Our Love Story

If you had asked her back in high school who Raymond was, she probably would’ve just said, “He’s my classmate.” And that would’ve been true. They had shared the same classroom for years—surrounded by the same faces, guided by the same teachers, learning the same lessons. But beyond that, there wasn’t much. They weren’t close. They barely talked. He simply wasn’t part of her everyday life.

Not until the final months of their last year in high school.

Neither of them could say exactly when it began. There was no grand moment, no obvious spark—just a quiet understanding that started to grow between them. Something unspoken, something unacknowledged. And then, as quietly as it had started, it paused. Graduation arrived. He left for the academy. She followed her own path. She told herself that whatever almost happened between them had likely meant little to him. And maybe, she thought, it should mean little to her too.

But she never forgot.

Then one ordinary day, out of nowhere, she received a message. It was from Raymond.

She stared at her phone, heart racing, unsure what to say—but certain she wanted to say something. Because he had remembered. Because he had reached out. And just like that, they began to talk again—really talk. They filled the space that time and distance had carved between them with stories, late-night calls, blurry photos, and promises that this time, they wouldn’t let go.

They only saw each other during sem breaks, Christmases, and New Years. It was never enough. And yet, for her, it was everything. It was enough to keep her going. To keep loving.

On May 29, 2014, they made it official. That day, her heart said yes—not just to a relationship, but to the long road ahead. She said yes to waiting. To hoping. To loving someone from afar.

She waited through the chaos of college, through missed birthdays, dropped calls, and time zones that didn’t care how much she missed him. She waited through the aching silences and the longing that only grew stronger. And then the distance stretched even further. He began working contracts overseas. Months without seeing him. Only brief, treasured visits home. But through it all, she never once felt unloved. Never once felt forgotten. Because somehow, even from oceans away, he made sure she felt seen.

Every return was like a first hello. Every goodbye was another test of faith. But each time, they chose to believe they’d make it through once more.

The years went on. They grew—separately, but also together. They learned how to be patient. How to communicate. How to love without always being near. They came to understand that love wasn’t about constant presence—it was about constant intention.

And then one day, after everything they had endured—after all the waiting, the loving, the choosing—Raymond looked into her eyes and asked her the question that had lived quietly in both of their hearts for years:

“Will you marry me?”



And in that moment, she saw it all—the old classroom where it began, the long messages, the tearful goodbyes, the airport hugs, the joy of each return. But more than that, she saw a future without waiting. A life where distance no longer stood between their hearts.

So she smiled, tears brimming, and gave the easiest answer she’d ever spoken:

“Yes.”

Because this is what love looks like—from the quietest beginnings to the loudest promises. A boy who once sat silently in the same classroom… had become the man she would spend forever with.