When The Poor Girl Suddenly Became Rich

"SO. How's your gamer boyfriend?"

That was the very first thing Celine said the moment they sat down for their usual Friday gossip session at their favorite milk tea shop.

Andi almost choked on her straw. "I—he's not—what the heck?!"

"Excuse me, Miss Demure Filipina," Alyssa chimed in, adjusting her headband like it gave her superpowers. "You've been glowing. Like your professors don't scold you anymore. Like you're constantly bathed in SPF 100-level aura. Spill."

Andi pressed her lips together. She really tried. Tried so hard to act normal. But one look from her two best friends and she crumbled—like cheap pressed powder.

"...well."

WELL. That one word was like opening the floodgates.

"YOU'RE TOGETHER?!" Celine gasped.

"NO!" Andi practically slapped the table. "I mean… no. No label yet. But like… he taught Gesly how to punch last weekend, then we ate pares after, and then he touched my hand and—" She paused. "HIS HANDS ARE SO SOFT. WHY ARE HIS HANDS SO SOFT?!"

Alyssa was already fanning herself with Andi's abaniko. "Girl. Don't do this to me. I'm single and I'M the one getting butterflies."

Celine leaned in, chin in hand. "So… what's the status? What are you guys?"

Andi sank deeper into her seat. "There's mutual understanding. Mutual butterflies. Mutual pacing. Everything's mutual—except my mental stability."

"Have you kissed?" Alyssa asked with the precision of a lawyer.

Andi looked away dramatically. "We almost did."

"YOU ALMOST DID?!" They both screamed.

"I said ALMOST! My brother walked in! He straight up hit him with a 'WHO YOU?' like an immigration officer!"

Dead silence. Then uncontrollable laughter.

Celine wiped away tears. "Oh my God. He got 'Who You'd' by Gesly."

Andi groaned into her hands. "Sometimes I just wanna be a mushroom. Quiet. Simple. No boys."

"Girl, no," Celine said. "If that man teaches your brother how to fight, shows up with food, and touches your hand like it's made of rose petals—you better claim that. You're gorgeous. Go for it."

Alyssa leaned closer. "Andi. I saw you the other day on campus. Holding your abaniko while eating kwek-kwek like a teleserye lead. But your eyes? Floating."

"I was just… happy," Andi mumbled.

"Exactly," Celine said softly. "You're happy. And it shows."

That shut her up.

For the first time in a while, Andi was quiet—not because she had nothing to say, but because she knew they were right.

---

Later, as she was walking home, she texted Alonzo:

Andi:

hey. thanks for not letting my family get punched. or starve. or lose their minds.

Alonzo:

anytime. thanks for letting me stay in yours. Even if it's a little l chaotic 😂

Andi:

chaos builds character. character builds relationships. is that a thing?

Alonzo:

with you? definitely a thing.

She stared at the screen for three full minutes. Then screamed into her pillow for ten.

---

It was supposed to be a casual date.

"Quick one," Alonzo had said. "Let's check out that new coffee shop, maybe window shop a bit, get tempted into buying something at Daiso, then head home."

Andi—wearing her usual mall OOTD: flowy skirt, cute top, sling bag, and three-inch sandals (because you gotta serve looks even at Daiso)—nodded and said, "Okay."

But "casual" apparently included full-on hand-holding the moment they entered the mall.

Not the light kind. The whole palm, interlocked fingers, secure-no-one-can-cut-in kind of hold.

At first, Andi thought it was a joke. Maybe it was because of the crowd? A protective move? But even when they reached the bookstore—where there was no crowd—he still didn't let go.

"Are you comfortable?" She asked, half-joking, half-panicking.

"Hmm?" Alonzo looked up from browsing planners. "Yeah. Why?"

WHY? As if he wasn't out here holding her like they were official, missing only matching rings and a couple t-shirt.

On the escalator, he stood behind her, both hands gently resting on her waist. Andi could've collapsed then and there.

At the food court, while waiting for milk tea, he leaned on her shoulder like it was his favorite pillow.

At the arcade, he played basketball, glanced at her every time he scored, then winked.

WINKED.

And finally, on the walk home, without any shame, he draped his arm around her shoulders—not just a side hug, but a wrap-around. The kind that screamed: "Mine."

Andi tried to act chill. She really did.

But her brain was screaming: How is this a casual date when this man is acting like he's being possessed by a clingy alpha spirit?!

Lord, is this the man I've been praying for??

People stared.

Some girls glanced at Alonzo, clearly admiring his tall, quiet, soft-boy-but-alpha energy. Others looked at Andi like: "Why her?"

But Andi just smiled quietly. Because she knew exactly why. She fucking deserve this.

After buying snacks for Bella and Gesly, they stood outside to wait for a ride.

"Where are we taking a ride?" Alonzo asked.

"Wherever you're joining me to," she teased.

"Wait," he said, turning to face her, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

A slow, deliberate move. One that made her knees question everything.

"…you okay with this?" He asked, looking her in the eyes.

"This?"

"Us," he said, voice low and steady. "We don't have a label yet, but I want you to know—I'm not seeing anyone else. I'm not holding your hand just for fun."

Andi swallowed.

"Is it okay if we don't rush this, but keep everything clear?"

She nodded. "Very okay."

"Good." Then he smiled—soft, genuine, and sincere. "Next time, it'll be official. When you're ready."

And with that, he pulled her close again as the wind blew.

No kiss. Not yet.

But it was a promise. And in that moment, Andi knew: she wasn't just being claimed. She was being chosen.

---

It was just a normal Wednesday.

Gesly was at home, chilling with pancit canton in front of an electric fan, when his phone buzzed.

Messenger story notification:

From: Kuya Alonzo 🕶️🖤

Caption:

"Soft days with you ☁️"

Gesly blinked. Soft days??

He tapped.

There, in full Instagram-filtered glory, was a photo of Ate Andi and Kuya Alonzo—arm around her shoulder, clearly in a mall, clearly looking like a couple even though they "weren't official yet."

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK—

"SOFT DAYS?! WHAT'S SOFT?!"

He opened Instagram to double-check. Yep, same pic, different angle.

Caption: "She's my peace."

His fork dropped.

That's my sister, bro. My ATE. PEACE? SHE'S YOUR PEACE??

Gesly tried to breathe. Tried to rationalize. Maybe it was staged? Maybe his sister tripped and Alonzo caught her and it just looked romantic?

Yeah, right. What is this, a novel?

The next day, he had no peace of mind. His instincts kicked in. "Check on Ate. Now."

So he did what any protective little brother-slash-certified gossip would do: Skipped his last class and stormed his sister's university.

Wearing an all-black "undercover" outfit. Hoodie up. Milk tea in hand as decoy.

He searched the engineering hang out place. Nada. Library? Nothing. Café? Nope.

Until… behind the library, in a grassy campus corner with benches and walls, he saw—

"Wait—WAIT WAIT—wait…."

It was slow motion.

Alonzo. Sitting. Ate Andi. Standing in front of him, bent slightly.

Alonzo's face was— ON. HER. NECK.

Like gently pressed. Like there was giggling. Like "OH-MY-GOD-I-THINK-HE'S-LIGHTLY-BITING-HER-BUT-MAKE-IT-FLUFF."

Gesly gasped so loudly, a bird flew away.

He ducked behind a tree. This was not the character arc he signed up for. This was not a Netflix romcom. This was a Rated SPG live show.

He slowly backed away like he had just witnessed a crime.

"Okay. Maybe that wasn't what I thought. Maybe she had mud on her neck. Maybe he was just checking. Maybe it's a wound. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe."

But then he heard it—

"Stop moving, someone might see us." Andi's voice. Flustered. Giggling. Clearly not resisting. Clearly ENABLING VAMPIRE BOYFRIEND BEHAVIOR.

Gesly ran.

Full-on Olympic sprint. Straight home. Threw himself onto the couch, staring at the ceiling.

Bella passed by holding a Yakult. "Kuya, why do you look like you're about to cry?"

"I saw them…"

"Who?"

"ATE. ANDI. AND. THAT. MAN."

Bella blinked. "And?"

"They were cuddling. Like one of those before pictures in contraceptive ads."

"Huh?" Bella sipped her Yakult.

"I just want to go back to the time when all I knew about Ate was her laptop and calculus! Not this—this... love affair under a tree!"

He wailed.