Eight Years
in Bloom

Starbucks, Robinsons Las Piñas. One of our first coffee dates, and we were both too awkward to talk.

I’d sit through that awkward silence with you again.

We didn’t end up at the café you wanted, but this one felt like our own.

It felt like we were the only customers. That might explain why it closed.

I was also pretending to like coffee. I thought it’d make me look better to you.

We tried so hard to sneak away together. People saw us anyway.

I still remember being on that carousel thinking, I’m here with the person I like.

We were a few seats apart, taking pictures of each other.

Somehow, I felt like I was getting closer to you, bit by bit.

There was a literal pandemic going on, and we still found a way to see each other.

I love that we did.

I still have these gifts. The earphones barely made it three months.

You picked them out just for me, and that still means so much.

Especially considering how bad I was at giving gifts back then.

I’d relive days like this with you.

Going somewhere new and somehow making the most of it together.

We’ve helped each other grow and seen each other at our lowest.

And we can still get better.

I’d love to reach more milestones with you.