UNWRITTEN FOREVER

CHAPTER 2: Late Mornings & Lingering Thoughts

That night, Gwy tossed and turned in her bed, tangled in blankets, her window slightly ajar, letting the breeze in. The city was quiet, but her mind wasn't. Somewhere between sleep and memory, he drifted off.

She was back under the old tree at the train station. The sun was softer, golden almost unreal. Aileen sat beside her, camera in her lap, eyes closed as if feeling the wind, not thinking, just being. Everything was quiet, except the faint sound of birds and the distant hum of passing trains.

“Thank you, Aileen,” she whispered again, just like before.

“For what?” he asked, but this time, her voice echoed—For staying.

Gwy blinked. “What do you mean?”

But she didn’t answer. Instead, she turned to her and smiled, that same calm smile that had haunted her in the best way. The colors around them began to blur, like a photograph melting in a darkroom. Her image stayed sharp, but the world dissolved around her—fading into white.

She reached out.

“Aileen…”

“Gwy! Anak, tanghali na!”

The voice of her mom echoed through the hallway, followed by three solid knocks on his bedroom door. Sa loob ng kwarto, Gwy groaned, burying his face deeper into the pillow. Her blanket was a fortress, and she had no plans of surrendering just yet.

“Five minutes, Ma…” she mumbled, eyes still shut.

“Five minutes mo, one hour na. Gising na! May pasok ka, ‘di ba?” she shouted again.

Gwy peeked at his wall clock—7:43 AM. Her eyes widened. Late na nga talaga.

“Grabe,” she muttered, throwing off the blanket. “Bakit parang two seconds lang ako natulog?”

As she scrambled to sit up, flashes from yesterday’s photowalk with Aileen played in his mind—her smile, the way she carefully framed her shots, the way she said “Thank you” like it meant something more.

She shook his head, half-smiling. Snap out of it, Gwy. Di pa love 'yan, pare.

“Eto na po,” Gwy said as she dragged herself to the dining table, hair still a mess, bag half-zipped. Her mom raised an eyebrow but placed a hot plate of tuyo and egg in front of him.

“Naku, parang zombie ka,” she said, sitting across from her. “Nagpuyat ka na naman ba kakalaro?”

“Hindi Ma,” she said between bites. “Photowalk kahapon. School activity.”

“Ah, ‘yun ba ‘yung kasama mong si harper at haze? O may bago ka nang kasama?”

Gwy paused mid-chew.

Her mom narrowed her eyes, instantly suspicious. “Oho, may bago nga. Sino siya?”

She tried to act casual. “Si Aileen. New student. Mahilig din sa photography.”

Her mom smiled knowingly. “Ganyan din ako dati. Diyan nagsisimula ‘yan, anak.”

Gwy laughed nervously. “Ma, wala ‘yon. Kaibigan lang.”

But even as she said it, she couldn’t stop the small grin forming on his lips. A part of him wanted to believe it was just friendship. Another part well, that part was hoping it wasn’t.

“Basta mag-aaral ka pa rin, ha,” his mom teased. “Hindi puro pictures ng feelings.”

“Noted po,” she said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

As she walked out the door, the morning sun hit her face, and the world felt a little lighter. She wasn’t sure why but maybe it had something to do with the girl who made even old train stations feel like magic.