Beneath Lies [F reader / Aiah Arceta]

Chapter 4

Aiah's pov

Every day, it felt like Y/n was in my room more and more. What started as random visits turned into her practically setting up camp at my desk, usually with her laptop open, typing away for her online classes. At first, I thought it was just coincidence, but now... now I was starting to realize how much I looked forward to it.

Today was no different. Y/n was in her usual spot, focused on whatever economics assignment she was working on. I was lying on my bed, half-listening to some boring lecture, but my attention kept drifting to her. It was hard not to when she was right there, occasionally asking me something out of the blue or making some silly comment that made me smile. We'd banter about the most random things, and I found myself enjoying it more than I wanted to admit.

Out of nowhere, Y/n looked up from her screen. "madalas ka bang may bisita dito?"

I blinked, a bit surprised by the question. I paused the lecture on my phone and pulled out my earphones. "Uh, oo naman, minsan. Dumadaan 'yung mga friends ko kapag libre sila, pero hindi ganun kadalas. Usually, kapag may okasyon lang or wala silang magawa."

Y/n nodded thoughtfully, her fingers idly playing with the corner of her notebook. "So... wala masyadong family visits?"

I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Hindi, busy kasi sila. Minsan Nag vivideocall kami, pero hindi sila madalas pumupunta. Eh ikaw? Dinadalaw ka ba ng mga magulang mo?"

Y/n's expression shifted slightly, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in her eyes—something I hadn't seen before. "Pumupunta naman sila, pero kapag may importanteng bagay lang. Like, may kailangan lang pag-usapan tungkol sa business o kaya mga papeles na kailangan pirmahan. Pero other than that... hindi rin masyado."

I frowned slightly, curiosity gnawing at me. "Normal ba 'yun sa inyo? I mean, okay naman ba kayo?"

Y/n leaned back in her chair, letting out a small sigh. "Medyo complicated. Busy kasi sila, alam mo 'yun? Laging may trabaho, laging kung saan-saan. Sanay na rin siguro ako. Hindi ko na rin masyadong iniisip."

I watched her carefully, sensing there was more to the story than she was letting on. I sat up on my bed, pulling my knees to my chest as I tried to piece together what little I knew about Y/n's family life. "Pero hindi ba nakaka-bother? Like, hindi mo ba nami-miss na lagi silang nandiyan?"

Y/n shrugged, though her eyes didn't meet mine. "Siguro nung bata pa ako, oo. Pero nasanay na rin ako. Besides, may ibang tao naman sa buhay ko na nagmamalasakit sa akin. Hindi naman ako mag-isa."

I nodded slowly, absorbing Y/n's words. I wondered what it must be like, to grow up without that constant presence of family, to have to rely on others to fill that space. It made me see Y/n in a different light—not just as the girl who was always laughing and joking around, but as someone who had her own struggles, her own way of dealing with the cards life had dealt her.

"So... I guess that's why you're always here, huh?" I said softly, my tone more gentle than before.

Y/n finally looked at me, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, I guess so. It's nice being around someone who actually talks back."

I chuckled, the tension between us easing as quickly as it had appeared. "Well, you're stuck with me now. No backing out."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Y/n replied, her grin widening as she turned back to her laptop. "Now, let's see if we can survive this economics lecture without falling asleep."

As we returned to our studies, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between us—something that made me feel even more attached to Y/n's presence in my life. And for once, I didn't mind it one bit.