Chapter Text
Things were very far from being normal.
Or they might be, but not for Aiah.
Nope.
Perhaps because it was such a special day or maybe she was just going crazy. Either of those, really, but the Arceta family really does expect a lot from their children and Aiah was dreading the day she would end up to be the first Arceta to ruin the family name.
Agitated, she started pacing the length of her room. There was a huge mirror placed in the middle so she could see how she looks, and from what she was seeing, the makeup artist did quite the great job of making her look more normal and less of a nervous wreck.
The light teal fabric of her beautiful silk dress flowed smoothly as she paced the carpet, matching her silver high heels and jewelries. She had to admit, she would definitely love her outfit if it wasn’t for the chaos going on inside her head. Out of pure instinct, her right hand reached for the silver charm bracelet that she had around her left wrist. It didn't really go along with the formal attire but Aiah didn't have the heart to take it off. It was her comfort bracelet.
She heard a quiet whimper from the corner of her room and she glanced to find her dog Honey watching her with the same anxious look on her face. “Awww,” Aiah cooed, lowering herself to the floor and the dog took that as a sign to come over.
Honey began sniffing at her, bumping her with her body like she was passing some of her positive energy over to Aiah knowing the dog could most likely sense the anxiety bubbling inside of her.
“I’m glad you’re here with me.” Aiah whispered at her dog, ruffling her fur affectionately and placing some light kisses on Honey’s head while making sure her makeup wouldn’t be ruined. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do…”
As if Honey truly understood her words, the dog let out some whine, switching her comforting tactics into attempting to lick her face, which made Aiah laugh despite her nerves. “Nooooo,” Aiah giggled. “Hindi pwede, Honey! Mom will kill us.”
Her laugh only served to encourage Honey’s playful behaviour. Aiah loved seeing her dog this way. She had trained Honey to behave like a proper lady since she was puppy, and she still behaved that way, but sometimes Aiah would let the dog be playful with her.
She also loved how the collar on Honey’s neck today was made of gleaming white pearls and some teals that matched Aiah’s dress. If only she could bring her to the ballroom with them, but unfortunately, her parents advised that it was better for Honey to stay up there in the penthouse during the whole engagement party.
“Aiah? Anak, tapos ka na ba?” Her yaya’s voice called from outside. “Baka hanapin ka na sa baba!”
Oh, God … Aiah groaned internally, her nerves spiking once again. If only she could just not go but she knew their whole family would be deeply disappointed if she wouldn’t do this.
“Just give me a few minutes, yaya!” She called back, letting Honey go as she got to her feet.
Just thinking about facing dozens and dozens of their relatives, friends, business associates and acquaintances on such an occasion was making her palms sweaty. Aiah took a deep breath, calming her nerves as she tried to rein in herself.
Aiah, get a grip! Get a grip, get a grip … she chanted under her breath. She put her hands on her head, careful not to mess up her carefully styled hair but the building tension in her head was getting stronger along with the fuzziness lurking on the edge of her vision.
Oh, god, I can’t do this … Aiah thought helplessly. So many scenarios played in her mind, none of them good and she knew she would only end up doing something to mess up the party.
…We have to trust na magiging okay lang ang lahat, okay? We’ll face it together…
There was that voice again.
It wasn’t her head voice in any way. It was someone else’s, and Aiah couldn’t name someone in her life who owns that voice. It was only validating the fact that she was slowly going insane because she had been hearing a different voice in her mind.
The same thing happened with her dreams. She had been seeing someone– a girl– and even though Aiah couldn’t clearly see her face, she knew it wasn’t a person she knew in real life. When she had told her therapist about those, the doctor gave her a look full of pity that only made her feel more pathetic.
…What’s your favorite flower?
Why not…
…They will be your flowers…
Stop it… please… Aiah practically begged her mind. She tried to blink away the tears that were slowly gathering on her eyes. It was getting frustrating. How do I make this stop?
When she couldn’t take it anymore, she rushed to get to the bathroom and rummaged through the cupboards for her medicines. She popped one into her mouth and quickly uncapped the bottle of water she had grabbed along the way, taking huge gulps to wash the pill down.
You have to go back, Aiah…
Aiah shut her eyes, leaning on the sink for support. Her stomach felt like swirling, making her want to throw up.
Your family needs you … the same voice reminded her.
“No, no, no, no…” Aiah muttered. “Please just stop.”
The voice didn’t respond and she hoped that it was silenced for once because the words really weren’t helping her anxiety attack.
“Aiah?” Her mother’s voice called this time, causing her to straighten up on instinct, frantically checking herself in the mirror to make sure she hadn’t ruined her look. Her mother appeared on the doorway, looking just as glamorous. “Baby, bakit nandito ka pa? The party will be starting soon!”
Aiah bit her lip, clenching her trembling hands. “Mom… I-I don’t… I don’t know if I can do this.”
A frown graced her mother’s forehead, instantly concerned by her behaviour. The woman opened her arms and beckoned her forward. “Come here.”
She ran into her mother’s arms like she used to do when she was little and scared of every little thing. Except now, everything seemed so scary for her.
“Everything will be okay, baby,” her mother whispered to her ear. “You will be fine. We will all be there for you.”
“What if I do something stupid and masira ko lahat, Mom?”
Her mother pulled back and looked her in the eyes, shaking her head adamantly. “You won’t. You will be great, anak. You just have to be there, okay? Alam mo naman how important this is for the family.”
Of course she does. Aiah had learned all about family traditions since she was a child. Growing up, she had witnessed most of her cousins being married off to some of the children of their family friends and– most of the time–their business partners. As antiquated as it was, the Arcetas still followed through with that tradition. They just have to be lucky enough that they end up liking the person they were being married to. It didn’t help that most of those marriages turned out to be successful matches after all.
“Take a deep breath, darling,” she heard her mother say.
Aiah did as instructed, remembering the breathing exercises her therapist had taught her. They stayed that way for a few more minutes, her heart beat slowly returned to normal. The nerves were still there, but the medicine must have started working because Aiah didn’t feel like jumping out of her skin anymore.
“Ready?”
“Hm-mhm,” she replied, nodding.
Her mother led the way to the door of her room. Aiah quickly said goodbye to Honey before following her mom out of the penthouse suite.
She could tell just by seeing how decorated even the hallways were, that the family had gone all out for this engagement party. There were twice the number of staff too, which she noticed when she reached the ground floor and found the uniformed hotel staff lined up on the wall to welcome their guests.
Aiah clenched her fists, feeling the nerves coming back the moment she caught a glimpse of the guests making their way towards the open grand ballroom doors, dressed in their finest as they greeted one another along the way.
“You’re doing great,” her mother whispered before walking away to talk to a group of people that she recognized as family friends. Her father was there as well, smiling and waving at her when he spotted her before returning to the conversation.
She was left alone to fend for herself as she greeted the other guests coming in. Aiah knew that her usual charming smile had been pasted on her lips, leaving no evidence of anxiety on her face. Lifetime of social events like these had practiced her to always look presentable, no matter how terrible she was feeling.
“Maraiah!” She heard someone call her name. Annika Aguilar sauntered towards her, high-heels clicking, wearing a black satin dress that hugged her curves at all the right places. The girl exchanged air kisses on the cheeks with her. “Oh, my God! So good to see you!”
“Hi,” Aiah returned, a lot more subdued. “How are you?”
“Wonderful,” the girl beamed, looking around. “So where’s the groom-to-be?”
She shrugged, because Aiah honestly didn’t know where the guy was.
Annika let out a coy giggle. “I’m sure darating siya any minute now. See you inside?”
Aiah waved at her as she watched the girl walk away before facing the other guests coming in. As expected, they all asked about her accident and her recovery, which Aiah was forced to answer with no matter how uncomfortable it was.
Soon, the last of the party goers had passed the door, leaving Aiah, her parents and the staff outside the ballroom. They all looked towards the grand staircase, waiting for the groom-to-be to show up.
The wedding planner bustled past, shooting Aiah and her parents a look as she spoke to her earpiece. “The bride-to-be is here. Now, where’s the groom?”
“I’m here!” A male voice said, as the groom-to-be came running down the stairs in his three-piece tuxedo. “Sorry! Sorry!”
Her parents let out a relieved sigh. “What took you so long ba?” Her mother asked.
Aiah smiled at the guy. “Muntik ka nang ma-late sa party mo, Kuya.”
“I’m sorry, I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction kaya pinauna ko nang bumaba si Marj.” He said, out of breath as he gave each of them a hug. He was referring to his fiancee. “Where’s she?”
Her kuya saw his bride-to-be and grinned instantly, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek as they all went inside. Like most of the Arcetas, her Kuya Benj was also arranged to marry the daughter of one of their closest business partners. Luckily for them, he and the girl had grown up close and ended up falling in love with each other so everything turned out perfectly.
Aiah couldn’t help but be happy for her brother for that, knowing he still got to experience that kind of love even when things had been planned for them by their families.
Mararanasan ko din kaya that kind of love? Aiah wondered sometimes, because lately, she felt like she had lost that hopeless romantic side of herself.
Unfortunately with her luck, she would probably end up marrying the son of one of their Dad’s friends.
The ceremony began shortly once the couple had arrived to kick off the party. Aiah followed her parents to the head table where the bride-to-be’s family were also seated. On the table next to them, she spotted a few of the younger guests closer to her age, Annika was among them.
“Aiah, hey!” The guy beside the cheerleader smiled upon seeing her, getting to his feet and greeting her with a one-arm hug. He was wearing an arm sling on his left, which looked out of place on his sharp tuxedo.
“Hello, Chuck,” she greeted back.
“Kamusta ka na?” The guy asked. Chuck had to be one of the first people to come to the hospital when they found out she had woken up from her coma. They had been close friends growing up, so it wasn’t surprising that he had been worried. “How’s recovery?”
“Doing better,” she lied.
“Tito said you’re still attending physical therapy sessions,” he said, then lifted his slinged arm jokingly. “Looks like makakasama mo pa ‘ko soon. Therapy buddies!”
Aiah laughed along with everyone on the table. “What happened to your braso?”
“Swimming accident.” Chuck shrugged, winking comically, which made her laugh.
Charles Tuazon, or Chuck as they all knew him growing up, was the son of her Dad’s best friend so they grew up close to each other. He was a year older than Aiah so he was already in college. Their family moved to Manila when they relocated their business to Luzon. Just a few months ago, Chuck’s father had suddenly passed away from a stroke. Aiah was still in coma back then so she wasn’t able to attend his funeral but she knew her Dad was devastated from the loss of his best friend. No wonder their father was looking out a lot more for Chuck now, he had always treated him like one of his children.
“You two are so cute together talaga,” Annika chimed in, sighing wistfully. “Namiss ko tuloy si Mikha, I wish pinayagan siya to come back here.”
“Oh yeah,” Chuck agreed. “Hindi mo pa pinapakilala sa ‘min ‘yang mysterious girlfriend mo.”
The cheerleader tossed her hair dramatically. “Maybe one day.”
Aiah only smiled along with the others as Annika went on telling them about that girl Mikha, she took that as her cue to escape so she excused herself and joined her family’s table. There was an unsettled feeling in her stomach, but she had a feeling it had nothing to do with her anxiety attack earlier.
—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Pinayagan ka ba ng doctors mo to live in the dormitory?” Maloi asked when she appeared on the doorway, holding plates of chips and French fries in both hands.
Aiah passed Honey to Jhoanna, who was lounging on the couch beside her, before getting to her feet to help the girl. “Yeah, they said I’m good. Pero gusto ni Mommy na umuwi pa din ako dito every weekend para masamahan ako ni Yaya.”
Colet came out of the kitchen as well, an armful of soda cans and a bottle of ketchup balancing in her arms. Gwen followed behind her, holding plates of pastries that they had bought from their favorite bakeshop.
The rest of the girls– Stacey, Jhoanna and Sheena– sat comfortably on their respective spots in the large penthouse living room, just doing their own things; Stacey sat close to the end table and applying a new layer of glittery polish on her nails, Jhoanna who was baby talking Honey on the couch and Sheena just doom scrolling through her social media while waiting for their snacks.
Her kuya’s engagement party had drained her energy and Aiah shut herself in the penthouse the moment their family and guests had flown back to Cebu so the arrival of her friends to Manila lifted her spirits even for just a little bit. Aiah was less lonely within the last couple of weeks that Maloi and Colet had come back.
She smiled as she looked at each of them. They were chaotic, sure, but Aiah knew she could let herself relax with them around and their presence also served as a distraction from her mind. She wouldn’t deny how much she missed them even with their frequent video calls over the summer. After all, this had been the first time they got to hang out properly since that accident.
Jhoanna set Honey free as she reached for a cookie. “Buti na lang talaga, ate Aiah, pinayagan ka na ng parents mo to finish your senior high sa St. Agatha.”
“True,” Stacey agreed, looking up briefly from her nails.
Aiah nodded. “You guys visiting me sa hospital while I was in coma must have convinced them. Saka advise na din ng mga doctors ko to stay in Manila muna kasi on-going pa rehabilitation ko.”
“At least, ‘di ba?” Maloi agreed, munching on a piece of fry on her mouth while grinning at Aiah. “Makakasama ka na namin ulit sa school.”
“Pare-pareho pa tayo ng year,” Stacey added.
Ah, yes.
About that.
If things had gone well last year and Aiah hadn’t been in coma the whole time, she would have graduated high school a few months ago and would be in her first year of college by now. The school board at St. Agatha advised that she take her final year, which Aiah didn’t mind at all. Like her friends had pointed out, at least they would be in the same year.
Colet finally joined them again in the living room carrying a bucket of Jollibee fried chicken, which she set in the middle of the coffee table before taking a seat beside Maloi. The girls immediately went to reach for a piece of chicken, Gwen being the first ones to get her own. As always, the girls were talking over one another and she wouldn’t be surprised if a hotel guest would come up again to tell them they had been making so much noise.
Aiah pouted because she couldn’t reach for one. “Pwede pa-bite? Just bite lang. ‘Di ko mauubos, I still feel full.”
The short-haired girl held out her piece of chicken towards her despite Jhoanna trying to playfully kiss Gwen’s face, which the latter had been trying to avoid. “Ano baaaa– ‘Wag ka nga, Jho!” She laughed. “Lumalayo kamay ko kapag nanganga na si Ate Aiah.”
Once she was within biting distance, Aiah opened her mouth big and took a big bite.
Sheena, who was seated between her and Jhoanna, was watching her with a smile full of amusement. “What a big bite. You said you were nooot hungry.”
Jhoanna and Gwen laughed at the way their youngest said the words. Aiah struggled to chew on the big chunk in her mouth. Colet passed the cups of gravy towards them.
“Look at this,” Maloi showed her phone screen to them where her IG was open. “May pa-party pala sina Vince sa malapit.”
“Puro varsity naman mga pumunta panigurado,” Colet replied.
“Talaga?” Sheena grabbed her phone from the couch behind her.
“Oh, yeah,” Stacey looked up from her chicken. The girl in pink held her chicken with just two fingers while the others were daintily kept away while her nail polish was drying. “Iniinvite ako ng cheer squad pero obviously, I’d rather be here. There’s the official welcome back to school party naman coming up.”
“Yesss!” Maloi cheered, wiggling her fingers towards Aiah. “We’re all going togetherrr!”
Aiah only smiled, pretending to take a bite from Sheena’s chicken. Gosh, she almost forgot about those frequent parties that students from St. Agatha would throw from time to time, most of them for no reason. She barely survived her brother’s engagement celebrations, Aiah couldn’t imagine how she would handle being on something as wild as a high school party.
“So yummy!” Stacey exclaimed, referring to the chicken. “I love it!”
“Pano nalang ako?” Jhoanna complained, pouting at the cheerleader.
“Pati ba naman yung manok, Jhoanna?” the girl snapped back, making all of them laugh. “Kasama na nga kitang nag-Jollibee noong isang araw eh.”
“Jho, suot mo yung onesie mo na chicken,” Colet joined in. “Gusto pala ni Stacku sa manok!”
Jhoanna scrambled to get off her spot between Gwen and Sheena. “Hintayin n’yo ko.”
“Hala, gagawin nga!” Sheena hollered.
They all watched the girl run towards the direction of the bedrooms, her heavy footsteps could be heard from miles away.
“Sira ulo.” Stacey shook her head.
They all turned back to their food. The music was playing from the speakers, not too loud, just enough for it to be heard from the background. The songs ranged from K-Pop to OPM. Honey came up to her and Aiah immediately cuddled the dog.
“Nakakamiss tuloy si Mikhs,” Stacey suddenly said, a thoughtful look on her face. “Edi sana walo tayo and kasama natin siya this year if hindi siya pinauwi sa States.”
“Oo nga,” Sheena agreed, glancing briefly at Gwen before returning her eyes on the phone. “Kamusta na ba pinsan mo, bebe? Hindi siya nagrereply sa gc natin.”
“Magtatampo na kami sa Mikha Lim na ‘yan,” Maloi sulked. “Once lang yata nagreply sa ‘kin the whole summer. Kung hindi pa nagpopost si Annika ng mga pictures nila together, wala man lang tayong balita sa kanya.”
Oh yeah … Aiah saw those posts too. Annika had their selfies posted on IG all the time. The way Annika would talk about this Mikha during the party a couple of weeks ago, it was obvious there was something between the two of them. Talking about hard launching a girlfriend online…
Aiah wondered what that would feel like. She was so focused on school and academics that Aiah never really had time to date. And that one time she managed to form a potential romance with someone– Colet – she had to cut it short when her parents wanted her to go back to Cebu. She ended it before it could go anywhere and she had made peace with that, the idea of a long distance relationship didn’t sound appealing for her.
Her eyes wandered towards Colet, who was quietly sorting the snacks on her plate while Maloi leaned on her shoulder, feeding her girlfriend from time to time.
A few days after they came back from vacation, the couple had confessed to Aiah about their relationship that had formed while they all thought she was in Cebu. She wasn’t even surprised about it and they didn’t have to explain the whole thing to her because whatever she and Colet had before was long over before she even left.
So of course she was happy for them.
Sheena had shown her that video of Colet and Maloi dancing together during their previous Prom, there was no denying how much the two adored each other and Aiah had all her support for them.
“Pagpasensyahan n’yo na,” Gwen told them, cutting off Aiah’s thoughts.
Gosh… ang lutang na naman ng isip ko, Aiah scolded herself.
“Heartbroken ‘yung tao eh.” The short-haired girl added, they all turned towards her.
“Hala, bakit naman?” Sheena voiced out the other girls’ questions. “‘Di ba sila ni Annika? Panong na-heart broken ‘yon?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” Stacey shook her head disappointedly. “Na-warning-an ko na ‘yang si Mikha sa pagiging heart breaker ni Aguilar.”
That’s weird, Aiah thought as she ran her fingers through Honey’s soft golden fur. The way Annika had talked about Mikha Lim during the engagement party, it didn’t sound like she just dumped the girl. It was quite the opposite actually.
“Sure na ba kayo na kay Annika siya na-heart broken?” Colet questioned the girls. “Kayo talaga, porket may mga pictures sila issue kaagad kayo.”
“Kalat kaya sa school website ‘yung chismis, uyab,” Maloi told her. “Pinag-uusapan sila ng ibang students gawa nong letter A daw sa necklace ni Mikhs.”
“Trust me, hindi si Annika ‘yon.” Gwen said. “May ibang minamahal si Mikha.”
“Whew,” Sheena interjected.
“Sana all minamahal.” Stacey commented as well. “Pero na heartbroken din. Ireto na lang kaya natin si Mikha Lim dito kay Aiah.”
“Luh,” Aiah instantly stopped petting Honey and turned to look at the cheerleader. “Ba’t nadamay ako diyan?”
“Baka lang naman,” Maloi decided to tease her best friend.
Sheena’s eyes practically shone. “Kasi naman, Ate Aiah, single ka and obviously single din si Mikha and kawawa naman kasi heartbroken siya. One plus one equals two!”
“One plus one equals–” Stacey narrowed her eyes, thinking before her face brightened. The cheerleader glanced at Maloi and they seemed to have the same thoughts. “MIKHAIAH!”
Aiah turned to Gwen and Colet, hoping the two would be more reasonable, but instead, she caught them exchanging cryptic glances before shrugging. “Grabe naman kayo,” her Bisayan accent slipped out on her words. “Ni hindi nga kami magkakilala. Besides, she's in the States, right?”
“So kung nandito siya sa Philippines, payag ka, ate Aiah?” Sheena wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Hala, tigilan niyo nga ako!” She protested, rolling her eyes, which made the girls laugh.
“MikhAiah… MikhAiah…” Stacey chanted under her breath. “MikhAiah.”
“Tigilan mo na, Stacku,” Maloi slapped the cheerleader’s arm, laughing. “Namumula na si Aiahkins, oh!”
Aiah pouted. “I hate you guys talaga!”
Maloi got up and walked around the coffee table to get to her side and hugged her. “You love us. Very much.”
“Very much,” she repeated despite her annoyance. Aiah couldn’t be annoyed with them for long anyway because she was already smiling.
“And I’m here!” Jhoanna skidded to a stop in front of them, wearing a yellow onesie in the form of a young chic.
Sheena immediately snapped pictures of the girl as she practically rolled on the floor laughing.
“Dala ko din ‘yung akin!” Maloi interjected. “Panda syempre!”
“I have mine too.” Aiah seconded.
“Suotin nga natin!” Stacey urged them all.
They were about to get up when a buzzing sound came from the door. They all exchanged nervous glances.
“Dadating ba parents mo today, Aiah?” Colet asked quietly.
“No, they’ll be in Cebu until next week.” She replied, getting anxious. Her mother would have called if they were coming. “Besides, alam nila na you’re all here.”
“Expecting visitors, ate Aiah?” Jhoanna’s eyes were wide as saucers.
Aiah shook her head no. Her yaya was in her room, probably watching TV.
“Baka ‘yung ibang hotel guests ‘yan, jusko.” Gwen grimaced. “Sobrang ingay na naman yata natin.”
The person outside buzzed the door again so Aiah decided to check it out. It could be one of the hotel staff but she checked the door security camera and found a man in a delivery uniform standing outside with a bouquet of white roses. Aiah quickly unlocked the door, greeting him.
“Delivery for Miss Aiah Arceta?” He asked.
“That’s me.” She accepted the bouquet then thanked the man before he left. Aiah shut the door closed, holding the flowers close to her face to fully appreciate the scent of the freshly picked roses. A smile pulled up to her lips.
She checked the note and of course, there was no information about the sender. Aiah looked up and found six pairs of eyes staring at her. She almost forgot they were there.
“What?” She asked, confused on the bewildered looks on their faces.
Maloi was the one to speak up first. “May manliligaw ka, bes?”
“Huh? Wala!”
“Eh, kanino galing ‘yan?” Jhoanna walked closer, curiosity getting the best of her.
“At bakit napangiti ka nong inamoy mo?” Stacey called out.
“Ha? Hindi, ah!” Aiah denied.
Maloi and Sheena ran to her side and checked the note.
“Bakit walang nakalagay on who sent it?” Maloi was confused, turning the note over on her hands. "Huy, walang sender!"
“Wala?” Colet asked from across the room.
Aiah shrugged. “I don’t really know where they come from, but they regularly sent me flowers ever since nang magising ako sa hospital.”
“Hindi ka man lang nagcurious and nagtanong sa kanila?” Jhoanna questioned.
“Of course, I asked. Pero they only said na taga-deliver lang daw sila and they didn’t know who sent them.”
“Basahin mo nga anong nakalagay,” Colet told her.
“ I am learning to love the silence between prayers and promises, the space where hope blooms slowly .” Aiah read from the note, the words never failing to make her heart skip a beat, something she wouldn’t admit to the girls. “‘Yun lang.”
“Sweeeet,” Sheena said, nodding.
“But kinda creepy?” Stacey suggested. “Kasi bakit hindi niya ilagay pangalan niya? What are they so afraid of?”
“True.” Maloi agreed.
“I don’t know,” she said. “The notes were different, minsan movie lines, song lyrics or a piece of poetry, ganon. Might be weird to say but I learned to appreciate these notes lalo na when I was struggling after a hard day of therapy. This person… I don’t know, they’re like a silent angel to me.”
“That’s kind of romantic, don’t you think?” Gwen finally spoke, though there was something about her expression that Aiah couldn’t figure out.
“Okay, they make such good love letters pero creepy pa din.” The cheerleader concluded. “Basta ako mas bet ko pa rin si Mikha Lim for you.”
“Same,” Sheena raised her hands, nodding.
“Yeah, ako din.” Maloi piped in.
Stacey raised both hands. “Doon ako sa manok na pula. At least siya kilala natin, ‘di ba?”
Half the girls conceded.
Colet shot Gwen a look. “Girls naman, malay natin malinis naman intention ng taong ‘yan kay Aiah. You see? Puro beautiful words nilalagay niya and they helped Aiah.”
“They might have a reason bakit hindi nila nilalagay kung sino sila.” Gwen said.
Jhoanna obviously didn’t know which side to take. “Eh, doon nalang ako sa ikakasaya ni Ate Aiah.”
Aiah smiled at her gratefully. “Aw, Jho…”
Maloi scratched her head. “Sabagay, bakit tayo nagdedebate sa mga bulaklak na ‘yan? Kumain na nga ulit tayo.”
The girls laughed then returned to their spots in the living room. Aiah busied herself with arranging the white roses in a vase, which she put on their usual place in the living close to the couch where Aiah often sits, before she returned to her friends with Honey in tow.
“Bebe,” Sheena had a frown on her face, looking up from her phone screen. “Bumalik na ng Philippines si Mikha?”
“What?” Gwen chortled. “Hindi ah. Kausap lang namin ni Mama si Tita kahapon. Nasa LA daw si Mikha for summer camp.”
“Eh, sino ‘to?” The younger girl showed her screen to all of them where a video was currently playing.
It was obviously taken at the party because they could recognize Vince on it, playing a rowdy game of beer pong with a bunch of other people cheering for him. The video panned out to the other side of the table where a red-haired girl was downing a red cup of beer before slamming it back to the table with a smirk. The image zoomed in on the girl’s face and there was no denying who it was.
Gwen’s mouth fell open. “HA? Pero pano? Kahapon lang kausap namin sina Tita na currently nasa New York on business at sabi niya pinayagan na daw nila si Mikhs na sumama sa summer camp kasi daw nalulungkot and–” They all saw the moment when realization dawned on Gwen’s face. “Putek na ‘yan!”
Silence spread among them in the penthouse, only the sound of the music playing quietly in the background could be heard.
Aiah didn’t know what the deal was with Mikha Lim but based on the expressions on her friends’ face, this would be quite an interesting year.