The Art Of Almost

Anastasia has always been the sunshine in everyone's life. She smiles through pain, laughs through heartbreak, and makes the world a little brighter for everyone but herself.
Behind her cheerful mask hides a secret she cannot tell anyone, a truth she has carried alone for years.

Only Aiden knows. Her reckless best friend, the campus crush, the boy who sees her without her pretending. He knows her pain, her past, and every reason she tries to keep people away. He never asks her to explain, he just stays. And that is what hurts the most.

Because Anastasia loves him. Always has. But she knows she can never risk their friendship, so she buries those feelings deep and chooses silence.

When she moves to Manila to start over, she promises to forget him. No more longing, no more what-ifs. But then she meets Alexander, the quiet transfer student who reminds her of everything she tried to let go of. Suddenly, she finds herself falling again, unsure if she is healing or just breaking in a new way.