Chapter 6
First "Casual Date" (Set Up by Management)
Celine sat across from Mavis in a quiet café, stirring her iced coffee absentmindedly. The place had a warm, cozy atmosphere, but outside, the world was anything but calm. Fans and paparazzi were already hovering nearby, eager to capture every little interaction between them.
Mavis, on the other hand, was completely unbothered. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands as she grinned at Celine. "You know, for someone who's supposed to be my ‘love team partner,’ you don’t seem that interested na makilala ako."
Celine barely glanced up. "I already know what I need to know. You’re the most popular member of Lumina, your fans love you, and you have a bright personality. Enough na yun para sakin."
Mavis pouted, pretending to be offended. "Ouch. So, I’m just a marketing tool to you?"
Celine finally looked at her, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Aren't we both?"
Mavis let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. "Ang hirap naman pala sayo. But, whatever. I’ll win you over eventually."
Celine raised a brow, intrigued. "Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"
Mavis shrugged playfully, then leaned back in her chair. "By being my awesome self, of course."
Celine chuckled softly. "Edi goodluck"
There was a comfortable silence between them as they sipped their drinks. Then, Mavis spoke again, her voice a little more serious this time.
"You know," she started, swirling the straw in her drink, "acting was actually my first dream."
Celine looked up at her, surprised. "Really?"
Mavis nodded. "Yeah. Sa totoo lang, dapat talaga nag-audition ako for acting roles. Pero noong nagkataon na may PPOP audition, sinubukan ko lang. Eh ‘di ko inakala na makukuha ako." She laughed softly. "So, tinuloy ko na lang."
Celine tilted her head slightly, her usual indifference cracking just a little. "And now you want to go back to acting?"
Mavis smiled, nodding. "Yeah. This is my first official acting project, and I get to do it with you. So, kahit kinakabahan ako, excited din."
Celine found herself smiling—just a little. "At least you’re honest about it."
Mavis grinned. "Always."
For the first time since the setup started, Celine felt a bit of genuine interest in Mavis. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Their drinks were halfway gone when Mavis finally gathered the courage to ask, shifting a little in her seat.
"By the way," she started, her fingers playing with the straw of her drink. "Nabasa mo na ba yung buong script or flow ng story?"
Celine, who had been checking her phone, looked up lazily. "Not really. Just skimmed through it."
Mavis blinked. "You mean… you haven’t read the whole thing?"
Celine shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "I’ve done a lot of romcoms. It’s all the same, more or less. Meet-cute, tension, conflict, grand gesture, happy ending. I get the gist."
Mavis hesitated, suddenly looking nervous. "So… okay ka lang don?"
Celine furrowed her brows, confused. "Saan?"
Mavis took a deep breath and finally muttered, "May kissing scene don… six to be exact."
She immediately looked away, unable to meet Celine’s gaze. Her ears were red, and she was gripping her cup just a little too tightly.
Celine, on the other hand, barely reacted. She simply smirked, tilting her head slightly as if she were amused. "Of course."
Mavis’ eyes widened slightly. "Ang bilis mo namang sumagot!"
Celine chuckled. "Bakit? Do you think I’d be scared or something?"
Mavis pouted, her voice a little defensive. "Hindi naman sa ganun… pero anim kasi! At… first acting project ko ‘to, tapos ganun agad."
Celine rested her elbow on the table, propping her chin on her hand as she studied Mavis. "So, first kiss mo rin?"
Mavis nodded hesitantly. "Yeah…"
Celine let out a low hum, as if considering something. Then, with a teasing smile, she added, "Well, better get used to it. Kasi sa set, no room for hesitation. Lalo na kung gusto mong magmukhang totoo."
Mavis groaned, covering her face. "Huwag mo kong i-pressure, Celine!"
Celine laughed softly. "Relax, I won’t bite." Then, after a pause, she smirked, lowering her voice slightly. "Unless kailangan sa eksena."
Mavis gasped, eyes wide. "Celine!"
Celine only chuckled, clearly enjoying how flustered Mavis was.
"You’re cute when you’re nervous," she said, taking a sip of her coffee.
Mavis groaned again, slumping in her seat. "Oh my god, paano ako tatagal sa movie na ‘to…"
Celine only smirked, amused by Mavis’ reaction.
This might be fun after all.
After finishing their drinks, Mavis and Celine strolled down the busy streets, the evening air cool against their skin. The city was alive with the soft hum of conversations, the distant sound of traffic, and the occasional flickering of neon signs from nearby shops.
Mavis was walking a little ahead, her energy still high, when she suddenly gasped dramatically.
"OH MY GOD!"
Celine snapped her head up, slightly alarmed. "Ano?"
Mavis turned to her, eyes sparkling with excitement. "May street food!"
Celine followed Mavis’ gaze and saw a small stall by the sidewalk, smoke rising as skewers sizzled on the grill. Fish balls, kikiam, kwek-kwek—it had everything.
Mavis practically skipped over to the stall, clapping her hands together. "Kuya, pabili po!"
Celine just shook her head, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she followed. She was used to seeing idols on strict meal plans, obsessing over every calorie. Yet here was Mavis, a rising P-pop idol, happily buying street food like a carefree college student.
As Mavis waited for her order, a few people nearby started whispering. The murmurs grew, and before long, fans began cautiously approaching, pulling out their phones.
"Grabe, ang ganda nila pareho," one girl whispered excitedly.
"Bagay sila, diba?" another one gushed.
A braver fan finally stepped forward, smiling nervously. "Miss Celine, Miss Mavis, ang cute niyo pong tingnan together!"
Mavis, who was busy dipping her freshly fried fish balls into the sweet sauce, turned her head and beamed. "Aww, thank you po!" she said with her usual bright energy.
Celine, used to this kind of attention, simply gave a small nod and a polite smile. "Salamat," she said coolly.
The small crowd around them grew. Some were taking discreet pictures, others just standing by, watching them interact.
Mavis, still holding her stick of fish balls, turned to Celine with a teasing smile. "Oh rinig mo yon, bagay daw tayo."
Celine smirked. "Sanay na ako dyan."
Mavis laughed. "Eh ako hindi!" She popped another fish ball into her mouth.
Celine lifted a brow. "First time mo?"
Mavis blinked. "Huh?"
Celine shrugged. "First time mong ma-ship with someone like this?"
Mavis hesitated for a second before nodding. "Yeah. I mean, sa group, may mga fans na nagshu-ship sa amin ng members ko, pero iba ‘to"
Celine chuckled, knowing exactly what Mavis meant. "Masasanay ka rin."
"Diba may strict diet kayo?"
Mavis glanced at her, chewing. "Oo."
Celine raised an eyebrow. "Tapos kain ka ng ganyan?"
Mavis grinned, stuffing another fish ball into her mouth. "Dzuh. Ibu-burn ko nalang to mamaya."
Celine smirked, shaking her head. "Wow very chill."
Mavis gasped dramatically, placing a hand on her chest. "Wow! What an honor!" she said, her voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "Ladies and gentlemen, Celine Cortez finds me chill!"
Celine rolled her eyes, but the small, amused smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.
As they continued walking, Mavis suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Oh, wait! I forgot—Celine, tikman mo ‘to!" she said excitedly, spearing a fish ball with her stick and holding it up to Celine’s lips.
Celine blinked. "What—?"
Before she could react, Mavis had already moved closer, her grin teasing. "Come on, don’t be shy."
The small crowd around them gasped. A few fans screamed, their phones raised and recording.
Celine froze. She wasn’t used to this—at least, not outside a movie set. She had done fan service before, but this? This was different. It was unscripted. Unexpected.
Her gaze flickered from the fish ball to Mavis, who was still smiling like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The fans around them started chanting. "KAIN! KAIN! KAIN!"
Celine sighed, then leaned forward and took a bite.
The moment the fish ball disappeared into her mouth, the crowd erupted.
"OH MY GOD!!!"
"GRABE SILA!!"
"CELINEMAVIS SUPREMACY!"
Mavis laughed as she chewed, clearly enjoying the chaos. Meanwhile, Celine just shook her head, wiping the corner of her mouth with her thumb.
"See? Not so bad, right?" Mavis grinned.
Celine swallowed, her voice cool but laced with amusement. "Ikaw ang may gusto nito, ah."
Mavis winked. "Siyempre!"
Celine scoffed, but deep inside, she knew the truth—this wasn’t just about the fans. There was something about Mavis that made her drop her usual walls, even if just for a second.
And as they walked away, with fans still screaming behind them, she realized something.
Mavis was dangerous.
Because she made Celine feel.
After spending hours together, Celine found herself pulling up in front of Mavis’s condo building. The night was quieter now, the city lights casting a soft glow over the streets.
Mavis unbuckled her seatbelt, stretching slightly. “Thanks, Celine” she said with a grin, looking at Celine. “Nag-enjoy ako”
Celine just hummed, fingers tapping against the steering wheel. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. It had been… interesting. Different from what she was used to. Mavis’s energy was overwhelming at times, but not in a bad way.
Mavis hesitated for a second before smiling again. “Salamat sa paghatid, ha?”
Celine nodded, her eyes briefly flickering to Mavis before turning back to the road. “Sige na, pumasok ka na.”
Mavis chuckled, giving her a small salute. “Yes, ma’am! Ingat ka!” She stepped out of the car, waving before jogging towards the entrance of the building.
Celine watched her disappear inside before exhaling and leaning back against her seat.
Her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and saw multiple notifications flooding in—mentions, tags, messages.
She clicked on one of them, and her Twitter feed opened to a trending hashtag:
#CelineMavis
Celine scoffed, shaking her head as she scrolled through the tweets.
— “OMG, they’re so cute together! Mavis feeding Celine?!! AHHH I’M SCREAMING”
— “Their chemistry is insane, and they’re not even acting yet??”
— “Celine looks so soft around Mavis… I’m scared. I’m falling for this ship.”
— “CelineMavis supremacy! Romcom Queen x P-pop Queen?? We won!!”
— “Did you guys see how Celine just ate what Mavis gave her without hesitation???”
Celine sighed, rubbing her temple. She expected this. Their management wanted this. But seeing how quickly people latched onto the idea of her and Mavis together? It was almost surreal.
And the worst part?
She wasn’t as annoyed as she thought she’d be.
Instead, a small smirk tugged at her lips.
Celine parked her car in her condo’s basement parking, still scrolling through the tweets. The reactions were insane—fan edits, theories, even slow-motion videos of Mavis feeding her. She sighed, locking her phone and leaning her head back against the seat.
She should be used to this. The manufactured chemistry, the fan service, the way the industry worked. But Mavis… she was different. Too natural, too easygoing.
And maybe that was dangerous.
Her phone vibrated again.
She groaned, thinking it was her manager checking in, but when she glanced at the screen—
Arianne.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Of all times, now?
She hesitated. For a moment, she thought about ignoring it. Letting it ring until it died out. But before she could stop herself, her thumb swiped across the screen.
Silence.
She didn’t speak. She waited.
On the other end, Arianne let out a breath. “You’re trending again.”
Celine closed her eyes briefly. “And?”
“You look happy.”
Celine clenched her jaw. “Shouldn’t I be?”
Arianne didn’t answer right away. The silence between them was heavy—almost suffocating.
“I just…” Arianne sighed. “I saw the video.”
Of course she did. Celine could already imagine her scrolling through the same posts, watching the same clips that had fans screaming.
“Good for you,” Arianne said, voice quieter this time.
Something about the way she said it made Celine’s chest tighten.
“Is that why you called?” she asked, trying to keep her tone even.
Arianne was quiet for a second. Then—
“No.”
Celine frowned. “Then what?”
“I—” Arianne paused, almost like she was second-guessing herself. “I don’t know. I just… I wanted to hear your voice.”
Celine’s grip on the phone tightened.
That wasn’t fair.
After everything, after years of silence, after the pain—Arianne didn’t get to do this. She didn’t get to just call her in the middle of the night and say something like that.
“You don’t get to say that,” Celine said, her voice sharp, but her hands were shaking.
Then, a deep inhale—Arianne’s.
"Miss na kita, Celine."
Celine's chest tightened.
"Fuck."
The word slipped past her lips before she could stop it. She cursed under her breath, leaning back against her seat. She should hang up. She should.
But she didn’t.
Arianne exhaled shakily, and that’s when Celine heard it—her voice breaking.
Was she… crying?
"Kung papayagan mo lang akong itama lahat ng maling nagawa ko, itatama ko, Celine."
Celine shut her eyes.
"Ewan ko… gusto ko bumawi sa’yo. I wanna do things right—nung mga panahong mali yung ginawa ko sayo."
Celine scoffed, shaking her head.
"And now you want to fix things? Ngayon, after all this time?" Her voice was cold. Detached. But inside? She was burning.
Arianne sucked in a breath. She was silent for a moment, and then—
"Celine, you have to understand… I didn't have a choice."
Celine let out a dry laugh.
"Bullshit."
"Hindi." Arianne's voice cracked. "Hindi ako nagbibiro. Hindi ako nagdadahilan. The moment they signed me, I had to let go of you."
Celine’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"They made me sign a no-dating contract. No relationships. No distractions." Arianne swallowed. "And if I refused?" She let out a humorless chuckle. "They wouldn’t have let me debut. All my years of training, all my sacrifices… it would’ve been for nothing."
Celine stayed quiet.
Arianne sniffled, her voice barely above a whisper.
"And you… you were my greatest distraction, Celine."
Celine's breath hitched.
"They told me I had to cut off all ties with you. No messages. No calls. Nothing. And I…" Arianne let out a shaky breath. "I didn’t fight back. I just… let it happen."
And there it was.
The truth.
The truth Celine had been waiting for all these years.
Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Because deep down? She already knew.
She had known since the day Arianne stopped replying. Since the day her number became unreachable. Since the day Celine had to watch from afar as Arianne became a star.
But hearing it now? From Arianne herself?
It shattered her all over again.
"And that makes it okay?" Celine’s voice was eerily calm. "That makes it okay to leave me without a word? Without an explanation?"
Arianne let out a soft, broken sound.
"No… Hindi. Alam kong hindi."
Silence.
Then, almost desperate—Arianne whispered, "If I had fought for us… would you have waited?"
Celine exhaled sharply, pressing her forehead against the steering wheel.
"Why are you asking me this now?"
She wanted to scream. She wanted to hate her.
But all she could feel… was longing.
She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip.
"Damn you, Arianne."
Her hands tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. Her jaw clenched, trying to hold back the storm raging inside her. But the words spilled out before she could stop them—raw, desperate, and aching.
"Tangina, Arianne… kung ako lang tatanungin, kaya pa kitang mahalin at ilaban, eh."
Arianne sucked in a sharp breath.
Celine laughed bitterly, wiping away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. "Alam mo, kahit ilang beses kong sabihing tapos na tayo, kahit anong pilit kong sabihin sa sarili kong nakamove on na 'ko—putangina, hindi totoo."
Her voice cracked, her pain bleeding through every syllable.
"Dahil hindi ko naman talaga magawang kalimutan ka."
Arianne was crying now too. "Celine…"
"Bakit mo ko iniwan kung mahal mo ko?" Celine’s voice trembled. "Bakit hindi ka lumaban kung gusto mo pala ako?"
Arianne’s voice broke. "Dahil pinilit akong lumayo! Dahil sa kontrata, sa management—lahat ng ‘yon!"
She choked on a sob, pressing a hand to her chest. "Pero wala akong ibang sinisisi kundi ang sarili ko, Celine… Kasi hinayaan ko. Kasi hindi ako lumaban para sa'yo."
Celine let out a shaky exhale, tilting her head back against the seat, trying to breathe through the sharp pain in her chest.
"Arianne…" she whispered, closing her eyes. "Kung sinabi mo lang sa’kin noon… kung hinawakan mo lang ako kahit saglit… hindi ako bibitaw."
Arianne let out a strangled sob on the other end of the line.
"Pero huli na, ‘di ba?" Celine forced out a chuckle, but it sounded so broken. "Dumaan na ‘yung mga taon. Marami nang nangyari. Hindi ko na alam kung saan tayo lulugar."
Silence.
Then—
Arianne inhaled shakily, as if she was gathering every ounce of courage left in her. "I want you back, Celine."
Celine let out a trembling breath, gripping the steering wheel so tightly her hands ached. She blinked rapidly, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
Arianne’s words echoed in her mind—“I want you back.”
Putangina, she thought bitterly, wiping at her tears with the back of her hand.
She had spent years trying to forget. Trying to heal. Trying to convince herself that Arianne was a chapter she could close.
But now, just like that—Arianne was pulling her back in.
Celine let out a broken laugh, shaking her head. Then, in a voice so soft, so full of heartbreak, she whispered to herself—
"Kung makita tayo ng college version natin… sigurado akong magagalit sila."
She could almost picture it.
The younger versions of them—so in love, so sure that they would never leave each other’s side. The ones who made promises under the city lights, who whispered dreams into each other’s ears, who believed that love alone would be enough to conquer anything.
If those versions of them saw what had become of them now?
They would be furious.
They would be devastated.
Because the old Celine and Arianne would have fought.
They would have fought for their love, for their future—fought against anything and everything that tried to pull them apart.
But they didn’t.
Not in this lifetime.
Not when it mattered the most.
Celine bit her lip, shutting her eyes tightly as a fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Bakit ngayon lang?" she whispered, voice barely audible.
She wanted to go back.
She wanted to tell their younger selves—"Wag kayong bibitaw."
But she couldn’t.
All she had was now.
And she didn’t know if now was still enough.
Arianne stared at her phone, her hands trembling. The call had ended, but the weight of Celine’s silence—her pain—still pressed heavily on her chest.
She wiped at her tears, but they wouldn’t stop. She felt like she was drowning in them, suffocating under the weight of everything she had lost.
Her mind drifted—back to a time before everything fell apart.
Back when she and Celine were unstoppable.
*flashback*
"Mahal mo pa rin ako bukas?" Celine asked, grinning as they sat on the rooftop of their university building, the city lights blinking in the distance.
Arianne chuckled, nudging Celine’s shoulder. "Tanga. Ano ‘yan, pang-drama?"
"Hindi, seryoso." Celine turned to her, eyes filled with something so raw, so unwavering. "Kahit anong mangyari, kahit anong dumating sa’tin… pipiliin mo pa rin ba ako?"
Arianne didn’t hesitate. She took Celine’s hands in hers, squeezing tightly.
"Araw-araw."
Celine smiled—that smile, the one that made Arianne’s heart race, the one that felt like home.
"Kahit magbago ang mundo natin?"
"Kahit magbago ang mundo natin," Arianne whispered back, leaning in, pressing a soft kiss to Celine’s lips.
*end of flashback*
But the world did change.
And she let it take Celine away.
Arianne clenched her fists, guilt clawing at her insides. She had fought—God, she had wanted to fight—but in the end, she let go.
She let the management dictate her life.
She let the fear of losing her career silence her.
And because of that, she lost Celine.
Now, years later, she was here—wanting, longing, aching—but was it too late?
Did she still have the right to ask for Celine back?
Or had she lost her forever?