Chapter 2

There were only two things Katherine Reyes had never questioned in her life.

The first was the sea.

No matter how rough the waves became, they always found their way back to the shore.

The second was Patricia Dela Cruz.

For as long as she could remember, Pat had always been there.

Growing up in the quiet coastal town of San Juan, Batangas, Katherine’s memories were stitched together with pieces of Pat. School mornings, afternoon walks, summer vacations, family gatherings, and every ordinary day in between.

If someone asked her about her childhood, Pat would inevitably become part of the story.

It had always been that way.

Pat wasn’t just her best friend.

Pat was home.

At seven years old, Katherine believed they would study together forever.

At ten, she believed they would graduate together.

At thirteen, she believed nothing in the world could ever separate them.

After all, some people weren’t meant to leave.

Some people became so deeply woven into your life that imagining a future without them felt impossible.

Back then, Katherine didn’t know that growing up meant learning how to let go.

She didn’t know that dreams could pull people in different directions.

She didn’t know that one day, basketball would take Pat away from San Juan while she stayed behind to chase a dream of her own.

Most importantly, she didn’t know that the person she loved most would become the one person she could no longer understand.

But that was years away.

For now, they were just two children in a small town by the sea.

And Katherine Reyes was running late.

“Pat! Wait for me!”

A small girl with messy pigtails ran across the dusty road, her school shoes kicking up tiny clouds of dirt behind her.

Patricia Dela Cruz stopped walking and turned around.

“There you are,” she said.

Katrina Reyes bent over, hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.

“You walk too fast.”

Pat rolled her eyes.

“You were the one who stopped to buy candy.”

Kat grinned and held up two lollipops.

“I bought one for you.”

Pat stared at the candy before reluctantly taking it.

“Thanks.”

“You always say that like someone forced you.”

Pat shrugged.

“I said thank you.”

Kat laughed.

The two girls continued walking side by side along the narrow roads of San Juan.

It had been like this for years.

Same school.

Same classroom.

Same route home.

If one of them was missing, people would immediately ask where the other was.

Pat and Kat.

Kat and Pat.

The names had become inseparable.

“Do you think we’ll be classmates next year?” Kat asked.

“We always are.”

“But what if we’re not?”

Pat frowned.

“Then we’ll just meet during recess.”

Kat smiled.

“And if we’re in different buildings?”

“We’ll meet after class.”

“And if—”

“Kat.”

“What?”

Pat sighed.

“We’re still going to be friends.”

The answer was simple.

Certain.

As if there was never any other possibility.

Kat beamed.

“Promise?”

Pat looked at her for a moment before extending her pinky finger.

“Promise.”

Kat immediately linked their fingers together.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the road as they continued walking home.

Neither of them noticed.

Neither of them could have known.

That one day, life would take them far away from this small town.

That basketball would lead Pat somewhere she never expected.

That nursing would become Kat’s calling.

That years later, they would find themselves living under the same roof again.

Or that the promise they made as children would be tested by distance, time, and feelings neither of them understood yet.

For now, they were just two kids walking home.

And for Pat, that was enough.

Because as long as Kat was beside her, San Juan felt like home.

✦ Author’s Note ✦

Hello, readers!

Thank you for giving PAT, KAT, and MAT a chance. This story is a slow-burn WLW romance about friendship, distance, growth, and finding love in the person who has always felt like home.
I hope you’ll laugh, cry, and fall in love with these characters as much as I did while writing them.
Happy reading!

— tatine ♡