Our Love Story

Storytotle Chapter 14

Annyeong! January 2021 in Jinhae was slightly freezing. But that's when everything changed. You know how you get those random Facebook Messenger notifications? Well, my cousin, that digital matchmaker, added me to this group chat. Two other people, and one of them... Well, she ended up being my everything.

It's weird, right? She was just... words on a screen at first. A voice through the internet. I was in South Korea, and she was way over in the Philippines, but we just clicked. We'd talk about anything and everything, laugh at dumb jokes, and pour our hearts out late at night. All through a screen.

It felt like we were exploring each other's minds, like, mapping out a whole new world. The distance? It just kinda... faded. A month went by, and we'd built this crazy strong connection. I just had to ask her to be mine. And she said yes! Like, a real, enthusiastic "yes." It was awesome.

Our 'courtship' was basically a ton of online dates. Virtual movie nights, sharing pictures of sunsets, and whispering "I love you" into the void of the internet. It was proof that you can find real love online, even without touching.

Finally, after a whole year of this, I got to go home. But the pandemic was still a mess, so our first real meeting? It was in a church, Our Lady of Mediatrix of All Grace Cathedral in Kidapawan City.

She was standing in the doorway, and it was... surreal. She was exactly how I pictured her, but also, like, real. After a year of just seeing her on a screen, it felt like we'd known each other forever.

Then, of course, the church bells started ringing. Mass was about to start. And with the pandemic rules, we couldn't even sit next to each other. No hug, no quick hello, nothing.

We were separated by this empty space, a reminder of all the distance we'd already crossed. We just sat there, waiting for mass to end. It was supposed to be this happy reunion, but it turned into this quiet test of our patience.

It was almost like the suspense was a prayer itself, a silent promise. We finally got to talk after the last song, after a whole year of waiting.

After church, we just started walking down the highway. It was busy, a little chaotic, but it felt... perfect. We were heading to the BBQ place where we had our first dinner date. It was so weird, but in a good way, like we were picking up right where we left off.

When we sat down to eat, it was like the world disappeared. Just us. We talked and laughed like we'd been friends forever. I didn't even notice the crowd or the cars. We were just lost in each other, catching up on everything.

It was such a simple thing, but it meant everything. Every look, every word, just confirmed that we were meant to be there, together, starting this new chapter."