"Veron, I'm scared for tomorrow," Mariely said to her friend, who was once again hanging out at her place.
Her friend raised a brow. "Why are you scared?" she asked.
"His mom's son's girlfriend is ugly." Mariely blurted out.
"Are you nuts? Stop that. Be confident. Besides, I don't think Ma'am Becca is like that. Sure, she might be surprised, but judging someone just by looks? Never." Veron shook her head.
"Just thinking about it makes me not want to go anymore," she added.
"Hey, get some sleep already. We're going in circles here. I swear I'm going to smack you," Veron warned.
"Veron!" Mariely whined.
"What?!" She snapped back, irritated.
Mariely hugged her. "Hug, please, friend. I was hoping to bring you with me tomorrow," she said sweetly.
"You idiot, I have review classes tomorrow," Veron muttered, ruffling her hair.
She held on to her friend tighter—this was how she usually showed affection to Veron.
"Come on, let's go to sleep," Veron said, patting her shoulder.
Mariely just smiled at her and followed her advice, climbing up into bed to finally get some rest.
Her older brother no longer minded her spending time with Frank, as long as she got home safely. Still, she was nervous about what was going to happen.
****
"Faith, are you okay?" Frank asked her as they met up that afternoon to attend church before heading to his home.
She just nodded in response.
"Are you nervous?" he followed up.
Again, she only nodded at the man in front of her. He put an arm around her and hugged her.
"Don't be nervous. They're not going to eat you alive," he said with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Frank," she murmured and hugged him back.
He gently patted her as if trying to fill her with courage. After church, they went shopping to pick up something she could bring as a gift.
Now that she was finally on her way to the Montero household, her palms were sweating cold. She tried to calm her nerves.
"Faith," Frank said, calling her attention.
She jolted and looked at him. He took her hand gently.
"You really are nervous," he said with a soft laugh, shaking his head as he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Let's go now; they're waiting for you."
She nodded and took a deep breath.
"I'll carry that," he said, taking the bag from her.
She stayed silent. Her heart was pounding, her knees trembling as they stood at the doorstep. All she wanted to do now was run away—but it was too late for that.
They were inside now. Every step felt like it would throw her off balance.
"Mom," she heard Frank call out.
"Oh, you're here now, Frank," she heard Ma'am Becca say, smiling at her son.
She hadn't been noticed yet.
"So where is she?" his mother asked further.
Please, earth, swallow me whole, she thought.
"She's here, Mom." Frank gently pulled her forward. "This is Faith Mariely. She's my girlfriend."
Ma'am, Becca stared at her and gasped at the revelation.
"G-Good evening, ma'am," Faith greeted respectfully.
Becca's husband was also there, looking between the two of them and then giving his son a long look.
Becca cleared her throat but still hadn't fully recovered.
"Please take a seat, hija," she said, leading her to the table, already set for dinner.
This is so embarrassing. How will I even face Ma'am Becca tomorrow? Faith's mind was spinning.
She felt like crying from the sheer embarrassment. She couldn't even look Becca in the eyes.
"Mariely, don't be so tense. I'm not your head teacher right now. I was just surprised that you're the one he was talking about. Come on now, relax," Becca said, smiling.
Faith glanced at her boyfriend.
"It's okay," he told her gently.
"Oh, I see. So this is the lovely lady Frank works with at school?" his father chimed in.
"She got tense because of your reaction, hon," Becca said to her husband.
"Well then, nice to meet you," he added, smiling.
"N-Nice to meet you, sir," she replied politely.
Her body still trembled with nervousness, but she had to get through this evening in one piece.
****
Veron burst out laughing as Mariely recounted the whole story to her.
"Hey, idiot, don't laugh at me!" Mariely whined. They were now at Veron's condo—one of their usual hangout spots when they just wanted to chill. Thankfully, Mariely's boyfriend had allowed it.
"Who wouldn't be shocked, Faith? Even I was surprised that you and Frank ended up together. So it's only natural," Veron said, shaking her head.
"It was so awkward. I'm still embarrassed in front of Ma'am Becca," Faith said, hugging a pillow.
Veron just laughed at her reaction.
"Looks like it's getting serious, huh? Maybe next year, you'll be the one getting married," she teased, shaking her head.
"Married?!" Mariely's cheeks turned red. "Let me pass the board exam first, you moron," she said.
"Well, your future looks secure," Veron joked again.
"Hey! I'm not after their wealth, okay? I'm working hard for my dreams," Faith said defensively.
"I know that. You're really—really madly in love with that bastard," Veron smirked.
"Even if he's your boyfriend now, he's still the biggest jerk in the world," she added, shaking her head.
"Hey, when do I get to meet your boyfriend?" Faith asked, changing the topic.
"He's always busy. But when he comes home, we'll go on a double date," Veron said, winking.
Mariely raised an eyebrow at her. "Is it hard being in a long-distance relationship?"
The question caught Veron off guard.
"Yes, it's hard. But if you really trust him, it won't break. And I believe he won't cheat," she said.
Mariely just nodded. "How many boyfriends have you had, Veron?" she asked.
"What the heck? How dare you ask that? He's my first and last boyfriend. But don't get me wrong—our relationship's been on and off," Veron sighed.
"Why? Did you catch him cheating?" Faith asked.
"No, it's not that. Sometimes, you just feel like the love is gone. Like, you're tired, and there's no communication. But in the end, if you're meant to be, fate will find a way," she explained.
Mariely smiled at her.
"I know there's no perfect relationship. There will always be trials, right?" she said.
Veron sighed deeply. "You know, Faith, if you and that idiot are really meant for each other—even if he's annoying—he'll always come back to you. And you'll always fall back for him, no matter what."
"But hey, fate shouldn't be your excuse to be stupid in love. So if I ever see you crying, begging in front of him, kneeling even—I'll drag you away by the hair, I swear," she warned.
"Remember that!" she said, pointing at Mariely with mock seriousness.
Mariely just laughed.
Veron sighed again.
I'll always be there, Faith. No matter what happens. Because you were the one who treated me like a true friend, she thought to herself.
"Hey, what's with you?" Faith asked.
"Nothing. We have work tomorrow. Let's get some sleep," she said.
"Okay, goodnight," Faith replied, pulling a blanket over her head.
Veron turned off the lights, leaving only the lampshade on as they fell into peaceful sleep.