01 / there she was
Worst possible timing.
I was upstairs having drinks with Steven. I looked down outside, and there you were with Rae.
“Okay. Don't look. Don't look.”
✧ a little story about us ✧
Every love story
starts somewhere...
Ours started with two strangers.
Our Story ↓✦ chapter one ✦
Two Strangers
Somewhere between late-night games and a Discord server, there were two people who kept calling each other stranger.
Hi, Stranger! 👋
Hi, Stranger! ♡
Three weeks of gaming together.
Still strangers. ✧
Still strangers. ✧
✦ chapter two ✦
The Great Escape
I already had a crush on you. Apparently, you had one on me too. So when we finally ended up in the same place, I handled it very maturely.
02 / the betrayal
Steven had other plans.
I tried avoiding you because I had this feeling that if we started talking, I'd definitely fall for you.
Steven was upstairs with me. He leaned over the balcony and called you and Rae up from the ground floor anyway.
“BRO. WHY.”
03 / an unforgettable greeting
The legendary high-five.
You came upstairs. I hugged Rae like a normal person. She was right there, looking at me.
And then we actually high-fived. Our palms touched, you were looking straight at me, and I was looking anywhere but at you.
“Nailed it. Probably.” ✋
And somehow, that wasn't the end of our night. ♡
✦ chapter three ✦
Rock, Paper, Scissors
After that very normal high-five, all four of us headed to karaoke. Somehow, the night was only getting more interesting.
01 / still avoiding eye contact
New room. Same awkwardness.
At first, you were talking with Steven, and I was talking with Rae.
We were in the same karaoke room, but apparently still needed a little courage to talk to each other.
“We're doing great so far.”
02 / the bet
Finally, we started talking.
And then, somehow, we did. We even made a bet about who had to tell their stories first.
Rock, paper, scissors. Loser goes first.
“Easy. I almost never lose.”
03 / an unexpected defeat
She won. Obviously.
I rarely lose at rock, paper, scissors.
But somehow, you beat me. So I had to tell my stories first.
“Apparently, you didn't get the memo.”
Turns out, losing wasn't so bad after all. ♡
✦ chapter four ✦
The Staircase
Our karaoke time was up, and we were heading to the rooftop. I still don't know how this happened, but somehow, we finally found ourselves talking.
01 / everyone went ahead
Just a few steps behind.
Rae and Steven were already ahead of us on their way to the rooftop.
And there we were, still on the staircase, somehow having our own little conversation.
“Wait. When did we start talking?”
02 / just us
Neither of us looked away.
We were both shy people, but for some reason, talking to you suddenly felt natural. We were standing the whole time.
We stood a little apart, me on the left side of the stairs and you on the right, talking eye to eye. Neither of us broke eye contact.
“Oh. This is dangerous.” ♡
03 / completely distracted
I forgot to listen.
There was a moment when I got so lost looking into your eyes that I couldn't even hear what you were saying.
I was right there in front of you, but my brain had apparently left the building.
“Sorry. What did you say?”
I think a part of me already knew. ♡
✦ chapter five ✦
The Unexpected Villain
Just when things were getting good, the universe decided to add a plot twist.
01 / We were talking about him.
We were still standing on opposite sides of the stairs, talking about her ex.
02 / Oh. He's here.
Right on cue, the elevator doors opened. And there he was. Of all people.
03 / The mood shifted.
She was furious. He accused her of cheating, and just like that, our little staircase moment was interrupted.
Some people really know how to make an entrance. 😈
✦ chapter six ✦
The Grab Ride
After all that chaos, we headed home together. Somehow, the two people who could barely look at each other earlier were now teasing each other in the back of a Grab.
01 / Time to go.
Well, that was one way to end a night. After everything that happened, we decided to head home.
02 / Who are these people?
Somehow, the same two shy strangers were now talking and teasing each other like it was the easiest thing in the world.
03 / A little more time.
Funny how I spent the beginning of the night trying to avoid you, and the end of it wishing we had more time.
I didn't want our conversation to end. ♡
✦ chapter seven ✦
The Message That Changed Everything
After we got home, I added you on Discord. I sent a wave, panicked, and deleted it. Then, you messaged me first.
✦
Our first messagesMarch 21, 2026 · A little conversation that became everything
Tap to start the conversation
Before I replied, I had this strange feeling that once we started talking, this wouldn't be temporary. I could already imagine a forever with you. And somehow, I was ready to find out. ♡
✦ chapter eight ✦
The Confessions
We didn't fall in love in one big dramatic moment. It was all these little messages, until the words finally became impossible to keep to ourselves.
I finally admitted it.
I told you I liked talking to you, even when you teased me about only talking when I was bored.
Tap the screenshot to read it at full size ♡
You wanted an answer.
You teased me for not admitting I liked talking to you. Fair enough.
Tap the screenshot to read it at full size ♡
I was falling for you.
I wondered how I could like you this much after just a few weeks.
Tap the screenshot to read it at full size ♡
And you liked me back.
You finally said, “Yes, i like you too,” then immediately got shy about saying it. HAHAHA.
Tap the screenshot to read it at full size ♡
For the rest of my life.
I called you Mrs. Rizardo, told you I loved you, and said I was yours for the rest of my life.
Tap the screenshot to read it at full size ♡
You are stuck with me.
Then you told me you were not going anywhere without me. “I love you. You’re stuck with me.”
Tap the screenshot to read it at full size ♡
From “Hi, stranger” to “I love you.” ♡
✦ chapter nine ✦
Us, Now
Somewhere between “Hi, stranger” and all our little adventures, you became my favorite part of every day. ♡
01 / All the little moments
The silly pictures, the quiet days, and everything in between. Every one of these is a little piece of us.
.jpg)
02 / My favorite person
I love you in all your versions. The laughing one, the focused one, and every version I have yet to meet.
03 / And I'd choose you again
Some photos say more than a thousand words ever could.
To my favorite stranger,
Happy birthday, lovey kooooo. ❤️
It's still so funny to me how all of this started.
But... look at us now. HAHAHA.
From that awkward high five na hindi man lang kita matingnan, to losing at jack en poy (nananalo na 'ko ngayon, btw), to getting completely lost in your eyes on that staircase. Tapos 'yong Grab rides natin pauwi, na bigla na lang tayong hindi maubusan ng pag-uusapan. And somehow, hanggang ngayon, kahit ilang Grab rides na natin, hindi pa rin tayo nauubusan ng kwento and 86. HAHAHA.
Alam mo na 'to, ilang beses ko na ring kinuwento sa'yo, but I still find it funny how I had to think twice before replying to your Discord message. Kasi even back then, I already had this feeling na once we started talking, wala nang atrasan. HAHAHA.
And well, I guess I was right.
But what I didn't know back then was just how happy you'd make me.
I love all the little things about us. 'Yung tawanan natin over the dumbest things, 'yung asaran na minsan wala na talagang sense, and how you somehow make even the most ordinary days feel special.
I love seeing you smile. I love listening to you talk about anything and everything, kahit minsan kung saan-saan na napupunta 'yong kwento natin. HAHAHA. I love our random adventures, our quiet moments, and even those days na wala naman tayong ginagawa, basta magkasama lang tayo.
And more than anything, I love that I get to know you a little more every single day. Kahit gaano pa kita kakilala ngayon, I still look forward to discovering more things about you.
I hope you know how proud I am of you, lovey. Of the person you are, of everything you've accomplished, and even the little things you probably don't give yourself enough credit for. I admire you more than you know, and I hope you never forget how amazing you are.
You deserve so much happiness, so much love, and every beautiful thing this life has to offer. And sana, kahit papaano, I get to be one of the reasons why you smile every day.
I know not every day is going to be perfect. May mga araw na pagod tayo, may tampuhan, may misunderstandings, and everything in between. But I promise you, I'll keep choosing you. I'll keep learning how to love you better, taking care of you, laughing with you, and figuring things out with you, no matter what.
Thank you for being my favorite person, my best friend, my soulmate, and the girl I somehow knew I'd fall in love with before I even had the courage to look her in the eyes.
You know what's funny?
If I could go back to that night, knowing everything I know now, I'd still lose that game of jack en poy. I'd still give you that stupid high five without looking at you. And I'd still send that wave on Discord, kahit ide-delete ko rin naman agad. HAHAHA.
Because every single one of those little moments led me to you.
And I wouldn't change a thing.
I'm so, so happy that I get to celebrate you today, and hopefully, for all the birthdays we have ahead of us. I can't wait for all the places we'll go, the memories we'll make, the random Grab rides, the stupid jokes, and all the ordinary days that I'll get to spend with you.
Happy birthday, wifey. :>
I love you so much. More than I probably know how to put into words.
For the rest of my life. ❤️
Forever your stranger,
Ralph Lawrence
And here we are. ♡
From two little strangers under the same sky to the two of us, right here.
Forever your stranger. For the rest of my life. ❤️
♫ ♡ ♫
One more thing, lovey. ♡
Some songs just remind me of you. So I put them all in one place.
For the Grab rides, the late-night talks, and all the little moments we haven't had yet.
Here's our soundtrack. :>
♡ Open our playlist on Spotify ↗Tip: Pause the background song before playing the playlist ♡