To Another Shot of Us

Two

"An iced coffee for the grumpiest businesswoman in town" Stacey, the redhead's friend and cousin wittily remarked after placing the coffee on her table

"Staks?? Hey,what're are you doing here?" surprised from the unannounced visit, Mikha stood up from her swivel chair,only to be welcomed by the taller lady's kisses which she hastily polished off. She just hate kisses,that's all, but somehow her friends always do stuffs that she hates just to annoy her.

"Well, It's been ages since I last saw you. I miss my grumpy cousin na" Stacey pouted which made the redhead cringe

Lindtsey Stacey Aubrey Sevilleja, is her cousin and friend at the same time. The redhead and her friends calls her Staku. She is the Beauty Queen of the group; with her visual prowess and towering height, the lady infront of her has been joining lots of pageants and has been winning tons of them making her quite popular.

But don't let her fine image fool you for the lady who's addicted to pink and usually prim and proper on stage is actually loud and can be as chaotic as her other friends could be. She may be sweet and feminine but most of the times, she can be a real mess, savage and annoying,too. Lastly, the lady who loves pink the most has the weirdest music taste.

"Blame this paperworks, Staks" The redhead sighed in exhaustion as she eye the pile of paperworks on the table. It has been days since paperworks were keeping her from her friends and usual activities not even giving her enough time to rest creating visible bags under her eyes

"At least take a rest. You looked horrible, Mikhs!" The lady in pink top exaggeratedly chimed which she only ignore as she took the coffee after conveying gratitude to the latter

"I know,Staks. But, I just wanted to make sure that everything is well handled. I don't want to disappoint dad and have another argument. You know how perfectionist can he be when it comes to His business" the redhead faintly murmured. She was fully aware how bad her state is but with the pressure she was having from her father, she needs to do everything she can. Besides, the old man wouldn't want an uncompetitive heir. She had tons of expectations to meet so there's no time for her to laze around

"Mom would surely broke her heart kapag nakita ka nya in this state,Mikhs. Don't pressure yourself too much, 'kay? Magpahinga ka din. Sleepover ka sa bahay minsan. Mom would be so glad to see you around" the redhead's lips curved into a smile after feeling her cousin's genuine care.

Stacey and her mom had always treated her better than her own father could. She was more than grateful for having two gorgeous women to look after her. The redhead's mother left her and her siblings one stormy traumatic night when she was only a child.

Something that made their family to fall apart.

What makes it even worse was unfortunately, her older brother and sister both died a year ago making her the only one left in care of her father. But, after the accident, Her father completely changed drastically creating boundaries and distance between the two of them

A quick glimpse at the photo of her mom and siblings on her table brought back memories. Happy memories that suddenly led into dark ones that slowly made her hands trembling in fear. Her breathing started to become fast and shallow. Her pupils dilates in fear. Those memories were taking her back to those dreadful nights not until a warm embrace pulls her back to reality

"Breathe, Mikha. Breathe. Nandito ako. Nandito si Staku sa tabi mo.." The redhead's cousin gently caressed her face as she looked her in the eyes with worries and assurance. After few minutes of nesting in her cousin's warm and comforting embrace, she finally calmed down not forgetting to extend her gratitude to the latter