Accidentally Engaged to My Worst Neighbor

LIA’S POV There are three things you should know about me. First— I am not lucky. Second— When I say I’m not lucky, I don’t mean simple bad days or occasional inconvenience. I mean yung klase ng malas na parang may personal vendetta ang universe sa existence ko. And third— If something embarrassing can happen, it will happen. In public. With witnesses. And most likely… may Zion Reyes involved. My worst neighbor. Not because he is evil. But because he is everything I am not. Calm. Controlled. Organized. Quiet. While I am… chaos in human form. --- Zion Reyes is the type of person every neighborhood respects without trying. He wakes up early, goes to work on time, speaks only when necessary, and somehow never looks stressed even when life clearly should stress him. He is a junior architect, according to what people say. Young, stable, responsible. The “ideal man” version every auntie uses as comparison. “Bakit si Zion kaya niya?” “Bakit ikaw hindi?” Excuse me? We are not even in the same operating system. Meanwhile me? I survive life through accidents, luck, and last-minute panic decisions. So yes. Zion Reyes is my worst neighbor. Not because he hurts me. But because he makes me feel like I am always one mistake away from disaster just by existing near him. --- That morning started like any normal day that usually ends badly. “Ma’am! Delivery po!” I looked up from watering Mama’s plants that were already half-dead despite my efforts. “Dito po!” sagot ko. The delivery rider handed me a small brown box. Simple. Normal. Innocent-looking. I signed the paper without thinking much. At first, I assumed it was Mama’s online orders again. Or maybe spam delivery. But when I turned it over— I froze. ZION REYES. I blinked. Once. Twice. Then sighed. “Bakit ikaw na naman?” bulong ko. Of course. Of all people. The one neighbor I can’t avoid even if I tried. My first instinct was simple: return it immediately. No involvement. No conversation. No chaos. But then— “Lia! Tulungan mo ako dito!” And just like that, life interrupted my responsibility. The box was left on the dining table. Forgotten. Like most of my good decisions. --- That night was when everything shifted. Walang kuryente. Walang WiFi. Walang distraction. Just silence. And boredom. And a box. At first, I ignored it. Pero after twenty minutes, curiosity started whispering. “Baka pagkain lang ‘yan,” sabi ng isip ko. But something felt off. Too clean. Too important-looking. I stared at it. Five minutes. Then ten. Then I said the sentence that always leads to disaster. “Just one look.” One. Small. Look. --- The seal was slightly loose. I barely touched it. The box opened. Inside— I froze. A ring. A diamond ring. Big. Expensive. Impossible to ignore. My brain stopped. Then restarted. Then panicked. Then overanalyzed everything. Zion? Engaged? Sino? Kailan? Bakit?! At bakit walang may alam?! I closed the box immediately. Then opened it again. Because apparently, I enjoy emotional suffering. The ring looked too real. Too important. Too serious. And for the first time, I felt something unfamiliar: unease. --- The next day, I decided to return it properly. Simple plan. Go to Zion. Give box. Leave. Avoid life complications. That was mistake number two. --- Sunday. Barangay park. The usual chaos setting. People talking. Kids running. Aunties gossiping like it’s a competitive sport. And then— I saw him. Zion Reyes. Standing near the basketball court. Calm. Composed. Completely unaware that my life was about to implode again. I walked fast. No hesitation. “Hoy!” tawag ko. He turned. “Ikaw.” That tone already irritated me. Always calm. Always unreadable. I handed him the box. “Package mo.” He took it. And everything changed instantly. His expression shifted. Not dramatic. Not emotional. Just still. Too still. Then his eyes widened slightly. “What did you do?” he asked. I blinked. “Ha?” “The box.” “What about it?” “Why is it open?” Oh. Small problem. “Accident lang,” mabilis kong sagot. He stared at me. That stare. Yung klase ng stare na parang I just disturbed his entire life system. “Accident,” he repeated. “Yes. Very accidental.” He sighed. Like I was the definition of inconvenience. Before anything else could escalate— chaos arrived. --- “MY GOODNESS!” Mrs. Fernandez. Neighborhood’s official gossip headquarters. She appeared like she was summoned by drama itself. Her eyes locked onto the box. Then on us. Then— the ring. Silence broke instantly. “YOU’RE ENGAGED?!” And just like that— everything exploded. People gathered within seconds. Phones came out. Voices overlapped. Smiles everywhere. “Bagay kayo!” “Finally!” “About time!” ABOUT TIME?! WHAT ABOUT TIME?! WALA NAMAN NANGYAYARI! I immediately raised my hand. “No, this is a misunderstanding—” But Zion stepped slightly closer. “Don’t,” he said quietly. I froze. “What?” He lowered his voice. “My grandmother is here.” I looked around. An elderly woman stood a few steps away. Tears in her eyes. Not sadness. Joy. Pure joy. And suddenly— I understood. This wasn’t just gossip. This was expectation. Family. Emotion. Pressure. A story already written by people who didn’t ask for permission. “You have five seconds,” I whispered. “Fix this.” Zion exhaled slowly. Then said— “You want to break her heart?” Silence. That moment hit differently. Because suddenly, the chaos wasn’t funny anymore. It was real. Heavy. Complicated. And I hated that I understood it. The crowd kept smiling. Celebrating. Believing. And me? I stood there holding a ring I should’ve never touched. Looking at my worst neighbor— who suddenly didn’t feel like just a neighbor anymore. And I made a decision I didn’t fully understand. “…fine.” And just like that— my normal life ended. And chaos began its story. Not loudly. Not gently. But in a way that made everything irreversible. Because sometimes… love doesn’t start with certainty. It starts in chaos. And unfortunately for me— Zion Reyes was now part of mine.