Jenn's POV
It felt strange waking up in my old room again. The curtains were the same, the scent of mumma's chai still lingered in the air, and yet, everything felt... foreign. Maybe because the girl who once belonged here wasn't the same anymore.
I had left my heart behind.
Fifteen days. That's all it took for me to fall for someone I never saw coming. And now, every moment since I left felt like I was holding my breath underwater, trying to pretend everything was okay.
But it wasn't.
I missed him.
I missed us.
Jas had gone quiet too. I knew she was trying to give me space, but God, I needed her now more than ever. I scrolled through my gallery, landing on a picture Andres secretly clicked of me while I was fixing my hair. My lips curled into a small smile, and a tear escaped before I could stop it.
It hurt.
I never told him properly. About the trip being temporary. About my flight. About how I hated leaving more than anything. I just walked away.
Because I was scared.
Scared that if I stayed any longer, I'd never have the courage to leave. Scared that my feelings were too real. Scared that our worlds were too different.
My phone buzzed.
Jas: He misses you. He still carries the ring, Jenn.
My breath caught in my throat.
He had a ring?
The tears came faster now. I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands trembling as I typed out a message, then deleted it. Typed again. Deleted. My heart wanted to scream "I love you", but my mind whispered "What if it's too late?"
I lay back, staring at the ceiling.
Maybe life was waiting for us to grow stronger before we found our way back.
Maybe love... real love... always comes back around.
I wasn't sure what tomorrow held. But tonight, I slept hugging his hoodie, letting his scent and my memories carry me through the storm.
Andres's POV
Manila was buzzing outside—jeepneys rumbling down the streets, vendors shouting over each other, the humid air thick with the scent of grilled isaw and fried bananas. Normally, I loved the noise. The chaos felt like home.
But tonight, it was unbearable.
Because the one person who made this city feel magical… wasn't here anymore.
Jenn had only been here for fifteen days, but she changed everything. She left her mark like graffiti on the walls of my life—bold, beautiful, impossible to ignore.
And now, without her, everything looked dull. Even the sunset over Manila Bay, which she once called "dramatic in the best way," just looked like colors bleeding into nothing.
I sat on the rooftop of our apartment building, watching the sky fade from gold to gray. The same rooftop where we sat and talked about dreams—hers were wrapped in snow and silence, mine in chaos and fire. We were so different.
But somehow, we fit.
And then she left.
I hated how she made me feel like I wasn't enough to make her stay.
Jenn's POV
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I rang his doorbell.
Maybe he'd slam the door in my face. Maybe he'd pretend not to care. Or maybe—just maybe—he'd look at me the way he used to.
Like I was the only girl in the world.
The door creaked open.
Andres stood there, barefoot, shirt slightly crumpled, eyes swollen like he hadn't slept in days.
My heart broke a little more.
"Hey," I breathed, trying to smile.
For a moment, he didn't move. Just stared. Like I was a dream he wasn't ready to trust yet.
"Are you real?" he finally whispered.
I nodded, tears pooling in my eyes. "I came back."
He stepped aside wordlessly. I walked in, the air thick with silence and history. The same apartment. The same worn-out couch. My hoodie still draped over the chair. My mug by the sink.
He hadn't touched any of it.
"Why now?" he asked from behind me, voice low, guarded.
I turned, met his eyes. "Because leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done. And staying away? Even harder."
He swallowed hard. "You didn't even say goodbye."
"I was afraid if I looked at you one more second… I wouldn't leave at all."
He laughed bitterly. "And that would've been so terrible?"
I closed the space between us. "I was scared, Andres. Of how much I felt for you. Of how much you could break me without even trying."
"And now?"
I took his hand and placed it over my heart. "Now I'm just scared I lost you."
His touch softened, eyes flickering with a thousand unsaid things. "You didn't."
A tear slipped down my cheek. "Do you still feel it too?"
He didn't answer.
He just pulled me into his arms and kissed me like the world was ending.
Like we were burning, crashing, unraveling—and somehow, it was still beautiful.
---
We sat on the floor after, legs tangled, backs against the couch, not speaking for a while. Just breathing.
"I kept your mug," he said suddenly.
I looked at him. "I saw."
"I also stopped sitting on the right side of the bed."
I blinked. "Why?"
"Because that was yours."
My chest ached. "I'm sorry I left. I should've told you everything."
"I should've stopped you."
Silence.
And then, quietly, I said, "Do you think we have a second chance?"
He looked at me like I hung the moon. "If this is what it feels like to fall apart… I'll still choose you every damn time."
I let out a shaky laugh, leaning my head on his shoulder. "I don't know how long I can stay… but I know I want to stay now."
He held me tighter. "Then don't worry about the rest. We'll figure it out, one sunrise at a time."
And in that moment, with his arms around me and the sounds of Manila outside our window, I realized something—
Sometimes, love doesn't come crashing in.
Sometimes, it finds its way back quietly… right when you're ready to fight for it.
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