Kiana Valenciano & Sam Concepcion Friends in love

They are both Monkeys (according to the Chinese horoscope) and both turning 25 later this year, Sam Concepcion on Oct. 17 and Kiana Valenciano on Dec. 21, and it must be why they are playful during this Conversation, not show-off like most showbiz couples who try so hard to be physically affectionate (the better to impress you, you know) and have no pretensions whatsoever. What you see and what you hear is what you get.

It’s the first time they are talking about their relationship and they are very open.

Chuck Gomez, the PR of the Genesis talent agency owned by Kiana’s mom Angeli Pangilinan, brought a copy of the Rogue magazine with Kiana sexy and seductive on the cover. Kiana’s revealing photographs, taken by BJ Pascual, reportedly almost knocked Kiana’s dad, Gary Valenciano, out of his senses. Check out Rogue and you will understand why.

It’s the first time Sam is seeing Kiana’s sexy photos. Asked how he finds them, Sam takes a quick look at them and shrugs, “Good!”

How long have they known each other…as friends?

Sam: I don’t know; I don’t remember.

Kiana: How long has it been since Narnia (the musical)? Oh, yes, 2002! That was when I first met him. But we were not close then. How old were you then?

Sam: I must have been 8 or 9. I was with her brother Paolo.

A year later, Sam was cast with Gary V. in Noah’s Ark. And that was where he and Kiana met again. Kiana was always with the audience, never with the cast. Sam is a Trumpets talent together with Kiana’s cousins, so they move in the same circle. Proximity breeds familiarity and familiarity breeds, well, you know what. It was only last year that they became boyfriend-girlfriend, when the sparks flew.

Kiana: We’ve been spending time together with friends. We move in the same circle kasi.

Sam: Of course, I noticed that Kiana was pretty before pa. Things didn’t happen the way they usually happen between other couples — you know, we didn’t exchange phone numbers or things like that. We were just hanging out all the time.

Kiana: I don’t think he really tried. Everything happens naturally. We were talking and I noticed that he was looking at me differently. I thought it was weird. I said, “Huh?” I guess I was just a bit scared, a bit shy.

They were two people who met at the right time. They were both fancy-free. Kiana had broken up with her boyfriend (son of somebody who ran for president) and Sam with Jasmine Curtis-Smith after an ugly incident at an A-List club where Jasmine’s sister Anne confronted Sam who, according to Anne, wasn’t fit (hindi bagay) for her sister. Sam and Kiana come from a similar background, same upbringing, raised by families steeped in the performing arts, and they fit like two peas in a pod.

Kiana: I think it’s just like we were good friends to begin with, so there was no need for any getting-to-know-you.

Sam: The best part about it is that there has never been any awkward moment at all.

Kiana: Do we celebrate a “monthsary?” No, we don’t!

Sam: No, no, no!!! Must be nice to celebrate our first 100 days, hehehe!!!

It helps that they have many things in common — same circle of friends, love of traveling (last city visited: South Korea where they watched the Coldplay concert) fond of video games, easy to get along with, fun-loving, adventurous, spend spare time watching movies (last movie watched: Alien: Covenant) and eating out, hying off to the beach (La Union, Palawan, Batangas, etc.), and having barbecue parties with friends. It helps, too, that they have learned from their past relationships.

Kiana: Communication is the key. It’s so hard to keep things bottled up and then they explode on your face. What we are trying to do is to find a balance between us. It’s hard to get involved with a non-showbiz guy because he wouldn’t know the demands of the job.

Sam: What did I learn? Hmmm, ang hirap ng question na ‘yan! I wouldn’t be here (with Kiana), I wouldn’t be what I am now if that experience didn’t happen to me. You have to go through that to graduate — and I graduated with honors. Cum laude! Hehehehe!!!

Sam has three siblings (older brother Red Concepcion is playing The Engineer in the Miss Saigon UK tour starting next month, with kababayan Gerald Santos as Thuy); while Kiana is the youngest among also three (oldest brothers Gab and Paolo are also active in showbiz). They are both comfortable with each other’s family. Since he also has a little sister (who’s 20), Sam is over-protective over Kiana, seeing to it that he doesn’t commit anything that will displease his (future) parents-in-law. Like their parents, Sam and Kiana are Born-Again Christian.

If they were to compare their relationship to a movie, what would it be?

Kiana: Saving Sally? Oh, just kidding. But I really like that movie so much.

Sam: I would compare it to a movie about two people who start out as friends and end up as lovers.

And if they were to compare their relationship to a destination, how far have they gone?

Kiana: We are just getting started. Airport pa lang.

Sam: On the runway na, about to take off.

With that, we wish Sam and Kiana a happy trip. Let’s hope that their “flight” is not delayed or, worse, cancelled.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)