Second Year | College
Second year of college brought with it the kind of curveballs no one ever feels prepared for. While most of their peers were just starting to get the hang of juggling org work, thesis preparations, and social lives, Stella and Vince found themselves in a situation that demanded a little more maturity than usual.
It all started one random Tuesday.
Vince had just picked up Stella from the back entrance of the CAFA building in Talamban Campus. She looked exhausted—sketch roll sticking out of her oversized tote bag, charcoal-stained hands, and a half-tied ponytail barely keeping her hair in place.
“Grabe, I swear if there’s one more prof na magpapa-revision ng plates, I will cry,” Stella muttered as she slid into Vince’s car.
Vince reached over and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You always say that, pero never mo naman ginagawa,” he chuckled.
“Kasi nakakahiya ‘no? Sa loob loob ko nalang ako umiiyak,” she groaned dramatically, resting her head against the headrest.
But before either of them could dive into the usual car banter or Spotify queue arguments, Vince’s phone buzzed repeatedly on the dashboard. A string of messages from Lawrenz flooded in.
Lawrenz: Bro, pwede ka ba now?
Emergency lang
As in now, bro pls
Vince’s eyebrows furrowed. “It’s Lawrenz. And it looks serious.”
Without hesitation, he turned the car around and started driving toward Ayala. Stella didn’t need to ask why; she knew Lawrenz had a lot going on lately. His girlfriend, Abby, had been uncharacteristically quiet during their recent hangouts. And Lawrenz himself had been dodging calls and skipping practices.
They found Lawrenz sitting on the curb outside a milk tea shop, hands clasped together and eyes wide with anxiety. Abby was seated beside him, her arms crossed and face pale.
The news hit them like a truck.
Abby was pregnant.
Four months in.
And they had only just confirmed it.
Stella stared blankly at the couple, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Vince was the first to speak.
“Bro, seriously? You confirmed it already?”
Lawrenz nodded. “We just came from the OB. Four months. I haven’t told my parents yet.”
Abby looked like she was on the verge of tears again, her voice barely audible. “Sorry guys... I know we're young. It was unexpected pero ayokong i-abort.”
“No one’s saying you should,” Stella said softly, finally breaking her silence. “And though we're not your parents, we’ll still support you in any way. What are friends for, right, Vince?”
Vince nodded slowly, still processing. “Of course, bro. We’re here. Okay?”
What followed was a blur of months filled with clinic visits, emotional breakdowns, budgeting talks, and secret preparations. Trisha decided to pause school for a year, with her parents’ reluctant blessing. Lawrenz, on the other hand, was forced to grow up in a snap—taking double loads in school and part-time work wherever he could find it.
In between all that, Stella and Vince found themselves becoming more involved than expected.
“Uy, next week na ‘yung binyag ni Terrence ah. Ready na ba kayo sa ninong-ninang duties niyo?” Lawrenz asked over lunch at the campus café.
“Nakabihis na ako mentally,” Vince joked, biting into his burger.
“Ready na rin wallet ko,” Stella added. “Pero seryoso, he’s super cute. He’s my favorite now.”
Stella, to no one’s surprise, quickly became Terrence’s favorite aunt. From the first time she held him at the hospital—naka-swaddle at amoy bagong ligo—something inside her shifted. She wasn’t exactly the maternal type growing up, but with Terrence, she had patience she didn’t know she possessed.
She’d drop by Lawrenz’s apartment in Lahug during her long breaks just to watch the baby when both parents were too exhausted. She’d bring her plate work and finish it beside the crib, bouncing Terrence’s carrier with one foot while sketching with charcoal on her lap.
One afternoon, while Stella was wiping spit-up from her blouse with a tissue, Vince arrived carrying take-out.
“Wow. You’re looking more like the mom than Abby,” he teased, placing the food on the table.
“Excuse me. Tita duties lang,” Stella shot back, grinning.
Vince sat beside her, watching her as she adjusted the baby in her arms. His gaze softened. There was something magnetic about her in moments like this—her hair messy, cheeks flushed, and attention entirely on the child cradled against her.
“You look good with a baby,” he said without thinking.
Stella looked up, startled. “Hoy. Don’t plant that idea, please.”
“I’m not saying right now. Someday lang,” he chuckled. “I mean... pwede ‘di ba?”
She raised an eyebrow at him, but didn’t reply. Instead, she focused back on Terrence, who had started gurgling happily.
The baptism came on a sunny Saturday. Everyone wore white and blue—except for Vince, who forgot and wore a black polo, earning himself several scolding tita looks.
Still, the ceremony was heartfelt. Vince and Stella stood at the altar, taking vows as godparents with solemn sincerity. Vince, standing beside her, couldn’t help but glance at her again, his heart full.
That night, the two of them sat on the hood of Vince’s car, parked by a quiet stretch near the SRP. The city lights blinked in the distance, and the wind was cool against their skin.
“You know,” Vince said, breaking the silence, “I didn’t expect our college life would go like this.”
“Same,” Stella replied. “Pero weirdly enough... I’m not complaining.”
He looked at her. “Me neither.”
She turned toward him, their knees brushing. “You know what, I’ve been thinking... what if tayo rin yung mapunta sa ganun? Accidentally parents, figuring out life.”
“Scary,” he admitted. “But if it’s with you... I think kaya.”
Stella’s expression softened. “Don’t say that just because you’re trying to sound sweet.”
“I’m not. Honestly.”
He reached for her hand. She let him.
In that moment, surrounded by the sound of distant traffic and the quiet hum of the sea breeze, they both realized how much had changed. They weren’t just college kids anymore, not just a couple figuring things out. They were growing—imperfectly, sometimes painfully—but always together.
Their relationship wasn’t all dates and flowers and late-night calls. It was babysitting for a friend, cooking for each other after exhausting studio deadlines, buying vitamins for Trisha, helping Lawrenz with thesis layouts. It was ugly and hard and confusing.
But it was real.
It was theirs.
And somehow, that made all the growing pains worth it.
🌿---🌿---🌿