First Year | College
College marked a new chapter in both their lives, one filled with adulting jitters, busy schedules, and unfamiliar independence.
Vince was now taking up BS Business Administration at the Downtown Campus, while Stella found herself navigating design studios and drafting rooms in the Talamban Campus, pursuing BS Interior Design.
Though they ended up at the same university, they were in different worlds—separated by traffic, time blocks, and the demands of their respective courses.
Still, Vince found ways to bridge that distance.
"I have a long break from 10 to 3. You’re on campus today?" he’d text, usually followed by: “Lunch?”
At first, Stella thought he was just being polite. That this was part of that lingering guilt he had—maybe for dragging her into his world, or maybe for the time he got expelled back in Bohol. But no, Vince was just consistent. He was always showing up—sometimes with fast food, other times with taho or random pasalubong from downtown. And while Stella would often give him a raised brow or a confused look, she never said no.
"You do know na hindi mo naman kailangan gawin ’to, right?" she asked once, while poking at her rice meal beside the ID building.
Vince smirked, slouching on the bench as he bit into his burger. "I know. Pero gusto ko eh. And besides, Lawrenz said you’re in the same department with his girlfriend, Abby. So para sabay na lang—hitting two birds with one basketball shot."
She shook her head. "It's stone, not basketball."
"Same thing," he grinned.
Lawrenz came into the picture when he transferred to CEC in senior high, also accepted in the basketball varsity team. Even back in Bohol, he was already a close friend of Vince’s. And his girlfriend, Abby, happened to be a BS Landscape Architecture student in Stella’s department. Small world. That meant more excuses for Vince to drop by Talamban. More chances to cross paths with Stella.
And maybe, a better reason to stay longer.
* * *
It was during one of those campus lunch visits when it happened.
Stella was hunched over a plate of lechon manok, her ID portfolio resting at her feet. She was mid-rant about her instructor’s brutal feedback on her 3D model when she noticed Vince wasn’t laughing like he usually did.
"Are you listening?" she asked, nudging his leg with her foot under the bench.
"Huh? Oo," he snapped out of his daze. "I mean—'di ba he said kulang lang sa texture? Kaya mo 'yan. Parang… parang ikaw, may texture ka rin eh."
She narrowed her eyes. "That’s not even a compliment."
"Depende kung paano mo siya i-take."
"Cheesy mo today ah."
"Stella."
She paused at the sudden seriousness in his voice. He wasn’t smiling anymore. His brows had that familiar furrow—the kind he wore whenever he was about to say something he’d been holding back for too long.
"There’s something I wanted to tell you. Matagal na."
She blinked, fork midway to her mouth.
"Okay…" she said cautiously, putting it down.
Vince let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I know we’ve been friends for a while and hindi rin kita pinilit or sinundan para sa kung ano lang. But ever since… ever since that sportsfest, ’yung first time na nakita kitang out-of-place in a crowd full of cheers—I don’t know, Stella. You stood out. You’re always like that, tahimik, but you’re different. I kept thinking… what if?”
She looked down at her food. His voice was steady but soft. Almost unsure.
“What if…?” she echoed.
“What if pwedeng more than friends tayo?”
Stella didn’t speak right away. The silence stretched between them, heavy and thick like the humid Cebu afternoon.
Vince sat straighter, trying to recover. “You can reject me. Okay lang, I swear. We can still hang out, I won’t make things weird—”
"Shut up," she interrupted, almost laughing. "You're panicking."
"I’m not—okay fine, I am."
She bit her lip, eyes scanning his face. It wasn’t that she didn’t see it coming—Vince had always been a little too present in her life. But she kept brushing it off, convincing herself that they were just friends, that he was just a loyal guy… that he didn’t see her that way.
But maybe he always had.
And the weird part was—maybe she was starting to see him that way too.
"You’re serious?" she asked.
He nodded. “Seryoso ako, Stella. I like you. Not because our families get along. And not because I’ve known you for so long. I like you kasi you’re you.”
It wasn’t a grand confession. No flowers, no dramatic music, no kilig-filled build-up. But it felt real. Sincere.
And for Stella, that was enough.
"Okay," she said, smiling faintly. "Sige. Let’s give it a try."
* * *
From then on, things didn’t suddenly shift into some fairy tale narrative. In fact, it remained oddly the same—still filled with bickering during long jeepney rides, quiet lunches, and Vince showing up unannounced.
But now, there were more subtle shifts.
More skin contact than before—shoulders brushing when they walked side by side, knees bumping under lunch tables. Vince would instinctively take her bag whenever they met, and Stella would absentmindedly fix his messy collar.
It was new, but it wasn’t strange.
In fact, it felt oddly comfortable.
* * *
Then came the modeling agency.
It happened randomly, while Stella and Abby were waiting outside a design exhibit. A scout approached them, handing over a card with an invitation to an open casting.
Stella thought it was a prank.
Abby, however, didn’t. She encouraged her to go, and before she knew it, Stella found herself booked for a local print ad shoot for an independent clothing brand. She didn’t tell Vince at first—not because she was hiding it, but because she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
When she finally told him over milk tea and fishballs, he blinked.
“Wait, ikaw? You’ll try modeling?”
“Medyo? Parang ganun.”
“That’s great. Sana all photogenic.”
She raised a brow. “You’re not jealous, upset, or something?”
“Why would I? I mean… unless gusto mong magselos ako, pwede ko namang pagbigyan.”
“Ang kulit mo talaga.”
But he wasn’t lying. Vince supported her all the way—carrying her bags during shoots, picking her up after classes if she was too tired from back-to-back meetings with stylists, and even hyping her photos on Instagram with over-the-top captions like “My girlfriend > your crush. #blessed #noFilterNeeded”
She’d roll her eyes every time, but her smile always betrayed her.
* * *
There were challenges, of course.
They fought sometimes. About small things—like Vince forgetting to reply when he was out with Lawrenz. Or Stella being too tired to hang out after shoots. Their schedules rarely aligned, and sometimes one of them had to make more effort than the other.
But somehow, they kept choosing to stay.
One time, during a particularly stressful week of finals, Stella snapped at Vince for being too clingy.
"Can you stop texting me every hour? I have deadlines! Hindi ako tatakbuhan!"
He didn’t respond for hours.
When she finally called him that night, half-guilty, half-apologetic, he simply said, “Okay lang. Gets ko. Sorry rin kung I'm being too clingy.”
And just like that, they were okay again.
They didn’t need grand makeups. They just understood each other better than they used to.
* * *
As their first year in college neared its end, their bond had settled into something unshakeable. It wasn’t the passionate whirlwind romance most college students sought. It was steady. Grounded. Something that felt like home.
They weren’t on the same campus. Their schedules clashed. They didn’t even have common subjects or shared barkadas. But they made it work.
Because sometimes, love doesn't have to be loud.
Sometimes, it just had to be consistent.
🌿---🌿---🌿