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Jhoanna doesn't consider herself a jealous person. Not really. Sure, there was that one time she may have raised her voice a little at that one girl who kept gawking at Aiah at a party. And that other time she asked the manager for another waitress because the one they had was a little too friendly. But she wouldn't call those instances of jealousy. They were just natural, completely acceptable girlfriend reactions.
Because she's not a jealous person.
She doesn't have jealous fits of rage, she doesn't glare at every girl who so much as looks at Aiah. She doesn't compare the way Aiah smiles at her, to the way she smiles at anyone else. She doesn't do any of those things. She's secure in herself, in their relationship, and most importantly she trusts Aiah. And her friends. She trusts her friends. And she doesn't get jealous.
Because again, she's not a jealous person.
But when she counts the seconds that Stacey hands stay on Aiah's shoulder or when Aiah hugs Stacey and Jhoanna swears she can see an extra squeeze, Jhoanna knows she may have a problem. A teeny, tiny, not jealous problem, but a problem nonetheless.
Then Sheena makes a playful, seemingly innocent comment on how 'cute' they are and to 'stop with the flirting,' and it's a little too much and she has to physically leave the room. And maybe she is a little jealous. Just a little.
It's more their fault than hers though. They have this weird...thing. A chemistry thing. And it's really annoying. She understands now why they didn't get along at first. They were too much alike. Competitive and passionate. Smart, determined, and fiercely, fiercely protective. It was one wall running into another wall. They just didn't work.
But then tonight...they kind of did. A lot. More than a lot. Too much really.
She knows if she thinks about all of this rationally, she should be ecstatic. Finally, all her friends were getting along with her girlfriend and that was the purpose of this whole game night/sleepover thing. She knew if she could just get them in the same room for longer than a lunch hour, they'd be able to form some type of friendship. She just wasn't expecting it to be of the touchy-feely variety.
Jhoanna sighs, looking back into the refrigerator. She isn't sure how long she's been in the kitchen. She wasn't really paying attention to the time or anything else for that matter. She just needed to get away from...them and the fact that they were apparently a them now, as opposed to just being Stacey and Aiah. She puts her fingers through her hair in frustration. God, she really needed to get a grip on reality. Remind herself who she was even thinking about.
She stares aimlessly into the refrigerator, her eyes glancing between a questionable looking jar of salsa and what she can only guess used to be a block of cheese. At any other time, she'd probably laugh at how empty it was, Sheena never were the cooking kind. Right now though, she just closes the door and leans her head against it.
She sighs again, willing her mind to clear of this jealous type feeling (that isn't jealousy) that's been nagging her all night. She really doesn't like it. She wonders if she could get away with going to bed early. If nothing else, sleeping would give her a few hours to ignore it all together. Glancing at the overhead clock, she knows the answer is no. It's barely 10 and the girls would never let her sleep this early on any day, much less a Saturday and much, much less considering this was supposed to be a sleepover.
She turns around and closes her eyes, breathing in and then out. It almost calms her down until the laughter from the living room makes its way to her ears and she's back to being maybe (but not really) jealous. And annoyed. And frustrated. And maybe (not) jealous some more.
"Jho?"
She turns her head to the voice and watches as Gwen makes her way into the kitchen, her brows furrowed.
"Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
"Umm..sumakit lang ulo ko." Jhoanna lies, turning away. She's very aware of Gwen staring at her, but she chooses to ignore it, making her way to the table and sitting down. "What's up?" She asks, finally meeting her friends eyes.
Gwen squints at her for a second, then shakes her head. "Gutom si Shee and since hindi ako kasali sa games, popcorn duty it is"
Jhoanna nods and watches as Gwen moves to the pantry and rifles through the endless cans of Spam and boxes of Mac & Cheese.
"Hindi ko talaga gets how that’s fair, considering hindi naman nagsh-share ng food si Sheena and they can't start playing until you're in there to even out the teams." She huffs. "God, may dealer ba siya or something? I’m pretty sure bawal bumili ng ganito karaming Spam. Just wow."
Jhoanna laughs. It almost sounds genuine. "You know she don't cook, Gwen."
"I know, but...oh, here it is." She turns around, the box of popcorn in hand. "One or two? I can't remember if Sheena's appetite get's bigger or smaller when she's not quite sober, not quite drunk."
Jhoanna smiles. "Two."
"Right." Gwen nods, taking one of the popcorn packages out and putting it in the microwave. "So, mukhang nagwo-work yung plan mo," Gwen says as she sits across from Jhoanna at the table.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jhoanna asks, her mind still elsewhere.
"Si Stacey and Aiah, parang nagkakasundo na. You must be excited." Gwen smiles.
Jhoanna tries not to cringe, that not jealous feeling coming back full force. "Ecstatic." The cringe is out and on display now. She knows if she can hear the sarcasm, so can Gwen.
"Jho, are you-" The microwave beeps and Jhoanna has never loved Sheena and her munchies ways more.
"Uh, babalik na lang ako dun" Jhoanna says quickly, standing up and rushing out of the kitchen before Gwen can ask anymore questions she doesn't really want to answer.
"God, there you are ate Jho," Sheena says, grabbing one of Jhoanna's arms and pulling her down onto the couch next to her. "Ano ba, ang tagal mo?"
"I was just-"
"Whatever, doesn't matter," Sheena waves her off. "You're on my team," Sheena says, a gleam in her eye. "We've got to beat team Aiahcey." Sheena sticks her tongue out at Stacey and Aiah.
Jhoanna looks between her friends and her girlfriend, confused. "Aiahcey?"
Sheena turns to her and rolls her eyes. "I know, I liked Staiah better, but Staks-"
"Aiahcey just has a nice ring to it." Stacey shrugs, filling up an unhealthy amount of shot glasses with vodka.
"But what is-"
Stacey puts the bottle down and looks at Jhoanna. "Aiah and Stacey," she turns to a smirking Aiah. "Aiahcey."
Aiah nods.
Jhoanna throws up a little in her mouth. She's suddenly very appreciative of the full shot glasses. She reaches over to grab one, only to have her hand slapped away by Sheena. Jhoanna glares at her.
"Papatalunin mo na tayo agad kahit di pa nagsisimula. Ang hirap na nga silang talunin."
"What exactly are we playing?"
"Battleshots," Aiah says, smiling at Jhoanna.
Jhoanna smiles back, glad she was finally getting some attention from her girlfriend. "What is Battleshots?"
"It's Battleship with alcohol. If you hit, we take a shot. If you miss, you do. And vice versa." Aiah bumps Stacey's shoulder with her own. "Stacey came up with the bright idea."
Stacey beams, moving the filled shot glasses onto a Battleship-esque looking board.
Jhoanna is frowning again. She really, really wants to drink now. "Great, let's play."
To say Jhoanna and Sheena suck would be an understatement. Or maybe they don't suck and Stacey and Aiah were just that good. Either way, they were losing. And between Sheena blaming her for every wrong move and then drinking majority of the shots, Jhoanna was ready to just give up altogether and take her chances with the half-empty bottle of vodka.
Team Aiahcey on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of their lives. They were winning and laughing and joking and high-fiving and being best friends and Jhoanna was getting sick of it. That is until they started arguing. It started with a simple 'No, Aiah' to a 'Stacey, you're wrong' to now.
Jhoanna tries not to smile at the Aiahcey she's used to. It's hard.
"Jhoanna wouldn't put a ship there," Aiah stands up from her spot on the ground, folding her arms and glares at Stacey.
Stacey laughs. "Sheena put most of their ships on the board." She points a finger at Aiah, standing up too. "And are you really implying that you know Jhoanna better than I do? In case you've forgotten, I've known her a lot longer."
Gwen gets up from her seat and bless her self, walks in between the two arguing girls and pushes them apart. "Guys, c'mon," Gwen says, her arms still holding the girls apart. She looks to Jhoanna and Sheena, eyes wide.
Sheena is too drunk to notice and Jhoanna just shrugs. What can you do? She grins, enjoying this entirely too much.
"But you're just her friend. I'm her girlfriend," Aiah says, moving away from Gwen.
Stacey glares back at Aiah."Just her friend? Excuse me," Stacey says, gently pushing Gwen away.
Gwen seems to have given up, shrugging in defeat and sitting down in the middle of the floor.
"Unless you two are secretly hooking up, yeah." Aiah stops, smirking. "Just. Her. Friend." Aiah says, putting emphasis on each word.
Jhoanna does laugh then. At the notion that she and Stacey could ever be a thing and at the nice shade of bright, angry red Stacey's face turns.
"Unbelievable. So, you really think mas kilala mo si Jho kaysa sa’kin just because girlfriend ka niya?"
"No, I'm saying I know her in a way you would never be able to."
Stacey scoffs. "I doubt it."
Aiah's smirk widens. "Oh, so you know what turns her on then, huh? That sometimes she get's so blissfully happy that she just can't help herself and swears like there's no tomorrow. You know all of that, right? Like I do?"
Sheena laughs. It's loud and obnoxious. And it makes Jhoanna's face turn a slightly different red from Stacey's.
Gwen puts her face in her hands.
Jhoanna groans. This was getting a little too personal for her liking.
Stacey puts her hands on her hips. "That's just sex. Hindi naman talaga counted."
Jhoanna wants to sink into the couch and die, but she can see Aiah is getting worked up, so she quickly get's up and pushes Aiah towards the front door. "How about we take a walk," Jhoanna whispers into her ear.
A loud blown out puff of air is the only response she get's from Aiah as she pushes her out the front door.
They walk in silence for a while, Jhoanna giving Aiah time to cool off. She rubs at her arms, cursing herself for not bringing her sweater.
"Here," Aiah says, breaking the silence. She takes her jacket off and hands it to Jhoanna.
Jhoanna shakes her head. "I'm fine, bubs."
Aiah stops and turns Jhoanna to face her and puts the jacket over Jhoanna's shoulder. She doesn't protest as much as she probably should have. "Now you're fine and not shivering," Aiah says, smiling and kisses her head.
She puts an arm through Aiah's and continues walking. "Thank you."
Aiah nods.
Jhoanna looks at Aiah out the corner of her eye and figures now is as good a time as any. "You should know, I wasn't enjoying myself as much as I thought I would."
Aiah nods again. "I could tell." Of course she could. "Why?"
"I was jealous."
"Of what," Aiah asks, pulling her closer.
"You and Staks ... and your thing."
Aiah laughs. "What thing?"
"Your ... touchy-feely thing." Jhoanna wiggles her fingers.
Aiah's laughter get's increasingly louder, making Jhoanna worry that she might wake the neighbors. She'd say something, but she's too busy being embarrassed. "Oh god, bubby ko. That was all for show."
Jhoanna stops, confused. "What?"
"All that back there, it was just for show. We were playing it up so you would get off our backs."
Jhoanna pulls away at that little piece of information. "What are you talking about?"
Aiah shrugs and sits on the curb.
Jhoanna follows suit.
"You seemed so bothered by our last argument. So, we met up at the mall and Stacey made a list of ways we could ease your..." Aiah trails off, turning to Jhoanna and placing a finger on her temple. "Whatever is going on in that head of yours." Aiah pulls her finger away, replacing it with a kiss.
Jhoanna takes a moment to take it all in. "So, you're not really friends?" She wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. Maybe both.
"I didn't say that," Aiah says, throwing an arm around Jhoanna's shoulder and leaning her head against Jhoanna's. "At some point during our little mall meeting I may have found a few reasons why I wouldn't completely blame Stacey for being so whipped," she adds, a teasing smile in her voice as she presses a soft kiss just behind Jhoanna’s ear.
Jhoanna inhales, her senses overflowing with the scent that was wholly Aiah. She closes her eyes, basking it in. "Good," she says honestly. They were friends. Friends is good.
Aiah gets up and stands in front of Jhoanna, her hands outstretched. Jhoanna takes them and Aiah pulls her up, bringing her flush against her body. "And for the record baby... she's not my type."
"What are y-"
"You put a lot of emphasis on the 'touchy-feely' comment," Aiah says, leaning her forehead against Jhoanna's.
Jhoanna hopes the street lights don't show her blush. "And what exactly is your type?" she teases, not really expecting an answer, but kind of wanting one, if for nothing else, so she could get a much needed confidence boost.
"Hmm..." Aiah purses her lips, pretending to think. "Sheena's kind of cute."
"Ugh," Jhoanna pushes her away, feigning annoyance. "Aiah!"
Aiah throws her hands up. "I'm just saying, if I was single and I saw her at a bar...I might send a drink or two her way."
"You're the worst." Jhoanna turns to hide her smile and continues walking.
"I know," Aiah says, catching up to her. "So, are we okay or..."
Jhoanna wraps her arms around Aiah's waist. "We're fine. Just promise me one thing."
Aiah throws an arm around her. "Anything?"
"At the next sleepover, it'll be all team Aiahnna."
"Aiahnna?"
"Aiah and Jhoanna."
"I don't know, bubby. It sounds kind of -"
"Ooh, what about Robceta?" Jhoanna offers, excited all of a sudden. She feels Aiah shake her head.
"You're not very good at this, bubby."
She rolls her eyes. "Well, let's hear your ideas."
"I don't have any. I just know anything else would be better than Robceta. It sounds like the name of a dragon. In fact, I think I have actually met a dragon named Robceta."
Jhoanna pulls away from her. "Don't make fun of me."
"No, no. Robceta the dragon. Yeah." Aiah nods her head. "And Robceta is a bit of an angry dragon and no one really knows why."
"Bubs." Jhoanna frowns.
Aiah puts a finger up, continuing. "Feeling ko kasi hate niya yung name niya sobra."
Jhoanna sighs. "Okay. Fine. Gets ko. Not a good name, I get it." She grabs Aiah hand and intertwines their fingers. "What about J&A?"
Aiah kisses the back of her hand and shakes her head.
"Jhoaiah?"
Aiah stops, eyes roaming in concentration, before shaking her head again. "What if Aiah Jhoanna."
Jhoanna kisses her cheek, letting her lips linger. "I think Jhoanna and Aiah sounds better."
"Jhoanna and Aiah it is," Aiah agrees, turning to cup Jhoanna's face, threading her fingers through her hair as she leans in to kiss her softly.