More Than a Maybe ✨

KABANATA 1

Samantha’s POV

“Simula ng Lahat”

Ang weird, no? Sometimes, the people who end up becoming the most important in our lives are the ones we never thought we'd even talk to.

Gavin Alvaro was that person for me.

I met him when I was seven. Family gathering ‘yon—one of those big formal events na pinagsasama-sama ang mga anak ng business partners ng mga magulang namin. Ballroom setting, may catering, at may banda pa. It was boring, like all adult events. So naturally, the kids tried to entertain themselves. Nagtatakbuhan, naghahabulan, may ilan pa ngang nagtataguan sa ilalim ng buffet table.

Pero siya, si Gavin, hindi nakihalo.

Nasa sulok lang siya. Suot ang puting polo at slacks, mukhang maliit na version ng daddy niya. Tahimik, hawak ang laruan niyang kotse, at walang ka-emotion-emotion sa mukha.

Lumapit ako.

“Hi! Ako si Samantha,” I said with a big smile.

He glanced at me like I was just another unnecessary sound in the room.

“Okay,” he muttered, and turned back to his toy.

That was it. Walang tanong. Walang “hi.” Walang kahit ano.

I remember pouting and walking away, telling myself, “Sungit naman. Hindi ko siya gusto.”

Pero fate has a funny way of messing with your plans.

We ended up seeing each other all the time after that. Our families were close—business partners and practically neighbors. So habang lumalaki kami, mas lalo kaming naging magkadikit.

Summer breaks? Together.

Christmas parties? Together.

Family beach trips? Lagi kaming magkasabay sa banana boat, screaming our lungs out.

Over time, Gavin thawed. Yung dati kong impression na suplado? Hindi pala. He was just reserved, tahimik, but warm when he trusted you. And for some reason, I became that person he let in.

Noong grade school kami, he started walking me home. By high school, siya na ‘yung nagsusundo sa’kin with his black car. He passed his driving test at sixteen, and since then, parang private driver ko na siya. Pero masaya ako. Kasi kahit saan siya magpunta, sinisigurado niyang kasama ako.

We were inseparable.

Sa school, kami ang duo na hindi mapaghiwalay. Kapag lunch time, kami ang lagi sa canteen table sa dulo—siya, ako, and minsan, a couple of our classmates. Pero kahit na may ibang tao sa paligid, parang may sarili kaming mundo.

I was the one who tutored him, especially sa Algebra.

He was the one who protected me—literally. May isang beses na sinabuyan ako ng softdrink ng isang bully sa canteen. Gavin didn't even think—he stood up, grabbed the guy by the collar, and pinned him to the wall. No punches were thrown, but his glare alone was enough to make the guy apologize sa harap ng buong klase.

He was always like that with me.

And the thing is, people noticed.

"Uy, kayo na ba ni Gavin?"

"Bagay kayo!"

“Lagi kayong magkasama, parang jowa lang!”

But Gavin would always just laugh and say,

“Friends lang kami ni Sam. Best friends.”

And I would smile. Nodding. Pretending I wasn’t affected.

But deep down, those words—“Friends lang kami”—felt like tiny knives.

Because while he never saw me that way… I did.

Everything changed the day she walked in.

Cassandra Flores.

New transferee. Model. Sophisticated. Beautiful in a way that demanded attention.

She entered our classroom like she owned the space—long dark hair, perfect smile, and confidence na hindi pilit. The boys stared. The girls whispered.

And Gavin?

He looked at her like he forgot I was sitting right beside him.

I saw it in his eyes—how they lingered, how he smiled differently.

It was the first time in years I didn’t know where I stood.

Wala naman siyang sinabing masama. Wala siyang ginawa na mali. Pero ang sakit. Kasi ramdam kong may nagbago. At wala akong laban.

Cassandra was everything I wasn’t.

And I? I was just the girl next door. The best friend. The fallback.

The one always left behind when something better comes along.

Minsan iniisip ko, saan nga ba ako nagsimulang umasa?

Baka noong sinabihan niya ‘kong huwag akong sumabay sa ibang carpool kasi mas gusto niyang kami lang.

O baka noong birthday ko, at siya ‘yung unang dumating sa gate, may hawak na cake at ngiting reserved lang para sa’kin.

Or maybe… maybe I’ve been falling for him since that day at the family gathering—when he looked up, said “okay,” and unknowingly became my forever.