Kilig alert!
College blockmates-turned-lovers looked back on their love story that started 20 years ago with a retreat letter.
“Random lang kasi I never asked for a letter from him during college retreat. So nagulat ako na biglang may inabot siya sa aking piece of paper, parang feeling ko pinunit niya lang from somewhere. Ayon nabasa ko ‘yung letter which is very-very deep. Iba, parang, well coming from a classmate and a friend… How can he say something like that? Pero kilig lang,” Melissa Pilapil happily shared with The Philippine STAR.
As shared on TikTok, her then blockmate-turned-boyfriend, Gabe, wrote a very straight forward letter during their college retreat.
“Mel, I love you… I’m crazy for you, I need you in my life. I want to continue loving and I pray that God will let me take good care of you. – Gabe,” the letter reads.
For Gabe’s part, he just wanted to confess his love for Melissa before saying goodbye to their college life.
“Since our college life is ending, so you don’t know when you’re gonna see each other again. So I took that opportunity. I go straight to the point. So, I don’t like to beat around the bush. Traditional courtships, you have to put your best foot forward and hopefully, the feeling is reciprocated. If not, then not. But luckily in this scenario, the feeling was mutual,” Gab recalled.
According to them, they were classmates and eventually became friends while studying nursing at the University of Santo Tomas.
Melissa admitted that at first, she was hesitant to recognize that she saw Gab on a deeper level.
“I didn’t want to fall in love with him but I couldn’t help it. I just saw him in a different light. Ang weird nu’ng feeling,” she said.
“I think it started with getting-to-know-you stage. We got talking more and more. And as you get to know someone, their attributes na you admire and you like,” Gab echoed.
Melissa added, “Parang secret lang din namin na we like each other. Parang ayaw namin malaman ng class.”
The couple noted that when they started their relationship, they wanted to be traditional. They became official in January 2005.
“We shared the same interests, perhaps some goals in life as well kasi I was, during that time, very focused in my studies. After we graduated naging kami na. Both of us were nurses in the hospital called Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City,” Gab said.
“Cum laude siya, actually. So sabi ko, ‘I didn’t want to be a distraction.’ So I said, ‘Focus first on your studies and on aiming to be a cum laude. And then we can focus on our relationship next.’ The letter parang naging lalong na-solidify na, ‘Ah, may feelings pala talaga sa akin to si Gabe na he’s really serious about having a relationship with me and the letter made me feel na he is the right future husband for me,’” Melissa added.
Melissa and Gab’s relationship was tested through time. After working in a hospital in the Philippines, they were able to work abroad, got married and started their own family in Australia.
“We had our family here. Our first baby, 2018. Now we have three kids. Six years old, five years old, and our new baby. Ang story namin was we tried for almost four years to have a baby, to get pregnant. Nahirapan kami. We almost thought na we wouldn’t have a baby. So we got pregnant 2017. But unfortunately, we had a miscarriage nung first baby namin,” Melissa shared.
Looking back at their love story, the two have a message to the public.
“Just make the first move. You never know. They say, you miss all the shots you don’t take. So, whether you win or lose, the best thing you could do is put your best foot forward and don’t doubt yourself. And whatever happens, happens. Eventually, you learn a lesson regardless,” Gab said.
Meanwhile, Melissa added, “When choosing a lifetime partner or someone you’ll be in a relationship with, trust your parents. Don’t settle for less,for shallow relationships. You should know your worth and your value. What you truly deserve in life. Kasi if it’s God’s will for you, it will be given to you. If it’s God’s blessing for you, it will be given to you.”
