The Love That I Craved

Payne Ramos has never known what it feels like to be loved. Abandoned at a young age and raised in an orphanage, she grew up believing that she was meant to face the world alone. Now in her final year of senior high, Payne works three part-time jobs just to keep herself afloat. Surviving on cheap meals and sleepless nights inside a small apartment she calls "home."

Her life has always been a cycle of routine. School, work, repeat, until she met someone who made her believe in friendship again. For a moment, she thought she finally had someone who understood her. But betrayal came faster than trust. And when it did, it broke her completely. From then on, Payne stopped letting people in.

Every free time she have, she escapes to her favorite spot. A quiet, hidden place at the back of there school. That's where she meets him. A boy who feels oddly familiar, like someone from a forgotten dream. His presence unsettles her, yet comforts her at the same time. He's different, mysterious, gentle, and yet there's something in his eyes that tells her he's hiding a story too.

As Payne's walls slowly begin to crack, she finds herself drawn to him in ways she can't explain. But with every heartbeat, questions start to rise. Why does he feel so familiar? Why does she feel like she's met him before? And why does it hurt to imagine losing him, when she's only just met him?

Maybe fate is playing another cruel game. Or maybe, this time, it's giving her a second chance not just at love, but at understanding what it truly means to be seen, to be wanted, to be loved.

This time, maybe, just maybe she will finally have the love that she craved.