2019, August.

I had just come from a breakup with an ex and my then-FWB's work misaligned our schedules causing us to be unable to meet any longer. I opened an account on Tinder and came across Aubrey. She was as ethereal as a china doll on her bio pics with her short bob, chinita eyes and glassy white skin-- I thought she was a half-Korean or Chinese. Medyo lumubog lang yung puso ko when I saw na her loc was 66km away. Aigoo

"Don't hmu unless it's to netflix and chill" her bio read, something along those lines. I gave her my daily Super Like and was rewarded with the "It's a Match!" screen right after. I was absolutely smitten. I remember pa na I was downstairs looking for a snack while the rest of the family was asleep na that evening and I almost yelled in joy and kilig when we matched because, tangina, ang cute niya talaga my dudes holy shit. I chatted her kaagad and she replied right away! Online din pala siya at that same time. We exchanged IG handles and Messenger and chatted.

"Sogo? Haha" She said when I asked her if she wanted to meet for a date this coming weekend. She was just looking for a short-term FWB daw because her previous one ghosted her. Nalungkot naman ako slight akala ko magkaka-Kpop idol-slash-short haired chinita gf na ako bat ba ang cruel ng mundo, but hey, at least makakascore I thought to my inexperienced self. We chatted until the wee hours of the morning playing 21 questions and I hit her with that "good night selfie?"

"I'm naked rn tho" she replied.

"Even better"

"Fine. I'll draw a bra hahaha." She replied with a topless high angle selfie with a doodled-on bra.

We settled to meet once first to get to know each other a bit before we would meet to do the deed. We exchanged pictures in school and at home and chatted throughout the rest of that week. She even sent me a doodle chart of outfits she was planning to wear for our little date that Saturday. I recreated one of her selfies too for a plate I did in class that week.

Conveniently enough, her family had planned to gala within the Metro that Saturday and pwede siya humiwalay, so we met at a mall halfway instead of me traveling to their area. I really pumped the shit out of my porma game that day-- I had to impress this Goddess with all my might or else a normal joe like me would look like a Level 1 Goblin next to her ahahaha. I went to the salon to get my hair done the day before after class, borrowed my dad's bougie af men's perfume na padala ng kamag-anak abroad, and wore a leather jacket on top of a blue checkered flannel and black shirt. Init noh? Never layered after that again ahahaha.

"There's a cool guy in front of me." She chatted. I turned around and she was approaching na. She wore a loose long-sleeved dress shirt with black denim jeans and a beret. Ang cute niya holy shit ahahaha I'm shaking while typing this and reminiscing right now.

S&R had this amazing 2 pan pizza, 2 fries, and 2 large drinks for 499 promo at that time so we decided to eat there. I was talking to her nonstop while she glued herself to the wall. Looking back at it, she was probably terrified of how talkative I was (and still am hahaha).

We watched "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" at the cinema after and I pulled off the classic "hikab sabay akbay" move, to which she readjusted so she could rest her head more comfortably between my chin and chest. I remember leaning my head in for a sneaky kiss and her looking up at me in the eye with an awkward "what?" while we watched kaya naudlot and we just went back to watching. We had some Kuya J halo-halo for merienda after the movie.

"Delete ko na?" She said, showing me her tinder profile on her phone.

"Sure. Really?" I replied. Damn.

"You do it." She gave me her phone. I nearly jumped when I saw the number of likes she had. I deleted her account and gave back her phone.

We went for a stroll outside the mall's outdoor river park after. We had a heart to heart about our lives and dreams while we were sitting together alone on the concrete stairs next to the river.

"I like you." She said in a very weak, but audible voice.

"What was that?" I couldn't believe my ears. "Ano yon?"

"Wala." She rolled her eyes.

"You like me?" I teased her. It felt good. I was happy.

"I like you too." I said, looking up at the sky. My stomach was full of butterflies and my head was high in the clouds.

"Gago." She laughed.

We walked around and I would go for the first kiss a few times but she would either stare at me dead in the eye as I would come closer OR close her eyes and tense up sabay "what?" when I'd pull back. We would laugh at how awkward the whole situation was because of how nervous she was whenever we remember that evening. Her parents texted her after a while that they had to go na. We were going out the same exit so we walked there together.

"Last chance." She turned around and looked up at me while we were going down the escalator. I hastily leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips. Our teeth knocked pa nga if I remember.

"What was that?" She laughed. "Do it properly next time."

"I will." I smiled and waved her goodbye as she walked out the exit. I waited for her to get in the car with her family before I exited and headed home.

~~

We talked throughout the days while in school and called in the evenings at home the following week. We also scheduled to book a room at the SOGO near her area that Saturday. I even bought a Durex Featherlite 10-pack from a 7-11 near my campus on the way home in preparation despite her telling me not to bring any na as she's on the pill. Our messages became naughtier and our photo exchanges were becoming more and more risque... then came Friday.

"Benny... I'm so sorry." She typed. Her period had arrived unexpectedly. She had even tried to take multiple active pills daw when she started spotting to try and delay it to no avail (sidenote: please don't do this. It's dangerous.)

I was defeated, demoralized, flabbergasted, destructed, hopeless, and all those dramatic synonyms for blue-balled. "It's okay." I said, "We can just cuddle and spend alone time together."

"I know you were looking forward to this so much. Me too." She said.

Okay naman sakin, at least there's the third date on the table already hehe. We decided to push through with me travelling to her area and booking a SOGO. We wore matching black outfits with hers being an oversized shirt, shorts, ankle socks, and high cut sandals-- in short mukha siyang bagets ahahaha.

"Yung kasama niyo po sir ilang taon na?" The receptionist asked.

"18 po." I replied na medyo kabado na. May guard sa likod namin. Sting operation ba to at ipapa-Tulfo na ako?! I was mortified for a millisecond.

"May ID po?" She asked.

"Yes, I have." I reached for my pocket.

"Hindi po. Si ma'am po." She smiled and nodded at Aubrey.

Aubrey didn't have an ID on her. We went out of SOGO and ran across the street with our head low from embarrassment. To be fair, she was turning 19 that year and ang bagets pa ng get up niya at the time.

"Luh di naman nila ako hinihingan ng ID dati--" she stopped and turned. Our eyes met and I was just as dumbfounded.

She called her mom saying that she would be hanging out with friends in the Metro, and so we ended up going on a date at the same mall we went to last time instead. We had dinner, went to a 4D playground where the kuya kept teasing us kasi ang cute daw namin tignan, and strolled around the river park again.

We were leaning against the barriers watching couples and friends pass by and the cleaners boating across the river while the lights that lined the walkway illuminated us in cool neon lights.

"Wanna be my girlfriend?" I asked her.

"Yeah." She smiled and nodded.

We embraced each other tight, her head on my chest and my arms around her waist and back of her head.

"I love you." I said with a giggle of relief. It was a heavenly feeling.

"I love you too. I've been holding back saying that so long." she laughed.

Her family arrived after to pick her up after and I took the bus home that evening. We planned our first date as a couple for the following weekend on the way home: An overnight stay at a hotel to which we warmed up for during the following 3 nights before it by having a nightly vidja-- este, "online human anatomy study session". (A story for next time)

Currently typing this while she's sound asleep on call and we're about to celebrate our 3rd anniversary at home with her family in 2 weeks time from now. I'm very lucky and thankful to have her 😊.

Moral of the story: Pag na-blue balls ka, isipin mo nalang na magkakaroon ka drained balls pagkatapos with pagmamahal 100%