Recent pairings include Almira Muhlach and Paul Alvarez (once romantically linked to Vivian Velez who married a football player), Matet and Mickey Estrada (now married with one child), Rommel Adducul and Assunta de Rossi (who eventually married former Congressman Jules Ledesma), Maricar de Mesa and Don Allado, Rufa Mae Quinto and Rudy Hatfield, LJ Moreno and Rob Wainright, Ethel Booba and Alex Crisano (rumored to have reconciled after a controversial lovers’ quarrel) and, but of course, the most talked-about pair of them all, Kris Aquino and James Yap.
And then there’s Kyla and Rich Alvarez of Ateneo’s Blue Eagles.
He stands 6’4" and she 5’1". But what difference does only one foot and three inches make between two people in love? Like age, height doesn’t matter, does it?
Said Kyla, "I don’t feel short at all beside him."
Agreed Rich, "She’s right. Beside her, I don’t feel tall at all."
They have been going steady for only nine months and they click. She is not a basketball freak and neither is he fond of going to concerts. So how did they meet – and match?
"He was in one of my concerts at the Araneta Coliseum," recalled Kyla.
"I became her fan right away," said Rich.
Aside from her voice, what attracted Rich to Kyla was her quiet nature.
"She’s very shy, like me," added Rich.
"He’s also shy," replied Kyla.
They were introduced to each other after the concert.
"His name didn’t ring a bell at all because hindi talaga ako mahilig sa basketball. So I started doing a research on him in the Internet."
And what did she find out?
"Hmmm, I said, ‘Cute naman pala!’ What I knew was that most basketball players are mayabang and maporma, and playboy, but I discovered that he’s not like that at all. He’s humble, besides being shy, and that’s cute to me. Ang tangkad-tangkad pero mahiyain. And he’s really respectful, mabait."
Besides being shy, they have many things in common.
"We are both homebodies," said Kyla.
Asked how Rich courted her, Kyla nudged him, "Sabihin mo na kasi."
Well, Rich started, "After we were introduced, I asked permission to visit her at her house. I was genuinely interested in knowing who she was. Everytime I asked her a question, I noticed that she looked me straight in the eye. I found it funny at first. So I got interested in knowing her even more."
However, they shyly begged off when teased to look at each other’s eyes during this exclusive interview, although they continued holding hands.
And how long did it take Rich to get Kyla’s "yes"?
"Months!" Rich said, blushing.
Whew, why did she give him a tough time?
"Kasi, even if I knew he’s okay, I wanted to be very sure," replied Kyla. "I wanted to test his patience, to find out if he could wait. I wanted to know if he was really sincere."
They met at the right time. He was free and so was she. He has had "only one" girlfriend and she never had any.
Their commitment is sealed with an identical pendant they never go out without.
They have grown accustomed to each other and have become close to each other’s families.
Kyla now enjoys watching basketball especially when Rich is playing. Rich, in turn, has become a concert-watcher but only when it’s Kyla performing.
They have no plans for Valentine’s Day yet. But for sure, Rich will be watching Kyla’s pre-Valentine concert with Jay-R, entitled Heartsongs, on Feb. 10 and 11 at the Aliw Theater, also featuring teen pairs Jennylyn Mercado and Mark Herras, Yasmien Kurdi and Rainier Castillo, and Jonalyn Viray and Brenan Espartinez.
"I never get tired listening to her," said Rich.
"Nakakaaliw siyang panoorin maglaro," said Kyla.
(Note: A GMA Network production, Heartsongs is stage-directed by Louie Ignacio, with Rommel Gacho as TV director and Tats Faustino as musical director. Tickets priced at P2,000, P1,500, P1,000, P800 and P500 are available at all SM Ticketnet outlets and at the Araneta Coliseum. For inquiries, call 911-5555.)
Ticket holders are advised to call Concertus, Int’l at 813-2617; the Araneta Coliseum at 911-3101 or Ticketnet at 911-5555.