Eros Pov.

"Ugh!" I yawned, squinting as the sun's rays hit my face.

Jeez it's morning already? Time fly so fast. It feels like I just closed my eyes for a second, and now I'm awake again.

It's So frustrating. And to top it all off, my phone's been buzzing like crazy. Who could be calling at this hour damn.

"Hello," I mumbled into the phone.

"Eros! What time is it?! Are you planning on forgetting me up? Or are you trying to pull a disappearing act on me again?" The voice on the other end yelled.

My ears are ringing! That girl's voice could shatter glass.

"Ah, Juno, haha, it's you! Good morning!" I said, trying to sound cheerful.

Oh, shoot. What day is it? Wait... June 13th. Crap.

No wonder she's breathing fire. This is the third month I'm late on payments. If I don't pay her, that woman will absolutely locked me up.

I'm dead. Ugh, how did I get myself into this mess?

"There's nothing special in the morning you rascal. So, are you planning on showing up or not? And where's my money?"

"Alright, alright! What's the rush? I'll meet you at the usual restaurant. I'll be there in five minutes. I've got to go!"

Ugh! What am I going to do? I need to come up with 50k for her today. If I don't, I'm toast.

I jumped out of bed and scrambled to my closet for some clothes. I checked my little lockbox where I'd been stashing cash.

Oh no. I only have 48k right now.Where am I going to find another 2k that fast?

I yanked on a t-shirt and some pants. Quick trip to the bathroom to brush my teeth and splash some water on my face. Good enough—I'll shower tomorrow. I did yesterday, after all. And I smell fine even if I skip a day. I bolted out the door.

In the parking lot, I gave Veronica a quick pat.

"You're looking finer every day, Veronica. You're one of a kind," I said to my beautiful car.

I hurried to the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Juno. I walked since I didn't even have money for gas. I'm still 2k short on what I owe her. I'll just have to deal with it; I'll give her the rest later.

Hopefully, she'll understand.

I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for that woman. If she hadn't meddled with Juno's mom's necklace, it wouldn't have gone missing. After that, she just ran off, and I got the blamed. The jewelry was worth half a million. So, until now, I'm still trying to pay off the agreed-upon monthly installments.

I need to finish it before the end of the year, or I'm really going to end up in jail. I have six months left to pay. That's 300,000 pesos.

That's a lot of money; where am I going to get that? I'm also supporting my younger sibling's education, and then there's grandmas maintenance.

Both our mom and dad have passed away. So, it's just my sibling and me. I'm in Nueva Ecija now; I should actually be studying, but because of what happened, I had to stop and work at a convenience store near where I'm staying. I don't want my grandma to know because she'll just worry. At least, what I earn from part-time work is enough for me to save up.

I didn't notice that I was already in front of the restaurant where I was meeting Juno. I immediately went inside and looked for her. I spotted her not far away;

wow, she seems to be in a good mood. She's even smiling and waving at me.

"Hey Juno, you're looking extra gorgeous today," I said, sliding into the seat across from her.

"Cut the crap, Eros. It's too early for your flattery. Where's the cash?"

"You're so prickly, no wonder you're still single," I joked.

I gave her the money, which she snatched without a second glance. She's stunning, but man, is she feisty. Small package, big attitude.

"Hey! This isn't all of it," she said, her brow furrowed.

"Heh, well, Juno, the thing is... could I maybe..."

I reached for her hand, but she immediately clocked me. A light punch, but a punch nonetheless.

"Eros Micael Dizon, let me remind you: those puppy-dog eyes aren't going to work on me. Wipe that smile off your face!" she growled.

I just rubbed the back of my head.

"Alright, alright. I'll figure something out later. We're friends right," I grumbled.

I leaned back in my chair and took a drink of water. I noticed she sighed too, then looked at me seriously.

I grinned at her.

"What? Don't tell me you're falling for me? Oh, Juno, really? You need to stop that. You know I—"

"Shut up, will you? Tss! I was just wondering where is Zeph now."

My ears perked up at the mention of that name. I stood up and excused myself.

"I'll bring the rest of the money later. I'm leaving," I said seriously, and walked out.

I don't know what to feel whenever I hear her name. She's the one to blame for all of this. She's the one who ruined my life.

After my meeting with Juno, I was heading home when I noticed 10 missed calls on my phone. And tons of messages. I completely forgot I was supposed to meet my girlfriend today! And I don't even have my car. How am I going to get there? The coffee shop is three places away. Oh well, I guess I'll just walk. Great.

Beeep...

Shit! I almost got hit by a motorcycle! Who is this idiot?! I already have a ton of problems; now someone's trying to kill me?!

"Are you crazy?!" I yelled.

"Kuya Eros? Haha, is that you?"

"Raven? Wait, what are you doing here? Aren't you in Baguio? Whose motorcycle is this?"

"You ask so many questions, haha," she said, getting off her motorcycle and hugging me.

"You haven't changed a bit, still so jumpy. You and your love for coffee, haha," she laughed.

Who wouldn't be jumpy? I thought that was the end of me.

"By the way, where are you headed? And where's Veronica? Why are you walking?"

"Ah, well, Veronica... uh... a friend borrowed her. Yeah, they're picking up their mom at the airport. I let them borrow her."

He can't find out about my situation here. He'll definitely tell Lola. And she's such a chatterbox.

Raven is my cousin; her mom and my mom are sisters. They live in Baguio. It's been five years since we last saw each other, ever since I decided to move here to Nueva Ecija.

"Oh, I see. So, where are you rushing off to?"

"I was supposed to meet my girlfriend," I replied.

"Girlfriend? You mean Ate Ivy?"

I just nodded in response.

"Wow, you two are still together? That's a long time! Ivy's really patient, Kuya Eros, haha," he teased.

"Tsk, who could resist a handsome guy like me?" I bragged.

"Haha, it's in our blood, Kuya. Don't be surprised."

"What, the handsomeness?" I quipped.

"No, craziness, haha. Better hop on. I'll give you a ride. I'm just sightseeing anyway, and I'm heading home on Sunday. Just a little vacation here."

Perfect timing. My girl's probably been waiting forever.

We headed to the coffee shop where Ivy was waiting. On the way, Raven filled me in on what he's been up to. Turns out, her family moved from Baguio three years ago. They're living in Pangasinan now and started a business there. They had some rough patches with their ventures until they finally found success with a bakery. She's managing it now, which explains why he suddenly seems so mature. Not just her face, but her whole demeanor. The last time I saw him, he was getting into a fistfight with my little sister. There's only a three-year age gap between us, the same gap between my sister and me. But now, you'd think we were all the same age. He's 23, and I'm 26. Guess stress can do that to you.

"Here we are, Kuya," he said. I got off and took off my helmet.

"Thanks, man," I said.

"Sure, Kuya. Good luck on your date! Say hi to Ate Ivy for me."

"Will do. Take care."

After he left, I went inside the coffee shop. I immediately looked for Ivy. Thank goodness she was still there, waiting for me.

"Hi, love," I said, kissing her cheek in greeting and then sitting down.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to stop by..."

"We're breaking up, Eros."

I looked at her, stunned.

"Love, what are you talking about? Is something wrong? Are you mad at me because I was late? What's the problem? Tell me. I'll listen."

"It's always like this, Eros. I'm tired of it. Aren't you tired of this situation?"

"Ivy, what are you saying? Can you even hear yourself? What happened to 'no matter what, I'll stay with you'? Love, I know you're just tired. Don't say things like that."

Tears started to well up in my eyes. It hurts. Every word coming out of her mouth is like a knife. Why is it so easy for her to say all of this?

"Tell me, Eros, do you even have a plan for us? You don't even seem to have a plan for yourself. We've been together for so long, yet you haven't made a single effort to make this relationship last. I'm so, so tired."

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"What are you saying? Don't do this, Love. Don't do this to me. Ivy, please. What do you want? I'll even kneel in front of you," I pleaded.

"That's enough, Eros. Let's stop this. I tried, I really did. I thought you would grow, that we would grow together. But nothing happened. I'm sorry. Let's end this."

She was about to leave when I grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. A tight hug that crushed my heart. I wasn't prepared for this. I never thought we'd reach to this point. Maybe she's right. Maybe I am immature. But I can't… I can't lose her.

She tried to push me away, but I wouldn't let go. The pain I felt was unbearable. I never expected things to end like this.

"Eros, please, stop. Let go of me. It's over," she said.

I didn't want to let go. I knew that the moment I did, she would be gone forever. I couldn't… I just couldn't.

"Let go of me! What the?!" Eros shouted, completely drunk.

He'd already had a lot, but he kept drinking.

"Take it easy, man. You want to get an autograph from St. Peter?" Ivo, one of Eros's friends, said.

"What's his problem? Why did he suddenly want to drink? He doesn't even drink, does he?" Yuki another friend, asked, grabbing the glass of alcohol from Eros.

"I don't know. He just called me out of the blue and said he wanted to drink. When I got to the bar, he was already like this," Ivo replied, taking a swig of his beer.

"I wonder what's wrong. Hey, Eros, what's up? Did you and Ivy have a fight?" Yuki asked.

Eros just looked at him, clutching his glass of alcohol. He drank it down and then started crying again.

"Ivy!!" he yelled, drawing everyone's attention.

"Ugh!! What's with the sudden shouting? You almost burst my eardrums! Ow!" Yuki complained.

"Ivy, Ivy," Eros repeated.

"I think Eros is losing it. Hey, it's almost dawn. When is that idiot getting here?" Ivo grumbled, looking at his watch.

"Oh, there he is," Yuki said, pointing to Bryn approaching.

Bryn walked over, smiling and twirling his car keys on his finger.

Yuki mmediately punched him in the arm.

"Where were you? You took forever! Come on, come on! Help us carry Eros before he makes a scene here."

Together, they carried Eros to Bryn's car. They put him in the back seat between Yuki and Ivo, while Bryn started driving.

"What happened? Why is he so drunk? He doesn't even drink, does he?" Bryn asked as he drove.

"We don't know. He just keeps saying 'Ivy, Ivy, Ivy.' It's driving me crazy," Yuki complained.

"Hey, Eros, what did you and Ivy fight about? What's going on?" Ivo asked again, leaning against the car window.

Eros didn't answer. He just stared silently out the window.

"Maybe they broke up," Bryn chimed in.

Eros suddenly started sobbing and then burst into tears again, continuing to call out Ivy's name. Yuki and Ivo didn't know what to do.

"There, there, Eros, don't cry," Yuki comforted him.

"Yeah, it's okay. This is all your fault," Ivo blamed Bryn, kicking his seat.

"H-hey! Why me?"

Ivo leaned Eros against his shoulder, comforting him.

"Shhh, it's okay. You poor thing. So, you and… Ivy broke up?"

Eros cried even harder.

"Now look what you did, you made him cry even more!

Yuki pulled Eros closer and leaned him against his own shoulder, soothing him.

"Shhh, it's okay. It'll be alright. Don't cry, baby boo," Yuki said, hugging him.

Ivo joined the hug as well.

A few moments later, they heard Bryn sniffling.

"What are you crying about? Are you heartbroken too?" Yuki asked.

"No… it's just… it's so sad," Bryn replied.

"Ugh, you're such an idiot! Now you're making me cry too! Wahh!!"

"What's wrong with you guys?! I told you… why are you crying? I'm going to cry too!" Yuki sobbed.

They all started crying together. Eros just stared at them, looking annoyed.

The three continued to cry, while Eros just stared out the window. After a while, they stopped when they reached a bridge.

"Let me out," Eros said, still staring out the window.

The three exchanged glances.

"Let me out. I need to get out," Eros repeated.

"We can't, Eros. We're in the middle of the bridge," Bryn said, continuing to drive.

"I said, let me out!" Eros shouted, startling the three of them.

Ivo and Yuki exchanged another look and suddenly grabbed Eros tightly.

"What the?! Let go of me! What are you doing?"

Eros struggled, but he couldn't break free.

"No, don't… don't do what you're thinking. You're still young! We have so many dreams!" Ivo said, hugging Eros tightly.

"Don't even think about it. No way. What about your future generations? What are we going to tell them about you? No, Eros, no!" Yuki pleaded.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! Bryn, stop the car!" He continued to struggle, but they wouldn't let him go.

"Let me out! I need to get out!!" Eros screamed. Ivo hugged him even tighter.

"Let go of me, Ivo! I need to get out! Let go..."

"No. You can't die. I won't let you go, no matter what," Ivo said.

Bwuaah...

Bryn stopped the car. Everyone froze, especially when Eros suddenly threw up, and it landed squarely on Ivo's face.

Yuki swallowed hard.

"I… told you to let me go," Eros said.

Yuki and Bryn immediately got out of the car. Eros followed. Ivo remained inside, completely still.

"I… I'm going to kill you, Eros," Ivo said through gritted teeth, wiping the vomit off his face.

"Eros!!!" he yelled, as Eros took off running, with his two friends in hot pursuit.