Almost Us

From the very beginning, Eliana Celeste Rivera and Elias Hiroshi Dela Cruz were just friends.

Or at least, that's what they made everyone believe.

Eliana has learned how to pretend. She laughs when she has to, goes along when she has to, and hides everything real behind her silence. What no one knows is that she already fell - quietly, deeply, completely - for the one person she shouldn't have.

Her best friend.

Elias, on the other hand, sees Eliana as his constant. Siya yung takbuhan niya, yung taong laging nandyan. He has no idea that every look, every casual conversation they share, already means something more to her.

She loves him like a prayer - sincere, silent, and with no expectation in return.

But what happens when one falls and the other doesn't? The closeness they once had slowly fades. The late night talks become awkward.

This is a story about friendship and that thin line between being friends and being in love. About how falling for your best friend can ruin everything, about the words that were left unsaid, the messages that were never sent, and the closeness that was lost because one of them started to feel too much.

How long can you love someone in silence before the silence itself starts to hurt her? And how long can you pretend to be just friends when you already know you want to be more?