ONE APP. ONE CHANCE ENCOUNTER. TWO HEARTS DRAWN TOGETHER.
As if willed by fate, college students Elrond and Elora found themselves connected to each other through Alter-a rising dating app in their generation.
Elrond, the Civil Engineering student...
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Elora's POV
"ELORA."
While I was putting all my things back in my bag, I looked up to Karina. As always, she approached me with a huge smile on her face.
"Gusto mo bang sumabay sa amin pauwi?" Pagmamagandang-loob niya sa akin. "Jack's going to pick me up today. Ihahatid niya lang ako kaya kung gusto mong sumabay, ayos lang."
"Thanks, but maybe next time," I kindly rejected her offer, zipped my bag and stood up. "I still have to run an errand before going home. Mauna na kayo."
"Saan ka ba pupunta?" kuryosong tanong niya. "We can take you there if you want."
Muli akong umiling habang nakangiti. "I'm all good, Karina. Ayaw kong makaabala sa inyo ni Jack. Malapit lang naman sa school ang pupuntahan ko."
She pursed her lips. "Are you still not comfortable being with Jack again?" she asked as her eyes dropped. "You really don't have to think about that anymore. Parang nakalimutan niya na nga ang nangyari noong birthday niya."
With a sigh, I reached for her hand and she immediately lifted her gaze back to me. "It's not like that, Karina," I reassured her. "Hindi ko na rin iniisip masyado ang nangyari no'n. I already got in terms with it. Nakausap ko na rin si Eli. I just don't want to inconvenience you and Jack when I'm fine on my own."
Her eyes widened a little. "You had a talk with Eli?" She sounded so surprised. "Kailan?! Paano? Bakit hindi mo naikuwento sa akin?"
"It just turns out that we're neighbors. I'm kind of acquainted with his mother," I explained without going further into details. "I'll tell you more next time, I promise. Kailangan ko lang talagang umalis na."
"Okay, then..." Tumango-tango siya at bahagyang ngumiti. "See you tomorrow?"
"Sure," I quickly replied. "Ingat kayo ni Jack pauwi."
Pagkatapos kong magpaalam kay Karina ay nagmadali akong umalis ng campus. Pumasok muna ako sa loob ng McDo upang makapagpalit ng civilian na damit dahil pakiramdam ko'y hindi ako magiging kumportable kung naka-uniporme pa ako.
Before leaving the fast-food establishment, I opened my phone to double-check the location where I'd be heading to. Nang makumpirma ay saka ko inilagay sa mapa ng aking smart watch ang destinasyon dahil natatakot akong maglabas ng cellphone sa lugar na pupuntahan.
I had a talk with Elrond last night. At first, we were lost and we didn't really know where to start. But then, he told me that he would team up with his genius best friend, Cooper, to try and find the developer of the Alter app in his world. And since I was also curious and I didn't want to feel useless, I also did research on my own.
I went to the app store to get to know the company that developed Alter―GAEA. I found out that their headquarters was established in the Philippines. I just wasn't sure which world, but that's what I got from the internet. Kaya nga lang ay hindi ako kuntento sa nahanap kong mga impormasyon. I only gathered the basic facts. There were no hints about the parallel world. There was nothing to be suspicious of.
