This is a story about growing up and holding on. About mornings that make you feel alive and nights that make you wonder if things will ever be the same. It is about love that makes you brave, friendships that keep you grounded, and the moments that test both. It is about learning that you will not always get what you want, but you can still find what you need. Some memories will make you laugh until you cannot breathe. Others will break you in ways you did not expect. But all of them will matter. This is about choosing to keep going, to keep loving, and to keep showing up for each other... even when we don't.

Four best friends. One ancestral house. Zero plans of falling in love with each other. (Supposedly) Maxine just wanted peace and a working rice cooker. Lance just wanted his morning coffee and a drama-free life. But when the kilig creeps in and neither wants to admit it... May madudulas kaya? Bakit parang laging always pero never? 🤔 A slow-burn Taglish rom-com brewed with banter and dozens of eggs that mysteriously keep running out.

There's a certain magic in moments you never plan. The ones that make you slow down for a second, look around, and realize na: Grabe, ang sarap din naman ng buhay minsan. Even if not every day feels that way, sometimes one small moment can turn an ordinary week into something you'll remember. Each chapter begins with a question. A simple "Ever felt that way?" followed by a scene you might know by heart. Some will make you laugh. Some will tug at old memories. Some will remind you of people you thought you'd forgotten. This is Book 2 of Never Quite Become but don't worry if you haven't read that one yet. You can start here and still feel everything. It's not about chasing the perfect moment. It's about catching the small ones before they slip away. The jokes that make your cheeks ache from smiling. The traffic that makes you slow down for a moment. The almost-confessions. And the quiet nights that somehow mean more than the loudest celebrations. Because this time, it's not just about the almosts. It's about everything in between.

Language: Filipino Started in July 2011 | Finished in December 2011 Published in English for paperback (Pop Fiction, 2013) Adapted in Indonesian for paperback (Penerbit Haru, 2016 & 2018) Blurb: Phoebe Bernal shares a secret with one of the biggest stars in the country, Kent Fuentabella. Their secret? They've been secretly married. Of course, no one can know. That's Kent Fuentabella, for goodness' sake, a star so famous that even the tiniest move he makes can create Twitter trends worldwide. Phoebe has known Kent since he was a gangly nobody, but she doesn't even know how they feel about each other. But just when she's trying to sort out her feelings for moody and unpredictable Kent, here comes Harley Villaluz, Kent's biggest rival, who's determined to sweep Phoebe off her feet. Then there's also Elisa, Kent's onscreen love interest, who's determined to take their romance off-screen. Oh, what's a secretly married girl to do - when the country's biggest celebrities suddenly find themselves entangled with her life?