The Summer We Turned Blue
"Do you believe people meet for a reason?"
"I used to think no. But then I met you... and now, I'm not so sure anymore."
What happens when two souls-one chasing dreams, the other running from expectations-collide in the middle of a humid Cebu summer?
Chihiro "Chi-Chi" Escharelli, a fourth-year nursing student from SMILE University, has always been the type who hides behind his laughter. He's bubbly, kind, and effortlessly friendly-the kind of boy who seems like he has life figured out. But behind his bright smile is a quiet soul, an overthinker with a heart that feels too much and speaks too little.
He was never supposed to meet Skyler Kang-the Korean exchange student who seems to shine wherever he goes. Skyler is everything Chihiro isn't: confident, popular, effortlessly magnetic. A business student, basketball captain, and walking contradiction who calls everyone "bro" but looks at Chihiro like he's trying to read his soul.
It all starts with an accident- a basketball flying straight into Chihiro's face, and suddenly, the summer that was supposed to be ordinary turns into something neither of them were ready for.
From stolen glances in class, awkward Instagram chats, and photobooth pictures that hold too many unspoken feelings... to late-night walks, shared bracelets, and rooftop beers that taste like almost.
Chihiro finds himself wondering-
Is this just friendship?
Or the kind of connection that only happens once in a lifetime?
And Skyler...
Is he just being kind, or is there something deeper behind that easy smile?
But summer never lasts forever.
And sometimes, even the brightest blue fades with the season.
A coming-of-age story of friendship, love, and the fleeting beauty of summer.
{CURRENTLY UNPUBLISHED}
10/2/25 Edit:
this book has been removed from Wattpad, but the characters live on in a published series titled The Wildflower Series, which can be found on Amazon and in bookstores.
Alive at Night, Awake at Dawn, Attached at Heart are available now. Already at Risk, which follows Collins' brother Cameron, is coming on October 16th.
Thank you so much!
What sucks more than being rejected by the girl of your dreams? Finding out afterward that she's moving in with you.
****
The night that Beau Martin spends with Collins Bryant is the best one of his life. He wants to repeat it. Over and over and over again. Collins, on the other hand, is all too eager cut ties when the sun comes up.
But cutting ties becomes impossible when Beau and his friend, Nessa, are looking for one more roommate in their three-bedroom off-campus apartment. And Nessa-oblivious to their history-suggests the one person that Beau knows will kill him to live with: Collins Bryant.
He should say no. He really should. But even with knowing she doesn't want him, Beau would do just about anything for Collins. Including giving her the open room in his apartment-because he knows she isn't going to find another one, not this close to the start of the college semester.
But as Collins moves in and unpacks all her art supplies, all her secrets, Beau starts to wonder if maybe...maybe she wants him after all.
And maybe getting the chance to be with her is enough to risk everything. Enough to tip the hidden scales, the ones he's been keeping underwraps.