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Valentine's Day never really meant flowers for Jhoanna.
"Anong point?" lagi niyang tanong. "Malalanta rin naman sila paglipas ng panahon. Sayang lang."
She was a practical person.
Logical.
Paminsan-minsan efficient.
Hindi siya bitter, okay?
Siguro hindi lang niya talaga ma-appreciate kapag siya 'yung mismong makakatanggap.
Pero si Colet...
Colet always had a quiet mission every Valentine's Day.
Hindi para baguhin niya ang pananaw ni Jhoanna.
Kundi para ipakita na kahit ayaw ni Jhoanna ng flowers... kaya parin niyang magbigay ng something that blooms in a different way.
[YEAR 1]
Sinundo ni Colet si Jhoanna for their Valentine's dinner.
When Jhoanna got inside the car, pansin agad nito ang stiffness ng mga galaw ni Colet.
"Bakit kinakabahan ka, mahal?" she teased, while fixing her dress in her seat.
Colet did not answer.
Instead, inabot niya mula sa backseat ang isang boquet.
Not with real flowers.
It was made entirely of colored papers—folded, layered, carefully shaped petals.
May textures pa ang mga ito, ultimo ang mga dahon at mga stems.
"For you." Colet said with slightly red ears.
Sandaling tumitig si Jhoanna... then she laughed.
"I know na may ginagawa ka, I just don't know what is it."
Colet froze. "Ha? Paano mo nama—"
"Nakita ko sa planner mo yung resibo from the bookstore eh," she smirked. "Nagtaka pa nga ako. Why would you even buy twenty packs ng colored papers?"
Mas lalong namula si Colet.
"Wala kasing assorted colors sa isang pack... and I just have to have lahat ng colors sa mental image ko on what I wanna do so..."
"Twenty packs talaga?"
Colet nodded.
"How many days?"
"8 weeks..."
Jhoanna smiled and reached out for Colet before pressing a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you, my chururut."
And in that small car, Jhoanna realized...
...maybe flowers weren't practical.
But effort was.
[YEAR 2]
This time, Colet had more confidence.
When Jhoanna entered her own apartment, Colet was there... holding a boquet.
But this time, made out of soft... something.
"Are these fuzzy wires?"
Tiny roses twisted from colorful chenille stems.
Even the leaves have their own spiral detailing.
"You made this?" Jhoanna asked, amused.
"Syempre."
"Alone?" she teased again.
Colet crossed her arms. "Nagpatulong lang ako kay Papa pano iccurve yung mga wires. After that, ako na lahat."
"So apprentice ka na pala ng papa mo."
"Professional na ako!" Colet smiled proudly.
"Thank you, mahal." Jhoanna held Colet's cheek before placing a kiss on the tip of her nose.
"Ang galing mo," she whispered softly.
And that night, she didn't store the boquet on her cabinet.
She placed it by her desk so she could see it everyday.
[YEAR 3]
While having dinner in Jhoanna's place, and mind you, Jhoanna learned how to cook the perfect stake for her meat-loving girlfriend.
This time, dried flowers.
Soft beige tones.
Lavender.
Muted pinks.
Just like how Jhoanna like her colors.
"Safe 'to."
"Safe?" Colet blinked.
"Safe na hindi malalanta."
"Exactly."
Jhoanna received the flowers and smelled it.
And andun parin ang faint scent ng mga ito.
She tilted her head, "Wait... ikaw nag-arrange nito?"
Colet hesitated for a second. "...oo?"
"Sure?"
"Okay, fine." Colet sighed. "Nagpatulong lang ako kay Ate Aiah kung anong mga shops yung maganda puntahan sa Dangwa."
"Kaloka, parang ka-text ko lang si Ate Aiah kanina ah!" she narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Alam niya kasi kung san 'yung magaganda talaga 'yung inooffer, well totoo naman din talaga." Colet defended.
"But," she quickly added, stepping closer. "Ako nag-arrange lahat."
Jhoanna raised a brow.
"I swear! Pagbukas palang nung stores andun na ako!" Colet said while laughing. "Nagstay din ako for almost a day kasi mahirap pala siya, may mga nilalagay kasi ako pero hindi bagay kaya super hirap niya isipin!"
Napangiti si Jhoanna.
She imagine Colet sa gitna ng Dangwa, holding different dried flowers while seryosong iniisip kung paano mag-wwork out ang gusto niyang mangyari with her slightly furrowed eyebrows and determined.
"Artsy naman na pala ang lablab ko na to," Jhoanna teased softly.
"Para sa'yo eh."
Jhoanna looked down on the boquet again.
It wasn't flashy.
The colors only had subtle tones.
Balanced yung arrangement.
Just like them.
"Thank you, lablab ko." she looked at Colet and pressed a kiss on Colet's exposed shoulder.
While Colet continued devouring her steak,
Jhoanna stared at the boquet of dried flowers again.
"But seriously, ang ganda nito.:" she said softly.
And that was the year Jhoanna stopped saying flowers were pointless.
Because apparently,
You could ask for directions.
You could get help finding the right place.
But the choosing, the arrangement, the final piece...
That was still love.
And when preserved right—
It lasted.
[YEAR 4]
Eight months.
For eight whole months, Colet secretly learned how to crochet.
What Jhoanna didn't know was tuwing madaling araw, may youtube tutorial na naka-play sa iPad ni Colet.
The yarns na sinuksok ni Colet sa kailalim laliman ng dresser niya.
She had to.
Madalas buksan ni Jhoanna ang dresser niya to search for another hoodie to steal.
All those leaves and petals she had to re-do because Colet thinks that it wasn't perfect and she just wants to make the perfect gift for Jhoanna.
Valentine's came.
Colet was outside her door, boquet carefully wrapped in kraft paper. Crocheted tulips. Each one stitched by hand.
Huminga siya nang malilim before knocking.
Pagbukas ng pinto, Colet froze.
Jhoanna stood there in a soft white dress, hair slightly curled.
Jhoanna wasn't overdressed but for Colet—she's glowing.
Biglang nawala sa isip ni Colet ang pick-up line na prinactice niya.
Napako lang siya sa kinatatayuan niya.
Jhoanna noticed.
She first looked at Colet.
Then on the boquet that she was holding.
Then back at Colet.
One eyebrow slightly raised, lips curving into a teasing smile.
"Is that for me?"
Colet didn't answer.
Still staring at her.
Parang nag-buffer yung utak ni Colet.
"Hon?" Jhoanna waved a hand lightly in fron of her.
"Ah—oo! Sorry, honeybunch," she said, slightly breathless. "Nabighani ako sa ganda mo."
Colet handed the boquet to Jhoanna.
Jhoanna's expression softened instantly.
"Thank you, hon." she murmured.
Jhoanna leaned forward and kissed Colet on the corner of her lips.
Colet swore she felt butterflies in her stomach.
Jhoanna ran her fingers over the stitches with a smile.
"You did this?"
Colet nodded.
"How long? Parang wala naman to sa list of hobbies mo dati ah."
"8 months.." Colet let herself in Jhoanna's place.
"Colet..."
"Hmmm?"
"You know I don't like receiving flowers..." Jhoanna said quietly. "But you made me love receiving them.."
And for the first time, si Colet ang natahimik.
[YEAR 5 - PRESENT]
They were a year older now.
Busier.
Parehas na mas maraming responsibilities sa work.
Inside the car again—just like their first year—Colet handed her another boquet.
This time, bright and structured.
"What the hell?!" Jhoanna stared. "Baby, mahal to! Nakita natin to once sa ATC, di ba?"
"Minsan lang mag-Valentine's, baby." Colet said. "Hayaan mo na ako, please."
Napailing si Jhoanna but amused.
"Knowing na hirap ka mag-follow ng instructions... how many hours?"
"Eight."
"That long?"
"Nalito ako light green and dark green," she admitted. "I had to backtrack tapos kinalas ko pa."
Jhoanna laughed. "Of course you did."
Then she leaned over and kissed her.
Colet held her cheek and reciprocated the kiss.
When they pulled away,
"Actually," Colet added. "May QR yan sa ilalim."
"Ha?"
"Google Drive... I recorded myself habang binubuo ko 'yan. So... if you want to watch me build that for eight hours.."
Jhoanna stared at her.
And suddenly, hindi lang flowers ang nakita niya.
What she saw was,
Twenty packs of colored paper.
Bent fuzzy wires.
Dried petals tied with a twine.
Eight months of practicing crochet.
Eight hours of LEGO.
All because she once said she didn't like flowers.
While Colet was focused on driving, Jhoanna was just quiet in the passenger seat.
Tinitigan lang niya ang girlfriend niya.
The girl who never argued when she said flowers weren't practical.
The girl who simply found ways to make them practical for her.
The girl who bloomed for her every single year.
Jhoanna smiled to herself.
Maybe flowers do wilt.
But love...
When built by hand, twisted carefully, preserved intentionally, stitched perfectly, assembled piece by piece...
It lasts.
And she had never felt luckier than in that quiet car ride, holding a boquet that would never die... beside the woman who kept choosing her.
END.