Are you the Worst?

☆ O N E ☆  Art as the bridge. Everlasting Marie Alvarez had always been a quiet girl. Eve had always loved stories. Not just the kind in books or movies, but the kind that lived in pictures,hidden in the curve of a smile, the light in someone's eyes, the tiny gestures that told you everything without saying a word. That's why she became an illustrator. It was her way of keeping those quiet, beautiful moments alive. She lived in a small town in the Philippines, where the days were warm and slow, and her world mostly revolved around her desk, her sketchpad, and the screen of her laptop. Between college classes and helping her mom with chores, Eve ran a tiny online art shop on i********:, where people could commission drawings. Most of her clients were strangers who wanted cute portraits or fanart of their favorite characters-but one order changed everything. It came from her old friend Mia, who messaged her one quiet afternoon. "Hey Eve! Can you draw someone for me? It's a surprise gift. He's a basketball player, his name's Ames. He's really sweet and helped me during a hard time, so I wanted to give him something special." Eve smiled as she read the message. Mia was always thoughtful like that. "Sure," she replied. "Send me some photos of him, and I'll make it nice." The photos arrived later that evening, grainy, slightly blurry shots of a tall guy in a jersey, laughing with his teammates on a court somewhere that didn't look anything like home. But what caught Eve's eye wasn't the background or the basketball. It was the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, like he meant it. She stayed up late sketching that night, lost in the lines of his face. By the time she finished, it felt like she already knew him a little. When Mia sent the final drawing to Ames, she tagged Eve's art page in her i********: story. A few hours later, Eve's phone buzzed. @ames.jr followed you. Then a message: "Hey, I'm Ames. Just wanted to say your drawing was amazing. I've never looked so cool in my life 😅" Eve laughed quietly to herself and typed back, "Glad you liked it. You do look cool, though. Maybe it's the jersey." From that day on, they talked. First, just short replies and comments about art, basketball, and random little things. Then it grew into longer conversations and how her dog barked every time it rained, how he couldn't cook to save his life, how she'd always wanted to visit New York but never had the chance. It didn't matter that Eve was in the Philippines and Ames was all the way in New Jersey. Somehow, they found each other across the miles. He'd message her good morning when it was already late at night for her, and she'd wish him sweet dreams just as his day was starting. Time zones didn't stop the feeling that something soft and real was beginning between them and quiet but steady, like the first sketch of a story that might one day become something beautiful. Sometimes, Eve would draw little cartoons of their conversations, herself as a chibi character holding a giant phone, Ames as a doodled basketball boy waving from across a map. She never posted them. They felt too special. And though she hadn't said it out loud, not even to Mia, Eve felt it deep in her chest: She was falling for someone she'd never met in person. Someone whose laugh she'd never heard, whose hand she'd never touched. But whose words had already drawn lines around her heart. Maybe it was too early to call it love. Maybe it was just a spark. But Eve could feel it, clear as ink on paper. Something had started. And she didn't want it to end. ☆☆☆ The rain was falling softly outside Eve's window, the kind of drizzle that made the world feel smaller, quieter. Her desk lamp glowed gently beside her tablet, but she wasn't drawing tonight. Instead, she was curled up in bed, phone in hand, waiting for the little notification she had started to look forward to every night. And there it was. Ames 🏀: "Hey sleepyhead, you up? 😊" Eve 🎨: "Yes, barely. It's raining here. Feels like a good night to just stay in bed and do nothing." Ames 🏀: "Same vibe. It's cold here too. Wanna play something dumb like... 'Would You Rather'? 😂 I'm bored." Eve smiled. She wasn't used to playing games with someone like this, especially with a guy. She was always the quiet type and the kind who watched from the sidelines, the kind who felt invisible in groups. But with Ames, it felt easy. Safe. Eve 🎨: "Okay... but I'm warning you, I'm bad at games 😅" Ames 🏀: "I'll go easy on you. Promise 😉 I'll start." He typed quickly. Ames 🏀: "Would you rather be able to fly... or turn invisible?" Eve thought for a moment. Eve 🎨: "Invisible." Ames 🏀: "Really? Why?" Eve 🎨: "I don't know... I've always felt invisible anyway. Might as well make it a superpower." She didn't expect to type that. It just slipped out, like a thought that had been waiting to be heard. There was a pause. Then: Ames 🏀: "...Eve. Don't say that. You're not invisible to me." Eve's heart skipped. Eve 🎨: "It's just how I've always been. Quiet. Not the kind of girl people notice." Ames 🏀: "That's not true. You have no idea how many times I go back just to look at your art. Your smile in your old stories. Even the way you type. You think you're small, but... you're not." She didn't know what to say to that. Her face felt warm, and she was suddenly very aware of how fast her heart was beating. Eve 🎨: "I'm not pretty, Ames. And that's okay. I've accepted it." Ames 🏀: "Okay, first of all-no. You're beautiful. And second, I'm not gonna stop telling you that until you start believing it yourself." She stared at the message, blinking back a strange sting in her eyes. No one had ever said something like that to her before, not like they meant it. Eve 🎨: "You don't even know me in real life..." Ames 🏀: "I know what I feel. And I know that distance doesn't change it." There was a pause before he added: Ames 🏀: "Also... you're 23, right?" Eve 🎨: "Yup. Why?" Ames 🏀: "In 3 days, ill turn 21. So technically, you're older. Guess I should start calling you Big Sister Eve now 😆" Eve 🎨: "Don't you dare! 😂" They both laughed, even if one was halfway around the world. Ames 🏀: "Okay, your turn. Hit me with a question." Eve 🎨: "Hmm... would you rather fall in love with someone you can't touch... or someone who can't love you back?" Ames didn't reply right away. When he did, it was slower this time, more thoughtful. Ames 🏀: "Someone I can't touch. Because even if I can't hold her hand... at least she'd hold my heart." Eve pressed her lips together. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure what to say. Then another message popped up. Ames 🏀: "Eve... I don't care if you're in the Philippines and I'm in Jersey. I don't care if we don't have everything figured out. I'm not going anywhere." Her breath caught in her throat. Ames 🏀: "You're not just some artist I followed. You're someone I think about even when I'm not on my phone. You're the first person I want to talk to when I wake up. You make my world feel brighter, even from miles away." And then, as if he could hear how quiet she'd gone on her end, he added: Ames 🏀: "I don't know what this is yet. But I know I want to keep choosing you. Every day." Eve clutched her phone to her chest, closing her eyes. The rain was still falling outside, but inside her heart, something had changed. ♡♡♡ The days passed in soft, quiet rhythm. Even though thousands of miles lay between them, Eve and Ames messaged each other like they were just across the street. It became their little routine. The morning greetings, random memes, goodnight messages whispered into their screens. One night, Eve was sketching a commission when her phone buzzed. Ames 🏀: "Hey, I just found this old pic of me from practice. I look kinda sweaty and gross, but it's got my favorite shoes in it 😂 Wanna see?" Eve 🎨: "Send it! I want to see those 'iconic' shoes you keep talking about 😆" The picture arrived a moment later. Ames stood in a worn-out gym, holding a basketball under one arm. His hair was messy, damp with sweat, and his shirt clung to him, but he was smiling-big and carefree, the kind of smile that made her feel warm without knowing why. She stared at the photo longer than she meant to. Eve 🎨: "You really love the game, huh?" Ames 🏀: "Yeah. It's the only thing that ever made me feel like I mattered." Her chest tightened at those words. Later that night, as the rain tapped lightly on her window again, Eve opened her sketchbook and began to draw. Not because anyone asked. Not for money. Just because she wanted to. She drew Ames as strong but soft, smiling in the middle of the court, his favorite shoes carefully detailed, and behind him, a quiet glow that wasn't in the photo but somehow felt right. It took hours. But when she finished, she knew it was more than a drawing. It was a gift. On his birthday, she sent it to him. Eve 🎨: "Happy birthday, Ames. I hope today's kind to you. Here's something I made... I hope you like it." He didn't reply right away. Then her screen lit up. Ames 🏀: "Eve... I'm crying. No joke." Ames 🏀: "This is the best gift I've ever gotten. No one's ever seen me like this before. Not even me." She smiled quietly, her heart full. Ames 🏀: "Can I ask something... kind of scary?" Eve 🎨: "Scary how?" Ames 🏀: "Can we call? I mean-voice or video. I just... I wanna hear your voice." Eve froze. Her heart thudded. She wasn't the confident type. She didn't even like looking in the mirror some days. But something about the way he asked gently, like she could still say no made her feel brave. Eve 🎨: "Okay. But no judging my voice." Ames 🏀: "Deal. And no judging mine either." When she answered the call that night, her hands trembled slightly. But then she heard him. "Hey," Ames said softly, grinning into the camera. His voice was deeper than she imagined, warm and calm. "You're even prettier than your drawings, Eve." She laughed nervously, hiding her face for a second. "You're such a flirt." Their call stretched into hours. They talked about everything. The music, their worst childhood haircuts, silly dreams, and quiet fears. And then, somewhere around 2 a.m. her time, the conversation slowed. "Can I tell you something?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "Always," he said. "I've always felt like the black sheep in my family," she admitted. "My cousins are all doctors, engineers. My siblings are confident, outgoing. And I'm just... me. Drawing cartoons in a small room no one really notices." He was quiet for a moment, listening. "I know how that feels," he said finally. "Like no matter what you do, it's never enough." She looked up. "My dad pushes me hard," Ames continued. "He says basketball's my ticket out, and I can't mess it up. Some nights, I'd stay after practice so late I couldn't feel my legs. I'd mess up once and he'd look at me like I failed him." There was a silence, heavy and real. "One time," he added softly, "after a really bad game... I tried to hurt myself. I locked the bathroom door and held a blade to my wrist. I just wanted to stop feeling like a disappointment." Eve's heart dropped. "Ames..." "But then I thought about my mom. And... eventually, I thought about you." She swallowed, her chest tightening. "You're the first person who made me feel like just being me was enough," he said. "I didn't have to prove anything. You just see me. And that's saved me more than you know." Tears welled in Eve's eyes. "I'm so sorry you went through that. You didn't deserve it. You're more than what people expect from you. I see you, Ames. And I care." "I care about you too," he said, his voice breaking just a little. "More than I know how to say." They stayed on the call even after the tears faded. There was no need to fill the silence. Just hearing each other breathe, knowing they weren't alone. That was enough. That night, Eve didn't feel invisible. And Ames didn't feel broken. Two people. Two different worlds. But somehow, their pain fit together like puzzle pieces. And in that quiet space between them, something beautiful was growing. ◇ END OF CHAPTER 1◇