Celestial Strings Tied To You

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23 - CELESTIAL STRINGS TIED TO US

I held my breath as the cursor blinked on the screen and my hands were shaking as I moved the mouse. The official results were out, names listed in plain text. Finally, I'm at the culmination of every sleepless night, every tear shed in silence.

My heartbeat drummed in my ears as I scrolled down the page, my vision blurring from equal parts fear and exhaustion. I am so nervous that I can't find my name here.

And then I saw it.

Rosendez, Julianna Haven

For a second, I didn't move. The world seemed to still. All the noise in my chest evaporated into silence. Then it hit me, sharp and warm, like sunlight bursting through storm clouds.

I screamed, half laughing, half sobbing. "I passed! Oh my gosh, I passed!" I'm jumping on my bed as I said that.

My family came running into the room, with confusion written all over my face. But the next moments blurred into pure joy. Mom's tears. Kuya's laughter. And Dad's smile.

But amidst the chaos, my eyes found the box that I hid underneath my table. His gifts.

And in that quiet moment between laughter and relief, I whispered under my breath, "I did it, Vince."

After all this time, it was still his voice I remembered... the one would have told me, "I always know you can do it." Because he always believed in me when I couldn't even believe in myself anymore. He always believed in me.

"I'm so proud of you, Julianna." Dad hugged me. I could say that he wasn't that supportive when I'm still in the process of pursuing this title.

Julianna Haven Rosendez, CPA

This is such a dream. Everything feels surreal. I couldn't believe that I actually made it.

At night, I immediately called my girls and we all passed. Now, we're probably going separate ways. Different companies. Different paths. But I will always be thankful for having them by my side. And they will always be on my side.

"Totoo nga! Nung nakita ko 'yung name ko, hinamatay ako! Kaso tumama 'yung ulo ko sa corner ng upuan edi ayun, nasa hospital ako ngayon." Tawang-tawa ako sa sinabi ni Nica.

We are all laughing, lalo na nung nagthrowback na kami sa college moments namin. Until a knock on my door interrupted.

"Julie?" Bumukas ang pinto at pumasok si Mom sa kwarto ko. "No sender's name," she said placing them gently on my table and she left.

"Teka, bye muna, guys ha." I ended the call and went to my table.

White tulips wrapped in brown paper. It smells nice and soft as the moonlight spill into my room. Where did he even get this?

Yeah, I already knew who the sender was.

Tucked between the petals was a small card. And I immediately opened it.

To my CPA, congratulations. You reached the stars, just like I always knew you would.
—V

The tears came quietly this time. Because I knew this was how he loved in silence, from afar, in gestures that said everything he couldn't. And though we had drifted apart, the thread between us never snapped. It merely stretched across distance, across time... invisible, but never gone.

That night, I promised myself I'd start again. Not for him, not for anyone else, but for the version of me who once believed I could touch the stars.

I will make sure the every sacrifice, every pain, everything that I did for me to reach this far will be worth it.