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The living room was chaos. Pillows flew across the air, blankets were being dragged from rooms, and Jhoanna’s voice carried above it all like a frazzled teacher trying to get thirty rowdy kids to settle.
“Hoy, wait lang! Kailangan organized ‘to!” she scolded, hands on her hips as Mikha smirked, Gwen wrestled with Stacey over a comforter, and Sheena pretended to faint dramatically into a beanbag.
It was one of those rare nights—no practice tomorrow, no schedules, just them, in their dorm’s living room, ready for a group sleepover like normal college kids instead of idols.
Mattresses were dragged in, creating uneven rows on the wooden floor. There were too few to fit everyone equally, so some ended up bigger, softer, cushier… and some, well, barely more than folded blankets on the ground.
Colet stood on the side, quiet as always, watching the chaos with a faint smile. No one noticed when she was edged out, when the bigger spots were taken, when Gwen plopped down on the mattress that Colet had originally pulled closer.
And so, without complaint, she laid out the thinnest, smallest mattress in the corner—barely a pad, really—just enough to keep her body off the cold floor.
“It’s fine,” she whispered to herself, adjusting her pillow. She’d always been the strong one, the one who didn’t mind, the one who could endure. It was just one night.
But Maloi noticed.
Across the room, she froze in the middle of fluffing her blanket. Her eyes zeroed in on the sight of Colet—the group’s fiercest, cockiest girl—quietly settling onto that pathetic excuse for a bed. Her chest tightened.
Hindi pwede ‘to.
Maloi had the biggest mattress of them all, practically a cloud in comparison. And yet, here was Colet—her Colet—trying to make herself small, trying to not bother anyone.
Her jaw clenched. Without a word, she marched across the room.
“Colet,” she said firmly, standing above her.
Colet looked up, startled. “Hmm?”
“Sa’kin ka.”
Colet blinked. “Ha? Ano?”
“Sa’kin ka matutulog.” Maloi’s tone left no room for argument.
Colet sat up, immediately shaking her head, waving her hands. “Hindi, hindi. Okay lang ako dito. ‘Di ba sabi ni Jho, fair dapat? Eto oh, I’m fine.” She forced a grin, as if her hip wasn’t already aching at the thought of that thin pad.
But Maloi only crossed her arms, brows furrowed. “Colet. Sa. Akin. Ka.”
By now, the other girls had stopped their chatter, watching with wide eyes.
“Ohhh…” Mikha’s voice trailed into a smirk. “Ano 'to??”
“Shhh!” Stacey hushed her, though she was grinning too.
Colet flushed under the sudden attention. “Maloi, seryoso, I’m fine. Hindi naman ako—”
Before she could finish, Maloi reached down, grabbed her wrist gently but firmly, and tugged her up.
“Loi!” Colet hissed, stumbling to her feet.
“Wala akong pake,” Maloi shot back, her voice unusually sharp. “Hindi ka matutulog diyan. Hindi ko hahayaan.”
And with that, she guided—practically dragged—Colet to her own mattress, the biggest, softest one in the center. Maloi sat down first, then tugged Colet until she plopped beside her, still stiff, still pink in the face.
The rest of BINI? Their jaws were on the floor.
“She really said dito ka,” Gwen whispered, giggling.
“Grabe…” Aiah muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.
Jhoanna just stared, lips pressed tight, somewhere between amusement and concern.
Colet hid her face in her hands, mumbling, “Maloi, sobra na ‘to…”
But Maloi only smirked, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over both of them. “Hindi. Perfect lang.”
And then, softer, just for Colet: “You deserve to be comfortable, baby.”
Colet froze. Her heart thudded painfully. Baby. Maloi had called her baby, and the others had definitely heard, if their collective gasp meant anything.
Maloi ignored them all. Her focus was solely on Colet, on making sure she was tucked in, adjusting the blanket so no part of her was cold. At first, Colet laid stiffly, arms crossed, pretending she didn’t want this.
But as the room quieted, as the others returned to their chatter, Colet’s body betrayed her. Inch by inch, she inched closer. First her shoulder brushed Maloi’s arm. Then her leg brushed Maloi’s knee. And then — without even realizing — she curled into Maloi’s side, burying her face into her neck.
Maloi’s heart nearly burst. She wrapped her arm around Colet, pulling her close, rubbing soft circles on her back.
“'Yan,” she whispered into her hair. “Sleep na.”
Colet melted. For the first time all night, she let herself sigh, let herself surrender. The ache in her chest—of being left out, of always having to be strong—quieted under Maloi’s touch.
—
Across the room, BINI watched in stunned silence.
“She’s… cuddling?” Sheena mouthed.
“She’s never— NEVER—” Stacey whispered harshly, gesturing like she’d just witnessed a crime scene.
Jhoanna pinched the bridge of her nose. “We’re never getting answers, are we?”
Mikha smirked, shaking her head. “Nope. But at least we got a free teleserye.”
Aiah sighed, watching the two girls sleep, Maloi stroking Colet’s hair tenderly. “Grabe. Colet really let her guard down…”
Gwen grinned. “Not just let down. She gave it to ate Maloi.”
—
The living room was finally quiet. The giggles had died down, Stacey had stopped reenacting a telenovela scene, and Mikha had surrendered to sleep with one leg dangling off her mattress. Blankets were rustling softly, and the air carried the scent of fabric softener and faint popcorn.
For once, the apartment was peaceful.
Well… almost.
Because in the middle of the room, under the biggest mattress, under the warmest blanket, were Colet and Maloi—pressed close together, whispering.
Colet had her face buried into Maloi’s neck, her voice low, muffled. “Ang lambot ng unan mo…”
Maloi chuckled softly, her fingers drawing idle circles on Colet’s back. “Unan ba talaga ‘yung lambot? Hindi ba ako?”
Colet’s lips curved into a sleepy smile. “Ikaw na nga. Malambot, mainit pa… gusto ko ganito na lang lagi.”
“Baby…” Maloi whispered, her tone so soft it nearly melted Colet on the spot. “I’ll always keep you warm.”
Colet’s heart ached in the sweetest way. She peeked up, catching the glimmer of Maloi’s smile in the dim light. For once, she didn’t care if anyone saw her walls down. She leaned up just a little, pressing her forehead to Maloi’s.
“Love kita,” she murmured, the words slipping out unguarded, as natural as breathing.
And Maloi, without hesitation, kissed her temple. “Love din kita, always.”
It should’ve been tender. Private. Quiet.
But the second Stacey’s eyes fluttered open and she heard the whispers, she groaned dramatically. “Hoy. Madaling araw na.”
Gwen stirred, grumbling into her pillow. “Ano ‘yon? Nagso-soft launch ba kayo sa tabi namin?”
Maloi bit back a laugh. Colet stiffened, burying her face deeper into Maloi’s neck.
And then— THWAP.
A pillow smacked Maloi straight in the face.
“MATULOG NA KAYONG MAGJOWA!” Mikha shouted from across the room, half-asleep but clearly fed up. She flung another pillow blindly in their direction.
“Hoy, hindi kami—!” Colet started, her voice muffled.
WHAP. Another pillow.
Sheena sat up groggily, hair a mess. “Grabe, parang teleserye dito. Pwede ba, mag-sleep na kayo? May beauty rest ako, mga ate.”
Jhoanna, who’d been valiantly ignoring it all, finally snapped. She sat up, glaring at the pair tangled up together. “Kung mag-i-i-love-you-han kayo, doon kayo! Nagssleepover kami dito!”
Everyone burst out laughing—even Aiah, who was hiding under her blanket but was definitely listening.
Maloi, though, only held Colet tighter, smirk tugging at her lips. She shouted back playfully, “Hindi namin kasalanan na inggit kayo!”
“Hoy!” Gwen barked, grabbing her pillow and chucking it at them with surprising accuracy.
Colet yelped as it bounced off her shoulder. “Ano ba—!” She lifted her head, cheeks burning. “Hindi nga—!”
But before she could finish, Maloi pulled her back down firmly, whispering against her ear, just for her: “Shhh. Ignore them. Just sleep, baby.”
And with Maloi’s warmth, her heartbeat steady beneath her cheek, Colet let herself melt again—grumbling a little but secretly comforted beyond words.
Around them, chaos carried on: more pillows tossed, more dramatic complaints.
But Maloi didn’t let go. And Colet didn’t want her to.
Eventually, BINI quieted again, their laughter fading back into snores and shifting blankets.
And in the very center, amid all the teasing, Colet and Maloi fell asleep in each other’s arms, proving everyone’s point without saying a single word.