Can't find way out ASHA

Girls night

It was finally the weekend, and I was super excited. Today was moving day—Joana had convinced my mom to let me move into her apartment. Honestly, I was just thrilled to have a bit more independence, but I didn’t expect my mom and Joana to team up and ambush me with “the move.” One minute, I was casually talking about it, and the next thing I knew, my bags were packed and I was officially a new resident at Joana's place.

After the chaos of moving in, Joana and I decided to have a little girls' beer night to celebrate my newfound freedom—and to catch up on life, of course. We sprawled out on the floor of her cozy living room, pizza boxes open, beers in hand, and a playlist of early 2000s pop songs playing softly in the background.

“Cheers to your new apartment!” Joana raised her bottle, clinking it with mine.

“Cheers to escaping my mom’s watchful eyes,” I grinned, taking a long sip.

After a few more gulps and slices of pizza, we started spilling our guts about work. Joana was having a bit of a crisis herself.

“Grabe, Ash, sa work naman, nakaka-stress,” Joana said, exhaling dramatically. “I swear, if my boss gives me another impossible deadline, I’m going to lose it. Kairita pa yung mga office mates! Ugh! I swear my pretty face is so stressed.”

I nodded sympathetically, but honestly, my mind was somewhere else. I mean, I did just see Jino the other day. How was I supposed to focus on anything else?

“Oh, speaking of work,” I said, trying to sound casual, “you won’t believe who I ran into at the office.”

Joana looked at me, raising an eyebrow. “Sino?”

I took a deep breath, then leaned in closer. “Jino.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait, wait—Jino De Jesus Takahashi? Tall, mysterious, super guapo? ThatnJino?”

Yes! I said, “Him na him te! And you know what? Pinsan pala nya si Kyle!!!”

“No way!!!” Joana’s jaw dropped.

I nodded, feeling the butterflies in my stomach go wild just from saying his name. “Yup. And let me tell you, he looks like he stepped straight out of a romance novel.”

Joana laughed. “Of course he does! Alam mo ba, he’s super well-mannered. Rinig ko sa mga chikahan, te, super green flag siya! He’s nothing like Kyle. Yung pinsan niyang si Kyle, well... alam mo na, typical playboy.”

I nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Kyle’s all ‘look at me,’ while Jino... Jino’s just... ugh,” I sighed, clearly losing the battle against the kilig feelings.

Joana smirked at me. “Hmm, mukhang may crush ka na kay Jino, ha.”

“Walang ganon!” I defended, almost spilling my beer in the process. “I’m just saying, he’s different! But crush? No way. I’m too busy with work and life. Who has time for a crush?”

Joana gave me a look. “Sure, Asha. We all believe you.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “I mean, sure, he's got those dreamy eyes and that whole tall, dark, and handsome vibe—well, not too dark, pero you know, perfect complexion, duh! And okay, fine, maybe I thought about how nice his genes would be for future generations—malahian—but that’s it! It’s just... practical thinking!” I added, laughing at my own absurdity.

Joana burst out laughing, nearly choking on her beer. “Malahian? Ash, seryoso ka? You’re already thinking of the future with Jino?!”

Why not? I wiggled my eyebrows. We both burst into laughter. “Joke lang, girl! Mapahamak pa ako sa family niya!”