𝙲𝙻𝙸𝙲𝙺𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃𝚂 | 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙿𝙻𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙳 ✓

chapter 4

Isabella's POV

Pagkagising ko kinabukasan, the first thing I did was check my phone. May message ako mula kay Alexander.

"Good morning, Isabella! I had a great time yesterday. Hope you did too. Can’t wait for our next coffee date. 😊"

Napangiti ako habang binabasa ang message niya. It’s funny how just a few words from him can make my day brighter. Hindi ko maiwasan ang excitement na nararamdaman ko every time I think about him.

"Good morning, Alex! I had a wonderful time too. Looking forward to our next meet-up! 😊" mabilis kong sinagot, hoping na hindi masyadong obvious ang saya ko.

Tumayo ako mula sa kama at nag-ayos ng sarili. Today’s going to be a busy day—may group project kami na kailangan tapusin sa school, at kailangan ko pang gumawa ng content for my TikTok page. Pero kahit gaano ako ka-busy, nasa isip ko pa rin si Alexander.

*****

Alexander's POV

Nasa photography club meeting ako, pero parang wala ako sa focus. I can’t stop thinking about Isabella and how our first meeting went. It was better than I could have ever imagined. Parang ang tagal na namin magkakilala kahit na first time pa lang namin nagkita in person.

“Alex, you good?” tanong ni Jake, one of my closest friends sa club, habang nag-set up siya ng camera para sa shoot namin.

“Yeah, man. Just thinking about some stuff,” sagot ko habang kinakalma ang sarili.

“You seem... happy,” pansin niya. “Something good happen recently?”

Napangiti ako ng konti. “You could say that. I met someone.”

“Whoa, really?” tanong ni Jake, mukhang interesado. “Who is she?”

I sighed, trying to find the right words. “Her name’s Isabella. She’s a poet, and we’ve been talking online for a while. We finally met in person yesterday.”

“Wow, that’s awesome, man! So, how did it go?”

“It was... perfect, actually,” sabi ko, hindi maitago ang saya sa boses ko. “We clicked right away. It didn’t feel awkward at all.”

Jake grinned. “Looks like someone’s got a crush.”

Tumawa ako, pero alam ko na may katotohanan sa sinabi niya. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I was definitely crushing on Isabella.

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Isabella’s POV

Habang nasa classroom ako, wala akong ibang naiisip kundi si Alexander. My friends, Claire and Andrea, noticed it too.

“Hey, Isabella, you’re smiling like crazy over there,” biro ni Claire habang hinihintay namin magsimula ang class. “Spill the tea. What’s going on?”

I blushed a little. “Nothing much, just had a really good weekend.”

Andrea raised an eyebrow. “Good weekend or a good date?”

I bit my lip, trying not to blush even more. “Okay, fine. I met up with this guy I’ve been talking to online. His name’s Alexander.”

“And? How did it go?” tanong ni Claire, obviously curious.

“It went really well. We had coffee, talked for hours, and then went for a walk in the park. It just felt so natural, you know?”

“That’s amazing!” sabi ni Andrea, obviously happy for me. “When’s the next date?”

“We’re still figuring that out, but I’m definitely excited to see him again.”

As we continued talking, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for having friends like Claire and Andrea who were genuinely supportive. They made everything feel even more special.

*****

Alexander’s POV

After the club meeting, nag-decide akong pumunta sa park kung saan kami naglakad ni Isabella kahapon. I wanted to see it again, to remember how perfect everything felt.

Naupo ako sa isang bench at tinignan ang mga photos na kinunan ko kahapon. Most of them were of the scenery, pero may ilan na kuha ni Isabella. I didn’t mean to take them, pero she looked so peaceful and happy habang naglalakad, na hindi ko napigilan.

She was beautiful, not just in the way she looked, but in the way she carried herself. There was something about her that drew me in, something I wanted to know more about.

Bigla kong naisip, why not surprise her with a printed photo? Alam ko na magugustuhan niya iyon, lalo na yung kuha ko sa kanya na hindi niya alam. It was a candid shot, but it captured her essence perfectly—calm, thoughtful, and genuinely happy.

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Isabella’s POV

Pagdating ko sa bahay after a long day, I checked my phone again. I was hoping for another message from Alexander, but instead, nakita ko ang notification sa TikTok. My latest poem video was gaining a lot of attention.

Nagbukas ako ng TikTok at binasa ang mga comments. Ang dami ng positive feedback, and it made me feel proud of myself. Pero kahit gaano kaganda ang mga comments na iyon, iba pa rin ang effect ng mga words ni Alexander. His support meant more to me than anything else.

Habang nag-iisip ako ng bagong content for my next post, bigla akong nakaisip ng idea. Why not create a video na inspired by our first meeting? It could be a poem about new beginnings, about finding someone who understands you in ways you never expected.

With that thought in mind, I started writing. The words flowed easily, as if they were just waiting to be written. I felt inspired, more than I had in a long time.

*****

Alexander’s POV

Kinabukasan, nagpa-print ako ng photo ni Isabella at nilagay ito sa isang simple, elegant frame. Gusto kong ibigay ito sa kanya as a surprise, something to remind her of our first meeting.

Habang tinitignan ko ang photo, I realized something. This was just the beginning. I wanted to create more memories with her, to take more photos, and to be a part of her life.

I messaged her, “Hey, are you free this weekend? I have a little surprise for you.”

Mabilis siyang nag-reply, “I’m free! Can’t wait to see what it is.”

Napangiti ako. Excited na akong makita ulit si Isabella, and to see her reaction to my surprise. This was just the start of something new, something special, and I couldn’t wait to see where it would take us.