My Last And My Only

Chapter 55: When Silence Becomes Routine

Three days.

Three days since Aiah left Manila.

Three days since Khae had last heard her voice.

At this point, Khae no longer knew what hurt more—the fact that Aiah wasn't answering her calls or the fact that she completely understood why. She stared at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The last message she had sent remained unread.

I'm sorry.
Please talk to me.

Nothing.
No reply.
No reaction.
No indication that Aiah even wanted to hear from her.

Khae leaned back against the driver's seat and closed her eyes. She hadn't been sleeping well. Every night seemed to end the same way—with her staring at the ceiling, replaying everything that had happened and wondering where she had gone wrong.

The answer was always the same— Everywhere. Aiah had forgiven her so many times. Too many times. And somehow, Khae had always assumed there would be another chance.

Now she wasn't so sure.

When she opened her eyes again, the familiar sight of Gwen's house greeted her from across the windshield.

She was here.
Again.
A part of her felt ridiculous for it.
What was she expecting?
That Aiah would suddenly walk out of the front door?
That Gwen would finally tell her where she was?

Still, she couldn't bring herself to leave.
Because every road seemed to lead back to Aiah.
And because missing her had become exhausting.
Taking a deep breath, Khae stepped out of the car and walked toward the gate.

Meanwhile, in Cebu, Aiah was trying very hard not to think about Manila.

She wasn't succeeding.

The sea stretched endlessly before her, sparkling beneath the afternoon sun. A cool breeze drifted through the open-air café, carrying the scent of saltwater and freshly brewed coffee.

Normally, she would've loved this.
Normally, she'd be taking pictures.
Posting stories.
Enjoying the moment.
Instead, she found herself staring at her untouched drink.
Again.

"You're doing it again." Across from her, Chico was watching her with an expression she knew all too well.

"Doing what?" Aiah immediately frowned.

"Thinking." said Chico.

"That's a crime now?" Aiah rolled her eyes.

"Depends."

"Depends on what?"

"Whether you're thinking about Khae."

Aiah groaned.

Of course.
She should've known.
Leave it to Chico to ruin a perfectly peaceful afternoon.

"Can we not talk about her for five minutes?"

"We've gone almost two hours without mentioning her."

"Exactly."

"That's actually impressive."

Aiah grabbed a napkin and threw it at him.
Unfortunately, that only made him laugh.
She hated that laugh.

Not really. The truth was, she'd missed it.
Chico had only been back from the States for a few days, yet somehow things already felt familiar again. The two of them had spent most of the week catching up, revisiting old places, and annoying each other the same way they always had. Nothing had changed. And maybe that was exactly why Aiah found comfort in it.