The next day, our photos from the island shoot are released and as expected, the media is feasting on them. My phone blows up with notifications—articles, fan posts, and comments from all over. Everyone’s talking about how amazing the shoot turned out.
People are admiring our visuals, especially the visual of Lan Miguel. I scroll through the photos, and I have to admit that even I stunned by how effortlessly perfect he looks in every shot.
Of course, the internet is going wild over Lan body. The comments are full of praise, thirst posts, and even some fan edits already floating around. “How can one man look this good?” one tweet says, paired with a picture of him walking shirtless along the beach. I chuckle but at the same time, a part of me feels proud. Lan deserves every bit of admiration he is getting, but I can’t help feeling a little possessive too. "At ano ang karapatan?" saad ng utak ko.
Kasabay ng pag-release ng photos namin is there is also a short behind-the-scenes video clip of the shoot. Nasabihan na naman din kami na may kukunin din na video clip without us noticing so I tap on the video, curious about what they included and immediately, my screen fills with candid shots of us—smiling together between takes, Lan and I talking. There is even a clip of that moment when we were posed with his arm around my shoulder, both of us looking perfectly comfortable in each others space.
The video captures our bond so effortlessly, and I can see why people are eating it up. It’s like we’re not just co-models but something more. The solo' fan is feasting in our individual photos and I also some CP Fans of ours in the comments, with fans talking about how natural our chemistry is.
“Look at them! They’re so close. My heart feel full just seeing two handsome guys in my feed” one of the top comments I read.
I glance at Lan, who is sitting across from me, his phone in hand, probably reading through the same flood of comments. He seems unbothered by the attention. The video, the photos, the reactions—it’s all hitting me in a way I didn’t expect. Now I realize how visible we are to everyone.
We are so visible that we need to present ourselves more thoughtfully, we can’t let our actions reflect poorly on us. I’m not afraid to express my love for Lan openly I can proudly share my feelings with the world. However, some people are so closed minded about these kind of love, labeling my feelings as inappropriate and immoral and often referencing outdated beliefs. Love knows no gender, love is love. I also don't want Lan to be expose in that kind of toxic mindsets.
I look back at the screen, where the video shows a clip of us laughing together, Lan hand resting casually on my back. It feels like the world is watching and it feel illegal to show this to anyone.
“You’ve seen the comments?” I ask, my voice casual, but there’s an edge to it. I need to know if he’s feeling any of this, or if it’s just me.
Lan looks up from his phone, his expression calm as always. “Yeah, I’ve seen them,” he says simply.
“And?” I press, trying to gauge his reaction.
He shrugs “They can think whatever they want. What matters is what we think, right?”
His words hang in the air, and I nod slowly, feeling a sense of calm settle over me. He’s right. The world can speculate all they want, but in the end, it’s up to us to define what this is.
Lan’s words echo in my mind, and I nod, pretending like they settle something, but in reality, they stir more questions.
What do we think? What do I think? I glance back at my phone, where the behind-the-scenes clip is still playing, showing us in our rawest moments comfortable, close, almost too natural together.
