Chapter 23: Confront

Nagpaalam na ako kay Coach matapos naming mag-usap at matapos niya rin akong batiin. I told him I was going to see her now—Noelle.

He just smiled at me. That kind of smile that said "Go ahead, you've waited long enough." Then he gave a slow, understanding nod.

"Go," he said simply. "She's waiting."

And with that, I turned.

I started walking again—this time with no more distractions, no more hesitations.

And there she was.

Still there. Still waiting.

Noelle Sarina Velasco.

Standing at the edge of the field, her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes locked onto mine the whole time. There was a calmness in her presence, almost surreal—like the world had stopped spinning for us. Parang siya 'yung anchor ko sa lahat ng gulo at ingay sa paligid.

My heart was pounding.

Every step I took felt like it echoed years of memories between us. Time-traveling, losing her, finding her again... fighting for something that felt impossible.

And yet here she was.

I finally reached her. Standing just a breath away.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Just silence—charged, heavy, full of everything we hadn't said.

"Hi," I finally said, voice soft, almost unsure. My throat felt tight, my chest even tighter.

Noelle's lips curled into a quiet smile. "Hi."

God, even that felt like home.

I swallowed. "You're really here."

"I am," she replied. "And so are you."

That line hit me harder than expected.

Because we both knew what we'd been through. What we sacrificed. What we almost lost.

"I thought... I thought I might never see you again," I admitted, my voice cracking at the edges. "I thought I left you in the past. That I'd have to move on without you."

"You didn't," she whispered. "You didn't leave me, Julian. You found me."

I could feel the tears forming again, but I held them back.

She looked up at me, her eyes glistening. "And I remembered everything, Julian. Everything."

My breath hitched. "You did?"

She nodded. "The past. The time travel..."

I didn't realize I had reached for her hand until our fingers touched—her warmth grounding me.

This was real.

She was here. With me. In this timeline. In this moment.

"You waited," I said, more to myself than her.

"I would've waited forever."

And with those words, I knew: this was no longer just a reunion.

It was a beginning.

"Although," Noelle said softly, "there were still some times before... when you acted like you didn't know me. I think that's because we have two versions of Julian?" She smiled calmly, almost teasing, but there was understanding in her eyes.

Bahagya rin akong napangiti sa sinabi niya. Halos mapakamot pa ako sa ulo ko, out of slight embarrassment.

Ah, I know exactly what she's talking about.

The two Julians.

The me who came from the present—who time-traveled to the past to change things. And then the other Julian... the one from that time, who had no idea what the future held, or what I was trying to do.

It makes sense. Of course she was confused. Of course I must have seemed like two different people to her. Because in a way... I was.

"It's normal for the other me to act that way," I said, almost defensively, trying to explain. "He didn't know everything. He didn't remember you the same way I did. And honestly... he was probably scared too."

She nodded gently. "I figured. That's why I tried not to take it personally."

I looked at her with guilt pooling in my chest. "I'm sorry. For being like that. For causing you so much trouble."

Umiling lang si Noelle. "No, Julian. It's all right. I understand."

She took a small breath before continuing, her voice warm, a little amused. "I learned to like both versions of you anyway. The past-you, the present-you... they were both you. And somehow, that helped me get used to all of this."

I stared at her, a little stunned. My heart swelled, like it didn't know whether to break or burst.

"Thank you, Noelle," I said quietly, sincerely. "For everything."

For your patience. For your understanding. For still choosing to believe in me—even when time tried to pull us apart.

She smiled again, and it felt like all the chaos of time and memory had finally found its peace in her eyes.

After that moment, I felt it.

That quiet understanding between us.

It wasn't loud or dramatic. Walang malaking pagtatapat. No grand declarations. Just something silent but strong, hanging in the air between me and Noelle.

We already understood each other's feelings.

Maybe because we had already been through too much. Time travel, heartbreak, memories shared in timelines that shouldn't have overlapped—and yet here we were, standing in the same present.

However... we couldn't confront those feelings just yet.

Not fully.

Because there were still things that had to happen.

The truth was—we had just won the World Cup.

And everything after that came at us like a storm.

The World Cup had taken place in Spain, and the city was alive with celebration. Streets were overflowing with fans—flags waving, horns blaring, voices raised in chants that echoed through the night.

As for me, I was swept into a whirlwind of press conferences, interviews, photo ops. May mga autographs pa. May media appearances. May afterparties. The world wanted to see the faces behind the win. And somehow, I had become one of them.

"Julian Trinidad, the golden boy from the Philippines," they called me.

Every time they introduced me like that, I felt proud. Kasi sa wakas, ang bansa natin—ang Pilipinas—was finally seen on the global football stage. We weren't just participants anymore. We were champions. And I was part of that story.

There were ceremonies, awards, and celebrations that lasted for days. Even the locals in Spain greeted me with smiles and cheers, calling my name like they'd known me all their lives.

And yet, in the middle of all the chaos, my mind would always drift back to that moment on the field. Back to Noelle. To that soft smile. That unspoken promise we exchanged without saying a word.

She stayed nearby during the celebrations, never too far. We'd exchange glances, small waves. Sometimes our hands would brush when no one was looking. It wasn't time yet... but we both knew we still had a story to finish.

Then finally, after the final ceremonies had ended and the confetti had stopped falling from the sky, I stood at the edge of the airport.

My bags packed. My team already ahead of me.

It was time to go home.

Back to the Philippines.

Back to where all of this started.

And maybe, once the noise settled... I'd finally have the chance to face everything.

Including her.