Once Our Hearts Reciprocate

Prologue

Prologue

Masayang kumatok si Paige sa pintuan ng bago nilang kapit-bahay. She's holding a box of muffins that she and her mother made. She observed the house of their new neighbour. It looks rusty and old but she didn't mind.

"Hello! Is anyone in there?" She asked as she continued to knock on the door. "Mama and Paige made muffins for you!" Paige said happily.

She frowned. She keeps knocking on the door for too long now. What's taking them so long to open the door?

Suddenly, the door opened. At hindi alam ni Paige kung bakit pakiramdam niya ay biglang bumagal ang ikot ng mundo niya. In a few seconds, she felt like her world suddenly stopped spinning and her eyes were only focused on him. He was tall, has a shiny black hair, chinky eyes, perfect narrow nose, and a heart shaped lips that perfectly fits his face. The perfect definition for the word perfect.

"May kailangan ka ba?" The boy asked in a very, very rude way. But she didn't mind at all because mamma mia! The boy is so handsome!

"M-Mama and Paige made muffins for you?" She offered him the box of muffins.

The boy only looked at the jar of cookies with his cold expression. "Anong gagawin ko diyan?"

"You will... uhm... kain this?"

Her mom is Filipina and her dad is Australian. Paige just came to the Philippines from Australia. She's not good at speaking Tagalog but she can still talk and understand a little bit. It's just that... she honestly suck at it.

The boy looked at Paige confusingly before slamming the door shut. Paige squealed a little. She stared at the door, stunned. Paige blinked twice and then glared. She punched the door a little bit and shouted.

"You are so rude! I hate you!"

She left their neighbor's house, crying. She wanted to punch that boy's face! How dare him! She ate all the muffins in her room until there's nothing left in the box anymore.

She sighed heavily after eating her feelings out. Dumako ang tingin niya sa balkonahe ng kwarto niya. She stood up and went to the balcony. Mula roon ay nakita niya ang lalaking nagpabagal at nagpatigil ng mundo niya kanina. He was feeding the chickens on their yard. Walang pinagbago ang ekspresyon nito. Malamig, tila walang pakialam sa paligid. She's wondering what the boy's name is.

The anger and annoyance she felt after watching the boy for a long time disappeared. She remembered how she felt earlier. And she didn't know why her heart was beating fast. What kind of feeling does it have? It was new to her and she couldn't explain what kind of feeling it is.

"Anak, are you ready to go to school?" Paige's mom asked as she fixes her daughter's uniform.

"Yes, mama! I want to meet new friends!" Masayang sagot ni Paige. "But what if they don't like me, mama? I don't know how to speak Tagalog. What if they make fun of me? What if they don't want to be friends with me?"

"Paige, stop thinking things like that. Your classmates will like you. You're a bright kid, okay?"

It's her first day of school and she's so excited to make new friends. She only had one friend in her life. It was Clyde, her best friend in Australia. Sadly, she had to leave him because her parents decided to live in the Philippines for a long time.

Nakayuko si Paige nang pumasok siya sa loob ng classroom nila. Kanina ay excited siya ngunit ngayon ay ganoon na lang ang hiyang nararamdaman niya at hindi niya alam kung bakit. Maybe because everything is new to her and she's still having a hard time adjusting in a new place.