Waves of Healing (Mikhaiah)

Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Calm After the Chaos

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Miley’s POV

Dalawang buwan na ang nakalipas simula ng mamatay si Ryan at ngayon masasabi kong ayos na ko, hindi ko na sinisisi ang sarili ko dahil sa nangyari sa kanya.  In the end, it was his choice to jump off that bridge. I’ve done everything I could to help him, but some things were out of my control.
Tanggap ko na ngayon, at unti-unti nang bumabalik sa dati ang buhay ko. Ang company ko naman ay nasa maayos na estado ngayon, pero naging mas maingat lang kami sa pagtanggap ng malalaking orders dahil sa ginawa ni Ryan. We’ve learned our lesson.

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Ako naman ay bumalik na sa pag su-surfing. Ngayon at nasa beach ako habang unti-unting lumulubog ang araw ay mas lalong dumadating ang mga alon. This is perfect. Nagtuturo rin ako ngayon sa ilang turista kung paano sumakay sa board at labanan ang mga alon, good thing na mabilis silang matuto. After the session, I paddle back to the shore, my heart racing with the thrill of it all. When I reach the shore, I spot Ava standing there, watching me with a smile on her face. Her eyes follow me as I step off my board and walk toward her.

Walang pasabi na patakbong pumunta sakin si Ava at agad akong niyakap kahit basang-basa ako.

"Basa ako, bubby!" I laugh, but I wrap my arms around her anyway, pulling her close. She smells like salt air and something sweet.

"Miss na kita," she whispers into my ear, her voice soft.

"Miss na agad? Eh nung isang araw lang tayo magkasama!" I tease, pulling away just enough to look at her, but her arms are still around me.

She laughs. "Nung isang araw pa yon, hindi mo ba ako namiss bubby? "

I laugh and pull her again to hug her. "Of couse, namiss kita bubby. Miss na miss." I said and kissed her forehead.

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Nandito kami ngayon ni Ava sa dalampasigan, nag se-set up ng small spot. Nilatag namin ang kumot sa buhangin, unan, maliit na lamesa na may mga kandila mga inumin at pagkain.  The moon was shining brightly overhead, casting a soft glow over the ocean waves. Ang gabing ito ay special dahil second monthsary namin ngaton ni Ava at napagdesisyunan namin na papuntahin ang mga kaibigan namin dito syempre para sabihin na rin sa kanila ang tungkol samin no Ava. We kept it a secret for a while because of everything that was happening back then — especially with Ryan. But now that things had settled down, we decided it was time to share the news.

Habang nakaupo kami ni Ava sa buhangin nag umpisa nang magdatingan ang mga kaibigan namin, nauna sila Gray and Shay, sunod si Cody at Maive, huli namang dumating si Joss and Sloane na tila di okay dahil parehas seryoso ang mga mukha nila.

Nang makaupo silang lahat sa kumot na nilatag namin, napansin din ng iba naming kaibigan ang pagiging seryoso ng dalawa kaya nagsalita na si Cody.

“Hoy, Sloane, Joss. Parang ang seryoso nyo ngayon. Mag kaaway ba kayo?” Coss asked, while opening a can of beer.

Agad namang tumingin samin si Joss at nagsalita. “Paano si Sloane nakipag kita sa dati nyang crush.” bakas ang selos sa boses ni Joss kaya natawa kami.

Sloane just grinned. "Ano ka ba, Joss!
Anong nakipag kita? Kasama kita non tsaka sya tong lumapit sakin no."

“Grabe ka, Sloane. Si gr 10 ba yon? yung di ka pinapansin kasi gr 7 ka lang?” Maive huffed, crossing her arms but smirking slightly.

"Oo sya nga." Sloane replied.

“Grabe, Sloane. Anong secret sa glow up?” nakisali na rin si Ava.

"Secret is.... kumakain ka lang nang kumain ng mangga na may alamang hanggang mag ka allergy ka; tapos sa allergy na yon dun mag uumpisa na magbalat mukha mo tapos gaganda kana." Sloane shot back, laughing as she leaned against Joss.

Lahat kami ay nagtawanan dahil sa sinagot ni Sloane sa tanong ni Ava. Kahit kailan talaga ang lakas amats nitong si Sloane, kaya ngayon bati na sila ni Joss.

Meanwhile, Gray and Shay were doing their usual thing. “Babe, slow down on the drinks, okay? Alam mo naman, we have to be responsible adults,” Gray reminded Shay, taking the beer bottle from her hand.

Shay just shook her head with a grin. “Ikaw nga ‘tong dapat maghinay-hinay. Grabe mo kaya ako utusan pag nakauwi na tayo tapos lasing ka pa, ano akala mo sakin yaya moko? girlfriend moko, hoy!”

In another corner, Maive and Cody were basically glued to each other. Cody had her arm wrapped around Maive, while Maive rested her head on her shoulder, as if the world didn’t exist outside of them.

Matapos ang tawanan at asaran ay natahimik ang paligid, tanging ang hampas lang ng alon ang naririnig namin. Naramdaman ko na tumingin sakin si Ava, at alam ko ang ibig sabihin ng tingin niya na yon. I took a deep breath, and before anyone could say anything, I spoke up.

"Guys, may gusto lang sana kaming i-share ni Ava," I started, my voice steady but my heart racing.

Lahat naman ng atensyon nila ay nalipat sakin o samin ni Ava. Lahat sila ay nakatingin samin at may curiousity sa mata nito. Tahimik lang sila tila iniintay ang sunod na sasabihin ko.

"Actually," I smiled, "We're together. Kami na ni Ava."

The reactions were priceless. Si Gray ay muntik nang mailabas ang iniinom nita, si Joss naman ay nakanganga akala mo nalaglag ang panga, si Cody naman at ilang beses napakurap na tila di narinig ang sinabi ko.

"Wait, what?!" Joss blurted out. "Kayo na? Kailan pa?"

Ava, with a teasing smile, answered, "Two months na, actually."

Nag simula nanaman ang asaran. Tinuro ako ni Gray habang tumatawa.
“Miley! Hindi mo man lang sinabi. Sobrang tago niyo naman!”

"Wild ka talaga, Miley. Surfing pro ka na, heartbreaker pa!" Joss added, shaking her head.

Cody joined in, smirking. “Miley, grabe ka. Ang tago ah. Pero bagay kayo, I have to admit.”

I grinned, shrugging. "Eh, we just wanted to keep it private for a while."

Meanwhile, Maive, Shay, and Sloane ganged up on Ava, teasing her mercilessly.

"So Ava, kaya pala tahimik ka lately ha? Busy sa love life!" Maive teased, nudging her playfully.

"Can’t believe you kept this from us," Shay added, crossing her arms and feigning hurt.

Ava chuckled, raising her hands defensively. “We just needed time to figure things out. But yeah, we’re happy now.”

Sloane leaned closer to Ava and grinned, “I’m happy for you guys. Pero Miley? Ava, I didn’t see that one coming.”

"Nakaka-surprise nga," Gray added, shaking his head with a grin. "Pero nakakakilig din."

“Mi-va road to forever na!” masiglaw sigaw ni Sloane at itinaas ang beer nya. Kaya nagtawanan kami.

The night continued with more teasing and laughter, but this time, there was a different kind of joy. The moon reflected on the water, and the waves kept rolling in, steady and calm. Despite everything that had happened, we were here, celebrating not just our relationship but the friendships that had supported us through it all.

And as I looked around, I knew this was the start of something beautiful.