A/N: Sorry na sa lahat ng nasaktan ko from the angst last update! Bawi ako in this universe !
/
Mikha fiddled with the straw in her iced coffee, glancing at the clock on her phone. 4:52 PM. Colet was supposed to be here half an hour ago, and knowing her, she was probably still at home debating which pair of shoes said romantic but not desperate. Mikha sighed, setting her phone down on the sticky café table. Next time, Colet, ikaw ang maghintay ng date mo. Ano ako, chaperone for life?
The café buzzed quietly with life—clinking cups, muted chatter, an espresso machine hissing in the corner. Mikha's gaze flicked toward the door every so often, watching for either Colet or the mysterious blind date to arrive.
Then, someone else stepped inside—a slim figure in a crisp button-up, her hair pulled back into a loose bun. She paused by the counter, scanning the room like she was bracing for something awkward. Then her gaze landed directly on Mikha.
Mikha stiffened as the stranger—cute stranger, objectively—smiled and began making her way over.
"Hi!" the woman said, stopping at the table with a small, nervous laugh. "Colet, right? Sorry, medyo late ako—traffic was the worst."
Mikha's brain stalled. "Ha?" was all she managed to say.
The stranger—Aiah, apparently—grinned and waved a hand. "I know, I know. Gotta love Manila traffic, right? Anyway, I'm Aiah. From the app?"
Mikha blinked, her iced coffee straw still halfway to her lips. Wait. Wait. Aiah thinks I'm Colet?
"Oh," Mikha blurted, scrambling. She could've corrected Aiah right there—should've, really. But then Aiah's grin faltered, just slightly, as if she were worried this wasn't going well already. Something in Mikha's chest pinched. Okay. Just play along for a second. Hindi naman siguro 'to tatagal...
"Uh, yeah," Mikha said, too loudly. "Sorry, na-zone out ako. Nice to meet you, Aiah."
Aiah let out a breathy laugh, relaxing. "Akala ko na-ghost na naman ako," she said, sliding into the chair across from Mikha. "Sabi ko pa naman sa sarili ko, 'Aiah, kaya mo 'to. Just act cool.'"
"Well," Mikha said, smirking faintly despite herself, "parang cool ka naman. Ngayon pa lang."
"Talaga?" Aiah's eyebrows lifted, amusement flickering in her dark eyes. "Wow. Papuri agad? Mukhang smooth talker ka pala."
"Hindi naman," Mikha shot back, shrugging with exaggerated modesty. "Gusto ko lang magbigay ng compliment bago mo makita na awkward ako in real life."
"Okay," Aiah said, leaning in conspiratorially, "one awkward person talking to another awkward person sounds fair. At least alam na natin na pareho tayong walang lakas ng loob."
Mikha snorted, caught off guard. Okay, she's funny. "So, ano pala," she said, shifting the topic quickly before she smiled too much. "Kumusta naman ang paghahanap ng dates online? Parang... exhausting?"
"Oh my God, grabe." Aiah threw up her hands. "Yung last date ko, nagdala ng resume. As in printed, color-coded resume. She even had a PowerPoint about why she'd be a great girlfriend. It was a lot."
Mikha bit back a laugh. "At least prepared siya?"
"Sure," Aiah said, grinning. "Pero ikaw? Anong most awkward date mo?"
