“There was never an us. There will never be an us.”
This painfully honest line was delivered by Steph “Teptep” Asuncion (Sarah Geronimo), in the 2014 Star Cinema romantic drama film Maybe This Time, directed by Jerry Lopez Sineneng.
The film follows Steph and Tonio Bugayong (Coco Martin), who first met during the summer of 2007 in the province.
Steph, a Manila girl spending her summer doing community service, found herself drawn to Tonio, a simple provincial boy with bigger ambitions of boarding a ship one day to help grow his family’s wooden furniture business. As the two grew closer, Tonio pursued Steph romantically, and just as she was about to finally say yes, he suddenly disappeared without explanation.
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The painful rejection left Steph heartbroken, and despite their shared connection, the two never officially became a couple. Seven years later, their paths crossed again under far more complicated circumstances.
Steph is now working in advertising under Monica (Ruffa Gutierrez) as a public relations specialist. Meanwhile, Tonio returned to the country after working on a cruise ship. Unknown to Steph, her career-driven boss, who is now dating Tonio, wants him to abandon his humble roots and transform into someone who could fit into the world she wants for him.
In an unexpected twist, Steph was assigned to handle Tonio’s public relations and help reshape his image to support Monica’s business plans. Forced to work closely together again, old wounds slowly resurfaced.
Although Steph remained deeply hurt over how Tonio disappeared years ago, circumstances pushed the two to reconnect. While helping him improve his appearance, communication skills, and confidence, Steph gradually discovered how Monica often belittled Tonio for being too simple and embarrassed by his provincial background.
Eventually, Steph accompanied Tonio back to the province so he could showcase the driftwood furniture craftsmanship he had always dreamed of pursuing.
It was there that both finally began learning the truth behind their painful separation.
Steph learned how devastated Tonio had been after leaving her, while Tonio discovered that after he disappeared, Steph had returned to the province to look for and wait for him.
The emotional tension finally reached its breaking point while the two were shooting a video presentation for Tonio’s furniture work.
Unable to keep his feelings buried any longer, Tonio confessed that leaving Steph years ago had been the hardest decision he ever made because, despite everything, he still loved her.
And it was in response to this confession that Steph delivered: “There was never an us. There will never be an us.”
The line immediately hit audiences because of its brutal honesty.
More than simply rejecting Tonio, Steph was confronting the painful reality of what had happened between them. They shared feelings, they shared promises, and they imagined something more, but in the end, they never truly became anything.
For many viewers, the dialogue gave words to a kind of heartbreak rarely talked about and showed how someone can mourn a relationship that technically never existed.
It perfectly captured the pain of an almost-love, the kind of connection where feelings are real, but circumstances, timing, and missed chances prevent two people from ever becoming what they hoped to be.
Much of its impact, too, came from Sarah’s performance.
Rather than delivering the line with anger, Sarah played the moment with quiet devastation, making years of unresolved hurt feel brutal in just two sentences. Her restrained but emotionally heavy delivery made the scene feel painfully authentic, allowing audiences to understand every ounce of pain Steph had been carrying for years.
Moments after the confrontation, Steph finally admitted just how deeply the heartbreak had affected her.
She revealed that after Tonio left, she turned heavily to alcohol to cope with the pain, to the point that one night her father had to look after her and they ended up in an accident that eventually left him paralyzed, something she had carried guilt over ever since.
Tonio also revealed the truth behind his disappearance.
Before the day they were supposed to meet, Steph’s mother approached him and told him that he would only become a hindrance to her daughter’s future, asking him to leave because he could never give her the life she deserved. Out of fear and love for Steph, Tonio walked away.
The film eventually sees Steph resign after Monica steals her promotional campaign and denies her promotion, while Tonio finally ends his relationship with Monica after realizing he constantly feels ashamed of who he truly is around her.
In the end, Steph and Tonio reconcile, finally giving their love story a second chance years after fate first separated them.
Because of its emotionally resonant story, Maybe This Time earned ₱20 million on its opening day.
In a previous interview, Coco himself shared how happy he was with the film’s success.
“Hindi ako makapaniwala, kahit kanina hanggang pag-uwi sa bahay halos hindi ako makatulog. Kaya nga sabi ko hindi lang nila alam kung gaano ako kaligaya na hindi ko inakala na makakagawa ako ng ganitong klaseng pelikula,” Coco said at the time.
“Kikiligin ka, papa-inlovin ka at paiiyakin ka, kumbaga kung gusto mo talaga ng parang bago at makakapagbigay ng inspirasyon sa buhay mo at sa puso mo itong pelikulang ‘to, saktong-sakto para sa ’yo,” he continued.
Asked about his favorite scene, Coco revealed he particularly loved the ending.
“‘Yung dulo sobra akong kinilig. Sabi ko nga kahit ako nga artista sobrang kinilig. Pero sabi ko masaya eh, kikiligin ka at papaiyakin ka.'
Interestingly, Coco also revealed that several scenes, particularly the film’s ending dialogues between him and Sarah, were spontaneous.
“Yung mga dialogue namin, ‘yung adlib-adlib namin, kami na ‘yun eh. Kumbaga sabi ko nga basta si direk, inupo lang kami, [sabi niya] ‘Bahala na kayo ha,’ kumbaga ‘yun na tinatawag na chemistry,” he said.
Ten years later, Maybe This Time found a second life online.
In 2024, the film’s official soundtrack of the same title, performed by Sarah herself, suddenly went viral on social media, bringing renewed attention to the film and introducing it to younger audiences.
The resurgence sparked a dance trend joined by personalities including Andrea Brillantes, SB19’s Stell, Cong TV, Viy Cortez, and Sheena Catacutan of BINI, among many others.
The virality of the track eventually saw the song enter the Billboard Philippines Hot 100 chart at No. 41.
Watch Maybe This Time on ABS-CBN Star Cinema’s official YouTube channel.