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After the success of the Edmonton concert, Jhoanna found herself enjoying the rare silence that descended within the living room of their current Airbnb apartment. That silence was suddenly interrupted when Sheena exclaimed, “Uy girls, I saw sa twitter na may Aurora Borealis daw ngayon dito tonight!”
Jhoanna paused the Tiktok video she’s currently watching from her phone to divert her attention to Sheena, who’s currently occupying the love seat together with Gwen (the younger one sitting across the older one’s lap with her legs dangling from the seat’s arm rest).
“Wehh, Shee? ‘Di nga?”, Jhoanna asked from the opposite end, where she’s currently perched on top of the lone large bean bag on the floor.
“Oo nga! Wait send ko link sa GC!”, Sheena replied. Jhoanna clicked the link and saw the fans' tweet.
“Abangan ba natin?”, Staku inquired from the left side of the large sofa. Her legs were spread out to make space for Mikha who is sitting in between them from the carpeted floor. Jhoanna can see Staku’s left hand brushing Mikha’s hair whilst her right was busy scrolling through her phone.
“Wait, i-check ko ‘yung forecast para makita kung anong oras”, Maloi said from the other end of the sofa and started tapping on her phone, which Jhoanna assumes to do some google search. Colet who’s resting her head on top of Maloi’s lap, puts down the book that she’s reading, and butted in, “G na agad ako kapag legit ‘yan.”
“Ayan, sabi dito nasa red zone daw Edmonton so mataas chance na makita natin!”
“Omg! Pero wait makikita din ba sa Alberta?”
“Huh? Bakit mo natanong, Jho?”, Colet asked, her brows knotted together to show her confusion.
“Si Ate Aiah…”
“Sabi dito, makikita din daw sa Alberta”, Maloi confirmed.
“Sige, message ko siya para makita din niya with her family”, Jhoanna happily replied.
“Parang after midnight pa daw so mukhang puyatan na naman tayo”, Jhoanna heard from Mikha as she starts typing in her message to Aiah.
“Asus, easy lang sa’yo ‘yan, Mikhs. Sanay ka naman na hindi natutulog”, Sheena teased.
The other girls laughed. Mikha just pouted at them in response.
“’Di bagay sa branding mo magpa-bebe, Mikhs”, Colet said and without warning tossed one of the throw pillows at her.
Chaos then ensues as a sudden pillow fight commenced amongst the six girls. Jho just smiled at her girls and decided to sit it out, glad that for once, she’s not the bunot this time.
//
“Woahhhhhh, ang ganda!!!!”
“Grabeeee!”
“Pangarap ko lang ‘to dati, guys!”
“I can’t believe I’m seeing this with my own eyes!”
"This is crazzyy!"
Whilst the girls have happily shared their excitement upon seeing the rare phenomenon, Jhoanna suddenly found herself getting stunned into silence. She really could not find anything from her vocabulary that would give justice as to what she’s currently witnessing.
Her heart was so full and bursting with happiness that her body went to autopilot and contacted the one and only person on her speed dial. The first ring wasn’t even finished before the line connects, on the other end she can hear the other person said, “I was already dialing your number when your name popped-up as the caller ID.”
Jho lets out a wide smile as she stared at the sky full of colours, “Are you seeing this, Aiah?”
“I am, Jho. I’ve never seen something so beautiful”, Aiah softly whispered through Jhoanna’s phone receiver.
Jho, without thinking twice about her response just casually replied, “Well, I would gladly trade this view if it meant I could stare at you for the rest of my life.”
A pause.
Jhoanna can hear a sudden intake of breath from the other end.
“E-eto naman lakas mambiro”, Aiah stuttered.
On an ordinary night, Jhoanna would’ve downplayed it.
On an ordinary night, she would’ve ride along and pass it off as a joke.
But what they’re experiencing now is far from ordinary.
Because underneath the same glowing skies that she gets to share with Aiah (even from a distance), Jhoanna wants to be extraordinary.
So, she chose to be honest. She chose to be brave.
Tama nga siguro ang Blooms namin. There is really something about Canada’s air. Jhoanna internally thought, before she replies “Seryoso ako, Aiah”.
There was a sudden silence from the other end that for a moment, Jhoanna thought that the line was disconnected. She momentarily moves the phone away from her ear to check. She can still see the time on the call going up by the second.
For a moment, Jhoanna second-guessed herself and thought that maybe she’s being too forward. She was about to utter an apology when, “Aiah, sorr-“
“Me, too Jho.”
Jhoanna tightened her grip on her phone trying to find something tangible to make her believe that all of this was real and not a figment of her imagination. It wasn't a confession but it's all the confirmation that Jhoanna needs.
The sudden cold breeze that touched her skin, which was a stark contrast to the warmth that she’s feeling inside, tethered her to reality.
Trusting the universe, Jho lets out the widest grin that night. Her heart that was beating rapidly just a few minutes ago finds a sudden calmness in its beats.
She continued to stare into the vibrant night sky and released the breath that she didn’t realize she was holding.
In that moment, she lets herself bask in the sound of delight and laughter from the other girls who were just a few feet away from her.
In that moment, she lets herself be swept away by the calming breaths of the person she considers her safe space. Her sanctuary. Her home.
In that moment, Jhoanna feels infinite.