Ten days.
That was the challenge.
But for Ian Santillan, it didn't end there.
Sa isang tahimik na gabi sa condo unit niya, he opened his leather-bound journal — the one no one had ever seen. Not even Angela, not even his assistant. It was the only place he allowed himself to be human.
He flipped to a page na may nakasulat na:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXtW7olmvp
"Day 1 – Her voice was too loud. Annoying. Why is she smiling that much?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTridSGt8qm
"Day 2 – She asked about my weekend. Told her it was fine. Didn't even happen. Still annoyed."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKTMKX6CNb
"Day 3 – She brought coffee. Black. How the hell did she know?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFeBqX1Oes
"Day 4 – She tripped, laughed it off. She laughs a lot. I'm starting to get used to the noise."
Tumaas ang kilay niya nang mabasa ang susunod:28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQB9tOccte6
"Day 5 – I didn't hear her laugh today. I looked for it."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsv7YlEM023
"Day 6 – She said I looked tired. No one's ever noticed that."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpAJtdQMCO
"Day 7 – I hated seeing her with that Raymond guy."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOHcGYoiXR
"Day 8 – I wanted to ask her to stop smiling at everyone else."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxtOLcoYaY
"Day 9 – I'm in trouble."
"Day 10 – She's not the challenge. She's the risk. And I already jumped."
He closed the journal.
And ran.
—
At the coffee shop near the office, Priscilla "Aila" Briones stared at her untouched drink. Lukewarm na ang cappuccino. Hindi rin naman talaga siya uminom. She just needed a place to feel... human.
"Nagpakalat na naman si Angela," Maila had warned her.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMjxOUJXZS
"Raymond's been asking where you've gone," Audrey said.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEnhBLvo29
"Hindi mo siya iniwan lang, Aila. Iniwan mo sarili mo," added Kimberly.
Pero sa dami ng sinabi nila, isang boses lang ang gustong-gusto niyang marinig. And it wasn't coming.
Kaya ayun siya, nakaupo sa paborito niyang sulok. The place where it all started. The place where she first saw Ian alone with his planner, sipping espresso, and looking like he hated everyone.
She sighed. "Closure, Aila. This is closure."
Then the door chimed.
She didn't look up right away. Ayaw niyang umasa.
Pero nang may tumigil sa harap ng table niya — may pabangong pamilyar at isang presensya na kahit anong gawin niya, hindi niya malilimutan — tumingala siya.
There he was.
Ryan "Ian" Santillan.
Hindi in uniform. Wala sa formal wear niya. Just a plain white shirt, faded jeans, and that same cold expression na somehow... wasn't cold anymore.
"Ako ba 'yung iniintay mo?" he asked.
She blinked. "...No."
He gave a short nod, then sat across her anyway. "Okay. Kasi ako, ikaw 'yung pinuntahan ko."
Silence.
Mabigat. Hindi awkward. Just... full of words that hadn't yet been said.
Finally, Aila spoke. "Akala ko galit ka pa rin."
"I was."
"Akala ko ayaw mo na akong makita."
"I didn't."
"Then why are you here?"
He pulled something from his back pocket — his journal. Bukas na, and he slid it towards her.
"Basahin mo 'yung Day 11."
Aila hesitated. Then read:
"Day 11 – I found out she lied. I hated her. I hated myself for believing. I hated the way my chest felt hollow when she walked away. So I read the letter again. This time, I listened."
Her hands trembled.
"I read it ten times," he said quietly. "And every time, it felt less like a betrayal and more like a confession."
She looked up. "It was a confession."
"'You were never the challenge. I was.'" He quoted her words. "Hindi ko yun maintindihan noon. Ngayon, gets ko na."
She tried to smile, but her lips quivered. "I broke the rules. I manipulated you."
He leaned forward.
"And I fell in love on Day 7. I just didn't know it until Day 11."
Her eyes welled up.
"Kaya mo pa rin akong mahalin?" she whispered. "After all that?"
"Hindi mo ba ako papakinggan?" he teased softly. "Day 7. That was the moment. The way you stood up to Angela during the meeting. The way you defended your idea kahit kinukuyog ka. I thought, 'She's chaos... but she's brave.'"
She laughed, a little bitter. "And I fell out of the lie on Day 5. The day you told me about your mom. Na-realize ko noon, hindi na ako umaarte. Totoo na lahat."
Ian looked at her gently. "Wala na akong pakialam sa rules. Sa bets. Sa office politics."
Then he stood, walked to her side, and held out his hand.
She took it.
He helped her up, held her by the waist, and for the first time, leaned in without hesitation.
This kiss wasn't part of any challenge.
It wasn't a test.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NLPxQAUFY
It wasn't a play.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡum1oIcfVii
It was real.
When they pulled back, she was breathless. "Ano na 'to?"
He smirked. "Day 0. Wala nang countdown. Wala nang rules."
"Restart?"
"No," he whispered. "New story."
She giggled. "With no lies?"
"With no lies."
"And no Angela?"
"Well," he chuckled, "one war at a time."
And as they walked out of the café hand in hand, no journal, no bet, no challenge between them — just two people who found something real in a game that was never supposed to be.
Ten days to fall.
A lifetime to stay.
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBRGBtaIpT
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