Daniel was anxiously waiting for Merlyn to arrive from the mall where she works as a sales supervisor in the Cosmetic Department. Daniel, for his part, is an accountant at a hardware store in Magallanes. He glanced at the wall clock in the living room of his apartment unit. It was past ten in the evening. Merlyn usually comes home around this time, as she occupies the unit next to his.
Secret Textmate
They were textmates, but Daniel also had another SIM card where he texted Merlyn under the name Piolo. He got her number from the store where she loads her phone. Merlyn knew Daniel personally because they are neighbors. They would even joke around and grew close.
One time, Daniel said to Merlyn, "Lyn, you're alone in your apartment, I'll keep you company so you won't get lonely, okay?" followed by a playful laugh. Merlyn replied, "Oh, I'm used to being alone." Daniel asked, "How old are you, Lyn?" Merlyn answered, "25." Daniel said, "I'm 23."
Sometimes on Sundays when they have no work, Daniel would visit Merlyn after lunch. They enjoyed watching TV, especially the show ASAP on ABS-CBN. During these moments, Daniel felt that Merlyn would sometimes stare at him. But on his other SIM card as the textmate named Piolo, Daniel pretended to be someone living in Mandaue. Through texting and phone calls, Piolo and Merlyn grew close. Piolo even expressed his feelings to the young woman, even though they had not yet met in person.
The Plan
That morning, Piolo texted Merlyn at the mall, "Let me love you tonight, mahal." (Mahal was their call sign.) Merlyn joked back, "Okay, if you can find my place. Hehehe! @Merlyn." Daniel, as Piolo, knew Merlyn was joking. But he decided to make their jokes real because he truly loved her.
Now he was waiting for Merlyn to arrive. He was in his room upstairs. Earlier, the lights on the ground floor were turned off because his mother had gone to sleep in her room. From the window, he saw Merlyn open the door and enter. A few moments later, the light in her room upstairs turned on. He waited for her to change into her house clothes.
After a while, he took his phone from the small table and texted Merlyn using the other SIM, "Let me love you tonight, mahal. Love you so much! @piolo." After a minute, Daniel's phone on the other SIM rang. He read Merlyn's reply, "Okay. Come now. I'm waiting for you. Hehehe! @Merlyn." Merlyn thought Piolo was just joking because he was from Mandaue City and she was from Cebu City, and they had never met in person.
The Confession
Daniel turned off the light in his room and carefully left his apartment. He knocked on Merlyn's unit. The door opened, and Merlyn stepped back in surprise upon seeing Daniel. "D-Daniel, w-why are you here?" she asked. "Mahal, I am 'Piolo,'" Daniel confessed. "I'm here because you said in your text that you are waiting for me!" He placed his hand on her chest. "Y-You are 'Piolo,' my other textmate?" Merlyn said, "Stop joking, Daniel!"
"It's me, Lyn. I pretended to be someone else to express my feelings for you. Ever since you moved here, I fell in love with you. Let me love you tonight, mahal!" Merlyn opened the door wide. Daniel entered and embraced her. He felt her return the embrace. Then their lips met. Daniel closed the door to Merlyn's room and turned off the light. They embraced again and fell onto the bed. They let the moments pass in the silence of the room, whispering their feelings to each other.
