Disclaimer:
Hello people out there, this is my first time—I mean, my first time publishing a romance genre on this platform. I've written a lot of romance stories, but I didn't publish them because I didn't feel like writing and publishing. I recently decided to publish it; it had been sitting in my Wattpad drafts, but it could potentially become a feature on this platform. It already existed on Wattpad, so here it is. I'm going to have to study the romance genre now. This isn't SPG—but does it have SPG? I forgot. I hope you'll enjoy reading these. I think this will be a tough situation. This author is confusing. Please support. Bye.
A/N: A reminder to all readers: the characters, setting, and events in this story are purely the imagination of a writer, and I hope you understand. There might be grammatical errors, man, because I didn't edit this work of mine. Thank you very much.
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What is forever, really? Does it even exist in real life? Or is it just another fantasy cooked up by romance novels, pocketbooks, and cheesy comic books?
This is the question Mariely always asks herself—usually during those moments when her thoughts drift too far, too deep.
A hopeless romantic to the core, Mariely Faith Abad-Celestial has always dreamed of finding the one. Her mind often wanders to the same question:
"Are you even ready to be in a relationship, Mariely Faith Abad-Celestial?"
But no—that's not the real question.
Here it is:
"Will anyone even like you?"Stop fantasizing already. You're not the kind of girl men fall for—just a plain, ordinary woman.
There she was again, standing in front of the mirror, talking to herself, arguing with her own reflection.
"And my God, are you in love, sis? Another pimple?!"
She poked at it dramatically. Ugh.
"Men nowadays want someone beautiful, curvy, tall, fair-skinned, and, of course, with a flawless face," she said aloud. Then she stared at herself more critically.
"Look at you, Faith. Do you even meet half of those standards?"
No, her reflection answered. Exactly.
"Stop it," she muttered, scolding herself again.
Forever? Maybe she was destined to be forever single—not that it's such a bad thing. She laughed bitterly whenever that word crossed her mind.
"If forever were real, there wouldn't be so many bitter people," she added, shaking her head as if someone had been listening. But of course, no one was. Talking to herself was a hobby she had mastered.
At twenty-one, Mariely had just graduated with a degree in secondary education, majoring in Filipino. And yet… even with a diploma in hand, her "dream boy" still hadn't shown up.
Maybe he's just stuck in traffic. Terrible traffic these days, she joked to herself, chuckling.
"Hey, Ely! Focus on your dream—you're going to be the best teacher in the world, remember? And you still need to pass the board exam, you idiot. So please, stay focused."
She gave herself a firm pep talk.
"There's your TOR to handle, and your real life is about to begin. So calm your ovaries—you're going to die a virgin anyway. Accept it."
With a sigh, she walked away from the mirror. That whole inner monologue made her hungry.
Mariely was a simple girl—cheerful, talkative, and always a little dramatic.
Of course, talkativeness came naturally to future teachers. Let's just say she had a beauty that wasn't loud—the kind that crept up on you. Not tall, not flashy, but with a heart way bigger than her body.
In her twenty-one years of life, she'd never been courted—not even once. No suitors, no love letters, not even a Facebook "Hey, you're cute."
Maybe it was because she didn't fit the beauty standard. Maybe not.
"Will I ever meet him? Or will I end up an old maid?" The thought came again, uninvited.
"Ely, focus," she snapped at herself.
She had to get ready. She was heading to her school to pick up her transcript. So many things to take care of. So many adult things.
This is it—reality.
"Welcome to the real world," she muttered with a mischievous grin.