well; he has a lot of pride, so in every argument, it's always me who ends up making amends. This time, I'm not sure if I can do it again, considering that he's the one at fault in ou
Yannie Ace RuizI woke up to the sound of my cellphone alarm. I groggily reached for it on the bedside table to turn it off. Once I had my phone in hand and silenced the alarm, I slowly opened my eyes. A sweet smile instantly spread across my lips as I saw the unread chat messages from Josh.Josh Rain: Good morning, Yannie (smiley emoji)Josh Rain: I've had breakfast. Heading to school now. Don't forget to eat. Take care (blushing smiley emoji)Who wouldn't have a good morning waking up to messages like these from someone they like? I bit my lower lip, smiling, as I read his messages. I quickly replied to him.Me: Good morning, Josh! Take care on your way to school (blushing smiley emoji)It's been three days since Josh and I patched things up—three days since he expressed his desire to start over. Of course, I wouldn't let that opportunity slip away, especially when it was something I truly wanted. Since that day, Josh and I have been chatting regularly, just like when we first