It was a beautiful sunny day in Dakila Island when Ersel, a five-year-old boy, went out to visit his favorite place on the island - an isolated white sand beach with some coconut trees.

He found this place a week ago. Since he found it to be a beautiful and peaceful spot where he could spend some alone time, he decided to visit it every time he wants.

A few minutes after leaving his house, Ersel finally reached his destination. He enjoyed the blowing of the wind coming from the sea, the relaxing sound of the waves, and the fascinating sight of the sea. He looked far into the horizon, thinking of what he could possibly find beyond the sea.

A few moments later, Ersel heard some footsteps approaching from his left. He turned his head to the left and saw a boy who sat on one of the rocks near one of the coconut trees. The boy looked to be the same age as Ersel. Ersel looked more closely and thought that the boy looked sad as the latter's eyes looked at the sea.

Feeling curious about the boy, Ersel approached him.

"Hi! Who are you?" Ersel said with a smile, waving his right hand at the boy.

The boy just looked at him with sad eyes, making Ersel feel pity for him.

Ersel sat on one of the rocks beside the boy and began to talk to the latter.

"My name is Ersel," Ersel said while grinning. "What is your name?"

The other boy looked at him again with sad eyes.

"Lino," the other boy said in a sad voice.

"So, Lino, why are you sad?" Ersel asked curiously.

Lino began to cry, making Ersel feel sad for the former.

"Papa and Mama...they..." Lino said while gasping for air and crying.

"What?" Ersel asked curiously.

"They fought again in front of me. I do not want to see them fighting like that," Lino said while his tears continued rolling down his cheeks.

Ersel felt even sadder for Lino. While he has never seen his parents fighting before, he thought that it would feel just as painful to see his own parents fighting too.

"I see. Is that why you are here?" Ersel asked.

"Yes," Lino responded, his tears still running down his cheeks.

"Then stay here for now," Ersel remarked cheerfully after sighing. "Want to play with me?"

"Are you sure?" Lino asked, and his tears stopped from flowing out of his eyes.

"Yes!" Ersel replied in a jolly tone.

"Okay, Ersel," Lino remarked, and he smiled.

So the two boys played all morning, getting themselves sweaty, wet, and dirty in the process. Both of them felt blissful to have found a playmate in each other.

"I have to go home now," Ersel said after seeing that the sun was already high, meaning that it was time to have lunch.

"Now? But I still want to play with you, Ersel," Lino remarked sadly.

"It is okay, Lino. Let us play again later.," Ersel remarked with a smile.

"Okay," Lino replied with a smile.

"Let's meet again here later," Ersel said while waving and smiling at Lino.

That afternoon, as the two boys agreed upon, Ersel went to the same place where he met Lino that morning.

"Ersel!" a familiar voice shouted from Ersel's left-hand direction.

Ersel turned his head to the left after hearing that familiar voice call out to him. It was Lino.

"Lino!" Ersel shouted back with joy.

Lino stopped in front of Ersel, gasping for air. By the looks of it, he was so excited to play with his friend again that he ran as fast as he could.

"You ran really fast to get here," Ersel remarked while laughing.

Lino burst out laughing himself and said joyfully, "Of course! It is because I wanted to play with you again!"

"Then let us play now!" Ersel burst out eagerly.

At the end of the day, with both of the boys feeling tired after playing, Lino and Ersel sat down to watch the beautiful sunset. The sky also already had an orange hue, making the view of the sunset much more beautiful.

"Lino," Ersel said while looking at Lino.

"Yes?" Lino asked after turning his head towards Ersel.

"So, how are your Papa and Mama?" Ersel asked with a worried look on his face.

Lino smiled and answered with his eyes shining brightly, "They are fine now. They weren't fighting before I went here."

"That is good," Ersel remarked with a gentle smile after letting out a sigh of relief.

"Let us play here everyday from now on," Lino said joyfully.

"We definitely will!" Ersel eagerly responded with a wide smile before turning his eyes to the wonderful sunset.

As the days went by, the two boys grew much closer and their friendship deepened. They grew as close as brothers.

Ersel and Lino became the best of friends. They would play together, go to school together, swim in the sea together, and eat together. Sometimes, one of them would visit the other in the latter’s house. Lino would also play both with Ersel and the latter’s younger sister, Mina. It was as if the two of them were inseparable no matter what.

Three years have passed since Ersel and Lino have met each other.

One day, after playing and collecting shells at the beach where they first met, Lino spoke to Ersel about the former and his parents going to visit his grandparents for several days.

“Ersel,” Lino called out to his best friend, who was checking the shells they collected.

“Yes? What is it, Lino?” Ersel asked eagerly.

“My parents and I will be visiting my grandparents, so we will be gone for two weeks or so,” Lino declared eagerly.

“Is that so? You look so excited,” Ersel said while grinning.

“Yes, of course!" Lino said eagerly. "I have not seen them in a while.”

“But that also means we will not be able to meet and play for a while,” Ersel declared rather gloomily.

“Oh… you are right,” Lino said with a frown, then put his right arm around Ersel’s shoulder. “But that is okay, Ersel. We will meet again after that.”

“Yeah,” Ersel mumbled and wore a smile on his face again. “Then bring me some souvenirs if you can.”

“Sure, I will do,” Lino declared eagerly before taking his arm off Ersel's shoulder. “Okay, I have to go home now. We will be leaving early tomorrow morning. Bye, Ersel!”

“Okay. Bye, Lino!” Ersel said while both boys were waving and smiling at each other before Lino proceeded to go back home.

Two days have passed since Lino and his parents left. Ersel felt rather lonely, knowing that he would not be playing with Lino for a while. Instead, he would spend his free time playing with his younger sister, Mina, when he is not busy with his schoolwork.

That night, Ersel heard an unexpected news from his father.

“Ersel, we will be moving to Manila in three days,” his father declared seriously, astonishing Ersel.

“To Manila?!” Ersel exclaimed loudly, obviously surprised by the sudden news. “B-But why?!”

“Your father got a job there,” his mother explained.

“B-But how about our house here? And Lino?” Ersel asked anxiously.

“We will sell it,” his father declared.

“Okay,” Ersel mumbled, with his sad eyes looking down at the floor. After that, he turned around to get out of the house.

“Where are you going?!” his father asked as Ersel walked towards the door.

“I will be going to the beach for now,” Ersel said while his tears were beginning to fall before proceeding to get out of the house.

"Hey, don't-," Ersel's father said before his mother stopped the former.

"Dear, please let him be for now," Ersel's mother said while trying to stop her husband from following Ersel. "I'm sure that he's  having a hard time accepting it."

Ersel's father was convinced and said, "You're right, dear. Someday, he'll understand. He's still just a kid, after all."

Ersel went to the beach where he first met Lino three years ago. He was crying because he would miss his favorite place on the island and his best friend.

“Lino,” Ersel said softly while gazing at the stars in the sky, as if he was trying to convey his message to his best friend in the air. “I am sorry, but I will have to leave without meeting you here again. I hope… that I would meet you again someday.”

Afterwards, Ersel inhaled as deeply as he could in preparation for the words he would say out loud.

“Lino!” Ersel shouted at the top of his lungs. “I will definitely meet you again someday!”

Afterwards, Ersel proceeded to go back home with a heavy heart while his mind were full of memories with Lino.

Goodbye, Lino. Ersel thought while his tears were falling down on the sand. It was really fun being friends with you.

Ersel woke up and looked at his Android phone for the time. It was 7:00AM. His first class will be starting at 10:00AM.

Today was his first day as a college student. Ersel, who was now eighteen years of age, was not sure about whether to feel nervous or excited about his first day of college.

Yeah, right...Today is my first day in college. Ersel thought while his eyes were still looking sleepy. I wonder...what would college life be like? Would it be totally different from high school, wherein I graduated as class salutatorian?

The door of his room opened. Ersel looked and saw his mother looking at him.

"Ersel, come downstairs now. Your breakfast is ready,” his mother said with her hands on her waist.

“Yes, Ma,” Ersel answered with a nod in a sleepy voice.

Ersel went downstairs and saw that his younger sister Mina was there. She was busy chatting with someone via her Android phone. To Ersel, Mina looked happy and giggling. It was as if she was chatting with a guy she has a crush on.

“Mina,” Ersel called before approaching his sister.

Mina, who was obviously surprised, switched off her phone.

“Yes, Kuya* Ersel?” she asked without looking directly at her older brother’s eyes.

“What was that? Why did you look happy when chatting with someone?” Ersel asked with a smirk.

“Oh…It’s nothing,” she answered awkwardly while trying to hold back her laughing and giggling.

“Oh, really? Then why can’t you look at me in the eyes?” Ersel asked, obviously teasing her.

"Kuya Ersel, I already said that it's nothing,” Mina answered in a slightly irritated tone.

“Okay,” Ersel said while laughing. “Let me guess...you were chatting with your crush?”

“No,” Mina replied with her cheeks were blushing.

“Oh, now I know,” Ersel said while smirking. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Papa or Mama about that.”

At  that moment Mina looked directly at Ersel’s eyes for the first time.

“Is that a promise?” Mina asked with her cheeks still blushing.

“Yes,” Ersel declared with a nod and a smile. “You can trust me on that.”

“Great!” Mina exclaimed, then hugged her brother. “Thank you, Kuya Ersel!”

Ersel smiled and gently patted his sister’s back.

While the siblings are eating their breakfast, let us describe how Ersel looks like now.

Ersel has grown to an average height of one hundred seventy centimeters, or approximately five feet and seven inches. He has some nice muscles on his body, although he was still underweight, with his Body Mass Index (BMI) being below normal. He has what girls would describe as a cute and pretty face - with his lips being naturally pinkish, his eyes being as clear as water, his nose being naturally sharp, his hair being thick and dark as night, and his skin and complexion being fair. His arms and legs are rather thin, although they have some nice muscles. His hair was long enough to reach in the middle of his nape, and his bangs framed his beautiful face in a nice way.

After eating his breakfast and brushing his teeth, Ersel went to the bathroom to take a bath.

While bathing, Ersel suddenly remembered his childhood best friend Lino. It has been ten years since they last saw each other. He wondered if Lino was still mad at him after all these years after disappearing without a word ten years ago.

Lino, where are you now? What are you up to? I'm quite sure that you are in college now, just like me. Ersel thought sentimentally.

Lino’s face flashed across Ersel’s mind, with the latter vaguely remembering how the former’s face exactly looked like. It has been a long time since they last met so he cannot remember all of the details of Lino’s face. Although he remembered that Lino was crying during the first time the former met the latter, and that he was also the one to put back the smile on that face.

At that moment, an idea flashed across Ersel’s mind.

That’s right! I could search him on Facebook! Ersel thought in excitement.

But there was one problem: he could not remember Lino’s surname.

What was his surname again? Ersel thought with his mind going back to his childhood.

Ersel tried searching hard in his memories, but he still could not remember. He had always been calling Lino by the latter's first name, but the former could not remember when he had ever read or heard Lino’s surname. The fact that he could not remember the surname made Ersel feel frustrated.

Damn it! If only I could remember his surname, I might be able to find him on Facebook or other social media sites! Ersel thought frustratingly while wincing.

“Ersel,” a voice called out from outside the bathroom, startling him. It was his mother. “Hurry up and finish. You might be late for school if you take any longer there.”

“Okay, Ma,” Ersel replied.

Ersel realized that he must have been thinking too long and hard about Lino that he somehow lost track of the time he spent while inside the bathroom.

Yeah, right! I have to hurry up! I can’t afford to be late in my first day of college! Ersel thought while proceeding to bathe himself more quickly.

As soon as he was dry enough, Ersel quickly dressed up in his civilian clothes and combed his hair in front of the mirror.

Alright! Let us do this, Ersel! We can do it! Ersel thought before proceeding to wear his shoes and heading for the university.

Ersel quickly went out of the train and swiped his Beep card** on the scanning machine. It was already about thirty minutes before the schedule of his class, so he ran as quickly as he could while being careful to not bump into anything or anyone.

I have to hurry up, or I might be late! Damn it! Ersel thought while running as fast as he could.

After several minutes of running, Ersel finally reached the campus. He has yet to find the building where his first class was. Looking at his registration card, he saw that the room number was A301.

Okay, so it’s in Building A. Where was that building again? Ersel thought while looking around for the aforementioned building.

Ersel had been in the campus twice before today. He searched his memories for a few moments; then in a flash, he remembered where the Building A was.

I remember now! I have to go this way! Ersel thought and turned his direction towards the white building about forty-five degrees to his right.

Ersel hurriedly ran towards the direction of the white building. While doing so, he accidentally bumped into a taller guy. It was a good thing that neither of them lost his balance, although both of them were surprised and backed away from each other.

“Hey!” the taller guy shouted angrily. “Be careful, please!”

“Sorry!” Ersel answered, touching his two open hands together as if praying. “I didn’t mean to.”

Ersel then looked at the guy’s face. The guy looked very handsome, with his hair styled in a sleek blow back way. There was some hair hanging out in the middle top part of his forehead and it reached near the bottom part of his forehead while also being in the shape of an arc, making his hairstyle very similar to that of Superman's. He stood at a height of about one hundred eighty five centimeters (about six feet and one inch), and Ersel could see through his clothes that the guy has a muscular body, which would indicate that he probably goes to the gym regularly. He also has brown skin, making him exactly Ersel's type.

Wow, he’s hot!  Ersel thought while staring at the taller guy with admiration.

“Please do not do this again,” the taller guy said seriously in a deep voice while staring with a piercing glare at Ersel.

At that same instant, Ersel’s mind went back to reality.

“Oh...Understood!” Ersel replied awkwardly. “Again, I am sorry,” Ersel declared, his eyes looking to the ground and blushing with embarrassment.

The taller guy then walked away without saying a word towards the opposite direction that Ersel was going to. Ersel looked at him as he slowly went away.

He’s handsome, yes. Ersel thought while following the guy with the former's own gaze. But then...something feels weird. Why do I feel like I have met him before? Do I know him? He looks and feels vaguely familiar to me.

Then Ersel felt his Android phone vibrate and took it out of his pocket. There was a text message from his mother.

The text message went like this: Are you in the university now?

Ersel replied: Yes, Ma. I will go to the classroom now.

Ersel's mother replied: Okay. Take care, then.

After reading his mother's message, Ersel switched off his phone and proceeded to run towards the building where his first class would be.

As Ersel went up the floors to get to the classroom for his first class, he kept on wondering who was that guy he bumped into earlier. Was he an acquaintance from his past?

I hope I can meet him again. Ersel thought while making a serious facial expression and thinking of that guy he bumped into earlier. I have a strong feeling that I know him.

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Definition of Terms

*Kuya - A Filipino word that means "older brother", and is used in addressing an older relative or non-relative in a respectful way. (Source: urbandictionary.com)

**Beep card - A smart card that is used in paying for transportation fees, especially on the trains and buses, around Metro Manila, Philippines. (Source: Wikipedia)

After the first class, Ersel planned to go to the school canteen to have his lunch.

I'm so hungry now. Ersel thought before placing his hand on his tummy.

“Excuse me!” a deep male voice called out from behind Ersel once the latter was outside of the classroom.

Ersel turned around and saw a tall and muscular guy coming towards the former himself.

“Are you going to eat lunch?” the taller guy asked while grinning in a friendly way.

“Yes,” Ersel replied while smiling at the guy gently. “Want to come with me?”

“Yeah,” the tall and muscular guy said cheerfully and eagerly. “By the way, my name is Van. You are…?”

“Ersel,” Ersel replied while feeling glad that he had made a new friend.

“Nice to meet you, Ersel!” Van declared cheerfully and extended his right hand for a friendly handshake with Ersel.

Ersel felt that he would get along well with this guy, so the former also extended his own right hand and shook hands with his new friend.

I can tell that this guy is very friendly. Ersel thought while looking at the taller guy from head to toe. We'll be really good friends with each other! I can feel it! Ersel thought merrily.

“Nice to meet you too, Van!” Ersel replied with a smiling face.

First, let us describe what Van looks like.

His thick black hair was tousled back neatly, and he wore a pair of glasses. Ersel could see that the guy has a rather large and nice build, with his arms taking a nice shape and his breasts being large, indicating that he must be going to the gym regularly. He was very tall, with his height being one hundred eighty-five centimeters (about six feet and once inch). He has a rather handsome-looking face, with his kind eyes, sharp nose, and pinkish lips. He has wide shoulders and fair skin too, yet Ersel's own skin was fairer than the former's.

“Shall we go now?” Ersel asked eagerly.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Van exclaimed cheerfully.

Naturally, the two new friends got to know each other more while eating their lunch.

“Any sports that you engage in?” Ersel asked Van.

“Oh! I engage in basketball, volleyball, and swimming!” Van replied cheerfully. “What about you, man?”

Ersel thought for a moment and replied, “So far, I have engaged in chess, arnis*, and taekwondo. The sports that you mentioned aren't really my kind of thing, although I'd like to try swimming too.”

“I see,” Van answered in an impressed tone. “You know, playing chess sharpens a person’s mind, so just keep on playing it, man.”

“Really?!” Ersel asked in a surprised tone.

“Yes, that’s true. Creating strategies to defeat your enemy is a way to sharpen your analytical skills,” Van explained while grinning gently.

“I see. I didn’t know of that before,” Ersel answered while feeling glad that he learned something new.

"Well, now you know about something new," Van remarked while smiling gently. "Also, I think engaging both in taekwondo and arnis is really cool. It also makes you develop a habit of disciplining yourself."

"Thanks, Van," Ersel replied while smiling back at Van.

"You're welcome," Van answered cheerfully. “So, got any girlfriend, man?” Van inquired in an interested tone.

“None,” Ersel replied, feeling slightly embarrassed. “What about you?”

“I don’t have any right now,” Van answered. “The last relationship I had was already one year ago.”

“Oh.," Ersel mumbled. "That was so painful, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. That girl...I caught her cheating on me,” Van replied in a more serious tone than before.

“So, how many girlfriends have you had so far?” Ersel asked interestingly.

Van closed his eyes, searching his memories before replying, “Hmmm...If I remember correctly, I have already had four of them. What about you?”

“I have never had a girlfriend before,” Ersel replied rather awkwardly.

“So you are an NGSB (No Girlfriend Since Birth) guy? Why not?” Van asked curiously.

Ersel tried to think of an excuse. He could not afford to tell Van that the former is actually gay for fear that the latter might be disgusted with the former.

No, I can't tell him that I'm gay. What if he finds me disgusting once he finds out about that? Ersel thought nervously.

“I just...do not have plans to have any yet,” Ersel replied while his voice was slightly quivering.

“I see,” Van replied with a smirk. “Well then, I hope you find your own girlfriend someday!”

“Same to you,” Ersel answered while laughing out loud. “You do not have any right now, after all.”

Both of them laughed afterwards.

"Anyway, let's eat now, shall we?" Ersel declared with a grin.

"Yeah, right!" Van replied cheerfully.

While they were eating, Ersel felt like he was being watched. He looked to his right and saw the person who was watching him. The guy looking at him was seated to another table a few meters away from theirs.

To his amazement, Ersel saw the same handsome and muscular guy he bumped into that morning. He was staring at Ersel with a cold, piercing glare, as if the former wanted to kill the latter.

Ersel broke his eye contact with the mysterious guy while feeling chills over his spine as he continued eating his lunch.

What’s up with him, anyway? Ersel thought anxiously. I have already apologized to him for accidentally bumping into him this morning, so why is he still mad at me?

Ersel could feel that the guy was still gazing at him intensely, making the former begin trembling in nervousness.

“Ersel,” Van called out, startling Ersel. “Is there anything wrong?”

“What do you mean?” Ersel asked with his voice slightly quivering.

“You are looking paler than before,” Van remarked with a slightly anxious tone. “And you are trembling, too.”

“Oh! It’s nothing,” Ersel replied with his voice still quivering. “Let us finish this quickly before our next class.”

“Okay,” Van said although he didn't seem to be convinced by Ersel's answer.

Van continued to look at Ersel with a worried face, making the latter feel rather conscious.

“Van,” Ersel called. “Please don’t look at me like that.”

“Why not?” Van asked in a worried tone.

“You’re making me feel...conscious,” Ersel replied awkwardly.

“Okay then. Sorry,” Van answered before breaking his gaze on Ersel and resuming to focus on his lunch.

I can't let Van know about that guy staring at me or we might get involved in some kind of trouble. Ersel thought while trembling. I have to hurry up and finish eating, or I might become even more anxious. For some reason, he is still glaring at me intensely. Why? Why? Why?

The school bell rang as the classes ended for the day. At the hall, Ersel and Van heard many female students screaming in admiration, as if there was a handsome celebrity at the hall.

Feeling curious about who it was, Ersel decided to check it.

I wonder what's going on over there. Ersel thought curiously. I'll go check it then.

“Van,” Ersel called.

Van turned around and asked, “Yes, what is it, Ersel?”

“I will check what is going on there,” Ersel replied. “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” Van answered with a smile. “I will wait for you outside. Please do not take too long, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t take that long,” Ersel reassured while grinning.

“See you later, then,” Van replied before waving his hand and smiling at Ersel.

Ersel waved and smiled back at Van before proceeding to push his way through the crowd of girls to check who the person was.

To Ersel’s astonishment, the guy that the girls were going crazy for was the same mysterious guy he bumped into that morning.

Oh, so he is also popular among girls. Ersel thought grinning awkwardly. Well, I can’t blame them at all. He is tall, dark, handsome, and has a muscular body. Even I myself find him very attractive.

While the mysterious guy was walking, he suddenly looked at Ersel with the latter slightly flinching upon meeting the former's gaze. Afterwards, the guy’s blank facial expression turned into a serious facial expression with a cold, piercing glare, making Ersel feel the same chills he felt at the canteen before going down his spine again.

With his body trembling and his heart beating fast in nervousness, Ersel broke his eye contact with the mysterious guy.

Oh no...here he goes staring at me like that again. Ersel thought fearfully. I have to get away from here now.

Ersel walked away, disappearing among the crowd of screaming girls.

Ersel did not know yet, but that mysterious guy was actually Lino, his best friend whom he suddenly got separated from ten years ago. Lino actually recognized Ersel during the first time they met that morning, but the latter did not recognize the former.

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Definition of Terms

*Arnis - This is the Philippine National Martial Art and Sport. Most usually\, the practitioners of this martial art use a pair of sturdy canes known as the baston. (Source: Wikipedia)