Three weeks had passed since that day I confronted Aria. It was painful getting through those days. I had spent three years of my life with her. So, spending three weeks without her felt so unfamiliar to me. It's like there's something missing. And when I realize what was missing, all I can do is sigh. That's because I very well know that I can no longer fill in that missing part of my life.

I did my best trying to keep my mind off her. I even applied for a part-time job at a coffee shop near my apartment. My parents were confused when I told them during one of our daily calls that I was working part-time. They are currently residing in my hometown, Calamba City. The city is situated on the west side of the province of Laguna.

For them, it wasn't necessary because both of them can support me and Ryan well. I told them I wanted to have work experience and at the same time, some extra cash. They didn't pester on when I said that. They said that they were glad that I was taking another step towards independence. They advised me not to let the job affect my studies.

That is one of the reasons why my parents are the best. They are always supportive of my decisions as long as they are good decisions. Some parents can be control freaks. It's common if your parents are Asians. It's not frowned upon here but even encouraged. That's why I'm lucky my parents let me decide on my life as long as I'm taking a good path.

My parents even let me go on dates when I was only a teenager. They gave me pieces of advice and let me make my own mistakes. They are like that because they believe that I need to learn from my own mistakes for me to mature and grow.

Despite the liberty we had, Ryan and I never did anything to break their trust. But, there are times that I couldn't tell them everything that's going on in my life. One of those times is my break-up my Aria.

My parents knew I was dating Aria. They can see the pictures I post on social media. I even told them that I will officially introduce her to them on my graduation day. Sadly, that meeting will never happen.

Ryan knew Aria and I broke up. But since he was being considerate, he didn't pressure me on the details. I'm glad for the space he's giving me and also for being my companion in the past three weeks.

Besides, he's very happy. Because last week, he received the best news of his life. His girlfriend, Diane, will also attend college at the same university as us.

Ryan had been more experimental with his relationships in the past. Actually, he started dating someone as early as 5th Grade. From 5th Grade to the early days of his 8th Grade, he had nine girlfriends. Don't get me wrong he wasn't the playboy type. He just didn't let himself go a week without a girlfriend. Well... alright! He was a bit of a playboy. But that changed when he took interest in Diane.

Ryan and Diane had been classmates since the 7th Grade. Diane is the extrovert type while Ryan is the introvert one. She didn't appeal to him at first. They regarded each other as classmates until that one fateful day during 8th Grade.

Ryan and Diane were assigned to be seatmates for the first time. During that time, Ryan grew fond of Diane's humor and heart of gold. Diane, who was secretly curious about her mysterious seatmate.

How did they get together? Because of one guy named Kim. This Kim guy is Diane's ultimate crush. She would gush over him whenever she sees him. She would even tell her gushings to Ryan. She would say things like...

"Oh my gosh, Ryan! Mr. Kim said good morning to me today!"

"Ryan! Guess what Mr. Kim asked me if I can help him. Me! Me of all people he could have asked."

"Ryan, did you know Mr. Kim smells like eucalyptus leaves?"

"Hello? Ryan? Can you hear me? You won't believe it. I saw Mr. Kim here at the mall! He even smiled at me when we passed by each other. This must be fate!"

Imagine my brother burning with jealousy every time Diane talks about Mr. Kim. He would even whine to me about it whenever it happens. I remembered being pissed because he kept bothering me about it. I didn't get it why he is so jealous of Mr. Kim, their biology teacher, who is obviously gay. I told him to stop whining, man up, and just ask the girl out. And he did. They were together for four years now.

But when senior high school graduation was upon them, they did not expect what is going to happen next. They saw a huge hurdle in their relationship coming their way too. Diane was supposed to remain in Laguna and study in a university near home. Letting Diane study in Manila is a big NO for her parents. Diane tried convincing them but they didn't budge.

Ryan and Diane prepared themselves for a long distance relationship. Even though they knew being apart is hard, breaking up was not an option. I remembered the day I was taking Ryan with me back to Manila. Diane was there crying along with Ryan. Part of me thought that they were being dramatic. But deep down I knew, they are in love with each other.

Imagine Ryan's surprise when Diane called and told him her parents finally agreed. It turned out Diane has a cousin, studying in the same university as us, who has a house in Manila. Her cousin offered to let Diane live in her house as she studies in Manila. Diane's cousin is older than her and had been living in Manila for six years. According to Diane, her parents trust her cousin more than they trust her so they let her go with her cousin.

When Ryan told me about it, he also asked if I knew Diane's cousin whose name is Claire. I told Ryan I'm not sure if I knew someone with the name Claire in the university. After all, the university is like one giant community. It's hard knowing even half of the students that study there. Yet, I soon found out who she is when I met my friends yesterday.

Yesterday, Patrick, Sancho, Roby, Chris, and I decided to hang out at the movies. Afterward, we went to have dinner at a fast-food chain restaurant. A conversation had ended when I decided to pop the question to them.

"Hey, do you know someone in the campus whose name is Claire?"

They stopped laughing and looked at me attentively. Roby was the first one to answer.

"I know two. Are you referring to a teacher or a student?"

"A student" I answered.

Then, they all looked at me weirdly with one eyebrow raised on each of their faces. I felt like I shouldn't have asked.

"Wait? Are you serious?" Sancho blurted out. "You don't know THE hottest girl in the university.".

"No. I don't even know that there's someone who holds that title." I humored trying to break the ice.

"Well, it's still up for debate if she really is. but the point is, how come you don't know Claire Solistre? She's like one of the most popular students on our campus. And why are you suddenly asking about her?" Roby questioned.

Claire Solistre? Solistre? Oh right! Diane's last name is Solistre too.

I didn't want to give out the real reason why I asked. I feel like I'd be sailing on dangerous waters if I do so. So, I answered Roby's questions without giving too much detail.

"Well, someone I knew outside of school asked if I knew her. I guess she is really famous." I laughed.

"Yes, she is. She's a student from the College of Business and she is really rich. She's the only heir to the many businesses owned by her family." Patrick stated.

"Really! I know she's rich because she drives a different car every year. But I didn't know, she was actually an heir." Sancho recalled.

"From what campus gossip club did you hear that?" Chris joked.

The rest of us laughed along with Chris. Patrick looked at us almost offended. But then, he smirked.

"Well, I didn't want to tell you guys, but we're really close."

Patrick paused for a while to see our reactions. He looked satisfied with our shocked expressions. Then he continued...

"In fact, Claire and I are more than friends." He smirked.

"You're kidding, right? Claire is known to be so elusive. She turned down every guy that asked her out." Sancho doubted.

"Well, that's because I tried to win her heart first before asking her out." Patrick said with haughtiness.

"And did it work?" Roby asked.

"Not yet. But it will soon enough." he answered with confidence.

"I didn't know you were hitting on her. How long have you been doing that?" Sancho asked.

"A couple of days before the summer break. We had hung out a few times already. I didn't want to tell you guys anything because I wanted to introduce you to her when she's already my girlfriend." Patrick told us.

The boys including myself reacted with a loud "Ohhh!" cheering for him. Patrick is the most confident and outspoken among us. His overconfidence may seem annoying to others but he is actually a nice person once you get to know him better.

"Well Bro, if you did get her to be your girlfriend, I will be really impressed." Chris said.

"Yeah. But for the record, she's mine. So I don't want any of your single asses trying to steal my thunder." Patrick jokingly warned.

Everyone laughed at that.

I laughed too but my heart ached a bit when Patrick said "single asses". Usually, he's referring to Sancho and Roby when he says that since Chris has a girlfriend. But now, I am one of those "single asses".

None of them know yet that Aria and I broke up. They never asked so I never volunteered the information. But I know they'll figure it out at some point. Just not today.

Right now, I'm just chilling on the couch with my feet up. I am playing Criminal Case on my phone. Then out of the blue, Ryan barges in the apartment that startled me a bit.

"Kuya!" Ryan begins with all seriousness.

"What? What's the matter?" I ask still a bit shook.

"Clear your schedules on Saturday night!" He demands.

What?

"I don't actually have plans on that night." I admit.

Ryan smiled then say "Great! Prepare your best semi-formal attire for that night."I sit up confused.

"Why? Where are we going on that night?" I ask.

"We're going on a date!" He chimed.

"A what! What do you mean?"

"I said we are doing on a date. Actually, it's a double date. Diane and me. Then, you and Ate Claire." He says as if it's something normal.

A date... with me and that infamous Claire Solistre. The one Patrick claimed for himself and warned us to keep our "single asses" off.

This is bad. Really bad.