"WELCOME home, Charity!" 

My eyes automatically flew to the tall woman shouting from the arrival area of the airport. She was holding a banner with my name on it while sporting a big smile on her face. 

That was my best friend, Mariel. I returned her wide smile as I walked my way to her. 

“Charity!” 

She pulled me into a hug. "I missed you, girl."

"I missed you, too, Mar." Mariel Salvador was my best friend and my only remaining friend here in the Philippines. We have known each other since high school. We were classmates before in an exclusive academy. I was a scholar there while Mariel's the daughter of the school owner. 

"Damn, you looked different," she said after letting go of me. Her lips pursed as she stared at my face. "I almost do not recognize you."

I just laughed at her. "Shut up. As if we don't see each other on the phone."

"Well… yeah." She pursed her lips. "What I'm saying is you're like a different person now from Charity six years ago. If you show yourself to any of our high school classmates, I'd bet no one would be able to recognize you."

Well… yeah. I agree with her. I look different now. I pursed my lips. Back then, I didn't know the word fashion. My entire wardrobe was composed of baggy shirts and long skirts. I also wore contact lenses before to hide my green eyes. I wasn't comfortable with the attention people were giving me whenever they noticed my eyes, so I did hide them before. 

I ran  my fingers to my long straight jet black hair. I was wearing a blue button up long sleeved sheer top over a white spaghetti top, maong jeans and a black ankle length boots.

"Come on." Mariel said as she folded the banner she was holding earlier. "Let's get to my car."

I grabbed my suitcase and followed her. 

"How long will you be staying here?" Mariel asked as she played on her car keys with her finger. 

I looked at her. Mariel was unconventionally beautiful with her short hair and small face. She could pass up as an adrogenous model with her tall slender physique and tomboy look. 

Right now, she's wearing a white v neck shirt, tight black ripped jeans and a white converse. 

During the past six years, Mariel and I never got lost in touch with each other. I was updated with her life here in the Philippines. She was working as a junior accountant at a big shot accounting firm here in the country before she resigned from her job. She was living alone in a condo unit in the Metro… and just like me, she's still single. 

She glanced at my baggage as we headed to the parking lot. "How long are you staying here?" 

"Three months." My plan was to tour around the whole country in those three months. Then Mariel told me she left her job a month ago so she said she might join me on my vacation. 

She resigned from work because according to her, she wasn't happy anymore and wanted to try something new. Well, that was Mariel. Even before, she was already adventurous and a risk taker. I didn't even know how we became friends in the first place. 

We were the opposite of each other back then. I was this shy girl and she was this funny and cool gal at school. 

But then she approached me on the first day of class and talked to me about books. Then, we magically hit it off. I guessed, we just balance each other out. I was the yin to her yang and vice versa. 

"I still couldn't believe you'd stay that long!" She grinned at me. "I already made a list of the places we must go to." She clicked on her keyfob and opened her car. 

Mariel likes to travel. In fact, she already visited most of the famous tourist spots in the Philippines. 

"Thanks, Mar."

I put my luggage in the backseat of her car. I closed the door, then I went to the front seat.

"Do you want to eat first or do you wanna go straight to my unit?" She asked me as she put on her seatbelt.

Mariel knows I hate flying. And that I don't eat much during my flights. 

"Let's just go straight to your place." I looked at her. "I'm sure you have food in there?"

She pursed her lips. "Well…" She started the car and soon, we left the airport. "We can always have food delivered to my unit."

"Really?" I pursed my own lips. "You know, I always wonder how you survive living alone when you can't make your own food." 

"What? I know how to cook," she answered defensively. "I even made an omelet this morning." I saw her frown. "I can cook, I just don't really like spending time in the kitchen." 

"Right." I wanted to ask her something but stopped myself. I almost forgot that cooking was a sore topic to her. I didn't want to push her buttons. "Well… I'm fine with deliveries. Especially if it's from Jollibee!" I grinned excitedly as I mentioned my favorite Filipino fast food restaurant. Damn. It's been so long since I last tasted its famous spaghetti and fried chicken. 

"You're such a kid, Charity," Mariel said, grinning at me. 

I just sucked my tongue at her. Then we laughed together. Damn. I missed this. I missed my best friend. 

"I'm just happy to be back," I whispered as I turned to the car window and looked at the familiar view of the metro in front of me. The cars. The tall buildings. The sunny weather. God. I missed everything. Even the traffic and the pollution. 

My eyes turned wide when I saw a particular billboard hanging around EDSA. It was Xander Villarama. In one of the billboards of EDSA.

He was elegantly standing in the photo wearing a business suit. He was looking at the expensive wristwatch he was wearing. Alexander Villarama was in a huge billboard modeling a wristwatch? 

"Charity?" I heard Mariel and I didn't look at her. My eyes didn't leave the huge billboard in front of me. 

"Oh. You saw it." 

I finally cocked my head to her side. I found her looking at the billboard. 

"Stop the car, Mar." I said when I felt the car start moving again. 

"I can't stop the car in the middle of the EDSA, Cha." She looked at me incredulously. "Don't tell me, after six long years, you're still head over heels with Xander Villarama?" 

I didn't answer her. Instead, I continued to stare at the billboard which was now getting smaller in my eyes. 

I heard Mariel gasping beside me. "Really, Charity? You're trying to break your neck over a billboard?" 

I pursed my lips and shifted in my seat. I was now looking at the road. "I couldn't believe I'd see him there."

"You didn't answer my question," she arched her brow. "After all these years, you still like the guy?" 

Of course, Mariel was my best friend. She knew how much I liked Xander back then. She witnessed how I daydreamed about Xander during our college days. 

Over the past six years, we never get to talk about Xander. But I still looked up his name on the internet from time to time. I was aware that he was now one of the board members of Villarama Corporation, a multi-media company owned by his grandfather. I also knew that he was still a bachelor, but photos of him on the internet always include him with a beautiful woman on his side. 

"Until now, I still didn't know why you liked that guy." I heard Mariel mutter beside me. "Fine. I agree that he's drop dead handsome, but he's also a playboy. That Xander Villarama is a disgusting manwhore. Then and now.” She rolled her eyes. 

I pursed my lips. "He's not a disgusting manwhore, Mar," I said, disagreeing with her. "It's not his fault girls are flocking over him."

Even before, Mariel disliked Xander. Mariel was a man-hater. And Xander was known for being a ladies' man. I remembered during our college days, he was always seen with women next to him. Despite that playboy reputation against Xander Villarama, that didn't stop me from falling for him.  

Mariel glanced at me. She was frowning. "Don't tell me he's the reason why you still didn't have a boyfriend until now?" 

My lips slightly parted. "I'm just not interested in dating, Mar. I've been busy with my work." 

During the past eight years, I managed to date some of the guys that showed interest in me. But none of them I considered getting into a serious relationship with. 

Her eyebrows arched as if she's not buying me. "Really?" 

I let out a sigh. "Fine. I think I'm still hung up with Xander." Every damn time I got to meet a new guy, I couldn't help but compare him to Xander. 

"God," Mariel gasped exaggeratedly. "That guy didn't even know you, Cha."

I understand Mariel. Xander and I didn't become an item, heck, he didn't even know me. But still, I just couldn't shake off my feelings for him. Funny, right? 

I chewed on my lower lip. "I talked to him, Mariel."

Mariel rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Six years ago." 

"No." I pursed my lips. "We met earlier. On the plane." Or was it last night? How many hours have passed since I talked to him? 

My face almost hit the dashboard when Mariel stepped on the brake. Thank God we were no longer in EDSA. 

"Mariel!" I turned to her. She was looking at me with her mouth gape. 

"What do you mean, Charity?" 

I smiled. "On the flight. He was seated next to me."

Just like that, I remembered what happened hours ago...