A SECRET LOVE
I was quietly walking down the hallway when I heard a familiar laugh.
"Tigilan mo'ko, Celestine ha!"
"Sige na, bebe Serise!"
I stopped in my tracks.
That voice. That laugh.
My chest tightened as I looked toward the half-open classroom door. I knew that laugh anywhere. It's the sound that haunted my nights and kept me awake more than I cared to admit.
I peeked.
And there she was.
Serise.
Her head tilted back in laughter, one hand playfully swatting Celestine, her eyes glowing beneath the sunlight that filtered through the window. She looked like she belonged in every poem that spoke of beauty, every song about impossible love.
I smiled. A pained, quiet smile.
Always breathtaking. Always out of reach.
I pulled back from the doorway and kept walking, my footsteps slow, heavy.
I can't love her.
She was never mine.
She's not mine.
Funny, isn't it?
I transferred to S.N.U. from F.N.U. just for her. I told everyone it was for "better programs," but the truth?
It was her. It was always her.
A few weeks ago…
It was after one of their lectures. The campus was quiet. Most students had gone home. The sky was already dipped in orange and gold when I saw Zamira. Standing near the statue at the center of the garden.
I don't know what pushed me to approach her that day. Maybe it was the weight in my chest.
She noticed me coming. Her usual calm stare met mine with a flicker of curiosity.
"Zamira," I started, voice tight.
She looked up, raising a brow.
"I know you probably don't want to hear anything from me," I said, arms crossed, "But I need to say this—once."
She stayed silent.
I walked closer, until I was standing just a foot away. Her presence was sharp. Intimidating. But I didn't back down.
"Serise… means a lot to me," I said. "More than you probably think."
I saw the flicker in her eyes then. Not jealousy. Not anger. Just understanding.
"But you already knew that, didn't you?"
Still no answer.
So I pressed on.
"She was the reason I transferred here. I wanted to be close to her, even if she'd never see me the way she sees you."
The lump in my throat burned.
"I prayed for her," I whispered. "Every night. I begged God to give her to me, even just for a moment. Even just for a glance that meant more."
Zamira's gaze softened slightly.
"But I knew, even then, that she was never meant for me." My voice cracked. "She's always been yours."
I looked away. Swallowed the sob that threatened to escape.
