Anselmo Guevarra is a theology seminarian bound for the priesthood. Erasme Ferrera is a college junior caught in a complicated life. This is a story of how they became friends.

Anselmo's stories for Era. Stories to remember whenever he forgets how to love.

An epistolary

A dumb suggestion from my friend says that there's a foolproof method to know whether you like someone romantically or not. It's simple. All you have to do is close your eyes, think of that person, and imagine kissing them. Kapag nandiri ka, e di hindi mo gusto. But if the opposite happened, e di, delikado ka na. I'm a hundred percent sure that I only see Chio Cervantes as a friend. I just got confused because he's suddenly everywhere right after my ex-boyfriend got into a relationship with a girl he told me not to worry about. Besides, hindi ko rin siya type. He's noisy. He's shameless. He procrastinates a lot. He likes wiping the sweat off his forehead and wipe it on my arm. He drives with both his hands which somehow doesn't look appealing . . . and for some reason he doesn't refuse picking me up even when it's late at night. He always brings an extra handkerchief because I keep on forgetting mine along with a shirt I can borrow in case I need to change. He brings me good food to take my mind off deadlines. He doesn't hesitate to communicate his feelings and I honestly envy him for that. And he makes me laugh. Whatever. But just to be sure, at dahil madali lang namang gawin 'yong method, I closed my eyes and imagined his lips against mine. I realized one thing after opening my eyes. I'm in deep trouble and there's no way of getting out. BETWEEN YOUR LIPS AND MINE Cervantes Series Second Generation #1 2022, ynativity

Sir D, Ito flash drive mo. Ako na nag-save ng lecture report mo para mamaya. LUNCH BEFORE LECTURE!!! Okay? Sunduin ka namin pagkatapos mo. We love you. I love you. - Addie, Nadia, and Yanyan CRAVING : A Whenever You Want novelette ynativity, 2022 Cover illustration by charameldraws

'Do what makes you happy; be with whoever makes you happy,' they say. But what if the things or people that make you happy aren't what you need? There are some things that go together that make you happy but don't necessarily result to something good in the long run. But you keep coming back to it. Like your heart is bound to keep wanting it. Like drugs and candy. Like cigarettes and alcohol. Like tempting fatty foods and a high-sugar drink. Like two hearts bound to retrace its steps back to each other, craving for the familiar rush. And after sleeping with her ex-boyfriend's best friend, Nadia finds her and Elias in this same category. Disclaimer: This is written in epistolary format. Lovestruck Series: HEARTBOUND ynativity, 2023 Cover illustration by charameldraws

After two years of not hearing anything from each other, Billie and Deion unexpectedly meet at a college orientation. Not ending up on good terms in high school, both of them knew that they are never going to be friends again-not when they could only talk in the form of arguing most of the time. Surely, they did not want to meddle with each other's lives again. The last time they did, they ended up breaking each other's young, hopeful hearts. But things take a different turn when Billie is in desperate need of a token boyfriend, and Deion is her only available option. Lovestruck Series: HATEMATE (Part Two) ynativity, 2021 Cover illustration by charameldraws

Everyone expects Pria to marry one of her college best friends a few years after graduating. When she finds out about his plans of proposing a marriage, Pria--certain that she would say yes--informs everyone in advance. Little did she know that he would be proposing to someone else. All her family members and friends are anticipating her wedding before the year ends. Not wanting to disappoint and with her heart still in a state of devastation, Pria comes up with a solution-a proxy groom. And with her other best friend, Sylas, coming back to town for her supposed wedding, she might just be able to pull this stunt off. Hopefully. Cliche Series WEDDINGS FOR DUMMIES ynativity, 2022 Cover Art by Jiselle

Liking a person wasn't supposed to feel so encapsulating, but Una Madia Grajales freezes up whenever he's near. The knots and butterflies in her stomach makes her buckle and shut down and all she could do was gush about him to her best friend who was nothing but supportive. He cheered her on, gave her some pointers, he even made some adjustments just for her to spend some time with her crush. But down the line, Una realized she never cared for the butterflies. She didn't like freezing up neither the churning in her stomach. She wanted clear skies, warm blankets, fuzzy socks, and wistfully, the one who gave her a turtle plushie in the middle of the night-just because. And perhaps, she was too late to recognize that what she needed has always been there all along when he's already a thousand miles away. The chances were probably thin, but maybe it was exactly what they needed to begin again. Begin Again (Love in Paris # 4) Completed (2021).

It was a complete three-sixty. From the girl casually winding up at the bar who suddenly turned into someone's pretend girlfriend, Nastia Kahlila Quijano never saw it coming. She wasn't supposed to give into someone who were clear and upfront with their boundaries. There was no other choice but to treat him as an off-limit, like a whiskey bottle hanging at the top shelf-seemingly invisible to her eyes. After all, Nika was only returning a favor. Pretend relationships were bound to end anyway. But the thin line between their make-believe and their reality were beginning to blur. They couldn't draw out what's real and what's made up anymore. Then the boundaries began to solidify and the haze was gone. The line became clearer than before, reminding Nika why it existed in the first place. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe, they should leave it at that. After all, how could she lose something she never even had? This is an epistolary story written in taglish. Completed (2022).