PROLOGUE
615 Words
I used to believe that everything could be calculated.
Distance.
Time.
Speed.
Pressure.
Even the probability of something failing.
As an engineering student, I was trained to look at problems and find solutions. If something didn't work, you figured out why. You changed the numbers, fixed the design, and tried again.
Simple.
At least, that's what I thought.
Until I met him.
It was raining the first time I saw him.
Not the dramatic kind of rain you see in movies. Walang thunder. Walang slow motion. Just an ordinary afternoon downpour that ruined my plans, soaked my shoes, and forced me to stay inside the swimming complex longer than I wanted to.
I was supposed to leave after submitting my project.
Instead, I stayed.
And that's when I saw him.
He was at the other end of the pool.
A swimmer.
Everyone seemed to know who he was.
I didn't.
At least, not at first.
All I knew was that he was the guy who had been swimming back and forth for what felt like forever—the guy who looked completely comfortable in the water while everyone else was trying not to get wet.
Then he got out of the pool.
And somehow, he noticed me.
That was the beginning.
Or maybe that was just what I wanted to believe.
Because after that day, everything happened so easily.
Too easily.
He remembered the little things about me.
He'd wait for me after class.
He'd bring me coffee without asking what I wanted because, somehow, he already knew.
He sent me good-morning texts.
He walked me home.
He showed up whenever I needed someone.
And one night, he even stood outside my window with a guitar and sang for me.
A harana.
Who does that anymore?
Apparently, the man I fell in love with did.
He made everything feel like a fairytale.
And I was stupid enough to believe that maybe, just maybe, I had finally found my own prince charming.
The kind you read about in books.
The kind who remembers your favorite song.
The kind who looks at you like you're the only person in the room.
The kind who makes you believe that maybe love isn't supposed to be complicated.
I thought I was lucky.
I thought I had finally gotten something right.
But here's the thing about calculations:
You can have all the right numbers and still get the wrong answer.
Because sometimes, the problem isn't the calculation.
Sometimes, it's the variable you never knew you were supposed to account for.
And I didn't know there was so much about him that I didn't know.
I didn't know about the person he used to be.
I didn't know what he was running from.
I didn't know why he was so good at pretending everything was perfect.
And most importantly—
I didn't know that the boy who made me believe in fairytales was hiding a story of his own.
A story that would eventually make me question everything.
Every smile.
Every promise.
Every song.
Every "I love you."
Even the way we met.
Looking back now, I wish I had paid more attention.
Maybe I would've noticed the cracks.
Maybe I would've realized that some things aren't meant to be fixed.
Maybe I would've understood that falling in love with someone is easy.
Knowing who they really are?
That's the difficult part.
And if there's one thing I've learned from all of this, it's this:
Not every calculation is correct.
Sometimes, you can have all the right numbers and still arrive at the wrong answer.
And sometimes, the most beautiful things in life are the ones you never could have calculated.
- Writer
