Chapter 4

KAT’s POV:

Everyone thought I was brave.

They saw the way I smiled at people.

The way I talked easily.

The way I could make friends wherever I went.

But there was one thing I was never brave enough to do.

Tell Patricia Dela Cruz the truth.

Because the truth was…

I liked her.

Not just as my best friend.

Not just as the person who walked me home.

Not just as the girl who had been beside me since we were kids.

I liked her in a way that scared me.

—

Growing up with Pat was easy.

She was always there.

When I was happy.

When I was sad.

When I was scared.

She was the person I searched for without thinking.

If something funny happened, I wanted to tell Pat first.

If something bad happened, I wanted to hear her voice.

If I had a good day, it somehow became better when I shared it with her.

I never questioned it.

Because Pat was Pat.

Until one day…

I started questioning everything.

—

“Kat, are you okay?”

I looked up.

Pat was staring at me.

And somehow, she always noticed.

Even when I tried to hide things.

“I’m fine.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“You always say that when you’re not.”

I laughed softly.

“You know me too much.”

She smiled.

“I do.”

A simple answer.

But my heart reacted like it meant something more.

Maybe because I wanted it to.

—

I started noticing small things about her.

The way she smiled when she thought no one was looking.

The way she acted like she didn’t care, but always did.

The way she remembered everything about me.

My favorite food.

My habits.

The things that made me upset.

She knew me better than anyone.

And maybe that was the problem.

Because sometimes, I wondered…

Did she know me well enough to notice my feelings too?

—

During high school, people always joked about us.

“Are you two together?”

They would laugh.

And every time, I laughed too.

But secretly…

I waited for Pat’s reaction.

Because a small part of me hoped she would say something.

Anything.

Maybe she would look at me differently.

Maybe she would admit she felt it too.

But Pat would always just smile.

Or roll her eyes.

Or change the subject.

And every time…

I told myself not to hope.

Because maybe to her, I was only Kat.

Her best friend.

The girl she promised to stay with.

Nothing more.

—

That was the scary part.

Losing Pat wasn’t something I could imagine.

What if I told her?

What if she looked at me differently?

What if she started feeling uncomfortable around me?

What if our late-night talks stopped?

What if she stopped waiting for me?

What if I lost the one person who had always been mine?

So I stayed quiet.

I kept my feelings hidden behind laughter.

Behind teasing.

Behind calling her my best friend.

Even though deep down…

I wanted to call her something else.

—

Sometimes I wondered if Pat ever felt the same.

The way she looked at me.

The way she protected me.

The way she always came back to me.

Maybe those were just things best friends did.

Maybe I was only imagining it.

Maybe I was the only one falling.

But then she would smile at me…

And for a moment, I would forget all my fears.

Because Pat made me believe in things I wasn’t brave enough to say.

Maybe one day…

I would finally tell her.

But until then…

I would stay beside her.

Just like I promised.

Even if my heart wanted more.

✦ Author’s Note ✦

So…

Parehas naman pala sila. 😭

Pat is afraid to confess because she thinks Kat only sees her as a best friend.

Kat is afraid to confess because she thinks Pat only sees her as a best friend.

Meanwhile, silang dalawa:

“Best friend lang naman.”

Girl… kayo na lang ang hindi nakakaalam. 😭

Sometimes the hardest part of loving someone isn’t the feeling itself.

It’s the fear that admitting it might change everything.

Because what if the person who feels like home suddenly becomes someone you lose?

For Pat and Kat, the love was always there.

They just spent too much time being afraid to say it.

– tatine ♡