1: A Scroll to Remember

The driver glanced at her. “Ma’am? Are you alright?” he asked her in a concerned tone when he heard Ashmille’s scream.

“U-Um, it’s nothing, Sir…” she stuttered out of embarrassment she caused. She paused for a bit. “I just saw a billboard over there.” She pointed at the massive digital billboard in front of them. “Drino…” she whispered.

“Ah, yes, Ma’am.” He replied while he was still driving. “That’s the new app like this one.” The driver was referring to the old, existing ride-hailing app Ashmille booked, the same company the driver is working.

“Are those the brand new-looking cyan-colored vehicles I’ve seen lately?” She was referring to the Drino sedan with the slogan she saw a while ago.

“Yes. They’re slowly distributing their cars nationwide, starting in big cities first. We’re having more competitors, tsk!” he scoffed because of frustration.

The wind blew stronger as the motorcycle sped up. Ashmille tightened her grip on the driver’s clothes.

“Do you know the guy on the billboard, Sir? The one named Drino?” she asked the driver.

Not only was she unaware that Drino is now an influencer, but he’s so popular that he has a huge endorsement project, which is now visible on the city’s highway.

“He’s the endorser of that app, Ma’am. Aside from being famous because of his looks, he also posts many pictures and videos on various social media platforms. He talks about random stuff, mostly about life positivity. He is also an environmental advocate, which is why his company launched the Drino app, featuring electric vehicles. But what makes him more interesting is that he’s also a business owner at a young age.”

Ashmille frowned and puzzled. “What business is it?”

“The app that you were curious about, the Drino itself. It was simply named after his nickname.” The driver chuckled. “What a clever kid he is.”

Ashmille was left speechless. She’s in awe that the boy he was dating before not only became an internet sensation but also became a business-minded person.

“You seem to know a lot about him, Sir,” she observed. The driver is more informed about Drino than her, who was her ex-date years ago.

The driver laughed, which made Ashmille dazed. “Well, my 15-year-old daughter is a big fan of his! She keeps talking about him and her other celebrity crushes. She insisted on working for Drino’s company app instead of this one to support her idol,” he chortled. “But that won’t be easy. If this new app booms, I might consider transferring companies. Let’s see how this one would go,” he sighed.

“I see… Do you think he’s that amazing?” she murmured.

“I don’t know him personally. But at his age, he sure made an impression and is ambitious.”

Ahsmille thinks the same too. She’s greatly impressed by what Drino has become.

“You shouted that he was the same guy you dated before?”

“N-No! I mean, you heard it wrong, Sir.” She denied shyly.

She felt her cheeks warm. She was blushing.

“Oh, alright. I thought so because you kept asking about it.”

Good thing, the driver couldn’t see her face right now, or else it would become more obvious she’s lying.

After the 30-minute ride, they stopped at Ashmille’s house.

“Thank you, Sir,” she thanked him after a safe ride.

“Thank you, too, Ma’am. Have a great night.” The driver said and left immediately.

She hurriedly went upstairs and went into her room. She dropped her bag. She pulled out her phone and unlocked it. She hadn’t been able to look up anything about Drino on her phone during the ride earlier because it can be dangerous, so she’s doing it now.

She sat on a dark blue mini sofa. She tapped on a social media app. She didn’t bother with notifications and a few messages that were waiting for her reply because her focus was set on just one thing—or rather, one person.

Before investigating Drino’s current whereabouts, she paused for a moment to think if this was right for her. She hesitated to continue and dropped her phone on the study table. She drummed her fingers on the dark brown wooden table while her forehead with a single bead of sweat rested on her left hand. For a moment, she just stayed there. She’s quiet, conflicted, and wondering if curiosity was about to get the better of her.

Her inner thoughts are fighting between yes, she should go for it, and no, there’s no reason for that. This is how her mind works right now.

“Yes, go check him out. There’s nothing wrong with it since he’s an influencer. Normally, strangers would check on him because he posts his life online like an open book that everyone can read. It’s not like he’ll know you were stalking him virtually. Oops-it’s not even stalking, okay? You were just curious how he’s doing after years you had your last conversation with him. It’s like you just bumped into someone without saying hi, but they didn’t see you. So do it!”

While the other one thinks like this.

“No, no, no way! Once you try to do it, you can never stop it. Remember how long it took your conscience to move on after you, guys, parted ways? It might take longer for you to move on again. Yes, it’s not like you had romantic feelings for him at that time. Yes, you were young back then, so you weren’t fully mature enough to be aware of what you were doing, but still! The safest spot is to avoid leaning forward, and you might lose your balance and fall into the hole.”

The other thought responded.

“It’s been years ago, so what’s there to lose? You are now both young adults who were mature enough to handle embarrassing stuff like this. Well, this isn’t even embarrassing! Just look at his profile or page and you’re done! You can block him after if you want. It’s not like you’ll beg him to date you again, in case you’ll like him again after checking on him. You were friends before, so nothing fishy with being curious and wishing that he’s doing well in his life.”

Then came the opposing thought.

“They were friends before, yet someone caught feelings, and that’s two different things. Given how he’s been doing now (according to Feviah, Gendo, and the motorcycle driver), you might totally fall in love with him this time! He’s becoming the man you want. Who doesn’t fall for the man of your dreams? And what? You’ll regret rejecting him before? How about your pride as a woman? Or are you still going to deny that you actually had feelings for him?”