Chapter 4
1028 Words
Friday – 10:46 AM – Campus Quad
Aira was mid-step when she heard the voice.
“Aira?”
Malamig ang simoy ng hangin, pero mas malamig ang naramdaman niya sa likod ng batok.
That voice—familiar. Too familiar.
She turned.
Daryl.
Her ex.
Hindi siya handa. Hindi niya inakalang makikita pa niya to—especially dito, sa campus na kailan lang ay naging safe space niya.
“Wow,” bungad ni Daryl, may halong ngiti. “Ikaw nga.”
Hindi siya agad nakapagsalita. Nag-freeze lang siya, habang bumabalik sa utak niya ang lahat.
The begging. The blame. The breaking.
“Bakit ka nandito?” tanong ni Aira, mahina ang boses.
“Transfer student. Biglaan. And the moment I saw you kanina, I knew… I had to say hi.”
Flashback – Aira, Two Years Ago
“Hindi naman kita iniwan, Aira,” Daryl said back then.
“Pero pinili mo ‘yung sarili mo.”
“Siyempre. Kailangan ko rin namang isipin sarili ko, ‘di ba?”
Aira remembered standing in the rain that night, soaked in heartbreak.
Back to Present
“Kamusta ka?” tanong ni Daryl ngayon. “You look… better.”
Aira forced a smile. “I am.”
“Still guarded?” biro niya.
Hindi na siya natawa.
Before Daryl could say more, a voice interrupted.
“Okay ka lang?”
Si Calix. Tumayo siya sa tabi ni Aira—hindi possessive, pero presence.
Aira didn’t speak. But her eyes softened.
Daryl looked between them, then chuckled. “New guy?”
Calix simply nodded. “I’m just here.”
“Right,” sagot ni Daryl, stepping back. “Well… see you around.”
Later – 1:04 PM – Rooftop Deck (Aira and Calix)
Tahimik lang silang dalawa. Nasa taas sila ng rooftop garden, overlooking the city.
“Ex mo?” tanong ni Calix.
Aira nodded. “Yeah. The one who taught me to stop trusting people too fast.”
“Did it hurt seeing him again?”
“Hindi ko alam. Hindi siya ang sumakit—yung memories ang sumakit.”
Calix didn’t respond right away. Instead, he offered her his bottled iced tea. Walang tanong. Walang sermon.
Aira chuckled, kahit pa konti lang.
“I’m sorry if I’m still… like this,” sabi niya. “May araw pa rin na parang… dati pa rin ako.”
“Hindi mo kailangang i-sorry ‘yan,” sagot ni Calix. “You’re still standing. That’s more than enough.”
Calix’s POV – That Evening – 6:33 PM
He watched her laugh with Mira across the table at the food court. It was the first time he saw Aira smile so freely around others.
But in the back of his mind… Daryl’s voice echoed.
> “Still guarded?”
And it made Calix wonder—
What if one day… she learns to trust again, and it’s not me?
That scared him more than anything.
Friday – 9:12 PM – Aira’s Dorm Balcony
Aira sat cross-legged, a blanket over her shoulders. Tahimik lang ang gabi. Tamang lamig. Tamang katahimikan.
Hindi niya alam kung bakit pero… hindi siya umiiyak.
She expected tears.
Seeing Daryl again. Hearing that voice. Remembering everything.
Pero wala.
Ang bigat na dala niya noon… ngayon, parang memory na lang. Hindi na siya ‘yung babaeng nakiusap. Hindi na siya ‘yung nagmakaawa. Hindi na siya ‘yung nag-break into pieces.
She survived.
Aira’s Internal Monologue
> “Closure isn’t a door they close for you.
Minsan ikaw na mismo ang nagsasara—para makatuloy ka na sa lakad mo.”
10:09 PM – Calix’s POV – Dorm Balcony
Naglalakad si Calix sa hallway nang makita niyang may message si Aira.
AIRA:
> Awake ka pa?
CALIX:
> Yup. Balcony ka?
AIRA:
> Yeah. Gusto mo sumabay sa katahimikan ko?
CALIX:
> Laging oo sa ganyan.
10:26 PM – Aira’s Balcony
Tahimik silang dalawa. Magkahiwalay ng upuan. Parehong nakaharap sa langit.
“I thought I’d cry,” sabi ni Aira, pabulong. “Pero hindi na pala ako ‘yung girl na iniyakan siya.”
Calix nodded, saying nothing.
“I used to think closure needed words. Or sorry. Or even one last hug.”
“Hindi pala?” tanong ni Calix.
“Hindi. Minsan, closure is when you can finally sit in front of someone who hurt you and realize… they don’t hold your story anymore.”
Calix looked at her. Not as someone to be saved, but as someone learning to save herself.
And it was beautiful.
Quiet Moment – Calix Opens Up
“Can I tell you something too?” tanong ni Calix.
Aira turned to him. “Sure.”
“May taong iniwan din ako dati. Pero hindi dahil may mali ako. Iniwan niya kasi sabi niya, I was too good… and she didn’t deserve it.”
Aira blinked. “So… ang bait mong tao, sinaktan ka rin?”
“Hindi lang ‘yon. After that, I realized… being kind isn’t always enough to make people stay.”
Tahimik si Aira.
“I still want to be kind,” dagdag niya. “Pero now, I also want to be real. Kahit minsan hindi enough. Kahit minsan nakakapagod.”
The Most Honest Scene Yet
“Calix…” Aira started.
“Hmm?”
“If one day, I fail to be soft… if one day, I shut down again… would you still stay?”
Calix didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled sticky note.
Aira raised a brow.
“I wrote this the first time I saw you in the jeep,” sabi niya. “Di ko alam kung bakit… pero I felt something I didn’t understand.”
He handed her the note.
It read:
> “She looks like someone who has survived storms.
And maybe I don’t want to be her rescue—
I just want to walk beside her, until she sees the sun again.”
Midnight – Aira’s Final Thoughts
That night, she couldn’t sleep.
But not because of pain.
Because for the first time… her heart was awake in a different way.
Not in fear.
Not in heartbreak.
But in hope.
- Writer
