"Every fairytale begins in the rain." When you run into an old bookshop in the middle of Paris to escape a storm, who knows who you might meet there. {Written 2014.}

A (not-so) hopeless romantic writer. A weird (not-so-much of a) stranger. A lot of (denying) feelings in between. A (continuation of the online) connection that ends on 11 / 23.

A writer. A weird stranger. A lot of little conversations. An online understanding. Every night. 23:11.

"In love ka na once accepted mo na 'yong person na 'yon kahit ano pa man siya. Buong-buo 'yong acceptance, hindi kalahati lang. Hindi sala sa lamig, sala sa init. Hindi napipilitan. Hindi natatakot." "Malalim," aniya. Tumikhim. "Mukhang based on experience." Tumawa si Kaye, hindi um-oo, hindi rin humindi. "Ikaw, ano'ng answer mo?" "Ano na bang pagmamahal pinag-uusapan natin? Fans, supporters-readers o romantic na ata 'yan?" natatawang aniya. "Hindi ako nag-a-assume kaso 'yang mga hugutang ganyan, eh. . .may mga pinaglalaban." Tumigil sa paglalakad si Kaye. Nagpamulsa. Ang lawak ng ngiti sa labing may kaunti pang kintab. "Sige, romantic na." Umiling si Rayne, nangingiti rin. "Bilis ng change topic natin." "Oo nga, eh. Let's take it slow," anito, may pilyang pagkagat pa ng kaunti sa labi. "Dito muna tayo sa usapang 'to."

[This story will become free again on AUGUST 30, 2021] After Natalie escapes death, she finds a silver feather, phone messages from an unknown sender and gets the ability to foresee death. All of which lead her to unlikely love. ***** When Natalie Lacierna wakes up after surviving a freezing death inside an ice factory, she has three curious things in her possession. A silver feather from somewhere and someone she no longer remembers; the ability to foretell deaths and see death gods roaming the Earth; and the memory of someone close to her with whom she used to talk frequently with on her phone. As she puts her life back together, she moves into a rental house owned by Lolo Dimos. At the house, she gets acquainted with Lolo's grandson, Henry, a college professor who looks very familiar but she cannot place. At first, living with Henry is trying - he speaks very little and intimidates her. However, over time, the two become close as they talk about angels, death, humanity, and God. Before long, Natalie falls for the professor. As they get closer, so too does Natalie get to figuring out the mystery of the silver feather and the phone calls from the unknown sender. What she finds is heartbreaking but comes with the glimmer of redemption. After Death is a sequel to the epistolary story, Hello, Death, and supplementary short story, A Walk With Death. DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A FILIPINO LANGUAGE STORY

This is a parallel supplement short story for Hello, Death. READ HELLO, DEATH FIRST. *** I closed my eyes and surrendered to the cold. He will come, right? He will guide me to my death. I don't have to be scared as long as the dumb death god comes for me. - Natalie

Natalie received a message saving her from her demise. The sender is none other than Death himself.

The most used story ever.

❝She was my dream girl − but I knew eventually I had to wake up.❞ Sequel to, u n r e q u i t e d All rights reserved @ o p t i c a l i t y | 2017

❝This is a why her, why not me story.❞ All rights reserved @ o p t i c a l i t y | 2017