The Love We Never Expected

Prologue — The Boy I Wasn't Supposed to Love Alessandra's POV "If I had known loving you would hurt this much, I would have wished we had never met." My voice trembled as I stared at the boy standing in front of me. Sebastian Villareal. The boy who used to annoy me every single day. The boy who somehow became my favorite person. The boy who promised he would never hurt me. And yet, here we were. "Alessa, please. Just let me explain," he whispered. I shook my head as tears blurred my vision. "Explain what, Sebastian? That everything between us was a lie?" He lowered his gaze. That silence was enough to break my heart all over again. "I trusted you," I whispered. "I know." "I believed every word you said." "I know, Alessa." "And I loved you." He finally looked at me. His eyes were filled with emotions I couldn't understand. "I still love you," he said. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Then why does loving you feel like the biggest mistake I've ever made?" He took a step closer, but I stepped back. "Please don't," I whispered. Outside, the rain continued falling over the quiet streets of Baguio. I used to love the rain. It reminded me of peaceful afternoons, warm coffee, and the boy who once held my hand beneath a shared umbrella. Now, it would always remind me of this moment. The moment I realized that loving someone didn't always mean you would get to keep them. I turned around and walked away. For once, Sebastian didn't follow me. And somehow, that hurt the most. But our story didn't begin with heartbreak. It began with something much simpler. A Monday morning. A cup of iced coffee. And a boy I absolutely couldn't stand. ### Chapter 1 — The Coffee Incident Alessandra's POV "OH MY GOODNESS! I'M LATE!" I practically jumped out of bed when I saw the time on my phone. 7:45 AM. My first class started at eight. Fifteen minutes. I had exactly fifteen minutes to get dressed, grab my things, and somehow make it to university without embarrassing myself. Which, considering my luck, was nearly impossible. "Alessandra! Aren't you leaving yet?" my mother called from the kitchen. "I'm leaving, Mom!" I quickly tied my hair into a messy ponytail, grabbed my bag, and rushed downstairs. "At least eat something!" she said, holding out a sandwich. I took it and kissed her cheek. "Thank you! Love you!" "Be careful!" "I will!" That was probably the biggest lie I would tell that morning. Because ten minutes later, I was running through the university entrance like my entire future depended on it. Technically, it did. I was a scholarship student. Being late wasn't exactly part of my academic survival plan. My phone suddenly rang. Kiara. I answered while trying to catch my breath. "Where are you?!" she practically screamed. "Good morning to you too." "Alessa! Professor Miranda is already here!" "What?!" "She's checking attendance!" "Tell her I'm stuck in traffic!" There was a pause. "Alessa, you live ten minutes away from campus." "Then tell her there's traffic on the sidewalk!" Kiara burst into laughter. "You're unbelievable." "I know. That's why you love me." "Just hurry!" She ended the call. I sighed and glanced at the iced coffee in my hand. Yes, I had still stopped to buy coffee. Was it a terrible decision? Absolutely. Did I regret it? Not yet. I took one last sip before rushing toward the main building. And then— SPLASH! Everything happened so quickly. One second, I was running. The next, my iced coffee was decorating someone's expensive-looking black jacket. I froze. "Oh my gosh." Slowly, I lifted my head. And immediately wished I hadn't. Standing in front of me was probably the most intimidating guy I had ever seen. He was tall, with slightly messy black hair, sharp features, and dark eyes that looked like they could freeze an entire room. His white shirt was perfectly tucked beneath his jacket. Or at least, it had been perfect. Before I attacked it with coffee. He looked down at the stain. Then at me. "Are you blind?" I blinked. Excuse me? "I'm sorry?" "Clearly," he replied coldly. My mouth fell open. Wow. Not even five seconds into our first meeting, and I already wanted to throw the empty cup at him. "I said I'm sorry," I answered, trying to remain calm. "No, you didn't." I paused. Okay. Technically, he was right. But that didn't mean he had to be rude about it. "Fine. I'm sorry for spilling my coffee on your jacket." He examined the stain again. "Do you have any idea how much this jacket costs?" I stared at him. "Do you have any idea how much that coffee costs?" His eyebrows drew together. "What?" "Fifty-nine pesos," I said seriously. "And I only got to drink half of it." For a moment, he looked completely speechless. Then someone behind him started laughing. Loudly. "Oh, this is amazing." I turned toward the voice. A handsome guy with brown hair stood a few steps away, laughing as though he had just witnessed the funniest thing in the world. "Dude," he said between laughs, "I think you've finally met someone who isn't afraid of you." The guy in front of me shot him a deadly glare. "Shut up, Ethan." Ethan raised both hands. "Just saying." I checked the time. 7:58 AM. Wonderful. I was officially doomed. "Look, I'm really sorry about your jacket, but I have a class to attend." I stepped to the side. He moved slightly, blocking my path. "What's your name?" I frowned. "Why?" "Because I'm asking." "Wow. Very convincing." His jaw tightened. "Your name." I crossed my arms. "Are you planning to report me to the coffee police?" Ethan burst into laughter again. I was beginning to like him. The other guy? Not so much. "Alessandra Monteverde," I finally answered. "Happy?" He studied me for a moment. "Sebastian Villareal." I froze. Wait. Villareal? As in the Villareal family? The family whose name was practically everywhere in this university? Oh, fantastic. I had just spilled coffee on someone who could probably buy the entire café without checking his bank account. But I refused to look intimidated. "Congratulations," I replied. "You have a name." Ethan nearly doubled over laughing. Sebastian stared at me. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth lifted. It was barely a smile. But somehow, it made him look even more annoyingly attractive. Not that I cared. Obviously. "You're interesting," he said. "And you're blocking my way." He stepped aside. "See you around, Alessandra." I rolled my eyes. "Hopefully not." I walked past him without looking back. Or at least, I tried not to. Because just as I reached the stairs, I heard Ethan say something. "Sebastian, you're smiling." "I'm not." "Yes, you are." "Shut up." I shook my head. Rich boys. Unbelievable. By the time I reached my classroom, Professor Miranda was already standing near the board. "Miss Monteverde," she said, raising an eyebrow. I stopped at the doorway. "Good morning, Ma'am." "How thoughtful of you to join us." A few classmates laughed. I smiled awkwardly. "Thank you, Ma'am. It's an honor to be here." More laughter. Professor Miranda sighed. "Take your seat." I hurried toward Kiara, who was already shaking her head. "What happened to you?" she whispered. I dropped into my chair. "Don't ask." "Why do you smell like coffee?" "Because apparently, my morning wasn't terrible enough." She leaned closer. "Tell me everything." I sighed. "I accidentally spilled my coffee on some arrogant rich guy." Her eyes widened. "Who?" "Sebastian something." She went completely still. "Wait." I frowned. "What?" "Sebastian Villareal?" "Unfortunately." Kiara grabbed my arm. "Alessa!" "What?!" "Do you even know who he is?" "An arrogant walking advertisement for expensive jackets?" She stared at me. "He's one of the most popular guys in this university!" "So?" "So?! Girls practically line up just to talk to him!" "Well, they can have him." Kiara shook her head. "You're impossible." I opened my notebook. "Thank you." Just when I thought my morning couldn't get any worse, Professor Miranda spoke again. "Before we begin, I have an announcement." The classroom fell silent. "For our university's upcoming community development project, selected students from different departments will be working together." I listened with mild interest. Until she continued. "Miss Monteverde, you've been selected as one of the student representatives from the Education Department." My eyes widened. "Me, Ma'am?" "Yes. Congratulations." I smiled. Finally. Something good. "This project will also involve selected students from the Architecture Department," she added. I nodded. That sounded reasonable. "They will assist in designing educational spaces for children in our partner communities." I was already imagining how exciting the project would be. Then Professor Miranda looked at her list. "And the student leader assigned to your team is..." She paused. My stomach suddenly felt strange. "...Mr. Sebastian Villareal." Silence. Absolute silence. At least inside my head. Kiara slowly turned toward me. Her mouth fell open. I stared at our professor. No. No, no, no. This had to be a joke. Of all the students in this university... Of all the possible people... Why him? Kiara leaned closer and whispered, "Well, at least you already know each other." I dropped my forehead onto my notebook. I was going to need another coffee. And preferably one that wouldn't end up on Sebastian Villareal. End of Chapter 1. Next Chapter: Chapter 2 — Partners in Disaster