Love and Resilience

The first day of being together (Pt 1)

SERENA’S POV

The morning sun was filtering through my small office window, casting a warm glow across the room. I was seated at my desk, deep into planning the beach wedding I had mentioned to Jovana the night before. The couple I was working with wanted everything to be perfect palm trees, fairy lights, and fireworks illuminating the night sky over the ocean. As chaotic as it sounded, this was the kind of project I loved. I thrived in the details, the creativity, the logistics. And today, I felt a special kind of energy surging through me, probably because it was the first day of officially being Jovana’s girlfriend.

I still couldn’t believe it. After all these months of quietly hoping, we were finally together. Thinking about her brought a smile to my face, and I was tempted to send her a message, just to say hi. But I knew she was probably busy at the hospital, and I didn’t want to distract her. Instead, I focused on my work, pulling up color palettes and going through the budget spreadsheets.

I was deep in concentration when a knock on the door jolted me out of my zone. I glanced at the clock barely 10 a.m. Who could that be?

Before I could even answer, the door swung open, and in walked three of my best friends: Ava, Sabrina, and Mary. The three of them were like a whirlwind of energy, completely unannounced and unapologetic.

"Serena, you’ve been hiding from us for way too long!" Ava called out, her voice filled with playful accusation. "It’s time for an intervention, girl!"

I laughed, shaking my head as I stood up from my desk. "Hindi ako nagtatago! Busy lang ako, you know, working."

"Yeah, yeah, Miss Super Event Planner." Mary teased, plopping down on my couch. "Hindi ka kasi namin nakikita at wala rin kaming alam sa ganap ng buhay mo ngayon so we decided to drop by."

Sabrina, always the one to get straight to the point, eyed my desk filled with wedding plans and notes. "You’re still working on that beach wedding you meantioned while we’re doing face time, huh?"

"Yes" I said, gesturing to the organized chaos in front of me. "It’s going to be a tropical dream if I can pull it off."

"Well, we’ll help you to relax for a bit bago ka bumalik sa work mode mo," Ava said with a wink. She picked up a cushion and tossed it at me playfully. "Isa pa, we need to catch up! Ang tahimik mo nitong nakaraan ha, and that’s suspicious."

The three of them settled into my sofa, filling the space with chatter and laughter. As much as I was focused on my work, it was nice to have them around. I hadn’t realized how much I missed these spontaneous hangouts until they showed up.

"So,"  Mary began, fixing her eyes on me with a mischievous grin, "what’s new with you? Is there any big life changes we should know about?"

I hesitated for a split second, unsure of how to casually drop the news that Jovana and I were now officially a couple. But there was no point in hiding it from them. I knew they’d be thrilled.

"Well"  I said, biting my lip to keep from smiling too much. "Actually, theres is something new."

Ava’s eyes lit up with curiosity, while Sabrina and Mary leaned forward, all of them waiting eagerly for me to spill. "OMG, Serena! Ano yon? Don’t keep us in suspense!"

I let out a soft laugh, feeling the excitement bubbling up inside me again. "Jovana asked me to be her girlfriend last night."

The room erupted in squeals and gasps. Ava literally jumped up from her seat, rushing over to hug me. "No way! Finally!"

Sabrina was grinning from ear to ear.
"I’m so happy for you!"

Mary shook her head in mock disbelief.  "Hindi ako makapaniwala tapos hindi mo pa agad sinabi samin. We need every detail, now."

I couldn’t help but laugh at their excitement, feeling overwhelmed with happiness. "I didn’t want to jinx it by saying aything too soon. But yes, we’re together now. Officially."

Ava sat back down, still looking at me with wide eyes. "I know something was up! You’ve been glowing for weeks, tapos akala namin dahil lang yon sa event-planning adrenaline rush."

"Mas higit pa ron." I said softly, a smile tugging at my lips. "Jovana... she just makes everything feel right, alam mo yon? We’ve been through so much already, and I guess I was scared to take that next step. But now that we’re here, it just feels perfect."

Mary gave me a knowing look. "Travel buddy to girlfriend haha, but seriously Jovana’s been in love with you forever. Nakikita yon ng lahat. I’m glad you two finally figured it out."

"Binigyan namin ng oras ang isa’t isa, alam mo yon. Para mas ma-figure pa namin yung feelings namin para sa isa’t-isat," I said, reflecting on how far we had come. "But last night, up on that rooftop kung saan din namin inamin ang nararamdaman namin para sa isa’t-isa dun din nya ako tinanong kung pwede nya ako maging kasintahan, and I didn’t even have to think twice."

Sabrina raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin on her face. "So what was it like. Romantic ba o bigla ka nalang cinorner at tinanong?"

I laughed, remembering the fairy lights and the city view from the rooftop. "It was beautiful, Sab. She reserved the rooftop space at the coffee shop, and we had the whole place to ourselves. Tinanong muna niya ako tungkol sa trabaho ko and kung kamusta tapos nag usap na kami. And when she asked, it wasn’t this big, dramatic moment. It was simple, and it was perfect."

Ava sighed dreamily, leaning back on the couch. "Aww, that’s so sweet. Jovana’s always been the romantic type ano? I’m so inggit I hope I can experience that too."

"Yes, she has," I admitted. "But it’s not just about the romance. She gets me. Like, really gets me. Even when I’m stressed with work or overthinking everything, she k ows how to calm me down. I didn’t realize how.much I needed that until now. Gusto mo ipakilala kita sa kaibigan ni Jo?"

Ava crossed her arms, smiling at me.
"Baliw, I’m inggit but hindi ako interested sa love ano, anw. You deserve it, Serena. You’ve always been the one taking care of everyone else, making sure everything’s perfect. I’m glad someone’s finally doing that for you."

Sabrina nodded in agreement. "And Jovana is the perfect person for that. She’s strong, steady, and totally in love with you."

I felt a warmth spread through my chest at their words. "Yes" I said softly, "I think she is."

For the next hour, we chatted about everything how they had all suspected something was going on with Jovana and me, how we were planning to spend our first weekend together, and of course, the upcoming beach wedding. It felt good to share this part of my life with them, to talk openly about my relationship with Jovana.

Eventually, the conversation drifted back to work, and my friends, as much as they loved to tease me, were always supportive. They helped me brainstorm ideas for the beach wedding, offering their own suggestions about decor and how to make the fireworks show extra special. Even in the middle of all the chaos, having them around reminded me that I didn’t have to do everything alone. I had Jovana now and my friends who were always there, whether I asked for it or not.

As the day wore on, and they eventually left, I sat back down at my desk with a smile on my face. Life was hectic, and I had a million things to do, but today, everything felt right. Jovana was my girlfriend, my friends were happy for me, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t just planning beautiful moments for other people. I was living one of my own.

The beach wedding would come together, and I’d make sure it was perfect. But right now, the most important thing was that I had people in my life Jovana especially who made every day feel like a celebration.