CHAPTER 6: ONE CHOICE, ONE BROKEN PROMISE

GINO REYES’ P.O.V.

I didn’t know when the things that used to come so easily had started becoming so difficult.

Back then, whenever something important happened in Steph’s life, I never had to think twice about whether I should be there. I was already by her side before she even called for me. Sometimes, I even arrived before she did.

Whenever she had a game, I was the loudest person in the bleachers.

Whenever she had a problem, I was the first person she called.

Whenever she wanted something, I was the first person she pestered.

And whenever she had no one else to talk to, I was always the person she looked for.

I never thought the day would come when I would have to question whether I should show up for one of the most important moments of her life.

Especially when that moment was her graduation.

“Gino, are you listening to me?”

I glanced at the phone resting on the table. I stared at the name on the screen for a few seconds before answering the call.

“Yeah, Kath. Sorry. I’m just a little tired.”

“Tired again?” There was a hint of irritation in her voice. “Did you just get home?”

“I’ve been home for a while. I was just putting some things away.”

That wasn’t entirely a lie. I had come home from the restaurant where I worked as a chef. Almost every day, I returned late at night. Sometimes, it felt as though my body had grown accustomed to moving even when every part of me wanted to give in to exhaustion.

But work wasn’t the reason I felt so restless that night.

There was something I needed to tell Kath.

I had rehearsed the words in my head several times, but every time I tried to say them, it felt as though something was caught in my throat.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you,” I began.

“What is it?”

“Tomorrow…”

I hesitated.

Tomorrow was Steph’s graduation.

She had spent months preparing for it. I knew how hard she had worked for every exam, every project, and every sleepless night she had spent writing and studying.

Even if she never said it outright, I knew she wanted someone to see her walk across that stage.

And I wanted to be that person.

“Tomorrow’s Steph’s graduation,” I continued. “I’m going.”

Silence fell over the other end of the line.

“Steph’s graduation?” Kath repeated.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“I don’t have a shift during the ceremony. I can stop by, even if it’s just for a little while.”

I didn’t know why I felt the need to explain myself. Steph was my best friend. Showing up for important occasions in each other’s lives had always been normal for us.

But somehow, this time felt different.

Maybe it was because I hadn’t been spending as much time with Steph over the past few months. I was always tired. Always working. And whenever she told me stories about her day, there were times when I only half-listened because my mind was occupied with everything I still had to finish at the restaurant.

She had told me several times that I was changing.

I always laughed it off.

“Gino,” Kath called.

“Hmm?”

“Can’t you just skip it?”

I frowned.

“Why?”

“Because I want to spend tomorrow with you.”

“We can meet after the ceremony.”

“But I want to spend the whole day with you.”

I let out a long breath.

“I’ll only be at the graduation for a little while. I won’t stay long.”

“Why is it so important for you to go?”

I stared at the ceiling.

Because it was Steph.

Because I had been the person who promised, ever since we were kids, that I would never let her face the important days of her life alone.

Because I knew her parents wouldn’t be there.

And because, even if she never admitted it, I knew she would search the audience for me.

But instead of saying any of that, I gave her the simplest answer I could.

“She’s my best friend, Kath.”

“Best friend,” she repeated, as though the words left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Yeah. My best friend.”

“Gino, don’t you understand? You have a girlfriend now.”

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Of course I understood.

I knew Kath and I were in a relationship. I knew I needed to give her my time and attention. The last thing I wanted was to make her feel as though she would always come second.

But I couldn’t understand why the two people who mattered to me had to become rivals.

“I’m not choosing her over you,” I said. “I just want to attend her graduation. It doesn’t mean anything has to change between us.”

“But it’s always like this!”

I straightened in my seat.

“What do you mean?”

“Steph! It’s always Steph!”

I fell silent.

“Whenever she needs something, you’re there. Whenever she has a problem, you’re the one she calls. Whenever she wants to do something, it’s as though you have to ask her permission before you can spend time with me!”

“Kath, that’s not—”

“Not what?” She let out a bitter laugh. “Gino, how many times have we been talking when you suddenly go quiet because she texts you? How many times have we made plans, only for you to leave because she needs something? Can’t you see it?”

I wanted to answer.

I wanted to tell her it wasn’t always like that. That there were times when Steph was the one who adjusted her plans for me. That she never demanded that I always be there for her, even though sometimes I felt as if I was the one who didn’t know how to stay away.

But I couldn’t deny everything Kath had said.

Because whenever I had to decide where to go, Steph was sometimes the first person who came to mind.

Not because she mattered more.

Didn’t she?

“I’m not asking you to forget her,” Kath said, her voice growing softer. “All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to feel like I’m actually your girlfriend. Like I’m the person you want to spend your time with.”

I closed my eyes.

I didn’t want to hurt Kath.

It wasn’t her fault that I had a best friend I couldn’t imagine abandoning. It wasn’t her fault, either, that I couldn’t explain why there seemed to be a part of my life I didn’t know how to share with anyone else.

Not even with her.

“I’m just going to the graduation,” I repeated. “After that, we can spend time together.”

“No.”

“Kath—”

“If you go to Steph’s graduation, don’t bother coming to see me afterward.”

I looked at my phone.

“What?”

“Choose, Gino.”

It felt as though everything around me had suddenly stopped.

“Choose between us,” she added. “Me or Steph?”

I couldn’t speak right away.

Honestly, answering the hardest question on an exam would have been easier than answering that one.

How was I supposed to choose the girl I loved as my girlfriend without giving up the person who had been part of my life long before either of us understood what love meant?

How could I tell Kath she mattered to me without making her feel as though something was missing?

And how could I tell Steph I wouldn’t be there on the day she had been waiting for all these years?

“Gino?” Kath called.

I pressed a hand to my forehead.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I’m doing this because I’m tired of competing with someone who isn’t even your girlfriend.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I didn’t know why, but the word girlfriend suddenly felt heavier than it should have.

Kath was my girlfriend.

Steph was my best friend.

The difference should have been clear.

I should have known where one relationship ended and the other began.

But what if some promises had been rooted in my life longer than the relationship I was desperately trying to hold on to now?

“I don’t want to lose you,” I said.

“Then prove it.”

I listened to her breathing in silence.

“Tomorrow,” she continued, “you’re coming with me. We’re going to Siargao. We’ve been talking about this trip for so long, remember? I want to spend time with you without having to worry about anything else.”

She paused.

“And in case you’ve forgotten, tomorrow is our anniversary.”

I froze.

“If you think your best friend’s graduation can’t be postponed, then neither can our anniversary. Her graduation matters to her, Gino. Our anniversary matters to me.”

I gripped the edge of the table.

Shit. Right. Our anniversary.

I had completely forgotten.

Why did it have to fall on the same day?

Our anniversary was tomorrow.

And so was Steph’s graduation.

“Can’t we go another day?” I asked.

“No.”

“Kath, please. It’s just her graduation. It’s only one day.”

“Only one day?” she repeated incredulously. “Really? And the day you’re calling just one day is our anniversary, too. What am I to you, Gino? Someone you can put off whenever something more important comes along?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“But that’s how you make me feel!”

I fell silent.

For the first time, I had no answer.

I didn’t want Kath to feel as though she wasn’t enough. I didn’t want her to feel she had to fight for my attention.

But at the same time, I couldn’t stop thinking about Steph.

I was certain she would wake up early tomorrow. She would probably fix her hair in front of the mirror over and over again. Maybe she would even crack a joke to herself, the way she always did whenever she was nervous.

And before leaving the house, she would probably check her phone.

Maybe I would have sent her a message.

Maybe I would have told her, Good luck, bestie. See you there.

And when the time came for her name to be called, she would look for me in the audience.

Because I had promised I would be there.

I couldn’t remember how many times I had promised her that I would never abandon her.

I couldn’t even remember when those promises had started.

All I knew was that we had been kids when I first made them.

And in all those years, I had never made her wait for me like this.

“Gino,” Kath said again. “I need an answer.”

I glanced at the clock.

It wasn’t too late. I could still tell her I couldn’t do what she was asking. I could still keep my promise to Steph.

I could still go tomorrow.

I could stand at the back of the audience, cheer when her name was called, and pretend I wasn’t emotional when I watched her receive her diploma.

I could hug her afterward and tell her how proud I was.

I still could.

But when I heard the quiet, trembling sound of Kath’s voice, it felt as though all the strength had drained out of me.

“Please, Gino. Choose me.”

That was the part that hurt the most.

She wasn’t shouting anymore. She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t trying to pick a fight with me.

She was begging.

And with every word she said, I felt more certain that I was about to sacrifice something.

“Okay,” I answered quietly.

“Okay… what?”

I lowered my head.

“I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Then I heard her take a deep breath.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not going to Steph’s graduation?”

I closed my eyes.

“No.”

I didn’t know why I had said it so easily.

Or maybe I did.

Because I was afraid of losing Kath.

Because I didn’t want to be the reason she cried.

Because I wanted to prove that I could be a good boyfriend.

But at that very moment, another fear began creeping into my chest.

The fear that, this time, I might lose Steph instead.

“Thank you,” Kath whispered.

I couldn’t answer.

“I know she’ll understand,” she added. “You’re best friends, after all, right? Surely she won’t blame me if you can’t make it.”

I let out a humorless laugh.

If only you knew.

If only she knew that Steph was the kind of person who could be angry with me all day and still call me whenever she needed someone to talk to.

If only she knew that Steph could insist she didn’t need me, yet I knew she would still look for me whenever life became difficult.

If only she knew that even when I couldn’t see her, there were times when I could almost tell what she was thinking.

And tomorrow, she would probably think I no longer cared enough to show up.

“Gino?” Kath asked.

“Hmm?”

“Are you mad at me?”

I looked toward the dark window.

“No.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Another promise.

Another one I made without knowing how I would live up to everything that came with it.

“Okay. I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too.”

Then I ended the call.

I remained seated at the table for a long time. I didn’t touch my phone again. I didn’t even turn on the television, which was usually what I did when I wanted to unwind.

Instead, I opened my conversation with Steph.

Her latest messages were about her graduation.

STEPH: Hey, best friend! Don’t forget about tomorrow, okay? If you don’t show up, I’m never talking to you again!

There was another message right after it.

STEPH: Just kidding. But seriously, you’re coming, right?

I smiled.

That was Steph.

Even her threats came with jokes. Even when she was nervous, she had to pretend it was no big deal.

I started typing a reply.

Of course, bestie. I’ll be there.

I stared at those words for a long time.

Then I deleted them one by one.

I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her.

But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth, either.

So I left her messages unanswered.

I set my phone down and closed my eyes.

Tomorrow.

I would deal with everything tomorrow.

That was what I told myself.

But I knew some decisions didn’t end the moment you made them. Some followed you long after, no matter how many times you tried to forget.

And I had no idea how long I would regret this one.

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It was only six in the morning, but I was already awake.

Not because I had a shift at the restaurant.

Not because there was anything I needed to prepare.

I was awake because I hadn’t slept well.

I kept thinking about Steph’s messages. I kept imagining her walking across the stage. And every time the image crossed my mind, I grew more restless.

I picked up my phone.

I opened our conversation again.

There were no new messages.

Maybe she was already busy getting ready.

Maybe she had already chosen what to wear.

Maybe she was already wondering where I would sit.

I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Damn it, Steph.”

I didn’t understand why even her name felt so heavy in my chest.

I stood up and got dressed. I fixed my hair, grabbed my wallet, and slipped my phone into my pocket.

I could still go.

I wasn’t bound to the decision I had made the night before. I could call Kath and tell her I needed to attend the ceremony, even if only for a little while.

I could explain that I couldn’t bear the thought of missing Steph’s big day.

But just as I reached for the doorknob, my phone rang.

A message from Kath.

KATH: I'm ready. Are you picking me up?

I stopped.

For several seconds, I stared at the screen.

Then, slowly, I lowered my hand from the doorknob.

I typed my reply.

GINO: On my way.

Just three words.

Yet it felt as though an entire promise had shattered between them.

I walked out of the house and got into my car.

As I drove, I kept checking the time. I couldn’t stop calculating how long it would be before Steph’s graduation began, how long the drive would take, and whether I still had time to make it.

I did.

I knew I did.

But instead of driving straight to her school, I headed toward Kath’s house.

And the closer I got, the more I felt as though a part of me had been left behind in the opposite direction.

At the place where I was supposed to be.

On the day Steph had worked so hard for.

Beside the promise I had made myself.

When I arrived, Kath was waiting outside her house. She greeted me with a smile.

“Hi!”

I forced a smile in return.

“Hi.”

She kissed me on the cheek before getting into the car. Then she happily started talking about our plans for Siargao, the places she wanted to visit, and all the things she wanted us to do together.

I listened.

I answered when I needed to.

But every time she fell silent, the same questions returned to my mind.

Has Steph’s name been called yet?

Has she walked across the stage?

Is she looking for me?

Whenever I thought about that last question, my grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Because I already knew the answer.

She would look for me.

Not because she needed me to receive her diploma.

Not because she had no other friends.

But because I had promised.

For years, I had taught her that she could trust me.

Now, I was the one teaching her the opposite.

“Gino?”

I turned toward Kath.

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay? You seem miles away.”

“I’m fine,” I answered.

I turned my attention back to the road.

Another lie.

Because even with Kath beside me, even as I tried to be present in that moment, there was someone I couldn’t get out of my head.

Steph.

My best friend, who was probably standing in front of a mirror by now, ready to receive the diploma she had worked so hard for.

The girl who always insisted she didn’t need me but still hoped I would be there whenever something important happened in her life.

And me?

I was the person who had promised never to abandon her.

Yet on the day she wanted to see me the most, I was the very person who failed to show up.

I didn’t know if she would cry.

I didn’t know if she would get angry.

I didn’t know if she would call me a useless best friend or simply laugh it off and pretend she didn’t care.

But there was one thing I knew for certain.

If the day ever came when she asked me why I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have an answer that could erase the hurt my absence had caused.

Because the truth was, work hadn’t stopped me.

Distance hadn’t stopped me.

Time hadn’t stopped me, either.

I had made the decision not to go.

I had chosen to break my promise.

And no matter how many times I told myself I had done it for the sake of my relationship with Kath, I knew no explanation could change the truth.

Some people are hurt because you don’t choose them.

Others are hurt because, for the first time, you fail to put them first.

I didn’t know which was worse.

Losing the person you love…

Or slowly losing the trust of someone who had believed in you for so long.

When we arrived at the airport, Kath smiled and took my hand.

“Thank you for choosing me.”

I looked at her.

I wanted to smile. I wanted to tell her I had made the right decision. I wanted to believe that sometimes, choosing one person meant you had to disappoint another.

But all I could do was tighten my grip on her hand.

Because for the first time, I wasn’t sure I had made the right choice.

And as we moved farther away from the place where Steph’s graduation was taking place, I slowly began to understand something.

Not every broken promise makes a sound.

Sometimes, it happens quietly.

An unanswered message.

A promise left unfulfilled.

An empty seat that remains unoccupied.

And someone who keeps waiting for you to arrive, unaware that you had already decided not to come.

I’m sorry, Steph.

That was all I kept repeating in my head.

I’m sorry, best friend.

But no matter how many times I said it, I didn’t know if she would ever hear my apology when I finally found the courage to say it aloud.

Because today, while she was receiving the reward for all her hard work, I wasn’t there beside her.

And I had no idea how to earn back the trust I might have lost because of a decision I had made in a matter of seconds.

All I knew was that on the day I should have celebrated her achievement, I had abandoned a promise I had made to her.

And the most painful part?

I didn’t know whether I had let Steph go…

Or thrown away my own chance to remain someone she could trust.