The 11 Mark

Valentine's Day is almost here and I can't help but scavenge on old love letters, pictures, etc. and I saw this love story of ours I made prior to our wedding. I also found our love journal where I kept old letters way back in high school.. So, in my nostalgic state right now, I am sharing to you some love.. 

Paree, remember this? I wab you.. 

lito's scribbles during high school- preserved!

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I am a sucker for love stories. I devoured fairy tale books when I was in elementary, tried to find a love angle in all Nancy Drew books (Nancy needs a lovelife! Hehe) and as everyone knows, I am a big tearjerker of love movies. But there is one story I have grown to love and has always been my favorite since high school. Many of you might have read it in one way or another but you have never read it as much as I have.

The story is about a young boy of fifteen who fell in love with a girl a year older than he is. They were both members of their highschool press club—he was a photojournalist, the girl was a feature writer. On club meetings, the girl was his favorite target of jokes, he was her constant nuisance. The girl was a nerd—she hang around with few friends and can be seen often in the school library--- reading whatever. 

Confused of why he was so attached of making her day a misery, he tried to analyze his feelings. Lo and behold, he realized that he loves this girl and that he did not know a proper channel of showing his feelings toward her other than his bickering. The boy told his cousin, who happened to be the girl’s friend, his feelings. The boy then tried his very best to show the girl that he loved her. He gave her flowers, chocolates, was there for her all the time, even amongst the doubts of the girl of his true intentions.

some tags from the gifts he gave

8 months later, the girl finally decided to say yes to the little  boy. And yes, they were very happy. However, the girl was afraid because of her very protective father plus her brother who was in the same level as that of the boy. Three weeks after, the girl said goodbye to the boy. Both were devastated but went on separate lives. The boy finished his military-style training, as what he promised the girl. He also tried to move on with his life, as the girl.

another one of lito's scribbles back 1997.
notice Fido Dido?

Years later, the boy grew up into a successful businessman, the girl had a flourishing career in the Psychology side as well. They both had a share of failed relationships--- lovers leaving them behind for another, hooplas from their end, broken hearts, hurt ego and slated pride. 

The girl, after a recent breakup from a long-time relationship, tried to update her Friends’ list in an online friend community. She was looking for old friends so she can be updated. With this, she remembered the boy’s cousin, her good friend. But she can’t find her anywhere. She later found out the boy’s contact and through him, tried to find her friend’s whereabouts. 

This started a new communication between the guy and girl. She later found out that the guy came from a heartbreaking relationship as well—more or less the same as the guy’s. Every day, the two communicated like old friends.

lito's scribbles during one technical seminar

One day, the girl asked the guy out for a business meeting (the guy insisted it was a date!) because she has this health product she wanted to share to him. So, they met in this mall, the girl straight from her office, the guy from his business. 

When their eyes met, they were unaware that they were feeling the same thing--- a rush of emotions, as if they were transported back in time. They were both trying to hide the feeling, masking it with some pretense that they were both comfortable with each other, when in fact, they were not. 

They went to this grill house and instead of talking about business, the guy veered the topic away. He was telling the girl instead about memories from high school. And the girl listened. He told her that it took him 8months to win her affection and 8months to try to move on. 

He said the girl was his first love. And the girl said the same thing. They were both transported back to the time when they were still youngsters in love. And they both felt this very comfortable feeling.

When they went back to the car, the girl was crying. The guy was confused of the waterworks (hehe). Then the girl explained that she felt guilty--- because the one guy who had loved her the most was also the same guy she had hurt the most. 

The guy was stunned and he held her hand. The girl kept on crying. Wanting to know if this wasn’t just a rush of rewound feelings, the girl bravely asked the guy one thing. 

“Can you please kiss me?” 

The guy confusingly said, “Where?” 

dedications from our friends during our 1st anniv

While the girl was thinking, “Where else???” she just said,

 “it’s up to you”… 

and before that sentence was finished, the guy kissed her with all the love he felt. 

The girl felt inexplicably happy and confused at the same time. They were both silent after. And the girl, trying to patch it up, said, “Well, that’s a good closure for high school”. 

But the guy replied, “It wasn’t a closure for anything. I guess it just opened up something else”.

And it did. 

The guy and the girl were happily back in each other’s arms a night before their town fiesta. This time, there was no stopping them—no dads or brothers or fears, just a greater appreciation of each other’s person this time. 

The rest of the story you know.

for copyright and trademark hehehe

For once upon a time on July 11, 1997, I know this young boy and girl who fell in love. 11 years later, they tied the knot on the same day (July 11, 2009). I bet you know them, too. The gawky young photojournalist is of course, my ninja Lito (who is now a successful businessman/photographer) and the nerdy feature writer is me (still a striving writer/ career-driven woman).

Notes:  This might not be a unique story, nor your favorite. But it definitely is ours. For I believe, the best love stories are the ones you have experienced. I just want to let you know, that love does work in mysterious ways and that with us,  the one true love we are trying to look for led us back right to where we both started—just polished with experiences this time. J We hope that you are with your one true love as well.  Happy Hearts' Day everyone...