Chapter Text
Colet turned away before she could lash out on Jhoanna. The constant teasing between the two was tiring.
“Hay, Jhoannaaa! Nababaliw na’koo” The woman in bed screamed as she hugged her pillow like it was the most precious thing to her. Her throat is burning with every inhale from the screams. It was just her and her precious pillow. Somehow, it felt like a true companion to her.
The scene earlier caught her off guard. Jealousy radiating from her every feature. Obviously, Colet didn’t want the girls to notice how she scoffed and glared earlier, but it was too late. The girls already knew the quick shift of mood between the two. Luckily, no one dared to ask Colet anything related to the moment earlier. Colet buried her head on both of her hands, inhaling sharply even if it pained her.
Amidst the spiral of overthinking, Colet stood up from her bed, heading out for a walk. Desperately, the woman wanted to clear her head, desiring peace along the walk.
The streetlights in Laguna shone, casting a clear light over the empty road. In the middle of walking, Colet suddenly halted, turning to the entrance of Leman park. The trees there stood tall, with a big playground displayed in the center. Colet smiled warmly, remembering the old moments where she was with Jhoanna on the swing. Instead of clearing her mind, she reminisced about the days she was with Jhoanna on the swing. For the both of them, this is the place for them to heal. The place where they feel so connected and heard.
In the middle of remembering the past, she caught a woman around her age sitting on the same swing she was staring at. It was not just a woman, It was Jhoanna Robles. Again.
Great. Just great. Colet thought to herself, exhaling deeply as she approached the younger woman.
“Grabe ‘no? Kahit saan man ako sa sulok ng Laguna, magkikita pa rin tayo,” Colet started, startling Jhoanna who broke her neck from turning her head too fast.
“AY ANAK NG KABAY—Aray!” A crack echoed through the quiet grove. The turn snapping her neck instantly with her hand caressing the side of her neck. Colet’s eye widened in shock, quickly holding Jhoanna to her sides.
“Jho! Sh1t!”
“Don’t touch me.” Jhoanna lifted her other hand, waving Colet off just like that.
“Jho–”
“Don’t.”
Colet went still, her breath hitching as the woman across from her gave her THE warning look. The older woman, Colet, couldn’t do anything but sigh. She slowly removed both of her hands that were on Jhoanna and quickly stood up, acting like nothing happened.
Colet cleared her throat to start off with a question once again. “Akala ko ba nasa bar ka kasama si Staks?”
“Si Staks lang?” The woman grinned, teasing once again.
“Ha? Hindi! Syempre yung ibang girls din” Colet nervously chuckled like a kid.
“I left. Ayoko na pala uminom.” Colet nodded in response, glancing at the woman in front of her. The silence stretched between the two, neither dared to break. The swing’s chains sharply shrieked by the sudden weight of Colet, sitting down slowly.
The silence between them wasn’t as suffocating as it seems. Although, there was a pang of discomfort, the two felt at peace knowing that there were no teasing remarks this time. Together, they both gazed at the stars that perfectly twinkled. The moon surrounded by an ethereal glow that casted flawlessly on the park. Times had passed by, but the two remained still at the swing, admiring how beautiful the midnight sky looked.
The sudden buzz of Jhoanna’s phone broke the silence that stretched for too long, making their eyes look at each other, but one quickly looked away before the eye contact could hold up a romantic meaning.
“Ahem, I need to go.” Jhoanna said, her tone calm. For a moment, Colet thought she saw Jhoanna smiling at her, but chose to shrug it off anyway.
Ngumiti ba talaga siya sa’kin?
Before Colet could bid her goodbye, the other girl already exited the park, leaving Colet on the swings.
It was a Sunday evening. Mikha had just brought the 7 women to an exclusive sky deck restaurant atop a hotel her dad owned. City lights sprawled out, capturing an artistic breathtaking view. Stars twinkled and buildings shimmered lightly. Jhoanna and Stacey clinged to each other, side by side on the seats, waiting for their order to arrive. The group bantered, sharing experiences with each other, except for Colet. Definitely not Colet. She was busy crossing her arms, glancing at the pair from time to time. They clinged to each other like there was no tomorrow. It twisted something inside Colet. She hated feeling possessive, it made her glare every time.
Inside Colet’s wandering thoughts, she wanted to grab Jhoanna by the wrist and talk to her in private. Colet couldn’t handle the jealousy boiling inside of her like it was eating her up. But as always, her self-control is stronger. Or so she thought.
“Nagseselos na talaga siya, Jho.” Stacey let out a snicker, only whispering to the woman she clung to.
“Hayaan mo lang. Bibigay din ‘yan at hihingi ng patawad.” Jhoanna mumbled, grinning at the idea of Colet asking for forgiveness she had waited 2 years for.
The waiter moved to their table, handing out each of their orders. The sweet aroma of honey wings spread through the air along with the other Filipino dishes that made their mouths water instantly. Colet watched every one of them devour their dishes, while she remained sitting there, a glass in hand. If she wanted to talk to Jhoanna, she wanted to be a bit tipsy so she could make it as an excuse if she embarrasses herself.
The sweet moment broke down the moment Maloi talked, “Pwede bang kumain kayong dalawa na parang normal na mga tao?” Maloi confronted the two women, her tone hostile, clearly understanding the motives of the pair. Although her tone was a bit aggressive, it wasn’t loud enough for everyone on the sky deck to hear.
“Ano nanaman ang nangyayari..” Aiah muttered, putting both of her hands on the sides of her head, caressing it.
Jhoanna and Stacey gazed at all of them, wide-eyed as if they were caught doing something illegal. They both pulled away from each other, listening to the older woman across from them.
“Wala naman kaming ginagawang masama..?” Stacey said in a low tone.
“So sinasabi niyong ganyan kayo ka clingy palagi? Kilala ko kayo, ha. Alam ko ‘yang ginagawa niyo” Maloi glared at them deadly.
Colet looked at Maloi, confusion etched across her face. She was stunned by how Maloi’s mood quickly shifted. Maloi wasn’t like this before. She doesn’t randomly point someone out in front of the group in unexpected ways. Uhm, I wonder why? Colet thought.
“Ate..” Gwen held both of Maloi’s shoulders to calm her down at least.
“It’s obvious na pinapaselos nila si Colet. How childish.” Maloi spoke out, her eyes hardening each time.
“Maloi, it’s okay. I’m not jealous.” Colet laughed awkwardly, clearly thrown by this side of Maloi.
“Wanna talk about it?” Colet whispered to the woman, wanting to know how her friend shifted moods in a blink of an eye. The truth was, Maloi doesn’t get into people’s business. So, why is she doing it now? Have I missed a whole different chapter?
Colet and Maloi left the hotel the moment the awkward scene ended, heading straight to Maloi’s apartment to talk about the unexpected crash out of the woman.
“So… Okay ka na? Kalmado na?” Colet asked, her voice laced with concern while the woman beside her nodded gently.
“Care to explain?” Colet asked once again, beaming innocently.
“Well, obvious naman na pinapaselos ka nila, hindi ba? They’re childish for it.” The younger woman rolled her eyes, remembering the scene earlier.
“Usually hindi mo naman pinapansin agad yung mga ganon. So, why?” Colet furrowed her eyebrows, listening carefully to Maloi.
“Kasi nagseselos din ako.” The younger confessed quietly, her cheeks turning red. Colet could almost choke on the coffee she just drank, looking at the woman beside her, confusion written all over her face.
“HA?”
“Girlfriend ko si Stacey.”