"Oh, there you are! You both had us worried," Uncle Mateo said, and I noticed all of them looking concerned.
"Oh, baby, what happened to you?" my dad asked as he knelt down to examine my ankle.
"I didn't mean—" Mikha started, but I interrupted her because it really wasn't her fault.
"I tripped," I said, directing my gaze at Mikha.
"Right, Mikha Lim," I added, noticing the confusion on her face. I simply signaled for her to go along with my excuse.
"Right," she replied with awkwardness and stood up.
"Are you okay now, honey?" my mom asked, her face full of worry.
"Yes, Mom. Mikha take care of it " I said, motioning toward her. My mom walked over to Mikha to thank to her.
"Thank you, Mikha, for treating my daughter. I know she can be clumsy sometimes," Mom said, holding Mikha's hand as she nodded.
"Mom!" I exclaimed when I heard the word "clumsy." I'm not clumsy—well, sometimes I am. Am I clumsy? I wondered to myself before quickly shrugging it off.
"Can you stand up, anak?" Dad asked, still worried about me.
"Stop worrying, Dad. I can stand up now," I replied as I managed to get to my feet.
"Can you walk?" Dad asked, smirking at me.
"That I can't tell," I laughed.
"Okay, let me help you," Dad said as he put my arm around his shoulders, trying to stabilize me. I couldn't help but think that my dad couldn't carry me now, which made me laugh even more.
"Okay, okay, I admit it—I have old bones!" he said, still trying, when suddenly...
" I can help uncle," Mikha said as she walked towards me I thought she was going to carry me again so I blushed then she took my arms and put on her nape I got shocked when she held my waist to guide me then I felt my cheeks blushing with the sudden act of Mikha.
She helped me down the stairs until we reached our car. I thought she would stop helping me there, but she extended her hand, signaling me to hold on so I could get inside. Her small actions made me appreciate her even more. Once I was seated in the back of the car, she softly closed the door and went to bid goodbye to my parents. I watched her as she walked away, hopped on her motorcycle, and put on her helmet. As soon as she had it on, she quickly drove off from the parking lot. I was startled when my dad spoke.
"You stare at Mikha too much; you know she might melt down," my dad joked. It was only then that I realized I had been looking at her the whole time, and I blushed.
"Do you like her?" my dad asked, catching me off guard and making me blush even more as I hadn't expected the question.
"No, I don't. I just appreciate her," I replied. However, I quickly felt guilty because I hadn't thanked her for all the help she'd given me, even when we had arguments.
"Just so you know, Maraiah, you blushed," my mom said, and both my parents laughed at me.
"No, I didn't, Mom!" I exclaimed, covering my ears, not wanting to hear any more teasing.
.
.
.
.
I just got to my condo, and as soon as I arrived, I quickly took a bath. After that, I went to bed to sleep, but it's been hours, and I still can't fall asleep. I don't know why, but I keep remembering Arceta. I keep replaying memories of her—how beautiful she looked in that dress, the way she pouted in front of me, the gentleness in her eyes, and how I touched her waist to guide her. Every small interaction we had kept coming back to me. I don't understand it, but for the first time in my life, I feel something new. It's like I see colors in my life, and I can't quite describe it. All I know is that I want to see her more.
I woke up in a good mood on the morning I have my duty at the hospital at 9. I quickly took a shower, and as I was showering, I found myself thinking about Arceta again. I shook it off because I had been thinking about her all night and even dreamt about her. Ugh, fuck I'm really down bad for her right now, I thought to myself.
.
.
.
.
I woke up in the morning, but I didn't go back to my condo because my parents insisted that I stay at our house since I had an injury and they wanted to take care of me. The first thing I did after waking up was take a shower because I had a meeting to attend at the hospital. I wore simple clothes: pants, a cropped top, and a jacket, along with shoes since my feet still hurt.
I remembered that Mikha was in the hospital, so I planned to bring her breakfast as a little gesture of appreciation for what she did the night before. I figured a breakfast wouldn't hurt and would also serve as a thank you. I got into my car and stopped by a restaurant to pick up some food. I bought a salad, a bottle of orange juice, some sinangag rice, beef tapa, and eggs before quickly driving off.
As I stepped inside the hospital, it was exactly 9:00 AM. I had a meeting scheduled to discuss a proposal for adding more rooms and other improvements. When I arrived, I quickly asked the nurse where Mikha Lim was assigned, and she guided me to the right department.
As I entered the room, I immediately spotted Mikha. However, I was shocked to see her fall to the floor after someone punched her.
"You can't keep acting like this, Mikha," a voice said from behind the walls. When the person stepped forward, I recognized her—it's Colet. I knew her from high school; she was the intersex friend I had mentioned before.
"You can't keep acting like nothing happened between you two! For goodness' sake, Mikha, you're hurting Jaz!" she said, pointing her finger at Mikha.
"What do you want me to say, Ate Colet? That I have feelings for her? That I felt something with Jaz?" Mikha replied in an angry tone. I quickly became curious about Jaz and her significance in Mikha's life.
"No, that's not what I want you to say. What I want you to do is stop pretending that you like her. You shouldn't have kissed her in the first place!" Colet said, her voice filled with anger. When I heard about the kiss, I felt a sting in my heart.
"Colet, please stop this," another girl said, trying to hold Colet's arms so she wouldn't lash out again.
"Oh, come on! We both know what we were doing! This is both our fault, Ate Colet!" Mikha said, still angry about the situation.
"You really are a jerk, Mikha!" Then Cole punched him again and again, and I stood frozen, unable to do anything. The only thing Mikha could do was protect herself from the blows. She didn't fight back; she just tried to shield herself as Cole continued to hit her. I could see Mikha's anger rising, and she quickly pushed Cole back against the wall. As he stood up, Mikha had a chance to punch him, but she hesitated. In a moment of silence, they locked eyes. "Let's stop this," Mikha said, refusing to allow him to continue his attack.
After that, Mikha walked out of the room and saw me. As I looked at her, I noticed her lip was cut and bleeding, and her nose was also bleeding. I quickly followed her until we reached the parking lot, and she noticed me.
"Why are you following me?" she asked, stopping and facing me with an irritated tone.
"I... I thought I could say t-thankyou to you, so I brought breakfast," I stuttered, feeling scared by her intense aura.
"Thanks," she said, grabbing the bag harshly from my hand and walking away.
I didn't know what to do. Should I follow her or not?
"Hey, wait for me! Let me help you!" I called out, trying to keep up, but she was too fast, and I couldn't catch up because my feet were injured. She didn't turn around or acknowledge me; she just continued walking.
"I swear to God, if I trip again, I will tell Dad it's your fault. I won't make any excuses," I shouted at her, frustrated because I couldn't keep up. She stopped for a few seconds and then faced me.
"What do you want?" she asked, and I noticed her nose was still bleeding.
"I want to help you," I said sincerely.
"I'll help you," I added as I approached her. She didn't move; she just waited for me to come closer.
As I approached her, I quickly became concerned. I worried that Colet had hit her too much. I was about to reach for her face when she turned away, not allowing me to touch her.
"Do you have a medical kit, doctor, or should I drag you back to the hospital?" I said seriously, pointing at the building.
.
.
.
"Do you have a medical kit, doctor, or should I drag you back to the hospital?" she said seriously, pointing at the hospital. I didn't respond to her and just continued walking to the bike. She didn't ask any questions either. When we reached my motorcycle, I quickly opened the compartment and handed her the kit.
"Are you going to treat me, Mom?" I said as I sat on my motorcycle while she stood beside me. She didn't respond, as she was busying herself with the kit, trying to find the medicine to cure my cut lip. She dipped a Q-tip in the medication and applied it to my lip, but it hurt, so I quickly took her wrist and pulled it away from me.
" stay still," she said as we looked eye to eye then she put her gaze on my hand and that's where I noticed that I was holding her hands so i quickly took it off
"Just be careful," I said trusting her to do the job. She carefully placed it again and it still hurt so I turned my face again but as I turned it she put her hands on my cheek to make me stay still as she damped the q tips again to my lips this time I couldn't resist I could only react on the pain.
" done," she said as she put her hands away from me and got some wipes
" You do realize that you should have cleaned my wound first then put the medicine in my cut" I laughed at her as I said it, but stopped when I felt pain in my lips "shit" Then she laughed at me because at my actions
"I don't know much about medical stuff," she said, looking apologetic. Then she leaned in to wipe the blood from my nose and lips. That was the first time I saw her face up close. I noticed how perfectly her eyes, nose and her lips contrasted with her features—she was beautiful.
"I'm sorry again for the wrong process," she said, smiling awkwardly. I didn't respond any further.
"I'll go now; I think I'm pretty late for my meeting so I'm going straight home now," she said, smiling at me before turning away. As she started to walk off, I quickly stopped her.
"Wait, where are you going? I'll walk with you," I said, jogging to catch up.
"I'm fine, plus my car is just there," she replied, pointing to it. I saw it was only about fifteen steps away, but instead of responding, I just walked beside her. She quickly picked up her pace, but I slowed down to match her speed because of her injury.
Once we reached her car, she said goodbye, and I watched her get into the driver's seat and start the engine. However, the car wouldn't start, and I noticed smoke coming from the front. I immediately ran over, opened the hood, and was met with a cloud of smoke, which made me cough.
"Oh shit! What happened?" she asked, looking worried.
"I think it overheated. There might be an issue with the cooling system. We should call a repairman because I really don't know much about these things," I replied, glancing at the engine.
"I don't have the number of any mechanics," she said, looking honestly worried—as did I, because I usually asked Mang Jaime about these kinds of things.
"I'll call Mang Jaime for a second," I said, pulling out my phone and dialing him. After our conversation, I walked back to her.
"Is he the mechanic, Mang Jaime?" she asked, still staring anxiously at her car.
"No, he's the guard at our house," I replied, glancing at her.
"Huh? Can he fix this?"
"No," I said shortly.
"Then why did you call him?"
"Because he knows where to take your car to get it fixed, and he said he would bring it to the mechanic later," I explained with a cold shoulder
"Then how do I go home?" she asked, disbelief etched across her face. I pointed to the bus stop nearby, indicating that she could commute from there.
"Oh no, I don't know how to ride there, and I didn't bring any cash," she said, glancing at where I was pointing, looking incredulous. Instead of replying, I handed her a 200-peso bill and started to walk away. She tried to keep up with me.
"Hey, don't leave me here!" she exclaimed, and I paused, momentarily facing her captivated by her beautiful eyes.
"Can you ride on my bike?" I asked in a serious tone. She looked at the bike hesitantly.
"No, I—I'm scared," she admitted.
"Then I'm going to go," I said, leaving her completely. She had no choice but to wait for a bus at the bus stop. I don't know why I didn't leave the parking lot; I kept observing her. I could see her doubts about riding the bus. After a few minutes, she had been waiting for too long when someone approached her a man trying to get close to her, I narrowed my eyes and I could see that Arceta was pretty uncomfortable with him.
.
.
.
I've been waiting for the bus for exactly 20 minutes, and since I can't ride a bike, I have no choice but to stand here. Suddenly, a man approaches the bus stop. At first, I thought he was just another commuter like me, but as he closed the gap between us, I began to feel uncomfortable with his presence.
"Hey, miss, wanna come to my house?" he said, smirking at me and continuing to invade my personal space.
"I'm fine," I replied, trying to give off a cold vibe as I turned to face the highway, hoping he would leave me alone. I was shocked when he grabbed my hand.
"Hey, come on, an invitation wouldn't hurt," he said as I attempted to pull my hand away, but he was too strong.
"Hey, get off me! You can't hold me, stranger!" I shouted, using all my strength to break free. When I broke free I didn't hesitate to slap him. "You jerk!" I yelled.
I saw his eyes narrow with anger, and I knew he was about to retaliate. All I could do was close my eyes and wish that I had gone to Mikha instead.
As I expected the slap to land on my face when I opened my eyes, I realized it hadn't hit me. Then I saw Mikha holding the guy's wrist with anger.
" do you know hitting a woman is a crime sir," Mikha said with anger
"Let go of me!" the man shouted, breaking free from Mikha's tight grip on his wrist. Mikha was obviously stronger than him. Just as he was about to throw a punch, Mikha dodged it, causing the man to stumble against the wall.
"One more punch and I'll call the police," Mikha warned, glaring at him while opening his phone. The man quickly ran off, and Mikha hurried over to me.
"Are you okay?" he asked, full of concern.
"I—I... I thought y-you had gone home," I stammered, still scared from what had just happened.
"Hey, you're fine now. Shhh," she said, rubbing my back as my tears flowed slightly. I can't trust anybody; I feel scared. It feels like anything can happen now, and I'm overthinking things. Then suddenly, I hugged her. I don't know why, but I could feel warmth in her embrace. I felt comfortable and sensed that she was enough for me. At first, I could feel her body stiffen as I hugged her, but after a few seconds, she reciprocated the hug and started to rub my back.
""Shh, everything is fine now," she said with solace. I cried in her chest and I can now feel her shirt wet with my tears
"I...I'm scared" I admitted she pulled herself up and stared at her as she took off her leather jacket and placed it on my back assisting me in putting her jacket and followed her as I smelled it, it smelled good, and her scent smelled good.
"Come on, let's get you home, Arceta, before your father gets mad at me," she said, standing up and extending her hand to help me up and signaling me to come closer. I quickly accepted her offer, even though I was scared to ride on her bike and still hesitated. We walked to the parking lot and reached her bike, which looked too big for me. I wasn't even sure how to sit on it, and then she handed me her helmet.
"I—I... I, um, kind of scared to ride that," I admitted as I held her helmet.
"Don't worry, I'll be extra careful today," she reassured me, noticing that I still hadn't put on the helmet.
"Do you need help, Arceta?" she asked, looking at the helmet and then back at me.
"Uhhmm, I'm fine," I said as I put on the helmet. I struggled a bit with buckling it, and Mikha noticed. She grabbed another helmet from her compartment, placed it on her seat, and came over to help. She adjusted the helmet since it was tilted and lowered her head to check the lock before buckling it for me. After that, she quickly grabbed her own helmet and hopped on the bike.
As she settled comfortably, I felt hesitant about whether or not to ride. Mikha noticed my hesitation and offered her hand as a guide for me to hop on. I gladly accepted and climbed aboard. Once seated, she glanced at the side mirror to check on me.
"Are you good?" she asked, waiting for my confirmation before starting.
"Yeah, I think so," I replied, placing my right hand on my shoulder.
"There's a mesh intercom built-in. You can press the button on the side so we can hear each other clearly," she explained, pointing to the intercom in her helmet as I looked for it.
"See? You hear it?" she asked, pressing the button, and I could hear her clearly.
She drove the motorcycle slowly, but I was still scared. I asked Mikha if she could slow down a bit, but before I could voice my concern, I felt the motorcycle decelerate. Despite the slower speed, I was still uneasy, constantly overthinking the possibility of an accident.
"Mikha, can you slow down a bit more?" I said, pressing the button so she could hear me. She quickly obeyed, and now I felt more comfortable, though doubts lingered. Even though I thought we were going only around 20 miles per hour or less, a few minutes later, a car honked at us, probably annoyed by our speed. I felt Mikha's shoulders shrug in response.
" Can you breathe for me " she said I was still confused why as I about to open my mouth
" breath in breath out one more time breath in breath out that's good" With that simple breathing I can feel my body take off the tense
"I'll just be a little bit faster, Arceta. I want you to hold onto my waist—"
"Wait, what? No, I told you, Mikha Lim, I'm scared!" I said, holding both my hands on her shoulders.
"I know, hold on to my waist now," she said. I quickly obeyed her; I didn't just cling to her waist—I hugged her tightly and rested my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes in fear. She increased the speed, probably reaching about 25 miles per hour.
"I want you to feel the fresh air, Arceta. Breathe. Look at the lights; nothing's going to happen to us," she said. But I didn't obey; I was still panicking and about to cry.
" do you trust me" she said trying to comfort me
" what" I said because how could she insert this topic right now
"Do you trust me, Arceta?" she shouted, though not loud enough for me to hear clearly."Do you trust me?" she asked, trying to comfort me.
"Y-yes," I replied.
"Then open your eyes and feel the air," she said, holding my hand her thumbs gently caressing my hand. Slowly, I opened my eyes and began to take in my surroundings.
"feel it, Aiah," she said, and I obeyed, feeling the fresh, cold air hit me. I felt relaxed after a few minutes, though I didn't realize we were speeding along at about 40 miles per hour. It wasn't fast, but it was enough for me to enjoy. I noticed her stealing glances at me from the back. She increased her speed since there weren't many cars on the road, causing me to hold on tight. I could feel her well-toned abs pressing against me. It wasn't the kind of abs you get from working out at the gym; it was more about the strength gained from everyday work. I quickly shrugged off that thought, focusing instead on the relaxing surroundings and trying to eliminate all my doubts. The air rushing past me felt like pure heaven, and I found myself appreciating the moment
A few minutes later, Mikha asked me where I lived so she could drop me off. I told her the name of my building, and moments later, we arrived. She extended her arms and opened her palms, signaling me to get off her bike. I placed my hands on hers to help myself down safely.
After that, I expected her to leave, but when she dismounted and helped me unbuckle my helmet, I was surprised. She lowered her head to see the buckle, unfastened it, and then took the helmet off my head, placing it in her compartment along with her own. She quickly got back on the bike, which left me a bit confused. I thought she might be accompanying me to my unit.
My confusion deepened when she pressed the button for my floor in the elevator. After a few moments, the elevator opened, and she led the way directly to my unit. I was even more puzzled as she approached my door.
"Mikha Lim," I shouted to get her attention, and she turned to face me.
"Hmmm?" she replied, looking into my eyes.
"How do you know my condo unit?" I asked, feeling a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
"Huh?" she said, putting her hands in her pockets. I could see she was confused, but I was just as perplexed.
"That's my condo unit," I said, pointing to the door beside her.
"And that's my condo," she said, pointing to the unit next to mine. I was completely shocked—so she was the noisy owner living beside me!
"What? You're the noisy neighbor who plays the guitar like a child?" I said, my confusion evident as her eyebrows knitted together.
"And you are the one who stomps around in there, tossing all your things inside!" she shot back, and suddenly I remembered the day I broke my vase, hoping she hadn't heard it.
"You're so noisy! Do you even know how to be proper?" I said but got cut off.
"Neither are you," she replied as she turned her back to me and walked to her unit. Just before she entered, I stopped her, recalling the grateful things she had done for me—saving me, comforting me in the simplest ways, and helping me relax. Those memories flooded back.
"Mikha..." I called out, and she turned to face me, her expression unreadable.
"Thank you," I said. She nodded in response, and I proceeded to insert my keys, about to enter my own unit, when I heard her voice.
"Arceta, I appreciate you for taking care of my wounds, even if it was a bit unhygienic," she said. I pouted slightly and laughed, then watched as she
entered her unit while I went into mine.
