Buhos na Ulan, Aking Mundo'y Lunuring Tuluyan

CHAPTER 14 - Girl or Bro Code?

—MIKHA—

A month had passed, and it was Colet's birthday. She rented the entire Penthouse 8747 in Paseo de Roxas, Makati, and invited me, Gwen, and Gwen's friends, who we met last time that happened to be Aiah's friends as well.

I decided to come with Aiah as my date and introduce her to everyone. It was an all-white party. I picked up Aiah at her apartment and knocked on her door.

When she opened the door, I was stunned. She was wearing a white long dress with intricate cutouts and curves that highlighted her figure beautifully.

"My love, you look so beautiful," I uttered, unable to take my eyes off her.

"Thank you, you look gorgeous, too," she replied, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a loving kiss.

"You ready?" I asked her.

"Yep, let me just grab my bag," she said.

As we navigated through the traffic, Aiah spoke, "Mikha, did you tell Colet that we are now dating?"

"What, we are now dating?" I replied, slightly confused. "As in, we are officially dating?"

"Aren't we? I thought that was implied since we had a good date last time," she replied.

"But we haven't even said 'I love you' to each other," I protested.

We were stopped at a red light when Aiah suddenly grabbed my face, her eyes filled with intensity. "Mikha Lim, my love, I love you," she declared. She kissed me on the lips, soft and lingering, then pulled back just enough to give me another, and then another, each kiss more tender than the last.

She then moved her lips towards my ear, trailing soft kisses down to my neck, making me laugh as it tickled.

"Aiah, stop it. We're about to go green," I said, trying to focus.

"You love me, Mikha?" she asked in the most tender, loving voice.

"More than anything, my love," I replied.

"Good." She then patted me on the head as the light turned green.

We arrived at The Penthouse 8747, where the party was already in full swing. The elegant decor and the view of the city skyline set the perfect backdrop for the evening. I took Aiah's hand and led her inside, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves about introducing her to everyone.

"Here goes nothing," I whispered to her, and she squeezed my hand reassuringly.

As we went inside, we were greeted by our friends. Seeing us holding hands, Aiah's friends started to tease us.

"Hoy bakla, kaya pala ang aga-aga mo umuuwi at busy ka lagi, may iba ka naman palang pinagkakaabalahan," Jhoanna teased.

"Ang dami mo nang utang na kwento sa'min ha," Sheena added.

"I know, I know. I'll tell you all later," Aiah said, hugging them.

"Love, can I leave you here with them? I'll just go look for the birthday girl," I asked Aiah, kissing her on the side of her head and smiling at her friends.

I navigated through the crowd, looking for Colet. After a few moments, I saw her by the balcony with her cousins.

"Colet," I called.

Colet noticed me and excused herself from her company.

"Mikha! It's so good to see you!" Colet said, hugging me.

"Colet, do you have time? I need to talk to you," I told her.

"Is it urgent? The party is about to start," Colet asked.

"Yes, it's important," I said. We moved to a secluded part of the balcony.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I just want to clear things up. I haven't told you, but for the past few months, I've kind of been seeing Aiah," I confessed.

She looked surprised. "Ha? Why are you telling me this now?" she retorted.

"A lot has happened since then. Maloi also showed up, and I got caught up. I didn't get a chance to tell you. I'm sorry, I know you liked her," I replied.

"Did you like her even before I asked for her number?" she asked.

"Kind of, but I wasn't planning on anything back then," I replied.

There was a hint of disappointment on her face, wondering why her best friend hadn't told her immediately.

"Look, I should be mad at you because it's girl code or bro code, but I also knew after my date with Aiah that night that she liked somebody else. I just didn't know it was you," Colet replied.

"I'm sorry," I told her.

Colet then hugged me. "Apology accepted, Mikha. Let's forget about it. Is she here with you?"

"Yeah, come on, let's get your party started." I patted Colet on the back and accompanied her to the center to announce the start of her party.

Colet took the microphone, her smile radiant as she gathered everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming! Let's make this night unforgettable!" she announced, her voice filled with excitement. The crowd then cheered, and the music started.

I searched the crowd for Aiah, and when I found her, I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind.

"Found you," I whispered in her ear.

She turned to face me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I cleared things up with Colet. Hindi naman ako matitiis nun, matagal na kaming magkaibigan," I told her.

"Good to know, Mikha," she said, her eyes softening with relief.

"So now, I can do this in public," she continued, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. She leaned in and kissed me while we were surrounded by the crowd dancing to the music.

The kiss was sweet and lingering, and for a moment, everything else faded away. We were just two people, deeply in love, sharing a moment in the midst of the celebration. When we pulled apart, her eyes sparkled with happiness.

"I love you, Aiah," I said softly, my voice barely audible over the music.

"I love you too, Mikha," she replied, her smile lighting up her face.

We spent the rest of the night dancing, laughing, and enjoying the company of our friends.