Hookup [MikhAiah] [Book #3]

07

—🦊—

3RD PERSON

The next morning, sunlight streams through the window, making it impossible for Miki to stay asleep. She groans, rolling onto her back, staring at the ceiling as if it holds answers to the questions circling in her mind. It's Sunday—her only day off, the one day she gets to herself. Normally, she'd spend it relaxing, maybe working on music, but today, she feels like she needs the time to think. To process everything.

Aira.

Her fingers absentmindedly play with the necklace in her hand—the very same necklace Aira had been wearing. It feels strange now, holding something so personal of hers. The tiny locket-shaped pendant intrigues Miki, especially the small keyhole on the side, but she doesn't think much of it. Her mind isn't on the necklace; it's on the girl who owns it.

What did she even see in me? Miki wonders, still unable to wrap her head around why Aira had asked her to sleep with her that night. Miki's never been one to dwell on things, especially matters of the heart. But Aira... Aira makes her question everything.

She sighs and closes her eyes for a moment, still lying on the bed where Aira once slept. It's all too much to take in.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings, cutting through her thoughts. Miki doesn't even have to check—she knows who it is. Or rather, who they are.

—🦊🐺 🐣 🐨—

Her bare feet drag across the wooden floor as she trudges to the door. Without much enthusiasm, Miki opens it to find her three bandmates standing there with wide grins on their faces and takeout bags in hand. Chase, Johanne, and Gale don't bother waiting for an invitation—they push past her into the apartment like it's their second home.

"Morning, lazybones!" Johanne teases, waving a bag of food in front of Miki's face. "Alam naming hindi ka kakain unless pakainin ka namin."

Miki rolls her eyes, too tired to fight back. She closes the door behind them and watches as they make themselves comfortable on her couch, throwing their legs up on the coffee table and turning on the TV.

Chase, ever the responsible leader, stays behind, handing Miki her breakfast and a cup of coffee. "Naisip ko gusto mo nito," she says smiling warmly. "Tsaka parang hindi ka nakatulog masyado?"

Miki takes the food with a small nod of thanks, too distracted to argue. She sits across from Chase at the dining table while Johanne and Gale dig into their food, laughing at some silly commercial playing on TV.

As Miki eats, Chase watches her carefully. "Okay ka lang? Para kang... distracted."

Miki shakes her head as she chews, but her thoughts inevitably drift back to Aira. The kiss. The feeling of her lips against hers. She swallows hard, trying to push those memories away. She's supposed to be thinking about her day off, not about—

"Miki?" Chase waves a hand in front of her face, snapping her back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Sabi ko," Chase chuckles, "did you hear that we're collaborating with Yves?"

Miki blinks, confused. "Yves?"

Chase raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, the soloist. Alam mo naman, Royal Prince Colet's fiancée? Gusto sana niya magheld ng show before siya ikasal. Our manager told us yesterday, but you were at the studio when the power went out, so you probably missed it."

The mention of the recording studio sends heat rushing to Miki's face, the memory of her and Aira crashing back all at once. She can almost feel Aira's breath on her skin again, the darkness of the room, the taste of her lips...

Chase notices Miki's blush and leans forward, placing a hand on her forehead. "Namumula ka nanaman, okay ka lang ba talaga?"

Miki quickly bats Chase's hand away. "I'm fine," she mutters, trying to hide her embarrassment. She can't tell them what really happened in that studio.

—🦊🐺 🐣 🐨—

The conversation shifts back to their collaboration, but Miki only half-listens. Johanne and Gale are sprawled out on the couch, making jokes about how they could pull a prank on their new manager, while Chase warns them to behave.

As they all settle back, their phones ping simultaneously. They glance at each other before pulling them out to see the message in their group chat. It's their manager.

"Hey girls, just a heads-up. I'll be on maternity leave for a while, so you'll have a temporary manager. Maging mabait kayo ha! Baguhan palang sila, and you know, kinakapa pa nila mga bagay bagay."

Johanne groans. "Temporary manager.. Iprank kaya natin?"

"Kakasabi lang maging behave tayo eh," Chase warns, shaking her head. "We have to behave. For once."

Gale snickers but doesn't argue. Meanwhile, another notification pops up in the chat. It's a PDF file—the profile of their temporary manager.

One by one, they open the file on their phones.

Miki stares down at hers, eyes narrowing as the name and photo load onto the screen. Her breath catches in her throat.

The profile reads: Aira Riley.