I DID everything I could to survive the quarantine. Nag-exercise, natututong mag-drive, sinubukan ang isang dating app and practiced my flirting skills. Alam kong uso ngayon ang paghahanap ng makakausap to fill your void and boredom ngayong isinumpa tayo ng pandemiya. The today's modern dating that the millennials call--quaranFLING is the key!

Isa ako sa mga taong nakakatanggap ng random messages through social media accounts at isa-isa silang in-e-entertain araw-araw. Funny, but I have been enjoying normalizing this for the past few months and it has made it abundantly clear to me that there is a ZERO chance na makakatuluyan mo ang taong naka-quaranFLING mo.

Kung may balak kang makipag-quaranFLING dahil BORED ka lang, dapat mong malaman na may EXPIRATION ang lahat ng pinaparamdam n'yo sa isa't isa.

'Wag masyadong marupok. 'Wag kaagad ma-attach, again: bored lang kayo pareho.

Binuksan ko ang aking laptop at bumungad sa akin ang site na Tinder at isa-isang ni replyan ang mga ka-chat sa site. Umupo ako ng maayos at saka huminga ng malalim. I clicked the answer button at nakita ang kanyang mukha sa screen. He started talking about himself and the things that happened to him yesterday. He mentioned someone named Erica, "kaibigan" niya raw.

Wala kang karapatang mag-selos dahil tiyak na siya ay may kausap/ka-flirt din na ibang tao sa kabilang linya.

I faked a smile at pinapalabas sa kabilang tenga ang mga naririnig mula sa kanya. Tumatango ako just to pretend that I am interested when the truth is not. Pagtakatapos ng mahigit dalawang minuto ay 'di ko na kinaya pagkabagot. Napairap na lamang ako at isinara ang laptop.

Magexpect ka na mag-go-ghost ka ng isa o dalawang lingo dahil maghahanap siya ng MAS enjoy kausap.

We started talking with that boring guy for a week at mukhang out na siya sa listahan ko. I sighed at lumakad papunta sa balcony ng aking kwarto. Sa aking pagdungaw, bumungad sa akin ang malamig na bugso ng hangin.

Lastly, 'wag mong masyadong seryosohin ang quarantine feelings mo, bored ka lang, bored din siya. Kakalimutan niyo lang ang lahat na para bang walang nangyari. Gan'on lang kadali.

*ting! *

A notification sound caught my attention and went back to my seat. Hinarap ko ang aking laptop and received a message from someone na mag-lilimang buwan ko ng kausap dito sa site na 'to. I clicked 'accept' and my cam turned on automatically. And here, I saw my ideal guy on the screen.

Him: Anong zodiac sign mo?

Me: Saquittarius. Bakit, anong meron?

Him: May nabasa kasi akong prediction tungkol sa perfect couples. I didn't expect na nag-mamatch tayo. Aries kasi yung akin and this is what it says about...you know...us? "Sagittarius and Aries are perfect for each other because they are both sarcastic and witty. Whenever they get into fights, they find it hard to serious and end up whatever problem off."

He has small eyes, a pointed nose, and thin lips that made him cute when he smiles. He's funny and at the same time matalino at artistic. He even made a portrait of me using acrylic paints, isa sa mga reason kung bakit mahirap siyang kalimutan. Yung mga nakakabaliw na biro niya na nakakahawa ng sobra. Nasasakyan niya lahat ng trip ko at masasabing kong we're on the same vibes lalong lalo na kapag movies ang pinag-uusapan.

Me: please, don't tell me you'll buy that? LOL

Him: Don't you think that we're really made for each other? Look, we've seen each other faces, talking to each other on the screen, almost a day. I enjoy your company. Having someone to talk like you flutters my heart. No girl ever notices me the way you did and I think I am falling for you.

'Ridiculous!' that's what I thought. So, I ghosted him for a week because I felt confused. We were just flirting, weren't we? This is so good to be true kaya nagduda ako. Ayoko kong masaktan sa huli!

Pero...

Hindi ko pala kaya. Sa isang araw na hindi ko siya kausap ay nalulungkot ako kaya ipinagpatuloy namin ang aming ugnayan. Our connection lasts for almost a year now and my FEELINGS for him starts to grow and my intention wants to escalate it into something more.

Finally, we decided to meet each other personally. Kahit sobrang layo na pagitan namin, we made it possible. The moment we finally saw each other, I told myself: "Sana siya na talaga." And asked me to be his girl and respond it with a kiss.

Dumaan ang mga  buwan at napapadalas na aming pagkikita. We met our families in both sides at nakilala nang lubos ang aming mga sarili. Parehong tinanggap at mas minahal ang isa't isa kasabay ng pagharap ng mga pagsubok sa buhay.

At ngayong ika-14 ng Pebrero...

Sa araw ng mga puso...

Ay ang itinakdang araw ng aming pag-iisang dibdib.

*****

NAGKAMALI ako. I was wrong about how quaranFLING works. Hindi ko inakalang may tsansang makatuluyan mo ang taong kausap at kaharap mo lang sa screen buong araw at magkakaro'n ng happy ending bandang huli. Ang TUNAY na pagmamahal ay walang EXPIRATION DATE and my quaranFEELING taught me that. Akalain mong tumalab yung flirting skills ko sa kanya!

Wakas.