"Kinda Love, Maybe More"

Rain, Finally

It was like, past midnight na, and the city was super quiet. The kind of quiet that makes you feel things you’re not ready to admit. Streets still smelled like rain. Medyo cinematic, not gonna lie.

We ended up in front of Brewbean—yes, *that* Brewbean. Closed na siya, pero Eli still walked me there, like may meaning ‘yung route.

“Full circle, diba?” he said, smiling that softboy smile na nakakainis kasi it works every time.

I rolled my eyes. “More like full spiral. With feelings.”

He laughed, then turned to me with that *look*. You know the one—the “oh no I’m falling in love and I can’t stop” look.

“I almost didn’t text you that day,” he said. “’Yung Pancake House invite.”

“Wait, what?” I blinked.

He nodded. “I was overthinking. Like, what if you say no? Or worse—what if you say yes and then I screw it up.”

I looked at him for a second, then reached for his hand. “Tbh… you *did* kind of mess it up.”

His face fell a little. “Ouch.”

I laughed. “But like, you fixed it. So pwede na.”

He let out a relieved breath. “Akala ko that was it. That I missed my shot.”

I shrugged. “Well, sorry to break it to you, but you’re kind of stuck with me now.”

He grinned. “Good. I want to be stuck.”

Then it started to drizzle again—soft lang, not dramatic. Just enough to make it feel like a sign or something.

Instead of freaking out like usual, Eli just pulled me closer, forehead to mine, while we stood there getting kinda soaked.

“No more rain checks,” he whispered.

And then he kissed me.

Like, *seriously kissed me*. Not the maybe-this-is-something kind. The this-is-it kind.

And in that moment, I just knew—

*This wasn’t almost anymore.*

This was real.

This was *us*.

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