Maybe This Time

3

The sun had already begun to dip beneath the horizon when Aiah shut down her computer at Community Builders Co. Her first week as Head Architect had been... well, it was a mix of awkwardness and small pockets of joy. Walking into the office every day, trying to act like nothing had happened between her and MJ Lim, was a balancing act. She still couldn't believe she was back here—working alongside the man she had once given everything to. The same man who didn't know about the full weight of her past.

MJ was just across the room, standing with Cole and JC, laughing about something she couldn't hear. Every now and then, their eyes would meet, and an awkward tension would flicker between them—like a memory neither of them knew how to deal with.

"Arceta!" Maloi's loud, teasing voice jolted Aiah out of her thoughts as she approached, her signature bayonetta glasses perched on her nose. "First week's over, kaya tara na. Restobar tayo, 'wag kang killjoy!"

Aiah hesitated, her stomach tightening with anxiety. Going out with the group after work sounded fun, but there was something about sitting with all of them—with MJ included—that made her nervous. Do they know? The thought echoed in her mind. Did they have any idea what happened between her and MJ three years ago? Did they suspect that the last time they had seen her, she had given herself to him only to vanish the next morning, leaving behind nothing but a note?

Maloi tilted her head, raising a brow. "Ano? May trabaho ka pa ba? First week mo pa lang, wag kang workaholic!"

Before Aiah could respond, Stacey, with her ever-pink vibe, bounced over. "Girl! You're coming, right? It's Friday! 'Di ba sabi mo dati, Friday is 'yung time to unwind?" Stacey wiggled her fingers in air quotes.

Aiah chuckled nervously, glancing at the group forming around her. "Hindi naman kasi ako nag-Friday unwinding for three years, Stace," she half-joked.

"Exactly!" Stacey clapped her hands. "So you owe us. Catch up tayo!"

"Catch up daw o, Arceta," JC chimed in from behind, his large, goofy smile making Aiah feel at ease. He waved a hand exaggeratedly. "Walang takas 'to! Hindi ka na pwedeng mag-ghost gaya ng ginawa mo noon."

The mention of her sudden disappearance made Aiah freeze for a split second. She forced a laugh, shaking her head. "Okay, okay, pero... may kailangan ba akong malaman? Like... uh..."

Before she could finish her sentence, MJ's voice cut in from her left. She hadn't even noticed him approaching. "Relax, they don't know," he muttered under his breath as he passed by, his tone low enough for only her to hear.

Aiah swallowed, her pulse quickening. So he had noticed her hesitance.

"Alam lang nila na ikakasal ka noon, but nothing else." His words hung in the air as he walked away, joining Gian and Sheena by the door, leaving Aiah with a strange mix of relief and confusion.

---

The restobar they chose was lively, filled with the hum of conversations and the clinking of glasses. It was exactly the kind of place where their group had always spent their weekends in college—full of energy, full of laughter. Aiah sat sandwiched between Maloi and Stacey at one of the long tables, nervously swirling the straw in her drink as the others animatedly shared their stories.

"Grabe, ang dami na talagang nagbago!" Stacey leaned over, tapping Aiah's arm. "Siyempre kami, same pa rin ang ka-weirduhan, pero MJ... ay naku, MJ talaga!"

Aiah's grip on her drink tightened at the mention of his name. She glanced over to where MJ sat at the other end of the table, laughing at something Cole had said, though his eyes kept flicking toward her now and then.