Chapter 28
967 Words
January 1 – 12:00 AM
Rizal and Batangas (Split Scene)
The sky burst into light.
Fireworks lit up the New Year’s sky, coloring the world in flashes of gold, red, and electric blue. Aira stood outsidel, wrapped in her older brother's hoodie. Her hands were cold from holding her phone, but her heart was warm.
(Video Call)
Calix’s face blinked onto her screen, pixelated and sleepy but smiling.
"Happy New Year," he said, slightly breathless. Behind him, the sky of Batangas echoed with explosions, firecrackers and cheers.
"Happy New Year," Aira whispered back, a little softer, her voice fighting against the noise of her own cousins screaming and sparklers sizzling.
They didn’t talk much. They didn’t need to.
He showed her the lights in his sky, she showed him the fireworks from hers. Two places, two families, one thread connecting them in real-time.
"I miss you," he said finally, when the skies calmed.
Aira smiled, cheeks warm despite the cold air. "I miss you, too. But I’m glad we’re both where we should be."
He nodded. "Yeah. But next year... maybe we’ll be in the same place when it turns twelve."
Her heart did a quiet flip. "Yeah. Maybe."
12:37 AM – Aira's Group Chat Messages
AIRA: Happy New Year, girls!! 🎉🍾
MIRA: OMG fireworks overload — my dog is crying 😭 JANE: Cheers to heartbreak-free 2026 please 🤦♀️ NHENE: Love you all. RESOLVE NATIN TO NEXT SEM IN PEACE.
AIRA: Deal.
AIRA (to cousin Bea): Happy New Year, Ate B! Miss u😘!!
BEA: Miss you too! Send mo pic with your "inspiration" AIRA: LOL next year na 😉
January 1 – 7:00 AM – Rizal
The first morning of the new year was quiet.
Aira woke up to the sound of birds and soft footsteps outside the guest room door. Her phone buzzed with a message from Calix.
CALIX: Morning, sleepyhead. Coffee na tayo?
She smiled and texted back.
AIRA: Ikaw magtimpla. I'm still in bed. 😴
Outside, her mom and titas were already prepping breakfast. Her little cousins were still asleep on the couch, curled up like tiny burritos under mismatched blankets.Dumating kasi pinsan ko and tita kasi nga new year so dito sila mag celebrate with us for new year
Aira sat by the window and stared out at the banana trees, the soft golden light making everything feel new.
She didn’t feel pressure.
Not yet.
Just peace. And the sense that this year... maybe things wouldn’t just happen to her.
Maybe this year, she’d make things happen too.
9:46 AM – Aira’s House, Rizal
The breakfast table was a bit of a mess—platos na may tira pa ng embutido, tahimik na family playing with their phones, and her younger sister Ana humming the tune of a Christmas jingle.
Aira, still in her oversized shirt, sipped her coffee and scrolled through photos from last night.
She tapped on one—screenshot ng vcall nila ni Calix habang may fireworks sa likod niya.
Sabay silang ngumiti kahit hindi sila magkasama. Kahit screen lang ang pagitan.
Her mom leaned over. “Si Calix ba ‘yan?”
Aira nodded, half-smiling.
“Alam mo,” her mom said, “kung paano mo siya tignan, kita agad na hindi lang siya basta kaibigan.”
Aira blinked. “Ma…”
“I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just mean—minsan, ‘pag masaya ka, mas kita namin.”
Aira looked down, bit her lip.
> “Maybe this year, I won’t be afraid to let that joy show.”
11:28 AM – Calix’s POV – Batangas
Calix was helping his little cousin build a paper kite sa bakuran. The sky was a soft blue, perfect for flying something light.
But his mind kept drifting back to Aira’s voice from their call.
“Happy New Year,” she’d said softly, eyes gleaming. “Thank you for being part of mine.”
It wasn’t dramatic. But it hit deeper than any firework.
> “This time last year, I felt stuck. Now… I feel like I’m moving somewhere. Toward someone.”
2:00 PM – Aira’s Group Chat
📱 Mira: Nagising lang ako para kumain. Ganon ka-wild new year ko.
📱 Jane: Same here. Tita mode.
📱 Nhene: May fireworks ba sa Rizal, Ai?
📱 Aira: Meron. Pero mas special ‘yung view sa vcall ko kagabi hehe
📱 Mira: OMG. YOU’RE GONE. GONE GONE.
📱 Aira: Di pa. Pero... baka papunta na.
4:43 PM – Calix to Aira (Text)
> Calix:
Kite update: sumabit sa puno 😞
> Aira:
Hahaha. That’s what you get for not having your engineer girlfriend around.
> Calix:
Girlfriend?? 👀
> Aira:
Hypothetical. Charot.
> Calix:
Noted. But I liked how it sounded. 😌
Aira smiled at her screen, heart skipping—no labels pa rin, but moments like this made her feel steady.
7:08 PM – Aira’s Bedroom
She started jotting in her journal again, curled up under her blanket.
> “This year began softly. No pressure to prove anything. No rush to define everything. Just… people I love. A boy I care for. And a quiet belief that I’m allowed to be happy now.”
She clicked her pen shut, smiling.
9:27 PM – Video Call (Again)
“Guess what,” Calix said as soon as he answered.
“What?”
“I saved a slice of buko pie for you. That’s love, diba?”
Aira laughed. “That’s definitely something.”
They talked for nearly an hour. No big conversations. No future plans. Just presence.
And sometimes, that’s more than enough.
Midnight – Aira’s Journal Entry
> “A new year isn’t about forgetting the pain.
It’s about realizing you survived it.
And now—maybe you’re strong enough to love without fear.”
- Writer
