"Cally," he said after I picked up his call.

"Promise me, you'll wait."

"Of course, I'll wait for you. Forever kitang hihintayin."

"Wala namang forever eh," sagot niya sa'kin na parang batang hindi nabilhan ng candy.

"Eh 'di tototohanin natin yung forever. Papatunayan ko na may forever talaga."

"Paano pag... hindi ko nasurvive?" Ano bang sinasabi noya? Kakayanin niya 'to!

"Kakayanin mo yan. You made a promise papanindigan mo yun, diba?"

He was not the Prince Charming in my dreams.

I was not the damsel in distress he was wishing for.

But I love him, and he loves me, too. Isn't that enough for a happy ever after?

Happy ever afters cannot happen in just a snap.

Princesses have kissed frogs, princes have kissed princesses in deep slumber.

Some have lost a shoe, eat a poisonous apple, lived in a beast's castle, exchanged tail for legs, and got stuck in a tower.

Every "happy ever after" has its own ups and downs.

princes come to rescue hurting princesses.

The prince you've met might the villain in your fairytale.

Well, have you ever figured out the mystery of love?

I tried but I can't.

I guess it lies quietly on the deepest chambers of our heart

LET ME tell you a story of pain.

This is not a love story, because love stories are supposed to be full of happiness? Ours is different.

We loved each other with pain.

It's quite bizarre.

Because the world is unfair, it won't go where it supposed to, it  will always go the other way when everything comes off right.

I want to start off by telling you how I met him.

It was my first day of school, and my first time in college.

I was a freshmen and I was still depending on the school map to find my classroom.

The university was huge and I was afraid I might be lost in finding my classroom.

I stuck the map somewhere in my bag since feeling ko wala nang kwenta yun.

Tumakbo na lang ako, baka mahanap ko na rin ang classroom ko.

Sabi kasi, Bonifacio Building, Nasa Rizal pa lang ako!

Sabi naman sa map, magkatabi lang yun.

Konting takbo lang Cally!

Sa kakamadali ko, hindi ko napansin yung lalaking naka-earphones na naglalakad sa harap ko.

It was too late to stop, so yeah----you're right.

I bumped him.

And should tell you, he smelled so good.

He was wearing a black polo shirt and blue jeans with matchy black vans.

Okay, ang astig niya!

But I came back to my senses when he looked at me with his angry face.

"What the hell, miss?"

"Naku kuya, sorry! late na kasi ako tapos sa Bonifacio buil---"

"Ayan lang ang Boni  o!

Tapos tatakbo ka pa?

Ano ba?

May masakit ba sa'yo?

Ihatid na kita?

Ano?"

Akala ko ba galit siya? Weird.

So kahit stranger siya sa'kin, nagpasama na ako since hindi ko kabisado ang building.

He introduced himself as Kenji Hazetherille Vitale.

Ok

Second year na pala siya kaya kabisado na niya.

Ang bait niya.

Doon ko lang rin napagtanto na sa 4th floor pala ang klase ko!

Sa  sobrang layo, ang dami tuloy namin napag- usapan.

He even did the favor of knocking at the door to ask if it was my class.

"Good morning, is this Social Science 1?"

Buti nalang wala pa yung professor ko so wala muna akong bad shot.

Damn, I was ten minutes late for my first class on my first day!

Nagpasalamat ako sa kanya, at nagpalaam na siyang pupunta sa klase niya.

WEll, I had to admit he's cute I didn't think we'd still see each other.

Masyadong malaki yung university namin eh.

But you could never dictate fate, right?

IT'S BEEN exactly three weeks since we last met.

Medyo kabisado ko na ang pasikut-sikot sa school, but sometimes I still seek the help of others.

Nagtatanong pa rin ako sa iba.

Mommy said I'll get used to it.

Ganito raw talaga sa simula kapag mag isa ka na sa college.

It's my lunch time and after ng lunch ko, 2 hours ang vacant period ko.

Kaya ayos lang na bumalik muna ako sa dorm ko at umidlip.

4pm pa ang last class ko, eh. Isa pa, last week had been my hell week!

Grabe yung mga requirments kahit kakasimula pa kailangan ko talaga ng tulog ngayon.

Baka ma-depress na ako at hindi na ako makatapos!

Pagpasok ko sa cafeteria, akala ko andito si Enrique Gil sa dami ng tao.

Joke lang.

Wala na nga halos tao eh.

1pm kasi lunch ko ngayon.

Late na.

Kanina pa nga ako nagugutom eh.

Buti may crackers ako lagi sa bag, kaya kahit papaano naibsan yung gutom ko. Ninja-ninja lang sa prof. *evil laugh*

Nakahanap ako agad ng upuan dahil wala nang halos tao sa loob.

Naglapag lang ako ng bag at umorder na.

Pagkakuha ko ng pagkain, bumalik na ako sa upuan ko, only to see familiar face sitting on the table where I left my things.

Busy siya sa pagbabasa ng planner ko at notebooks ko.

"Kenji, ano'ng ginagawa mo diyan?"

"I was about to have lunch, tapos nakita ko yung gamit mo.

So umupo na ako.

Would you mind if I sit here with you?"

"No,not at all

"Sige, oorder lang ako."

Umupo na ako habang umo-order siya. Hinintay ko na siyang makabalik sa table bago ako kumain.

Sign of table manners.

Nung nakabalik na siya, he told me to eat so i started eating.

I thought we'd eat in pure silence, since ngayon lang ulit kame nagkita and it'd be so awkward, buti was suprised when he talked.

"So..... Okay ka na ba sa school?"

"Medyo.

Sometimes nagtatanong pa rin ako sa mga tao.

Pero masasanay rin naman daw ako."

"Ganya rin ako nung umpisa eh. Gusto mo bang i-tour kita sa buong university?

Free ako hanggang five, eh."

Perfect! That's what just what I needed! Akala ko kasi, may campus tour nung nag-orientation ako.

Wala pala.

Nagpamigay lang sila ng maps and brochures tapos in-orient na kami about the rules and regulations.

Kaya naman pumayag na ako sa alok ni Kenji, para ma-familiarize ako sa lugar na 'to.

Ang hirap rin kasi ng hindi ko pa kabisado, tapos minsan magkakalayo pa yung buildings ng subjects ko.

Pero buti na lang talaga, may Kenji ako na magsisilbing tour guide ko.

Ano kayang mangyayari sa 'min mamaya?