Anthologies {MIKHAIAH AU}

the mayor and the firestarter pt 1

Mikha's phone buzzed incessantly against the solid wooden table where she sat across from her best friend, Jhoanna. Her coffee sat half-full in front of her, forgotten and cooling, while Jho talked animatedly about her latest work drama. Mikha leaned back, arms crossed, trying her best to listen to Jho's anecdotes about an incompetent coworker who printed 500 copies of a blank spreadsheet. But the relentless buzzing on the table kept stealing her attention. It wasn't guilt exactly, just a mild inconvenience she was trying to ignore.

Jhoanna squinted at her. "Ano ba, Mikha, you're not even pretending to listen anymore." Before Mikha could protest, Jhoanna snatched her phone off the table with the reflexes of someone who's swiped her fair share of rideshare promos.

"Hoy! Jho, ibalik mo yan!" Mikha lunged across the table, but Jho was already leaning back in her chair, holding the phone aloft like it was a holy relic.

"Mikha, your phone is basically seizing. What's going on?" Jhoanna's eyes widened as she stared at the screen, her free hand now dramatically clutching her chest. "Tang ina, Mikha. Ikaw na ata ang mayor ng Tinder!"

Mikha forced her face into a neutral mask, though the corner of her mouth twitched. She reached for her coffee and took a leisurely sip, as though she hadn't just been called out. "What? I'm single." She shrugged, as if this were the most reasonable explanation in the world for her phone practically overheating from the sheer volume of messages.

"Single? Putang ina, Mikha. You're not just single—you're holding office hours. Are you running a hotline for lonely hearts or what?" Jho thumbed through the notifications, her jaw dropping further with each one. "Jesus, Mikhs, you've got, like, five people texting you right now, and all of them sound thirsty. Oh wait—hold up, six. Someone just sent a winking selfie. Sino 'to?" She flipped the phone around to show Mikha, whose composure cracked for just a second into a grin.

"Give that back, Jho! You're worse than a tita at a family reunion," Mikha hissed, reaching again, but Jho merely leaned further away.

"Wait, wait!" Jhoanna's face lit up as she saw one specific notification. "Sino si Aiah? Oh, this one's cute. Good bone structure. And those dimples? Gurl!" She glanced at Mikha with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Is this the flavor of the week?"

Mikha rolled her eyes. "Flavor of the day, maybe. We just matched last night. I don't even know if I'll text her back."

Jhoanna's gasp could probably be heard in the next café over. "What do you mean you don't know? She looks like she gives long hugs and volunteers at soup kitchens, Mikha! Look at that smile. I bet she makes banana bread from scratch."

Mikha finally snatched her phone back and stuffed it into her jacket pocket. "Jho, you're embarrassing yourself. Besides, she's new to online dating. Probably some wide-eyed idealist looking for 'The One.' Not my scene, you know?"

"Not your scene? Mikha, nothing is your scene. You're basically a scene unto yourself." Jhoanna folded her arms, staring Mikha down like a scolding older sister. "But seriously, you should give her a chance. Look at you, Miss Tinder-verse. Maybe you need someone who's not... a walking red flag."

"I'm a redhead, Jho. Red flags are part of the package." Mikha smirked, draining the rest of her coffee. "Anyway, I'll think about it. But let's not act like you're the authority on relationships. Your last boyfriend thought Bitcoin was the cure for inflation."

Jhoanna groaned and waved her off. "Don't deflect, Mikhs. I'm telling you, Aiah could be fun for you. She looks like someone who reads poetry and cries at sunsets. And maybe that's what you need—a little softness in your chaos."

Mikha raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. Instead, she paid for her coffee and left Jhoanna at the table with a cheeky wave. She didn't need advice. She had Tinder and a roster full of options. Aiah was just another name in a sea of notifications.