You can always tell when someone is just a friend. But when that friendship carries something a little deeper, there are small and almost unguarded moments that give it away. The glance lingers longer than it should, or a laugh comes a little softer, or concern becomes just a touch more tender than what the situation calls for.
In the Kapamilya series "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," Gemma (Kaori Oinuma) has had more than a few of those moments with Patrick (Joshua Garcia) that make it clear she has special feelings for him.
We open this Kapamilya Toplist compilation with that moment when she was assigned a work-related task near Patrick’s place. She dropped by Jason (Francis Magundayao)'s 'paresan' and it was there she learned that Patrick, his brother Matmat (Carlo Aquino) and Jason himself would be relocating again at the start of the rainy season. Upon hearing this, she went to the factory where Patrick was then doing side work after being dismissed from his post at a psychiatric facility due to his patient’s violent encounter with Mia (Anne Curtis).
While enjoying street food, Gemma and Patrick's conversation turned warm and nostalgic as they looked back on their days together at Sta. Monica Hospital more than three years ago, with Patrick recalling how he used to shadow her during rounds and how she would spend her breaks reading romance novels and patient care books. This made Gemma smile, touched that he still remembered. Riding the wave of that shared memory, Gemma suggested that Patrick consider moving back to their place in Maravida, hinting at their long history.
He took her to the bus terminal, and before she said goodbye, she reminded him once more that he could always choose to move to Maravida and promised she'd always be one call away. Gemma gave him one last glance before boarding the bus.
Imagine how happy she was when Patrick eventually changed his mind and decided to move to Maravida with his brother Matmat and their friend Jason. They were welcomed by Gemma, who had already arranged for them to rent a place in the compound owned by her relatives, where her mother Nanay Li (Rio Locsin) serves as caretaker.
Gemma toured Patrick around the beautiful seaside compound, where a delectable welcome lunch lovingly prepared by Nanay Li awaited them. Nanay Li casually dropped that she already knows Patrick thanks to Gemma, who apparently talks about him a lot.
When Patrick commented on the amount of food served, Nanay Li teasingly explained that she just cooked everything Gemma had bought at the market and that she even ordered shrimp especially for that day. A blushing Gemma scrambled to change the topic by urging everyone to just dig in already.
It was also Gemma who helped Patrick land a job at the psychiatric facility where she works, the OK Hospital, making it part of his fresh start in Maravida. In his first few days, she was consistently warm and accommodating and was often checking in on him to help him adjust to his new workplace.
In another scene, jealousy was written all over Gemma's face when she walked in on Patrick and Mia caught in an awkward situation inside the nurses’ room at the facility, her frustration peaking as Mia audaciously teased her about how satisfying it felt to touch Patrick’s body. But the truth was that Mia just barged into the nurses’ locker room where she found Patrick changing his clothes. She kept trying to get her hands on him but he wasn’t having it and ended up dragging her out of the room.
Gemma would sure do anything to make lovely memories with Patrick. Back to her perky self in another scene, she noticed Patrick browsing online for camping vans, which Matmat would like to try, so she volunteered to ask her uncle, who rents them out, if there’s one available, so they can plan a trip with Matmat.
But Mia’s constant hovering around Patrick started to really get to her. Over dinner at Jason’s inasal restaurant, Gemma vented out her frustration and pep talked herself into believing that even if she’s not as stunning as Mia, people say she's kind so that makes her beautiful in her own way. And that, she believed, would give her a fighting chance at winning Patrick’s heart.
Catch “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5, weeknights at 8:45 PM. Watch it in advance on Netflix and iWant.