### Aiah's POV
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"Game, Ate Aiah. Go and make kwento!" —Stacey said, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she nudged me.
I sighed, knowing there was no getting out of this. The other girls were already leaning in, eagerly waiting for my explanation. I glanced at Sheena, who was practically bouncing in her seat.
"Ikaw muna, Shee. How'd you know? We told no one ah except Gwen." I asked, hoping to stall a bit.
Sheena raised her eyebrow and flashed a knowing smile. "Nako, Ate! Nahahalata ko lang kasi kayo. Kaso naiisip ko naman hindi naman kayo kasi nga may love ban. Kaya naisip ko na baka MU. Lagi ko din kaya kayong nahuhuli. Diba 'bubby' pa nga ang call sign nyo?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
I felt my face heat up at the mention of 'bubby.' That used to be our secret. Only Mikha and I knew about that. Or so I thought.
"Huy! Ang cute naman ng bubby! Totoo ba 'te Aiah?" —Maloi asked, her curiosity peaking as she leaned closer.
I bit my lip, knowing that once I started, there was no turning back. "Oo, dati," I admitted reluctantly, "Pero kasi, wala naman na yung amin..."
"Putek!" Stacey exclaimed, slapping the table. "Ngayon lang namin nalalaman to tapos wala na agad! Hindi ako papayag! Mikhaiah president ako!" Her dramatic flair had me laughing a little, but the heaviness in my chest remained.
"Kaya ba hindi na ganon ka-sweet ang interactions nyo?" —Maloi added, her tone more serious now as if piecing together a mystery she had been quietly observing.
I sighed again, feeling the weight of the confession. "Nahihirapan na din kasi ako kumilos at napaka OA nyan ni Miks pag nagseselos ah," I said, a bittersweet smile forming as I remembered how possessive Mikha could get.
"Ay. Kaya pala halos isang taon na kayong lubog." —Sheena commented, her tone a mix of understanding and teasing.
The three of them exchanged glances before turning back to me, expectant and curious.
"So, ano na ngang plano nyo nyan?" —Maloi asked, her usual playful energy now replaced with genuine concern.
"Magcomeback nalang kaya kayo?" —Sheena suggested with a grin.
"I agree! One hundred and ten percent, agree!" —Stacey chimed in, as if it were that easy to bring back something that had slowly slipped away.
"Bakit pala muna ba kasi nawala ang Mikhaiah? Anong yung buong kwento? Malay mo we can help pala." —Maloi pressed, now leaning forward, arms crossed, ready for the juicy details.
I glanced at each of them, feeling the pressure build. Part of me wanted to hide from this conversation, but another part of me wanted to get it off my chest.
"Okay, fine," I said, inhaling deeply, bracing myself. "This all started nung nag-secret date kami ni Miks."
---
### Mikha's POV
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"So, ano, Mikha? Tell us your side of the story," —Colet said, her eyes narrowing playfully at me as she nudged Gwen. Jhoanna was leaning back, the calmest one, but I could tell she was just as curious as the others.
I scratched the back of my neck, trying to figure out how much to say. We'd always kept things private, and now everything was about to be laid out. "Okay, eto ha, sa totoo lang, wala naman talaga kaming formal na naging kami ni Aiah," I started, my voice low. "Pero, yun nga, MU kami. It was mutual understanding na kami lang nakakaalam. We thought, walang makakahalata. Guess not."
"Totoo ba yung 'bubby' na call sign nyo?" —Jhoanna asked with a grin.
I felt my face heat up. "Oo, yun nga. It was kinda cheesy, pero it worked for us. We had pet names para lang sa aming dalawa. Pero syempre, secret."
"Ang sweet! Pero bakit nga ba kayo naglaylo?" —Gwen asked, her tone more serious now, as if she were trying to make sense of it all.
"Well..." I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Things got complicated. Parang... the more we tried to hide, the harder it became to act normal around everyone else."
"Tapos, yun pa," I continued, my thoughts drifting back to those dates. "Selosa si Aiah, as in, napaka OA minsan. But it was cute in a way. She used to drag me to secret coffee shops just to avoid being seen. But di mo alam gaano siya ka-tense kapag may dumadaan na fans."
"Aww!" Gwen said, her eyes wide, imagining the scenario. "Eh paano yung mga sweet dates nyo? Ano yung pinaka-memorable?"
I smiled, letting myself remember. "There was this one time sa beach... hindi namin sinabing pupunta kami, pero nag-rent kami ng isang private area. It was late afternoon, sunset. Alam mo yun? Parang perfect. We just talked, nag-skinny dip pa nga kami." I chuckled at the memory. "That was one of our best dates. Pero that was also one of the last."
"Huh? Why?" —Colet asked, frowning. "Parang sobrang perfect nun ha. What happened?"
"Life happened, Colet," I sighed. "The love ban, the pressure, yung mga secret na parang... hindi na namin masustain. We got into this huge fight kasi selos siya sa mga ibang nakakahalubilo ko. Pero, alam mo naman, walang choice. I had to smile, had to interact. Pero for her, parang personal na."
---
### Aiah's POV
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I paused after explaining the secret date at the beach, watching as Stacey, Sheena, and Maloi absorbed the story.
"Grabe naman yun, 'te. Tapos skinny dipping pa ha! Astig!" —Sheena exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"Pero bakit kayo nagka-falling out?" —Stacey asked, still clinging to hope for her 'Mikhaiah' ship.
"It was the jealousy," I said, shaking my head. "Wala naman akong ibang gusto, pero... she made me feel like I was always in the wrong. Parang, kahit simpleng fan interaction, issue na agad."
"Hay, naku, parang teleserye!" —Maloi said, dramatically throwing her hands in the air.
"Oo nga, 'te. Pero, kung honest, mahal ko pa rin si Miks," I admitted softly. "Pero feeling ko, di na babalik yung dati. Too many things got in the way. The love ban, the pressure of keeping everything secret... it just wore us down."
---
### Mikha's POV
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"Mahal ko pa rin si Aiah," I admitted to the girls, my voice barely above a whisper. "Pero parang... ang hirap na ibalik yung dati. She's the type who loves deeply, pero ang bigat ng expectations niya minsan. And ako? I'm not sure if I can handle that kind of pressure again."
"Hala! This is like one of those dramas na kailangan ng epic reunion!" —Gwen said, her hands clasped in excitement.
"Honestly, I think you two should just talk. For real this time. Stop with the secrets," —Jhoanna said wisely, her voice calm but full of resolve.
---
As both Aiah and Mikha recounted their stories to their respective groups, a shared feeling of longing and regret hung in the air. They both knew that what they had was special, but whether it was enough to push through the pain and secrecy was still up in the air.
With the break almost over, the girls were about to face the next chapter of their lives—and possibly, each other.
