People often say that first love comes unexpectedly. I never believed that until it happened to me.

My name is Stephanie, and I am currently a college student. This is the story of how I met my first boyfriend, Reymart.

It all started when I was in Grade 12, an ABM student. At that time, I had never been in a relationship. Many people tried to chat with me, and some even had the courage to approach me in person. But no matter how kind they were, I simply didn't feel anything. I believed that if love was meant for me, it would come naturally.

Life at school became repetitive. Wake up, attend classes, go home, and repeat. I started feeling bored and wished I had something to look forward to every morning.

"Maybe I just need a crush," I jokingly told myself.

One ordinary recess, I was walking to the canteen with my close friend, Hycent. Students filled every corner of the campus, laughing and talking while lining up for snacks.

Then, someone caught my attention.

I only saw his back.

He was tall, standing confidently among the crowd. There was nothing extraordinary about that moment, yet for some reason, I couldn't stop looking at him.

I didn't know his name, his grade level, or even what strand he belonged to. All I knew was that every time I saw him, my day somehow became brighter.

Days passed, and seeing him at the canteen became part of my daily routine. Sometimes it happened by coincidence, and sometimes I secretly hoped he would be there.

Without realizing it, he had become my little source of happiness.

One afternoon, while buying food at the canteen, fate placed him right behind me. He was with his friends, laughing and talking as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Then I heard him say something that instantly caught my attention.

"I'm going to move on."

Those words echoed in my mind.

Move on?

I wondered if he had a girlfriend. Maybe they had just broken up. Maybe someone had broken his heart.

I didn't know why I cared.

After all, he was just my happy crush.

Weeks continued to pass. Whenever I didn't see him around the campus, I found myself looking for him without even thinking.

"Where is he today?" I would silently ask myself.

One day, one of my friends finally noticed my curiosity.

I laughed in embarrassment.

"Do you know him?"

"Of course," my friend replied. "His name is Reymart."

For a moment, I froze.

"So that's his name..."

Then came another surprise.

"By the way," my friend added with a grin, "he's younger than you."

My eyes widened.

"What? Seriously?"

I couldn't believe it.

For some reason, instead of losing interest, I became even more curious.

I also found out that he was one of the school's basketball players.

Now everything made sense.

Maybe that was why he always stood out in the crowd.

That evening, I searched for his Facebook account. After a few minutes of scrolling, I finally found it.

I smiled.

Then my smile slowly disappeared.

His profile was incredibly private.

There were barely any photos, no public posts, and almost nothing that could tell me who he really was.

I sighed.

"So much for being an FBI agent tonight."

Still, despite knowing almost nothing about him, I couldn't stop smiling.

Little did I know...

That simple glance in the school canteen would become the beginning of a story I would never forget.

From that day on, recess became my favorite part of every school day.

Before leaving the classroom, I always made sure to fix my makeup one last time. A little powder, a touch of lip tint, and a quick look in the mirror.

"What if I see him today?" I would silently ask myself.

Even if I never admitted it out loud, I wanted to look presentable every time I walked to the canteen.

But that day was different.

I searched every corner of the canteen, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tall basketball player who had unknowingly become my happy crush.

Nothing.

He wasn't there.

I tried to hide my disappointment as Hycent and I walked back to our classroom, my hotdog bun in one hand while pretending everything was normal.

After recess, we didn't have a teacher for our next subject, so everyone spent their free time chatting and laughing inside the classroom.

Suddenly, Hycent excitedly nudged me.

"Raine... he's outside!"

I immediately looked at her.

"What?"

"He's outside our building."

Trying my best to act calm, I casually walked outside.

There he was.

He was standing near our building, talking to one of his friends as if he had no idea that someone was secretly smiling just because she saw him.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

Unfortunately...

Hycent noticed.

"Oh my gosh," she laughed. "You really like him!"

Because of her reaction, my other friends became curious.

"Who's her crush?"

Before I could even answer, one of my classmates laughed and casually said,

"It's Siva."

I froze.

"What?!"

My secret was exposed.

Everyone looked at me with teasing smiles.

Then Kly suddenly spoke.

"I know him."

"You do?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah. He's one of Jubal's teammates."

Jubal was Kly's boyfriend, so it wasn't surprising that she knew Reymart.

But what she said next caught me off guard.

"You know... his ex is actually my friend."

I blinked.

"Really?"

I suddenly remembered seeing her before at Kly's birthday celebration.

Then Kly sighed.

"She only played with his feelings."

For a moment, I felt sorry for him.

Maybe that explained the words I overheard at the canteen.

"I'm going to move on."

"So that's why..." I quietly whispered.

Kly smiled at me before saying,

"Who knows? Maybe someday you'll end up together."

Then she laughed.

"Just don't break his heart if that happens."

I smiled but quickly shook my head.

"Happy crush lang 'to."

Of course...

No one believed me.

When we returned to our classroom, I noticed Kly smiling to herself while holding her phone.

Something felt suspicious.

I had a feeling she was planning something.

And I was right.

Without telling me, she introduced me to Reymart.

I kept explaining that he was only my happy crush, but my friends were already celebrating as if we were dating.

A few hours later...

My phone vibrated.

Reymart Siva sent you a friend request.

I stared at the notification for a few seconds.

Then...

I immediately accepted it.

I couldn't stop smiling.

That night, I posted a photo on my Facebook My Day.

Not long after...

A small heart reaction appeared.

It was from him.

My heart almost jumped out of my chest.

From that moment on, I suddenly had countless reasons to keep posting My Days.

We still weren't talking.

Instead, we communicated through reactions and shared Facebook posts.

Every shared post felt like a silent conversation only the two of us understood.

Meanwhile, Kly kept convincing me.

"Why don't you message him first?"

I quickly shook my head.

"If I wanted to make the first move, I would've added him myself instead of waiting for his friend request."

I laughed.

"I've never confessed first to a guy."

Little did I know...

He was just as shy as I was.

Days passed.

We continued reacting to each other's shared posts without actually having a real conversation.

One evening, I decided to post a Note on Facebook.

"Ano na?"

A few minutes later...

He replied.

"Ano man???"

That simple reply was enough to make me smile for the rest of the night.

Every recess became a routine.

Retouch my makeup.

Fix my hair.

Buy something at the canteen even if it was only a pastel or a small snack.

His classroom was on the third floor, right beside the path we always used on the way to the canteen.

Sometimes I'd secretly glance toward their room, hoping to see him.

Sometimes...

He was already looking.

His friends eventually found out about my crush.

Whenever I passed by, they would loudly tease him.

"Hoy, Siva!"

They would even point in my direction while laughing.

My friends weren't any better.

They enjoyed teasing me every chance they got.

One afternoon, while Hycent and I were walking to the canteen, she suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Raine!"

I looked where she was pointing.

"There he is."

Reymart had just turned around and was walking back toward his classroom.

I pretended to stay calm.

I walked as naturally as I could, acting as though I hadn't noticed him.

But deep inside...

I was hoping he would look my way.

What I didn't know was that, at that exact moment, he had already messaged Jubal.

Only one sentence.

"Pota, gwapa2 gali sya sa personal”

Without realizing it...

The boy I secretly admired had already started noticing me too.