We had probably been here for a half-hour or so. It was already 8:25 p.m. and as the number of vehicles in the vicinity gradually increases, the road has already become heavily congested. I sort of anticipated na maaabutan kami ng rush hour sa gitna ng kalsada. But it was okay. Since I was already accustomed to the traffic, getting stuck in a traffic jam was acceptable for me. While there was serenity in reflecting in solitude, there was also different kind of tranquility when you disconnect from the pandemonium (such as inside a car stuck in traffic) and let your thoughts to wander.

Malaya kong nakikita ang mga nangyayari sa labas habang tahimik lang nakaupo sa passenger's seat. Beside me was Winter, na kasalukuyang nagmamaneho ng sasakyan.

Winter.

Kanina pa siya tahimik. I mean she has always been this way. She was always too quiet for my liking, like the introverted person she was. I threw a quick glance at her but she was just focused on the road na tinatahak namin. At palaging serious about anything she was doing.

I averted my gaze outside the car as a sigh escaped from my mouth, the fog preoccupying my mind was starting to clear.

Patuloy na namayani ang katahimikan sa amin. It was filled with loud, hushed and unspoken thoughts. Like a silence that neither me nor Winter knew how to fill. If I'm being honest, it was kind of uncomfortable but I couldn't do anything about it. Hindi ako sigurado kay Winter because unlike me, she looked calm and collected.

I slightly frowned.

Binalingan ko na lang ang front ng kotse. Right next to the dashboard are variety of cute and small stuffed toys. Ito ang isa sa mga rason kung bakit mahilig ako sumakay sa kotse niya kasi aside from the sweet and flowery scent ng loob ng sasakyan niya, maraming mga bagay ang puwedeng bigyan ng pansin. She knew I adore stuffed toys that's why hinahayaan niya akong maglagay ng iba't ibang cute stuffs sa loob ng kotse kahit na medyo labag sa kaniyang kalooban. She would always watch me with a frown and slight displeasure visible on her face sa tuwing I infringe her right to decide sa magiging itsura ng sasakyan, but I never heard her say anything against it at hindi niya rin ako pinipigilan. Bagaman noong una ay nagreklamo siya because according to her, she said and I quote: "I know they are cute and you like them. But, but, they're still a distraction while driving." To which, I remembered, I retorted with, "So you're saying I'm a distraction?" Simula noon she didn't object na.

After sneaking a few glances at her, I realized that I had been in love with her all along and that she felt the same way for me. But I can't help but ask myself, when did I realize I was in love with Winter? I could remember countless memorable moments and times that we shared together but I just couldn't remember when exactly.

And just like that memories came flooding back like a submarine submerged into the depth of the water. It seemed a bit like serendipity, but also frightening with yearning feeling.

I reflected on how far in life Winter had brought me these years and how much of a better person I was because of her.

Who would have imagined that the brief encounter we had when we first met at the convenience store would lead to a longtime and extraordinary relationship. I can still vividly remember our first meeting even to this day. How she found me as I was weeping in silence inside the store, eating my cold ramen, and seeming dejected as if heaven and earth had swallowed me up. Being dumped by my ex-boyfriend on the same day that our professor rejected our research paper left me heartbroken and depressed all at the time. Winter happened to stop by the store to grab some fever-relief medicine, I didn't expect someone like her to approach me. "Pardon my intrusion, but are you sitting by youself?" I remembered I almost jumped in my seat when I heard her tiny voice. I managed to give her a nod as an answer. She sat down beside me and said, "It's so cold. It's raining a lot these days."

That night, the convenience store cashier witnessed how Winter and I shared each other's sufferings and stories. A very warm and kind stranger by the name of Winter came to sympathize with me on that unbearably cold, lonely night. 'Yong name ay very contrary sa pagkatao niya. Who would've thought, right? It wasn't until she stretched her lips widely, accentuated by the cute dimples piercing her lips, twitched her nose in a way that made it crunch up adorably, flashed her innocent and rapturous smile that I understood she was an angel that God delivered down to earth to help me get through the night.

I hadn't known she'd actually give a damn about me. Like, seriously.

As if the traffic jam wasn't bad enough for some, the small droplets of rain hit the car all of the sudden—on a Friday night when everyone was heading home.

Looking at the rain drops on the window, I simply ignored it and continued with my train of thought. I still think that my most favorite thing about Winter was the special little way she rolled her eyes sa tuwing inaasar ko siya. She would often slap me on my arms, and then mauuwi sa asaran at pikunan, minsan may kasama pang tampuhan.

I also thought of her beautiful features. Namention ko na ba that Winter was a drop dead gorgeous? Maraming nababaliw sa kaniya. Hindi ko man masabi out loud but I always struck, looking at her brownish eyes, cute pointed nose, her flawless and angelic face, and most especially her natural pinkish lips. I also love listening to her infectious laughter kasi nakakagaan ng loob at nakaka-erase ng pagod and worries, at marami pang iba na I never fully appreciated until now.

Winter and I never fought. I mean, we did fight sometimes but we don't take it as a 'fight' and made up quickly that's because we couldn't sleep at night knowing may malaking el