Elora's POV

WHILE nibbling my lower lip, I watched the screen load. I could feel my heart rate speeding up along with my anxiety. There were so many pictures in bubbles of different guys appearing on my screen while Alter was trying to find the perfect match for me.

As a person who's socially awkward, it was truly hard to believe that I decided to take the next step after signing up. I thought it would end right there. However, my curiosity didn't help me stop myself. I also clung to the hope that I'd be lucky enough to find someone I'm compatible with—just like what happened to Karina.

Congratulations, eloramariz!

We found the perfect match for you!

Lord Elrond, 19

Civil Engineering

Quezon City, Philippines

Reading and Playing Games

I held my breath while reading the brief information about the man I matched with.

We have the same age. We also both like to read but those two things are the only ones I see we have in common. How can the app determine that we're compatible with just that?

Still feeling curious, I clicked on his photo. It seemed like it was a photo taken outside the country. He was wearing a black padded jacket and a black beanie. He had a huge, refreshing smile on his face. I could already tell that he must be outgoing. On top of that, I had to admit that he's also good looking.

"Lord Elrond..." I whispered his name as it reminded me of a character from a famous TV series which was adapted from a series of novels I read before.

While observing his profile like an internet sleuth, I almost dropped my phone when a banner suddenly appeared on top. It showed me the first two words Elrond sent me as a message.

lord_elrond01: Hi, Elora!

I could feel my temperature rising. Heat went up to my cheeks that I could feel it burning. I found myself being ridiculous. I just came from a bad break up but I was blushing with just a simple and formal message from a stranger.

lord_elrond01: Hello?

He sent another message. My heart skipped a beat.

Napanguso ako at ni-lock muna ang cellphone. I frantically tapped the tip of my fingers on the screen. Hindi ko pa nasi-seen ang kanyang mga mensahe kaya puwedeng hindi ko na lang siya pansinin. Kaya nga lang ay ayaw ko ring maging bastos. He also looked like a nice guy. Naisip kong wala sigurong masama kung magre-reply ako.

Gathering my resolve, I took a deep breath, unlocked my phone, and replied to his messages. There was a green circle beside his picture, indicating that he was still online.

eloramariz: Hi.

I didn't know exactly what to say, so I just greeted him back. It took me long to compose that two-letter word, though.

lord_elrond01: Hello ulit!

Mukhang talagang hinintay niya ang aking pag-reply dahil agad din siyang nakasagot.

lord_elrond01: First time mo rin ba?

I pursed my lips.

The way he tried to hold a conversation with me was so natural. He was even casual with his messages. Para bang sanay na sanay siyang makipag-usap sa tao.

eloramariz: First time saan

lord_elrond01: Sa paggamit ng dating app. Parang nahihiya ka kasi.

Nanuyo ang aking lalamunan. Nagawa niyang hulaan kung ano ang aking nararamdaman.

eloramariz: Yes.

Kinagat ko ang aking ibabang labi. Nagdesisyon akong dagdagan ang aking sasabihin.

eloramariz: Sorry if I'm awkward. I hope you won't think that I'm being rude.

Like I said, I'm socially awkward, especially when conversing with strangers. I tagged myself as a social introvert. I'm more comfortable being alone and staying silent. Sometimes I'm also finding it hard to engage in a long conversation with my friends, but at the same time, I also like hanging out with people I'm close with.

lord_elrond01: No problem. I understand. Pero kung hindi ka komportable na kausap ako, ayos lang din sa akin kung hindi ka na mag-reply bigla. Hindi kita ipaba-bash kapag ghinost mo ako.

A chuckle escaped from my lips when I read his reply. Agad ko ring tinikom ang aking mga labi ngunit hindi nawala ang aking ngiti.

I couldn't deny that what he said made my heart flutter. He's a gentleman. Hindi ko tuloy maiwasan ang maging kuryoso sa kanya. Para bang gusto ko pa siyang mas makilala. However, I had some reservations. I shouldn't just plunge in like before. Through pain and betrayal, I learned the hard way. I shouldn't make the same mistakes.

eloramariz: You're funny, Elrond.

lord_elrond01: Aba! Thank you! Ikaw lang ata naka-appreciate ng sense of humor ko.

Halos mapunit na ang aking labi sa pagngiti. Even though we just met online, to feel that kind of comfort while talking to him felt so surreal. Para bang matagal ko na siyang kilala.

I didn't see him as a stranger anymore. There weren't any big red light signs up ahead, telling me that he was dangerous. All I could see was a genuine person. It was all green. But despite having those positive opinions of him, it only made me warier.

Ngunit kaysa layuan siya ay napagdesisyunan kong mas kilalanin siya. I wanted to give our possible friendship a chance to blossom.

eloramariz: Can I ask something?

lord_elrond01: Oo naman! Ano ba 'yon?

eloramariz: Earlier, you asked me if it was also my first time to use a dating app. Ang ibig sabihin ba n'on ay first time mo rin?

I was curious about that because it didn't seem like it.

lord_elrond01: Yup! First time ko rin.

eloramariz: Kung ganoon paano mo nalaman iyong Alter? Why did you decide to try and download it?

lord_elrond01: Nabanggit lang sa akin ng kaibigan ko at nag-appear din sa ads habang naglalaro ako. I got curious so I tried it.

Napanguso ako. We experienced the same thing.

lord_elrond01: Ikaw ba? Bakit mo naisipang i-download ang Alter?

eloramariz: Nasabi rin sa akin ng kaibigan ko. Nag-trending din kasi siya ngayon dahil doon sa poser issue. Just like you, I can be really curious.

lord_elrond01: Parehas pala tayong naimpluwensyahan ng kaibigan. Hahaha.

eloramariz: I guess you can say that.

My hands were sweating a little when I omitted one of the real reasons why I ended up using Alter. I couldn't tell him that I wanted to find someone I'm compatible with. Just by thinking about that got me so embarrassed. Heat naturally went up to my cheeks.

I didn't want him to get any weird ideas. He might also find me creepy.

lord_elrond01: Nga pala! Nakita ko sa profile mo na hilig mo rin magbasa.

Elrond didn't let our conversation end right there. He opened another topic for the both of us to talk about. Ni hindi ko na kailangang problemahin ang mag-isip ng aming pag-uusapan dahil naisip na niya agad.

eloramariz: Yes. It's a hobby of mine.

lord_elrond01: Kaya ba AB Literature ang kinuha mong program sa college?

Kinagat ko ang aking ibabang labi. Mukhang talagang binasa niya ang mga impormasyong nakalagay sa aking profile dito sa Alter.

eloramariz: Ganoon na nga.

Out of frustration, I heavily sighed for being such a boring person. I lacked the skills to be fun and entertaining.

If Elrond's the one who will decide to ghost me, I won't take it against him. I will totally understand why.

lord_elrond01: Ano-ano ang mga binabasa mo?

My lips parted. Hindi ako makapaniwala na sinusubukan niya pa ring buhayin ang aming pag-uusap kahit na halatang wala akong kuwentang kausap. He knew that I was socially awkward but he was still being patient with me. I truly admired him for that.

eloramariz: International novels―mostly, young adult fiction. What about you?

lord_elrond01: Mga manga naman ang hilig ko. Alam mo ba 'yon?

eloramariz: That's where animes are usually adapted, right?

lord_elrond01: Yup! Ang galing! Alam mo!

eloramariz: I know that much. It's literature.

After sending my reply, I quickly typed another message to follow. Seeing Elrond put so much effort to have a decent conversation with someone like me, I also wanted to try my best.

eloramariz: Binasa ko rin ang profile mo kanina. I saw that you're an engineering student, tama ba?

lord_elrond01: Yup! Civil Engineering naman ang program ko.

eloramariz: You must love Math if that's the case.

lord_elrond01: Nako, hindi! Muntik na nga akong bumagsak last sem. At saka hindi lang puro Math ang CE, madami ring about Physics.

eloramariz: But do you love the course you're taking?

lord_elrond01: Ayos naman. Hindi ko rin naman pagtitiyagaan ang isang bagay na hindi ko gusto lalo na kung nahihirapan ako.

I sunk into a thoughtful silence. His words struck me. I felt his sincerity and genuineness. Something about those words spoke volumes about him as a person.

lord_elrond01: Ay! Saglit lang, Elora. Biglang pumasok iyong kapatid ko sa kuwarto ko.

My thoughts were soon interrupted when my phone chimed for another message. Muling umandar ang aking kuryosidad nang binanggit niya ang kanyang kapatid, ngunit sa likod noon ay mayroon akong naramdamang lungkot at panghihinayang.

It must be so nice to have a sibling...

Trying to shrug off those unwanted feelings, I glanced at the time. It was already a quarter to ten. I was so invested in our conversation that my morning classes slipped my mind. I still needed to wake up at dawn.

eloramariz: Ayos lang. Matutulog na rin ako dahil may klase pa ako bukas ng umaga.

Hindi agad nag-reply sa akin si Elrond. Naisip kong kinakausap niya siguro ang kapatid kaya inayos ko na lang ang aking higaan at pinatay na ang ilaw bago bumalik sa kama. Pagkasilip ko sa aking cellphone ay mayroon na akong natanggap na reply galing sa kanya.

lord_elrond01: Ganoon ba? Sige at matutulog na rin ako. Bukas na lang ulit?

"Bukas na lang ulit..." basa ko sa kanyang sinabi.

My pulse raced. I couldn't believe he would still want to talk to me. I wasn't sure if he was just being kind and polite, but it was enough to bring a smile on my face. I also hoped that we could keep talking like this and learn more about each other.

eloramariz: Sure! Bukas ulit.

lord_elrond01: Totoo ba 'yan? Baka magulat ako naka-deactivate ka na.

Napatawa ako at agad nagtipa ng sasabihin.

eloramariz: Hindi mo naman ako ipaba-bash, 'di ba?

lord_elrond01: Parang nagdadalawang-isip na ako.

eloramariz: Is that a threat?

lord_elrond01: Maybe. Pero kung ayaw mong ma-bash, dapat ay mag-reply ka.

Hindi na mawala-wala ang ngiti sa aking labi. Kung may ibang makakakita sa akin ay iisipin siguro nilang nababaliw na ako.

eloramariz: Okay. Dahil ayaw kong ma-bash, I promise na magre-reply ako bukas. Hindi ko rin ide-deactivate ang Alter account ko.

lord_elrond01: Panghahawakan ko 'yan, Ms. Elora Arceo. Good night and sweet dreams.

eloramariz: Good night, Elrond. It's nice meeting you.

lord_elrond01: Same here. Masaya akong nakilala kita.

Elrond's last message made my chest swell, filling my heart with a strange sensation. The next morning, the first thing I did was to read his message. I wanted to send him a morning message but it didn't feel right yet. It felt like I'd be taking a huge step if I did that, and so I held myself back.

Hindi pa siya naka-online kaya hinayaan ko na lang. Naligo ako at naghanda papasok sa eskuwela. Pagkarating ko sa classroom ay hinanap agad ng aking mga mata si Karina.

When I saw her hanging out with her other friends, I changed the direction where I was heading and sat on a vacant seat near the window. Like what I always do to kill time while waiting for the class to start, I pulled one of Colleen Hoover's recent releases out of my bag and opened the page where I inserted a bookmark.

Tahimik akong nagsimulang nagbasa at itinuloy kung saan ako nahinto. Nawala ang ingay sa aking paligid. Ang buong atensyon ko ay nasa libro lamang na binabasa.

It was a story about two young adults who were brought together by destiny. The woman was at her rock bottom when she met the guy who opened her eyes to see the different outlook on life. He slowly tried to make her whole when she was very broken inside.

I knew it sounded outrageous, but the circumstances when both leads met reminded me of Elrond and me. The sudden realizations I had yanked me away from the different world I was living in through reading. I didn't know why I thought of that, but I did.

"Elora."

Almost jumping from my seat in shock, I frantically closed the book and turned to Karina. She was eyeing me with suspicion as she took the seat beside me.

"Bakit parang gulat na gulat ka?" naghihinalang tanong niya.

"Nothing," I quickly replied.

Her eyes narrowed even more. "Are you hiding something?"

Napalunok ako at saka muling umiling.

Hindi pa ako sigurado kung sasabihin ko ba sa kanya na dinownload ko ang Alter at mayroon akong nakilalang lalaki. I wanted to tell her, but there was also a feeling inside me that I wanted to keep it to myself first. Ayaw ko munang may ibang makaalam.

Even though I did my best to act natural, Karina's suspicion lasted throughout the whole day. With eagle eyes, she was carefully watching my every move that I didn't dare check my phone and open Alter to see if I already got a message from Elrond. And so, when I got home, that was the only time I got freedom.

Papaakyat pa lang ako sa aking kuwarto ay binuksan ko na ang Alter nang maka-connect na ako sa aming internet. A soft gasp escaped from me when I saw that I received three messages from Elrond at different times.

lord_elrond01: Good morning, Elora! Ingat ka sa pagpasok.

lord_elrond01: Lunch na at first break na rin namin. Kumain ka na ba?

lord_elrond01: Igo-ghost mo na ba talaga ako?

Although I was feeling guilty at first, his last message made me burst out laughing. Hanggang sa pagkapasok ko ng aking kuwarto ay natatawa pa rin ako. I tried to pull myself together and remained calm before I decided to finally type my first reply for the day.

eloramariz: Sorry, naging busy ako sa school at ngayon ko lang nabuksan ang Alter.

Knowing that it wasn't enough, I composed another message.

eloramariz: As promised, I replied. Huwag mo akong ipaba-bash, ah?

With a smile still lingering on my face, I locked my phone and waited for his reply while I took a quick shower and changed into more comfortable clothes.