Elora's POV

WITH my eyes still wide open, he pulled me away from his mother's side. Before we could pass the door, I looked back at Tita Galadriel and gave her a smile for leaving. I didn't want to go without saying goodbye and thanking her for her hospitality, but a smile was all I could give at that moment.

Eli continued walking until we went past the gate. Once we stopped beside a sedan parked in front of their house, he immediately let go of my arm and turned around to face me.

In the dark night, their house's outdoor lights and the street lamps teamed up with the moon to illuminate his face as he looked down to meet my eyes. His brows were furrowed in irritation or confusion or both. His hooded eyes seemed to get deeper as his gaze fixed on me closely.

In my mind's eye, I was comparing the man in front of me to the Elrond I knew in my heart. They may have the same face but he's nothing like him. The way he stared at me didn't make me comfortable that I had to take a step back. He was slightly intimidating. Facing him was like ignoring the yellow-black warning tapes and stepping into a danger zone. That was how I felt.

"You..." His voice was low as he began to speak. "Aren't you the girl who's with Jack's girlfriend?"

Nag-aalangan at tahimik akong tumango sa kanya bilang sagot.

"Talaga bang dito ka nakatira?" He was skeptical about that fact. "Or are you stalking me or trying to get on the good side of my―"

"No, no!" I cut him off and defended myself from his accusations. "Hindi ako nagsisinungaling. I've been living in this subdivision my whole life. Nakilala ko lang ang mommy mo noong binigyan niya ako ng succulent. You heard her. That was before we met online."

"We met?" He frowned more. "I can't clearly remember what happened that night but Jack told me you kept insisting we know each other," he said, and the creases on his forehead deepened. "I got curious so I searched you on social media but... prior to that night, I don't think we've ever met."

Although I could already grasp the truth, in order to fully get a hold of it, I needed something more concrete to prove everything. And that's why instead of keeping my silence, I decided to open my mouth and speak.

"I met you online―sa Alter," I told him, and he was about to deny that but I quickly continued what I was going to say. "Lord Elrond T. Revilla. You're 19 years old like me. Sa University of St. Aquinas ka nag-aaral ng Civil Engineering. Ang nakalagay nga lang doon sa app ay taga-Quezon City ka at hindi Manila..."

Once again, his lips parted with all those facts I stated. Mukhang hindi niya inaasahan na madami akong alam tungkol sa kanya kahit na mga basic personal information lamang 'yon.

"We lived in Quezon City before we moved here..." he said slowly like he was in deep thought. "Pero gaya nga ng sabi ko, hindi kita kilala. I don't use Alter or any dating apps. It's not my thing. Imposibleng nakilala mo ako roon lalo na't hindi kita kilala."

That night, during Jack's party, I got hurt every time he denied knowing me. Ngunit dahil unti-unti na akong nalilinawan sa mga nangyayari ay naiintindihan ko kung saan siya nanggagaling. His words didn't hurt me anymore. Rather, it actually helped clear my mind and pushed me forward.

"I hope you don't mind me asking..." With a faint smile, I faced him with conviction. "Do you like playing games?"

"Games?" Mas lalo siyang naguluhan sa bigla kong pagtanong.

I nodded. "Yes. Phone and computer games."

Like he was also unsure of his own hobbies, he slowly shook his head.

"Do you like reading manga?" I asked next.

"No."

"How about watching anime?"

"I don't watch anime."

"Then, I guess it's safe to say that you're also not into collecting action figures?"

"Yes..."

At that point even though I was coming closer and closer to the truth, I felt my chest tighten. I had to take a deep breath before I asked him my last question.

"What if..." I licked my lower lip and chuckled lightly when I remembered the first ever picture Elrond sent me when we just met. "What if I ask you to take a picture of yourself while holding a spatula and a frying pan, will you do it without hesitation?"

His eyes narrowed in suspicion while looking straight into mine. Nevertheless, he still answered my weird question after over a minute of silence. "No," he firmly said. "I won't do that."

Tasting the bitterness in my smile, I nodded as I was finally free from doubts. "I thought so..." I whispered that only I could hear.

He's not really the Elrond I met on Alter. He's a different person, but with the same name and physical features.

For other people, I knew it might sound absurd. They would think I was losing my mind, but that was the only conclusion that could be drawn to explain the crazy phenomenon we experienced.

All the signs were right in front of me. Actually, I should've known since that night. The way he talks; the look in his eyes; how he moves; his bearing―nothing comes close to the Elrond I knew. But despite that, I ignored all the signs and buttered my heart up.

Hindi ko rin naman masisisi ang aking sarili. I was too focused on the reality I thought I already knew, when in fact, I knew nothing about it. I had yet to discover so many things―things that we thought only exist in our imagination and in fiction.

"What's with all those questions?" Eli pulled me out from my reverie. "What are you trying to prove?"

Nag-angat ako ng tingin at napaawang ang aking mga labi sa kanyang tanong.

What am I trying to prove?

Without a word, I pulled the phone out of my pocket. He was giving me a curious look while I unlocked my phone and opened the Alter app. I went to the gallery section in my conversation with Elrond. I quickly scrolled all the way to the bottom.

A smile touched my lips once again when I saw Elrond's picture with the spatula and frying pan. I pressed on the picture before I offered my phone to him with the screen facing down.

Sinulyapan niya nang mabilis ang aking cellphone bago nag-angat ng tingin sa akin. Muli lamang akong ngumiti at saka humakbang papalapit sa kanya. I shamelessly grabbed his hand. He froze for a moment but he still let me do what I wanted.

Maingat kong inilapag ang cellphone sa kanyang palad, ngunit ang kanyang mga mata ay hindi nawala sa akin. Nang binitiwan ko ang kanyang kamay at humakbang palayo ay saka lamang niya binigyan ng pansin ang cellphone.

"Ano ang gusto mong gawin ko rito?" naguguluhan niyang tanong.

Habang nakangiti pa rin ay tinuro ko ang cellphone gamit ang aking ulo. "You should see for yourself."

Still looking skeptical, he finally flipped the phone, and shock was immediately written on his face. His eyes were glued to the screen. He even moved the phone closer to him. It was obvious that he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"This can't be edited..." he quietly voiced out his thoughts about the photo. "I've never had a picture like this and I don't own the same shirt in the picture. But this is impossible..."

When the shock subsided, different emotions swirled across his face until he peered into the picture to observe closely. It seemed like he was still trying to find faults in the picture which could explain why he had that kind of picture.

"You know..." I decided to speak my mind while I watched him rack his brain to search for answers. "The Elrond I met―or I know―didn't hesitate when I asked him to take that silly photo while holding those things just to prove himself to me."

Mas lalong napakunot ang noo ni Eli. Sinimulan niya na rin ang paglipat sa ibang mga litrato.

"He likes playing games, reading manga, and watching anime. Mayroon din siyang collection ng mga action figures," kuwento ko. "He's really a funny person. He has a good sense of humor."

Habang nagsasalita ako ay natigil si Eli sa pagtitingin sa mga litrato. His eyes were already staring at somewhere distant like he was lost in thoughts. Unti-unti niyang binaba ang aking cellphone. His jaw clenched and his knuckles turned white when his grip on my phone tightened.

"He never makes me feel uneasy. He always does his best to understand me even when I'm being unreasonable most of the time." I bit my lower lip for a few seconds just to control my feelings. "I'm actually a very awkward person. I'm socially introverted. It's taking me a long time before I trust someone. But I can confide in him so easily because that's how much he makes me feel comfortable."

I clenched my fist in frustration. Thinking about the reality of our situation at that moment, I couldn't help but feel hopeless.

"He's the person I trust the most..." I admitted what I truly felt about Elrond. "He's very special to me. I like him."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Eli finally raised his head. His bloodshot eyes stared right through. I could tell that he was also feeling frustrated and confused about everything.

"You asked me earlier what I was trying to prove," I reminded him. "This is it, Elrond."

I took another step closer to him. He held my gaze and I didn't look away.

"I'm not lying..." I shook my head and almost sounded desperate. "The Elrond I know might not be you―but I can prove it to you a thousand times that he's real."

His lips parted. I could tell that he wanted to deny my words. He was still finding it hard to believe what he discovered. Ngunit dahil hindi niya rin maipaliwanag ang mga bagay-bagay ay hindi niya magawang baliwalain ang mga sinasabi ko.

"He's not just in my imagination," I continued. "He exists."

Kinagat ni Eli ang kanyang ibabang labi bago umiling-iling. "I don't believe this," he still tried to deny the truth.

Mabilis niyang ibinalik ang aking cellphone. Muntik ko pa iyong hindi masalo dahil halos ihagis niya 'yon na para bang natatakot din siya sa mga nalaman.

Kaysa umuwi sa kanilang bahay ay sumakay siya sa sasakyan na nakaparada sa aming gilid. Bahagya akong umatras nang pinaandar niya ang makina at umarangkada paalis. He drove fast like he was desperate to run away from the truth. On the other hand, I was left standing in front of their house, watching him go until he was finally out of my sight.

*****

FEELING dejected and worn out, I let my body fall on the bed once I got inside my room. I closed my eyes to picture the look on Eli's face when I told him the existence of another Elrond in a place we didn't know.

The frustration in his eyes was clearly visible. For some reason, he also looked in pain. I couldn't help but feel hurt for him. I was sure that it was also hard for him to believe everything.

Sa totoo lang ay naalala ko ang aking sarili sa kanya. Sinubukan ko ring takbuhan ang katotohanan no'n. I was terrified and completely freaked out. I couldn't really blame him because I was once in his shoes.

Matapos kong bumuntong hininga ay muli kong inilabas ang aking cellphone. I unlocked my phone and my lips parted when I saw the photo on the screen, which was probably the last photo he saw. It was a family picture Elrond sent me one time―a picture of him, his father, Elizer, and Tita Viel.

He must have seen this...

Naalala ko ang sakit na dumaan sa mga mata ni Eli bago niya ibinalik ang aking cellphone. Panigurado akong madaming gumugulong tanong sa isipan niya sa mga oras na 'yon, lalo na ang katanungan na kung sino ang dalawang kasama nila sa litrato. He would wonder why his mother wasn't in the picture.

As someone who opened his eyes to this reality, I'm willing to answer all his questions if he'll ask me. But for now, I'm going to give him the time he needs to let everything sink in, while I try to figure out how to tell Elrond about what I just discovered.

But like we had some kind of telepathy, a notification header popped out from Elrond. Bumalik ako sa aming conversation box upang pakinggan ang voice message na kanyang pinadala.

"Uhm... Hi?" Punong-puno ng pag-aalangan ang kanyang boses. "Sana hindi mo pa ina-uninstall 'yong Alter matapos 'yong spooky na nangyari sa 'tin sa Coffee Project. Bago pa man mangyari lahat ng mga kababalaghang nangyari sa 'tin, gusto na talaga kitang makita. I can't stop thinking about you, Elora."

I bit my lower lip. His words were comforting and they made me happy. However, I also felt a stab of pain in my chest that I couldn't ignore.

"Sana mapakinggan mo pa rin 'to," pagpapatuloy niya. "Kasi kung oo... Itutuloy ko ang paghahanap ng mga sagot. Elora... Maniniwala ka ba kung posibleng nasa magkaibang mundo tayo?"

I sat up straight on my bed. My eyes gradually widened as goosebumps pricked on my skin.

It seems like he also found out the answer―we're in a parallel world.