The warm coastal breeze swept through the open veranda of the private villa, where the group had just landed after hours of travel. The sun, already beginning its descent, bathed everything in amber light—palms swaying, waves glimmering, the air thick with salt and anticipation.
"Shet, ang init! Who booked this island sauna?" Gwen called out dramatically as she dropped her weekender bag inside the open living room.
"Maloi, syempre. Birthday nya raw pero gusto nya lahat tayong maluto sa araw," Sheena teased, flopping onto the oversized rattan couch, pulling off her sneakers.
"Hey!" Maloi raised her hands in mock surrender. "Tropical paradise dapat, hindi aircon hotel. May pool, may beach, may kwarto bawat isa. Kayo lang talaga ang arte."
"Ayaw lang mapawisan, my God," Stacey muttered, already in the kitchen digging out a chilled bottle of rosé.
Aiah stepped in last, her long legs carrying her with casual poise, dark glasses perched on her nose. Her hair was loose, cascading down her back like something out of a shampoo commercial. She surveyed the villa coolly, one brow arching as she turned to Colet.
"How many bedrooms again?"
"Six. Pero since paired-pair tayo, magkakaalaman na kung sino willing maki-share or makitulog sa couch later," Colet grinned wickedly.
"Colet," Aiah said in her calm, clipped tone. "You really planned this para lang maging Love Island 'no?"
Before Colet could answer, the door creaked again and in walked Mikha—sleeveless, with a baseball cap turned backwards and a smug smile already in place.
Aiah didn't even try to hide the way her eyes rolled. "Oh, great. Nandito na ang court jester."
Mikha didn't miss a beat. "Wow. Still allergic to fun, I see." Her voice was a little rough, laced with sarcasm, but her eyes flickered over Aiah with a flash of something else. Interest, maybe. Heat, definitely.
"You mean allergic to you. Get it right."
Everyone else paused for a beat—the eternal tension had entered the villa.
"Uy, round one na agad?" Jhoanna smirked, nudging Gwen who just raised an eyebrow knowingly.
"Honestly, kelan niyo kaya aaminin?" Maloi sang, already pulling out the cards from her bag. "Let's just play Never Have I Ever mamaya and get it over with."
"As if!" Mikha scoffed, grabbing a cold soda from the fridge. "I'm not into... cold, condescending types."
Aiah gave a flat laugh. "Neither am I. Kaya nga I date men."
"Oh babe, you sure you don't just like bad decisions?" Mikha replied sweetly, resting her elbow on the counter, lazily watching Aiah's jaw tighten.
"Shet, shet, shet!" Colet whispered under her breath, trying not to laugh.
The villa settled quickly into chaos—bags being dragged into rooms, music thumping low from someone's speaker, arguments over who gets which bed. Mikha and Aiah, of course, ended up in rooms right across from each other, the hallway a thin line of tension neither acknowledged.
That night, after dinner, drinks, and a chaotic round of drinking games, the group finally settled around the outdoor fire pit. The air was warm but breezy, the flames crackling, casting everyone in flickering orange and gold.
"Okay," Maloi declared, cheeks flushed from wine, "Never have I ever... kissed someone as a dare."
Everyone groaned.
"Tangina, Maloi!" Colet snorted, but took a sip anyway.
Aiah raised an eyebrow and casually drank too, which made Colet's eyes go wide.
