TEEN actress Andrea Brillantes didn't see it coming, but she's not complaining at all.
The 19-year-old girlfriend of University of the Philippines star Ricci Rivero admitted that she was never interested in basketball prior to meeting him.
"Never kong inakala, in my whole life na in a couple of months, sisigaw ako ng 'Defense! Defense!' Minsan natatawa ako, actually, because of him nagkaroon ako ng interes sa basketball, never naman siya nagsabi pero ako 'yung nagvo-volunteer na 'nood ako ng games' ganon," Brillantes told Spin.ph
On occasional UP Maroons games, Brillantes can easily be spotted among the crowd, often with a customized banner for her boyfriend.
Last April, Rivero officially asked her to be his girlfriend after a UP game at the Mall of Asia Arena.
But since the UAAP teams are in a bubble setup throughout the season, they never really had the time to be physically together.
Still and all, Blythe says, it's not a problem.
LDR, not-so-LDR situation for Andrea Brillantes, Ricci Rivero
"Marami din akong work almost every day, tapos siya may training din every day, so hindi talaga namin nararamdaman 'yung distance since very occupied kami both," she continued.
Tech and social media makes it easier for the new couple.
"Lagi lang kaming magka-video call, walang araw na hindi kami nagcha-chat. Naiintindihan ko naman ['yung situation], " the teen actress added.
Although she never thought she'd be here now, sitting in the UAAP stands, Brillantes loved this sudden detour in her life, especially being a sports fan in the sea of KakamPinks.
"Very memorable for me itong time kasi first-time voter ako and first time ko din manood ng basketball. Everything is new to me kaya kung makikita niyo man ako na maingay, very excited talaga ako," she said.
She too, loved the running shot clocks and the nerve-wracking overtime.
"I like it sobra, nakakakaba nga lang at nakakadagdag sa anxiety pero I love it," she added.
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