Tell Me Your Secret

In a world where everything can be solved by logic, patterns, and strategies, I-Kryzielle Astra Alcantara-have always lived like life is just one big equation waiting to be figured out. Top student. Chess player. Quiet observer.

Yung tipo ng tao na mas sanay mag-isip nang maayos kaysa makipag-usap sa iba. I don't rush decisions. I don't gamble. I always think ten steps ahead. Kasi sa mundo ko, mistakes are expensive.

And feelings? Messy variables na hindi ko kailanman sinubukang i-compute. At least... iyon ang pinaniwalaan ko. Pero sa likod ng pagiging kalmado at maayos ko, may ibang mundo ako.

Tahimik. Hidden. Between late-night reading at mga stories sa Wattpad na ayokong aminin na naiintindihan ko. Confessions. Almost-loves. Right person, wrong timing. Akala ko dati, stories lang sila. Until I realized... unti-unti ko na pala silang binubuhay sa sarili kong buhay.

It started one Sunday morning. Inside a quiet church. Cold air. Soft prayers. Everything calm... too calm. And then I saw him.

Jace Miro Alvero.

The boy at the back. Varsity basketball player. Nonchalant. Unbothered. Yung tipo ng tao na hindi kailangan mag-effort pero napapansin pa rin ng lahat. And the worst part? He's already taken.

I shouldn't have noticed him. But I did. And that's where everything started to feel wrong because falling for someone who already belongs to someone else is the one move I can never undo. The one mistake I can't fix. The one equation with no answer.

Then it gets worse. Kasi the boy who never pays attention starts noticing me. Not obvious. Not loud. Pero enough to make my logic pause. Enough to make me question things I never planned to question.

And suddenly, I find myself in a game I can't solve. No patterns. No clear moves. No guarantee kung ano ang ending. Because not everything can be calculated. Not every move leads to victory.

And sometimes... even the smartest player loses. Even I do.