THE story goes like this.

Eko, a thirty-one-year-old hopeless photographer working a job he didn't want but was content with his life. Seemingly happy.

Andree, a twenty-five-year-old rising star whose dreams were big and whose heart was even bigger but difficult to get to know.

Dree kung tawagin siya ng mga kaibigan nila.

She was quiet. So guarded and defensive. On the way to a date with a friend that she didn't even know was a date when they met.

Naïve. Dense. Innocent.

"Date? Hindi ah," sabi niya with a scoff. "We're just going to hang out."

"Anong hang out?" sagot ni Eko. Natatawa. Sino ba 'tong babaeng 'to? Hindi ba niya alam kung paano gumagana ang utak ng mga lalaki? "Date 'yon."

Hindi nga niya alam. Twenty-five na at wala pang first kiss. Wala pang first boyfriend. Wala pang nakikilala sa kanya on a deep, intimate level.

Marami nang pumorma pero lagi niyang tinatakbuhan.

Inalam ni Eko ang pattern.

Nagiging kaibigan niya. Nahuhulog sa kanya. Umaamin. Tapos 'pag nag-iba na ang trato nila kay Andree, umaasa na mamahalin din sila pabalik, tatakbo siya.

Naiintindihan niya bakit nahulog ang lahat ng 'yon.

She's smart. There wasn't a thing she said that he wasn't in awe of. She said so little things but so many. Sometimes, she gave him nothing. Sometimes, it was a dead-end conversation of he's too close, pull back.

But he never stopped asking questions. Knowing more. Wanting to know more. She'd give him a tight-lipped answer and that was supposed to be that—an answer. But that led to another question, and another, and another, until he got to know her mind.

Sheltered. Her parents were strict and protective and she was privileged but never materialistic.

Opinionated. She was never scared to call him out on things he said around their friends. Told him she hated his locker room talk and found himself apologizing and lessening it.

Hated when she was accidentally called another name.

Loved being alone but could somehow face the cameras and switch on an entirely different version of herself that he wanted to know and love, too.

He wanted every version she could give him.

The shy Andree. The moody Andree. The intimate Andree. The rising actress Andree. The ambitious, the bold, the fearless.

The vulnerable. The scared.

Because when they were around their other friends, she made herself small. Never said a lot.

But with him, slowly, he got all of those versions.

Knowing them, how her brain and heart worked, her opinions and beliefs and convictions...all of that led him to dangerous territory of paano kita mapapa-sa 'kin?

He watched the movies she liked. Watched every project she was in. Listened to her music. Podcasts. Interviews. Not knowing why, when she was never around, he missed her.

Constantly.

He thought about her constantly.

He needed to be with her constantly.

He wanted to make her smile and laugh constantly.

She was a huge wall Eko needed to break through.

He didn't know why. What was this girl doing, barging into his seemingly peaceful life? Turning everything around? He didn't know why she had to come in and ruin everything and make him question what he believed about love.

He was fine before her.

Content.

But what he felt for her was so searing, so burning—it was impossible to ignore.

Hindi niya kayang palagpasin si Andree.

In some twisted way, even if he knew they were only going to get hurt in the end, he wanted to be hers. Even for just a moment.

Naiintindihan niya na kailangan muna nila maging magkaibigan. Tapos 'pag umamin na siya, papatunayan niya kung bakit hindi kailangan tumakbo ni Andree.

She can be herself around him. He can love her without changing the way he acts towards her—unlike her other friends who tried and failed. Without expecting. He'll do it.

No'ng una naman, wala siyang in-expect. Matanda na siya. Average. Nasa parte na ng buhay niya kung saan pwede na siya mag-settle down. What is a young, smart, beautiful woman going to do with him?

Then their friends made a bet.

"Tingin ko, unang magiging boyfriend ni Dree ay fuckboy," sabi ng isa.

"Tingin ko co-worker niya sa movie na mabait," sabi naman ng isa.

Then Eko realized how much he hated that bastard already. He called him James in his head.

Sino ka, James? Ikaw ang unang magiging boyfriend ni Andree?

Karapat-dapat ka bang hayop ka?

Alam mo ba kung paano siya mahalin?

Magtitiyaga ka ba katulad ko?

Kung sino ka mang James ka, sana alam mo kung ga'no ka kaswerte.

He didn't want a James in her life.

So Eko gave her his hoodie and asked, "Tingin mo ba may chance tayo?"

Hindi siya sumagot. Pinapasa siya sa iba. "Mas bagay kayo ni Claudia."

Hindi ko gusto si Claudia.

Ikaw ang gusto ko. Ikaw ang pinaghihirapan kong makilala.

Ikaw ang mahal ko.

Pero alam niyang 'pag sinabi niya 'yon, tatakbuhan niya siya.

Eko learned how to talk to Andree. What to say, what not to say. What to ask and what not to. How to slowly get her out of her shell.

No'ng napansin niyang masyado na niyang kinikilala  (at minamahal) ito, he stepped back.

Told himself she's better off without him.

Masasaktan lang sila.

He had a plan to stop seeing her. Stop seeking her out. Stop obsessing over what she's doing, where she is, and get back to the life he had before.

Before her.

But then he was like an addict going through fucking withdrawal. He saw her again and told himself, "Hindi ko kaya."

He got caught in her unintentional web and he'd been her prisoner ever since.

He showed her his vulnerabilities. Showed her him.

Sabi niya sa sarili niya, kung ano lang ang kaya niyang ibigay. Kung ito lang na friendship, masaya na siya.

But then greediness and selfishness introduced themselves to him nang pa-unti-unti siyang binigyan ng more.

Sa ride pauwi galing sa La Union, humiga at sumandal siya sa kanya. Para sa taong hindi touchy at para sa taong touchy, naramdaman ni Eko 'yon sa lahat ng parte ng katawan niya. Her breaths on his shoulder. The way all her bones relaxed against him. How her head fit perfectly on the crook of his shoulder, and how, even if she could hear the fast beats of his heart, he didn't mind.

They were loud and uneven and screaming for her.

Kahit na nakakangawit, naalala niya this is the most comfortable and safe he's ever been.

She was safe here.

And he never wanted the ride to end.

But it did.

(And so did they.)

Greediness—

It's a horrible, horrible thing.

Tinanong niya kung pwedeng hawakan ang kanyang kamay.

Kung pwede siyang halikan.

Kung pwedeng maging sila.

He got her mind. Then her heart.

At hindi pa siya nakuntento roon.

He wanted—needed everything.

And on a night in September, she gave him her body.

Even though she fought it for the longest time. "I don't want to give you everything," she whispered. As if saying it any louder would urge her to do it even more. "Kasi wala nang matitira sa 'kin 'pag umalis ka."

At that time, Eko already knew he was never leaving. He intended to love Andree for as long as she'll have him and even long after that.

But hearing those words, like it was meant for James, for someone else—

Even though it wasn't his to take, he still took it.

He should've said no.

He should've stopped her.

Pero makasarili siya. He wanted to have all of her.

So he took everything even if he didn't deserve it.

To touch her

To pleasure her

To love her

In all the ways he knew how.

In all the ways he could.

He did.

He listened to all of her podcasts. Watched all of her interviews. Went to her movie premieres and photoshoots. Made time for her fans. Contributed to her events. Drove her to all her schedules. Watched her slowly reach her dream.

Forgot about his own.

Umikot ang mundo niya sa kanya.

He invested himself into her.

His time. His effort. His body. His mind. His soul. His heart.

You own me. Of course you own me. You could do anything you want with me. Why do you want to know whether you own me? Of course you do. All of me that can be owned.

Most stories have a happy ending. Most stories wish for a happy ending.

Andree is the love that he could only wish for.

Because they could have been meant to be. They could have, but the stars said, "No, not yet."

But stars don't talk. And even if they did, how could they have known that the not yet was never coming?