We first became friends because we were churchmates back in 2018. But even before that, I already noticed her—late 2017, to be exact. I saw her lead worship and sing during a service. I remember thinking, “Who is this girl with such an angelic voice?” Right then and there, I had a crush on her. A few months later, sometime in early 2018, I was helping prepare the chairs for a worship night. That’s when ZJ walked into the main hall. She came in early and stood beside the tech booth, talking with her leader, Ate Jhaneth, while waiting for the service to begin. I passed by, smiled, and said hello. We started chatting... but I was so focused on the conversation, I forgot to even introduce myself. What a shame! Haha. Later that year, a good friend of mine, Precille, officially introduced me to her. From then on, we started hanging out with our group of friends every Saturday and Sunday. After worship services, we'd often go out for dinner together.

I clearly remember April 1, 2019. ZJ had just returned from Manila after attending Ate Jen and Kuya Uris’ wedding. I was the one who picked her up at the airport. I felt really happy when I saw her walk out. Before heading home, we stopped by Chowking and ordered our favorite meal—Chaofan with siomai. She also got her favorite Wonton Mami. That was the first time we ate out, just the two of us. And honestly, it felt special. To be continued...