Mikha maneuvered a large yellow IKEA bag through the maze of minimalist showrooms, trailing after Colet, Jhoanna, and Gwen. Colet had been talking about moving into a new apartment for months, and today, she'd finally roped them into helping her pick out furniture and decor.
"Okay, I need a new desk," Colet said, holding a small notebook in one hand and her phone in the other. "Something sleek but not too big. And maybe a couple of chairs. Oh, and a lamp. Yung cute lang. Minimalist, but may character. Parang ako."
"Minimalist?" Jhoanna teased, raising an eyebrow. "Colet, minimalist ka ba talaga? O aesthetic hoarder?"
Colet shot her a mock glare. "Excuse me, I'm refined."
"Sure," Gwen said dryly, picking up a plush shark from one of the bins. "And what about this? Refined ba 'to?"
"Oh my God," Colet said, snatching the shark. "Kuha na rin natin 'to! Ang cute."
Mikha smirked, watching the chaos unfold in front of her. Normally, she'd be more involved in teasing Colet, but today her mind felt far away. She tried to focus on the showroom setups—the perfect kitchens, the cozy bedrooms—but all she could think about was the night before.
"How's your one true love?" Gwen asked suddenly, falling into step beside Mikha and smirking.
"Huh?" Mikha blinked, startled.
"Aiah," Gwen said, drawing out the name like a song. "Kamusta na kayo? Spill. Nag-date kayo, diba?"
Colet overheard and spun around, her eyes lighting up. "Teka, hindi mo pa kinuwento! Nag-reply siya tapos pumayag siya sa drink? Ano nangyari? Ano 'yung vibe?"
Jhoanna abandoned a small cactus plant she'd been inspecting and joined them. "Wait, wait, stop everything. We need updates!"
Mikha groaned, stopping in the middle of the aisle. "Guys, we're supposed to be here for Colet. Hindi tungkol sa love life ko."
"Sino ba ang nagsabing may love life ka?" Jhoanna quipped, grinning. "Kaya nga gusto naming malaman!"
"Fine," Mikha said, holding up her hands in surrender. "We met up last night. One drink. Well, technically three drinks and coffee after. But, yeah, nag-usap kami."
"And?" Gwen asked, her voice rising with excitement.
"And..." Mikha trailed off, running a hand through her hair. "It went... okay? I mean, it started awkward. Super awkward. But after a while, we just started talking, like, really talking. About life, work, stupid stuff. And before I knew it, hours had passed."
Colet gasped, clutching the plush shark to her chest. "Oh my God. So romantic."
"It's not romantic," Mikha said quickly, though her face felt warm. "She still doesn't trust me. I mean, I get it—after what happened, ang labo talaga. But... I don't know. It felt like progress."
"Progress, huh?" Jhoanna said, nudging her. "Like, spark progress? Or just friendly progress?"
Mikha hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor. "There's a spark," she admitted quietly. "At least, I feel it. I just don't know if she feels the same. She still has her walls up."
"Understandable," Gwen said, nodding. "Pero the fact na she stayed for three drinks? And coffee? That says something."
"Exactly," Colet said, tossing the plush shark into the yellow bag Mikha was holding. "Kung ayaw ka niya, she wouldn't have stayed. Or agreed to meet you in the first place."
"She even let me walk her home," Mikha added, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"See?!" Colet said, pointing at her. "May chance ka, Mikha! She's just testing you. Gusto niyang makita if you're serious."
