FLASHBACK
Austin's POV
Three months had passed.
Three months of trying to forget that night.
The night I caught her with someone else.
Not just with someone—but caught them both, lost in the heat of their passion.
In her condo.
On the very same bed where we once shared nights of what I thought was love.
She kept calling—again and again—begging for forgiveness, pleading for another chance.
But it was over.
I was disgusted by her… and by myself, every time I remembered how much time I wasted on her.
I shook my head, replaying the bitter memory.
I was heading toward my car when a passenger bus stopped in front of me.
I glanced at it; I'd never tried riding one before.
Through the window, I saw a woman sleeping soundly.
She was… cute.
I chuckled softly when I noticed her mouth slightly open as she slept. She looked so tired.
I didn't know why, but before I realized it, I was already inside the bus.
The only empty seat was beside her—so I sat there.
People started staring, especially the women who were clearly trying to get my attention.
"Where to, boy?" the conductor asked, holding a roll of tickets.
I froze. I had no idea where I was supposed to get off.
"Wherever she's getting off, kuya," I said, pointing at the girl who was still asleep.
She was beautiful. A few strands of her wavy hair rested on her cheek, and I had the sudden urge to brush them aside just to see her whole face.
The man looked at me suspiciously.
"You know her? You just got on," he asked, his tone doubtful.
"Yes, sir. She's Faith—my girlfriend."
Luckily, her ID was slightly visible, so I'd read her name.
"Faith… hmm, what a nice name. It suits your face," I thought, smiling faintly.
Turns out she was a student at the same university I graduated from.
"What department could she be in? Why haven't I seen her before?" I wondered.
"Are you sure, boy? Why didn't you get on the bus together? She's been asleep for a while now."
"Ah, well… we were supposed to meet at a fast-food place. I kept calling but she wasn't answering. Then I saw this bus stop right in front of where we were supposed to meet. Luckily, I saw her."
I continued my lie, though every word of it was made up.
"I see," the conductor said, nodding. "Her phone's been ringing non-stop earlier, but she just turns it off every time she wakes up. Maybe she's mad at you, boy," he teased with a laugh.
I smiled—unsure if it was because of how smoothly I lied or because I was actually lucky today.
He handed me a ticket, and I paid right away.
She stirred a bit in her sleep.
Then, she leaned her head on my shoulder.
I swallowed hard.
Now I could see her face more clearly—flawless skin, not even a single pimple mark.
Gently, I adjusted her head so she wouldn't slump forward if the bus suddenly stopped.
There was a strange warmth that filled my chest—a feeling I couldn't explain.
Why was I being so careful with her? I didn't even know her.
Haha, weird. But… there was something about her that made me want to protect her.
Damn. I'm already at this level and I don't even know if she has a boyfriend.
I just hoped she don't have. The thought of it made me oddly sad.
My thoughts drifted until I dozed off.
The next thing I knew, the conductor was tapping my shoulder.
"Boy, your girlfriend left you. She got off already. She must be really mad—not even bothering to wake you up," he teased kindly.
"Thank you, manong," I said, rubbing my eyes.
"You dropped your phone earlier, so I kept it safe. Looked expensive."
"Thanks a lot, manong."
I handed him a thousand-peso bill, which he tried to refuse.
"For your coffee, manong."
"That's some pricey coffee, boy!" he laughed.
I chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Anyway, I better go catch up with my girlfriend."
I hurriedly got off the bus and looked around for Faith.
I didn't even know where I was—it wasn't a familiar area.
Then I saw her, walking as if she didn't care about the world.
"Faith!" I called out.
She turned, brows furrowing.
"Austin?"
"You know me?"
We asked at the same time, then laughed.
"How did you—?"
Again, we spoke in unison, and both laughed even harder.
We looked at each other, confused but amused.
"Okay, you first," I said.
"Why do you know me? And what are you doing here?" she asked, her tone serious.
"Actually… I only know your name from your ID. Here."
I handed her the ID that had fallen in the bus.
Good thing I had a reason to talk to her.
She glanced at herself in surprise. "Oh my… I didn't even notice! Thank you, Austin."
She looked embarrassed—and damn, she was even cuter that way.
"You're beautiful…"
I thought I'd said it my mind, but it slipped out loud.
I saw her blushing.
Shit. She was really beautiful.
"Y-you… how do you know me?" I asked quickly, trying to change the subject and ease her shyness.
"B-because… you and your friends are popular around the campus," she stammered.
"Really? Were we that famous? Haha, this is news to me."
But I knew it was true. Whenever my group walked around the campus, people stared—especially the girls.
We even got into fights sometimes because of jealous boyfriends.
But hey, was it our fault we looked good? It's not like we flirted with anyone's girlfriend.
Personally, I wasn't even into chasing women. My friends used to joke, but never date classmates or schoolmates—too risky. Haha.
"Cocky…" she muttered under her breath, but I heard it clearly.
"Hey, I'm not!" I said, laughing.
"Well, I'll get going, Austin. Thanks again," she said, about to turn away.
"No thank-you coffee?" I pointed at the nearby coffee shop.
"Uh… actually…"
"Your boyfriend will get mad?" I interrupted, wanting to know the answer.
"What?! I don't have a boyfriend! I just… don't have extra money with me," she said shyly.
Woooh, smooth move, Austin… I teased myself internally and smiled.
"That's okay. My treat," I replied quickly—I wasn't about to lose this chance.
"No way, I should be the one thanking you!"
"Okay then," I grinned. "I'll pay this time, but that means you owe me."
"Huh?" she frowned, not getting it right away.
Haha, she was so innocent. How adorable.
"I mean… you have to buy me coffee next time you're free."
"Oh! Okay." She smiled, still a bit shy. "But it still feels embarrassing."
"It's fine. I got you," I said with a wink.
We headed into the coffee shop.
"Iced latte and Biscoff latte for Austin and Faith," the barista called.
Faith was about to stand up to get our drinks, but I stopped her.
"I'll get them, Faith," I said. She just smiled at me.
Damn. That smile. My heart was pounding like crazy—and I hadn't even had coffee yet.
"Austin… our coffee," her voice snapped me back to reality.
"Oh! I'm sorry. It's just—you're really beautiful," I blurted out again without meaning to.
She blushed deeper and bit her lip.
"Oh, shit. Don't bite your lips…" I muttered.
Her eyes widened, her face turned crimson, and her lips parted slightly.
God, I wanted to kiss her so bad. What the hell am I thinking?!
I stood up to grab our coffee and added two slices of cake.
She stayed quiet while drinking her coffee.
She was so cute, even when she wasn't talking.
"Anyway", I broke the silence. "So, what department are you from? How come I never saw you around the campus, but you knew me?"
"Ah, I'm from the Education Department," she said softly, clearly shy.
"Wow, so you're going to be a teacher? How old are you, Faith?"
"Yeah, that's really my dream. And I'm 18. Second year already." She smiled as she spoke.
Thank God she's not a minor. Haha.
Now it made sense why I'd never seen her before—her department was far from ours.
After finishing our coffee and cake, we decided to head out.
"Thanks again, Austin," she said, adjusting her bag strap.
"Hmm… Faith, can you tell me where I can get a taxi around here?"
"Come on, I'll walk you there," she offered.
"No need, just tell me. So I'll know… after I drop you home."
We looked at each other. Confusion was written all over her face.
"You'll take me home? Oh no, it's okay. I live nearby."
"In that case…" I took a deep breath. "Can I have your number instead?"
"Huh? Why?" she asked, startled.
"Uh… so I can collect your debt," I said, scratching my head.
She smiled and gave me her number.
Nice one, Austin.
A taxi arrived shortly after. We said our goodbyes.
Inside the cab, I couldn't stop smiling.
Her smile kept replaying in my head.
Faith.
I think… I want to know her more.