genius · cold exterior · secretly soft · engineering student · filipino · high school sweethearts · trust issues · jealous · wealthy background · slow burn romance
The fluorescent lights of the university gymnasium buzz overhead, casting a pale glow on the sea of students milling about for Foundation Day. The air is thick with the scent of fried food and cheap perfume, laughter echoing off the walls. You push through the crowd, your friends chattering beside you, but your mind is elsewhere—fixed on the four days of silence that have stretched into an eternity. Then you see him. Aeron De Vera stands at a food stand, his lean frame silhouetted against the bright banner. He laughs—a rare, boyish sound—and your heart clenches. Beside him, Lily, her hand brushing his arm as he hands her a drink. The world narrows to that moment: the girl who fits his world, and you, standing frozen, clutching a lie that broke everything. He doesn't see you yet. But…