the
love story
THE ONE WITH THE "CONGRATULATIONS :)"
Who would've thought that one simple message in 2017 would lead to this day?
Clarence and Laine had known of each other long before 2017, but only through friends' stories and the occasional hallway encounter at PLM. Clarence was an IT student, while Laine studied Computer Science. They had been facebook friends since 2016, but it wasn't until the evening of their college graduation that they finally started talking.
Guess who sent the message first? Laine.
(She'll tell you it was just to congratulate him. Clarence knows better...)
She sent a simple, "Congratulations :)"
By then, she already had a little crush on Clarence and couldn't shake the feeling that graduation might be the last time she'd ever see him. What she didn't know? Clarence was just as curious to get to know her too.
Clarence replied with a congratulatory message of his own, and that was the end of it (…or was it?).
A week later, Clarence messaged her again. From then on, not a day went by without them talking. They talked about college memories, sitcoms, MCU, borrowed hard drives to share their favorite shows, and eventually found themselves talking about their first jobs, struggles, family, and just about everything else.
On July 28, 2017, in Circuit, Makati, they decided to make it official.
THE ONE WHERE THEY GREW TOGETHER
Their story wasn't always easy.
As fresh graduates just starting their careers, there were times they had to postpone dates because going out every week simply wasn't in the budget. Most of those dates were spent at fastfood restaurants, and looking back, those moments became some of their favorite memories.
Like any couple, they had their differences. They spent the whole of year 2021 apart, and decided to focus on growing as individuals. Even then, they never stopped caring for each other. When the time was right, they found their way back, choosing each other again with a better understanding of themselves and of what they wanted their relationship to be.
Over the years, those fastfood dates turned into dinners at Gino's, overpriced coffee hunts, and the occasional steak night. They wandered through Japan with famichiki in hand, chased cherry blossoms and autumn leaves, enjoyed xiao long bao in Taiwan, traveled with their families and friends, bought their first single-attached home, and are now preparing for their wedding.
They may still be far from achieving all their dreams, but they've come so far from where they used to be.
On December 12, 2025, after walking through thousands of vermilion torii and reaching the 233-meter summit of Mt. Inari in Kyoto, Japan, Clarence got down on one knee and asked Laine to marry him.
A decade after that simple "Congratulations :)," Clarence and Laine will stand before the Lord and say, "I do."
Looks like this really was… The One.
