"It’s not that my past relationship was traumatic for me," explains Mark. And no, he hasn’t given up on love. It’s just that he’d rather concentrate on work, basketball and the Net these days.
Jennylyn, for her part, admits, "Mark is still here in my heart." But like her ex-flame, work is foremost on her mind when she closes her eyes and kisses Mark in their new romantic film, Regal’s Eternity.
The feeling may still be there, but Jennylyn chooses to suppress it in the name of professionalism.
"We can separate the personal from the professional," she insists.
Why hope, when Mark did not even text her when she was in the hospital recovering from illness?
Instead of sulking, Jennylyn chooses to believe "Mark might just be busy."
Oh yes, too busy to even text Jennylyn a get-well-soon message. Mark’s dad, she insists, remembered and even visited her in the hospital. And that’s enough.
Yes, things are different enough. When they were still an item, Mark admits he felt the electricity tingle throughout his body. But now, all he recalls is missing that old feeling of longing in his bones.
Rather than sulk, Mark would dwell on the pluses of being your ex-flame’s friend.
"We don’t have to fool people into thinking we’re sweet in real life. Besides, local cinema is full of loveteams that clicked even if those involved are not sweethearts," he says.
Mark has a point. Look at the Guy and Pip, Vi and Bot and Vi and Christopher loveteams. Nora Aunor and Tirso "Pip" Cruz III went their separate ways. So did Vilma Santos, Edgar Mortiz and Christopher de Leon. But their loveteam has left a big mark in local showbiz.
Jennylyn agrees. "Before, I had a hard time whenever Mark and I had spats. It reflected in our work. Today, we don’t fight anymore. It’s a lot more peaceful."
Their fans are not complaining, too. "They still ask me about Mark," she goes on.
Of the two, it’s Jennylyn who’s more open to a reconciliation.
"I’m not closing my doors on Mark. I’m just looking for the right time," she relates.
Mark, on the other hand, is bent on putting love aside for now. He even refuses to court girls, reasoning out that relationships can wait. Work cannot. He must make hay while the sun shines.
Age is a big factor. "I’m turning 20 this year," he explains. "I don’t want another relationship where we are okay one minute and hurting the next."
But he swears that the next time he falls in love, it will be for the long haul. No more breaking up and making up and everything in-between.
After Eternity, Mark and Jennylyn break away from the loveteam mold and try their luck as separate performers. They star as superheroes out to save the world in Regal Films’ Metro Filmfest entry, Super Noypi.
Then, we will find out if Mark and Jennylyn can stand on their own as individual artists, away from the loveteam that sent fans shrieking for all they’re worth.