Rocco and Melissa Nacino recall love story

On their first date, Melissa Gohing-Nacino told her now-husband Rocco she was done playing around.

“I told him, ‘I’m looking for a husband. Not just play-by-play, boyfriend' ganon. I told him na direct kasi that time, I was too busy with everything, and everything was going right in my career,” Melissa shared.

She invited Rocco to watch “Wicked” the Musical for their first date, “because I had an extra ticket” and even put him up to a test.

“If he’ll bring out his phone, I’m not gonna see him again,” the former volleyball player narrated.

Rocco did not just pass Melissa’s cellphone test. He gamely took on the challenge, when he heard Melissa say “I’m looking for a husband.” 

“At that time, I was done looking for myself. I was single for more than a year, duon ko nasabi na maybe, ready na 'ko,” Rocco said.

But it took them awhile — months — before they even got to that first date. 

The two first met at Melissa’s volleyball game, and at that time, the Kapuso actor was literally with someone.

“May iba pa kong kasama nuon,” Rocco said blushing. 

But there was a spark for him. “Turn on sa akin yung very athletic, team captain pa siya, part of the Philippine team pa,” Rocco said of Melissa. “Everything was a turn on.”

Unfortunately, Melissa didn’t feel the same way.  “Bino-bro niya ko,” Rocco said.

He would slide into her DMs but  Melissa, she didn’t think much of Rocco’s moves.

“I took it, oh casual friend lang. Hindi ko nilagyan ng meaning,” she said.

But Rocco was persistent. “Medyo nangulit ako,” he said 

According to Melissa, she finally felt that unusual connection on their first date. “Ang gaan ng luob ko sa kanya. When you meet someone and may connection — we have that,” said the newly signed Sparkle artist. 

She finally considered the possibility of Rocco being The One on a two-week trip they took to Japan. “I remember, when we were walking during our Tokyo trip, sabi ko ‘I think he’s the one'," she said.

"I will not find another man like him," she added.

 Rocco and Melissa finally got married in a surprise ceremony in 2021 after three years together. — LA, GMA Integrated News