Chapter 1 - Chapter 1 - A Voice She Once Heard, A Heart She Didn't Expect

(Author's POV)

Hi mga ka-reader! 😊

Bago tayo mag simula gusto ko lang sabihin na itong kwentong 'to ay based on my many experiences sa love! Yung tipong akala mo kayo na 😍 pero hanggang tanong lang pala 😭😂 kaya inspired 'to sa mga real-life feels—yung kilig, sakit, at sana-all moments na siguro halos lahat tayo naka-relate na and I made this love story hindi lang para magkwento, kundi para iparamdam din sa inyo yung emotions behind every chapter. Kaya kung ready ka nang kiligin, masaktan ng konti, at ma-in love ulit—tara, simulan na natin! 💖🥰

pero syempre sa kwentong 'to meron kayang happy ending? existing ba ang forever? Well let's see! 😂

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Sa isang simpleng gabi, habang ang mundo ay abala sa sariling ingay nito, isang babae ang nakaupo sa harap ng kanyang laptop. Mga ilaw ng kanyang kwarto'y malamlam—sapat lang para lumikha ng tahimik at malalim na atmosphere. Si Arianna De Guzman, o mas kilala bilang Aya, ay isang tahimik na dalaga—hindi mapapansin sa karamihan, pero may kakaibang lalim sa kanyang paningin. Mahaba ang buhok, payat ang pangangatawan, at kung titignan mo, para lang siyang ordinaryong babae sa isang ordinaryong araw. Pero may isa siyang hindi-ordinaryong hilig—ang musika.

Music was her refuge. Tuwing gusto niyang takasan ang ingay ng mundo, isa lang ang pinupuntahan niya—YouTube. Minsan wala siyang hinahanap. Pinagpapasa-Diyos na lang kung anong video ang lalabas. Scroll. Click. Play. Repeat. At sa gabing ‘yon, doon siya dinala ng algorithm sa isang unexpected na direksyon.

Click..

Isang simpleng thumbnail. Lalaking may hawak na gitara, nakaupo lang. Walang malaking production. Pero may kung anong tahimik na vibe ang humatak sa kanya para i-play ito. At sa unang tunog ng gitara—

May bumalik.

Isang boses.

Isang boses na minsan na niyang narinig. Noon. Sa kung saan, hindi niya maalala. Pero sa sandaling iyon, may naramdaman siyang pamilyar—hindi sa mukha, kundi sa tunog. Ang bawat nota, bawat bitaw ng salita, dumiretso sa puso niya.

"Wait... bakit parang kilala ko 'tong boses na 'to?"

Tahimik lang si Aya habang pinapanood ang video. Parang unti-unting humihigpit ang dibdib niya habang nakikinig. Bumaba ang tingin niya sa ilalim ng video. Doon niya lang nakita ang pangalan ng artist.

JAKE REYES.

Biglang nanlaki ang mga mata niya.

“Ha? Si Jake Reyes pala 'to?!”

Hindi siya makapaniwala. Naririnig na pala niya dati ang pangalang iyon—nakikita minsan sa mga suggested videos, madalas sa comments na pinupuri ng mga fans. Pero ni minsan, hindi niya pinanood. Wala lang. Hindi tumatak noon.

Pero ngayon?

Ang pangalan na iyon, na dati’y wala lang sa kanya—bigla ngayong may bigat. Kasi ngayong narinig niya... nararamdaman na niya.

Napansin niya ang comment section:

 "Jake, never fail to amaze us!"

"Mas ramdam ko 'to sa version mo."

"Nakaka in-love ka na talaga, Jake."

"Gwapo na, magaling pa. Husbando material!"

May viewers siya. May fans. Hindi siya mainstream, oo—pero hindi rin siya nobody. Isa siyang hidden gem sa mundo ng acoustic covers. At bukod sa boses niyang puno ng emosyon, hindi rin maikakailang maitsura si Jake. Yung tipong effortless. Hindi "pa-cute," pero 'pag ngumiti? Nakakatunaw. Kaya hindi nakapagtataka kung bakit marami ang nagkaka-crush sa kanya.

At si Aya?

Hindi siya immune.

“Saan ko nga ba narinig ang boses na ‘to?”

“Parang... may memory akong hindi ko maabot.”

“Pero bakit ganito 'yung pakiramdam? Para akong hinihila ng boses niya pabalik sa isang lugar na hindi ko maipaliwanag.”

Kahit hindi niya pa kailanman nakita o nakilala si Jake, parang may tumawid na koneksyon. At habang patuloy ang kanta, mas lalo siyang nawala sa sariling mundo.

Hindi niya alam kung anong kapangyarihan meron ang boses ni Jake, pero sa ilang minutong ‘yon, pakiramdam niya ay parang siya lang ang kausap nito. Parang ang kanta ay para sa kanya. Kahit hindi siya kilala. Kahit... isa lang siyang stranger sa maraming nanonood.

“Just another girl in the crowd.”

Iyon naman talaga siya, ‘di ba?

Pero ang hindi alam ni Aya...

Minsan, kahit ang mga hindi kilala sa karamihan,

ay may sariling kwento.

At minsan, ang mga kwento... ay nagsisimula sa isang click.

“Hindi ko siya kilala... pero bakit parang, sa dami ng boses sa mundo… sa kanya ako natigil?”

Tahimik lang siyang nakatitig sa screen, habang patuloy ang kanta. Sa dami ng video na napanood na niya, ngayon lang siya tinamaan ng ganito. Hindi niya alam kung bakit. Hindi rin niya alam kung dapat ba.

Pero ang isang bagay na malinaw?

Hindi niya na kayang hindi panoorin si Jake muli.

Kaya bago pa matapos ang kanta, nag-subscribe na siya.

Sunod-sunod.

Sinundan niya sa Instagram. Sa Facebook page. Sa TikTok at Spotify lahat ng platform ni Jake — na-follow niya.

Pero hindi pa doon natapos.

Hindi rin siya nakatiis.

Nag-comment siya sa mismong video.

“Ang ganda ng version mo. Sobrang ramdam sa boses mo. Thank you sa kanta, Jake ❤️.”

Wala lang. Gusto lang niyang ilabas ang nararamdaman niya.

Alam niyang libo-libo ang nanonood.

Isa lang siya sa mga fan.

Pero makalipas lang ang ilang minuto…

Nagulat siya.

“WAIT.”

Dahan-dahan niyang tiningnan muli ang comment section.

May red heart.

May pangalan.

May notification.

“Jake Reyes ❤️ reacted to your comment.”

Tila tumigil ang mundo ni Aya.

Napasinghap siya. Napangiti. Napahawak sa dibdib.

“Bakit ang babaw ko?”

“Heart lang ‘yon, Aya!”

Pero kahit anong paliwanag niya sa sarili niya,

hindi niya maalis ang init sa pisngi niya.

Hindi niya mapigilan ang ngiti na hindi niya namamalayan.

Dahil sa dami ng nanonood...

Sa dami ng nagkokomento...

Bakit parang pakiramdam niya siya lang ang napansin?

At sa isang heart reaction lang—parang may kung anong umusbong..

Author's note:

Anong gagawin mo kung ang boses na minsan mong narinig... ay mas malapit pala kaysainaakala mo?

To be continued..

Next chapter: "Hearted by Jake Reyes."

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW:

(Full translation of Chapter 1)

Just Another Girl in the Crowd

Chapter 1: The Voice I Once Heard

On a quiet night, while the world busied itself with its own noise, a young woman sat in front of her laptop. The lights in her room were dim—just enough to create a peaceful, intimate atmosphere. Arianna De Guzman, more known as Aya, was a quiet girl—not someone you'd notice in a crowd, but there was a unique depth in her gaze. Long-haired, slender, and at first glance, she looked like any ordinary woman on an ordinary day. But she had one extraordinary passion—music.

Music was her refuge. Whenever she wanted to escape the chaos of the world, there was only one place she went to—YouTube. Sometimes, she didn’t search for anything in particular. She simply let fate—or the algorithm—decide what would show up. Scroll. Click. Play. Repeat. And that night, the algorithm took her somewhere unexpected.

Click.

Just a simple thumbnail. A guy holding a guitar, seated casually. No flashy production. But something about its quiet vibe pulled her to press play. And the moment the guitar strummed—

Something returned.

A voice.

A voice she had heard before. Once. Somewhere she couldn’t remember. But in that moment, something felt familiar—not the face, but the sound. Every note, every word, hit her straight in the heart.

"Wait... why does this voice sound so familiar?"

Aya sat silently as she watched the video. It was as if a weight slowly settled on her chest as she listened. She glanced down, just beneath the video. That’s when she saw the artist’s name.

JAKE REYES.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What? This is Jake Reyes?!"

She couldn’t believe it. She had come across the name before—seen it in suggested videos, often in the comments, praised by fans. But never once had she clicked. It just didn’t catch her attention then.

But now?

That name, which once meant nothing to her—suddenly felt heavy. Because now that she had heard him... she could feel him.

She noticed the comment section:

"Jake, you never fail to amaze us!"

"I felt this more in your version."

"You're making us fall in love with you, Jake."

"Good-looking and talented. Total husbando material!"

He had viewers. He had fans. He wasn't mainstream, sure—but he wasn’t a nobody either. He was a hidden gem in the world of acoustic covers. And beyond his emotion-filled voice, there was no denying Jake’s charm. The effortless kind. Not the kind that tries too hard to be cute, but the kind that melts you with a single smile. No wonder so many had a crush on him.

And Aya?

She wasn’t immune.

"Where have I heard this voice before?"

"It feels like... there's a memory I can't quite reach."

"But why does it feel like his voice is pulling me back to a place I can't explain?"

Even though she had never seen or met Jake, it was as if some invisible thread connected them. And as the song continued, she found herself slipping deeper into that world.

She didn’t know what kind of magic Jake’s voice held, but for those few minutes, it felt like he was singing just to her. Like the song was meant for her. Even if he didn’t know her. Even if... she was just a stranger among the many watching.

"Just another girl in the crowd."

That’s all she really was, right?

But what Aya didn’t know...

Sometimes, even those unknown to the world

have stories of their own.

And sometimes, those stories... begin with a single click.

"I don’t even know him... so why, out of all the voices in the world... why did I stop at his?"

She stared silently at the screen as the song played on. She had seen countless videos before, but none had struck her like this. She didn’t know why. She didn’t even know if it should.

But one thing was clear:

She couldn’t not watch Jake again.

So before the song even ended, she hit subscribe.

Then came more.

She followed him on Instagram. On Facebook. On TikTok and Spotify—every platform Jake was on, she followed him.

But it didn’t stop there.

She couldn’t help herself.

She left a comment on the video.

“Your version is so beautiful. I really felt the emotion in your voice. Thank you for the song, Jake ❤️.”

It wasn’t much. She just wanted to express how she felt.

She knew there were thousands watching.

She was just one of many fans.

But only a few minutes later...

She was stunned.

"WAIT."

Slowly, she looked back at the comment section.

There it was—a red heart.

A name.

A notification.

"Jake Reyes ❤️ reacted to your comment."

Aya’s world seemed to pause.

She gasped. Smiled. Placed a hand over her chest.

"Why am I like this?"

"It’s just a heart , Aya!"

But no matter how much she tried to brush it off,

she couldn’t hide the warmth in her cheeks.

She couldn’t stop the smile that formed without her realizing it.

Because out of everyone watching...

Out of everyone commenting...

Why did it feel like she was the only one he noticed?

And with just one heart reaction—something began to bloom.

Author’s Note:

What would you do if the voice you once heard… is closer than you think?

😉

To be continued...

Next Chapter : Hearted by Jake Reyes