"Someone I least expected to love"

They say that if two people are truly meant for each other, they’ll meet somewhere unexpectedly. But somehow, you already know that a slow burn love story is about to happen. moment you saw him, you just knew he was the one. Chapter:1 Hi, I’m Tin the heartbroken one among our group of friends. We all have so many things going on in our lives and so many problems, but despite everything, she still makes sure to look good and act like nothing is wrong with her. It’s already been months since my ex and I broke up, but I’m still standing strong and doing my best to get through it. I’m feeling better now, too. I’ve started talking to people on different apps dating apps, i********:, and other platforms. I’m finally ready to meet and get to know someone new. I’ve been talking to a lot of people on i********: and f*******:, mostly through Messenger. Nothing serious, just normal conversations asking how each other is doing and making plans to hang out. I just want to feel like myself again and learn how to be happy. Then I met a green-flag guy on a dating app. His name is Jaypie. He’s kind and sweet, and even though we had only been talking for a few days, I already felt comfortable with him. He wanted to come and visit me. Then my friend decided to set me up with someone. I couldn’t really do anything about it, so I met him and ended up spending time with him. He seemed so gentle and innocent, like he wouldn’t even hurt a fly. Chapter:2 Then I met a green flag guy on a dating app. His name is Jaypie. He’s kind, decent, and trustworthy nothing like my cheating ex. He started visiting and coming over to our place more often, but I didn’t want him to get hurt or give him false hope. That’s why I told him from the beginning that we could only be friends. At first, I already knew he might get hurt, but he told me he was willing to wait until I was ready. I know I was also wrong because I continued talking to him and allowed him to become closer to me, even though I didn’t expect things to move that quickly. I admit that he’s a good person, but I also know it isn’t right to rush into anything. I don’t want to get hurt again, and honestly, I still only see him as a friend—nothing more. Maybe I just allowed myself to get to know him, and I also allowed him to get to know me. I can say that he is kind and loving because he accepts me for who I am and for everygthing I have. We’re not in a relationship, but he has shown me so many times how much he cares about me. And I know that he isn’t someone who is hard to love. But honestly, the only thing I can give back to him is friendship. Sometimes, he invites my friend and me to their place, and he introduced me to his family not just as someone ordinary, but as someone special to him. I’m happy that I have someone like that in my life. I just don’t understand why I can’t seem to return the same feelings he has for me. As the days passed, I knew he was falling for me even more. I have a lot on my mind, and sometimes, he’s the only person who truly understands me. I’m also slowly being influenced by my friends teasing me and telling me to give love another chance. They keep telling me not to let my heart stay closed because of what happened in the past. They say that everyone has a different personality, and maybe, just maybe, we could actually work if I gave us a chance. But honestly, I’m scared. Not because I’m afraid of getting hurt, but because I’m afraid of ruining the friendship we already have. Especially because, deep down, I can’t even imagine whether there’s really a chance for us to become a couple. I can feel that he’s hurting too. I’m not heartless, and I don’t want to hurt him, so I keep myself from getting too close. Maybe he just misunderstood what we have between us. I can feel that some of the things I say hurt him. He just smiles at me anyway, as if everything is okay. The truth is, he really isn’t difficult to love. I just don’t understand why, no matter how kind and loving he is, I still can’t seem to fall for him. Chapter:3 He finally stopped. He doesn’t bother me anymore. He got tired and eventually gave up. I hurt him, and I know it’s not easy to talk to him anymore because he chose to distance himself. And I’ll admit, it hurt me too. If only I hadn’t been hurt this badly and let myself be influenced by other people’s lies, I wouldn’t have needed to push away someone who only wanted to love me, care for me, and be there for me. I don’t hear anything about him anymore. I wonder how he’s doing. I hope he’s okay. I know this isn’t easy for him either. He avoided me and eventually blocked me. I hurt my friend. I hurt Jaypie—the person who did nothing but value me, understand me, care for me, and love me. Maybe someday, he’ll understand where I was coming from and why I felt that we needed to value our friendship more than becoming lovers. Because sometimes, choosing to remain friends is the only way I know how to keep someone I truly don’t want to lose. A lot has been happening in my life these past few days. We’ve had little moments of happiness and fun with my friends, and here they go again, trying to find someone to make me happy, as if I’m not enough on my own. Haha. But honestly, I’m happy to have friends who are always there for me. Even though I don’t have a boyfriend like they do, I’m still happy in my own way because I know there are people who genuinely care about me and know how to make me smile. Sometimes, we don’t really need a man. Sometimes, having good friends is more than enough. Being together, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company feels so good. And little by little, the happiness I once lost is finally coming back. I guess it simply means that I’m learning to love myself more, and this time, I finally feel whole again. ❤️ Chapter 4 I’ve started posting pictures again, I’m active on my social media accounts again, and I’m finally interacting with people again. I’m not that bothered anymore because, of course, I feel lighter now. And apparently, this is where I ended up talking to that guy I saw at church again. Yes, I know him for many reasons and because of the different circumstances that brought us to know each other. Somehow, I feel like there’s a connection between us. I don’t know if it’s because he’s naturally friendly and acts close to everyone, because we once spent time together and got to hang out, or maybe that’s just how he is. His name is Res. He’s an older guy, and we’ve actually known each other for quite some time through social media. He always reacts to my posts, sends me messages, and sometimes he loves flirting with me. Honestly, he kind of annoys me because he acts like he’s so handsome. And the way he calls me “baby” like duh, am I your baby? Like, hello?! He already has a girlfriend, too! And another thing, he’s way too old for me. Hello, I’m still in my 20s, and he already looks like he’s in his 30s. I never even had any interest in him in the first place. Just from the way he flirts with me and calls me “baby” even though he already has a girlfriend, it’s already a huge turn-off. He doesn’t even seem serious. A flirt and a womanizer? No thanks! I’ll pass. Chapter 5 Flashback: I met him and hung out with him once before because we had a mutual friend who knew him, and somehow, I ended up coming along too. It was my first time seeing him. He had a well-built body, smelled really good, and was always laughing. But I didn’t like him based on that first impression alone. We had a few drinks, just some shots, and got to introduce ourselves to each other. He was actually fun to be around, but he was also pretty touchy and asked a lot of questions. I didn’t know if that was just how he normally was or if it was because he had been drinking. For me, it was a bit of a turn-off, but honestly, I didn’t really care because I wasn’t interested in him anyway. After we finished drinking, we all went home. After that, I never really thought I’d hang out with him again. I honestly wasn’t even willing to get close to him or spend time with him again. Then several years passed, and somehow, it happened again during the town fiesta. That was when the way I saw him started to change. My friend and I were watching the events happening in the barangay. We were in the same place, and he messaged me because he replied to my My Day. I think he wanted to see me, HAHA. It had actually been quite a while since I last saw him. The last time was when we went drinking with our friends. I think a whole year had already passed. That August, there was going to be a fiesta in our area, and we happened to see each other. I was with my friends at the time. “Psssttt…,” he called me. I turned around and looked at him. Honestly, I almost didn’t recognize him because he had gotten taller and lost weight. Remember when I used to say he looked old? Well, now he actually looked closer to my age. I won’t deny it his appearance had really changed. He had become more handsome, and I’ll admit, the way I looked at him changed a little too. But that doesn’t mean I suddenly like him, okay? You can think someone is handsome without actually having feelings for them, right? *A few weeks later, it was September—my birthday. He messaged me that day and greeted me. “Happy birthday,” he said. I thanked him and jokingly said, “Shot?” “Can I?” he replied. I said, “Of course. Why not?” That evening, he actually came over. He brought some chicken and a few drinks. I thought he was just joking, but he really showed up. There were only three of us—me, him, and one of my friends. I was actually a little sad because only a few people remembered my birthday. But he did. That meant something to me. He hung out with us that night, and I slowly started getting to know him. I realized that he wasn’t really the way I had assumed he was. He was actually kind and really playful. He loved teasing people, too, so I guess if you don’t take the time to get to know him, you might easily judge him the wrong way. We didn’t even realize how late it had gotten when we finally finished drinking. Even though there were only three of us, we still had a great time. We talked, laughed a lot, and just enjoyed each other’s company, so it never felt boring. And little by little, I started liking him. But I never let it show because I was still in denial back then. Maybe I was just surprised because he was suddenly there, being so nice and spending time with me. So I just ignored what I was feeling and convinced myself that it didn’t mean anything. Chapter:6 After the celebration, we started saying our goodbyes. I walked him outside the house and accompanied him until the first turn. I thanked him for coming and spending time with us, even though it was just the three of us. I hugged him as a way of saying thank you because he was one of the people who shared that special day with me. Then, suddenly, he kissed me. Yes, he kissed me, and I couldn’t really explain what came over me. I kissed him back, perhaps because of the alcohol. It lasted for a few minutes before I finally pulled away. I didn’t know why I let it happen, but there was a smile on my lips. Maybe… I was starting to like him.