Chapter 13
1283 Words
Tuesday – 8:04 AM – Dorm Courtyard
For the first time in weeks, it was Aira who messaged first.
AIRA
> Hey. Free later? I owe you merienda. My treat this time.
She hesitated before sending it.
But when she did, it felt… good.
Not desperate. Not dramatic.
Just real.
9:20 AM – Calix’s POV (Classroom)
He saw the message between notes.
And he smiled.
Not because of the invite—but because it was her.
> “She’s choosing to stay,” he thought.
“Not out of obligation. But maybe… because she finally wants to.”
12:11 PM – Aira’s POV – Cafeteria Table
Calix sat across from her, sipping juice. She slid a box toward him.
“Brownies?” he asked.
“Made ‘em at midnight. Almost burned the tray.”
He took a bite and raised his brows. “Aira… this is good.”
She beamed. “You’re just being nice.”
“No. Mira almost cried when she saw it in the fridge.”
They both laughed.
> “This felt different,” Aira noted.
“Not borrowed peace. Not temporary calm. Just… quiet joy.”
2:07 PM – Rooftop Study Spot
They spread their notes out, prepping for another round of org pitches.
“Wala ka nang ibang kailangan gawin today?” Calix asked.
“Wala na. Cleared everything this morning. I planned for this.”
Calix raised a brow. “You planned for me?”
She blushed. “Don’t make it weird.”
He chuckled. “I’m not. I’m just happy you did.”
Aira leaned back, letting the sunlight warm her face.
> “For so long, I kept people away.
But I think I want to let him stay.
Maybe I’ve wanted that for a while.”
3:33 PM – Flashback (Aira, 18 Years Old)
She once bought matching notebooks with someone she thought would stay.
He ghosted her the next week.
She threw both notebooks in the trash.
Since then, she never initiated again.
Until now.
4:12 PM – Calix’s Internal Monologue
> “She’s leaning closer now.
Talking more. Smiling differently.
She doesn’t even realize how much I see her trying.
But I do.”
> “And I think I’m falling faster than I planned.”
5:10 PM – Study Break (Bench Outside Library)
Aira sipped iced coffee. “You never told me your worst heartbreak.”
Calix stayed quiet for a beat. “It wasn’t a person. It was a moment.”
“What moment?”
“When I realized someone loved the idea of me—but didn’t want the real version.”
Aira’s breath caught slightly.
“That’s… painful.”
He shrugged. “It taught me something, though.”
“What’s that?”
“That I’d rather be fully seen—even if it means not being fully loved.”
She stared at him for a long second. “You’re being seen now.”
And something about the way she said it made Calix look away.
7:04 PM – Dorm Lobby
As they walked back, Aira slowed near the gate.
“Thanks for today,” she said.
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I know. But I want to.”
She took a breath.
“And I’ll text you again. First. Soon.”
He smiled.
“I’ll wait for it.”
Late Night – Aira’s Journal Entry
> “Maybe it doesn’t take fireworks or confessions.
Sometimes, love builds itself
one text at a time.
One brownie.
One moment where you let someone in
without asking them to prove
they won’t leave.”
Thursday – 10:03 AM – Dorm Lobby
Calix stood outside the gate, three guys surrounding him—laughing, bumping shoulders, teasing.
“Ayun siya! Mr. Banana Bread!” one of them joked.
Aira slowed her steps as she approached. Calix saw her and smiled, waving her over.
“These are my friends from high school,” he said. “Mga sira ‘to, pero loyal.”
The tallest guy extended a hand. “You must be Aira. Heard you make mid-level brownies and high-level trust issues.”
Aira blinked, then smirked. “That sounds accurate.”
The boys burst out laughing.
10:22 AM – Café Across the Street
They all sat at a large table—Calix beside Aira, his friends scattered around, loud and comfortable.
“So,” one of them leaned in. “Kayo ba?”
Aira froze.
Calix didn’t flinch. “Not yet,” he answered calmly. “But she’s… important.”
There was a pause. A small, weighty one.
Then someone fake-gagged. “CHEESY.”
Aira rolled her eyes. But her heart stuttered—just once.
> “Not yet,” he said.
But he sounded like he wasn’t just guessing.
He sounded like he was sure.
12:47 PM – Dorm Courtyard
As Calix walked his friends back to their rideshare, Mira and two other girls suddenly popped out from behind the potted plants.
“NOW,” Mira whispered. “While he’s gone.”
Aira blinked. “Wait—what?”
“You didn’t think we wouldn’t show up after hearing Aira initiated merienda this week,” Mira said, dragging her to the bench.
1:00 PM – Girl Talk (On the Bench)
They sat with iced drinks in hand, eyes locked on her.
“He gave you snacks for weeks,” Nhene said. “And now you baked for him?”
Aira blushed. “It was just brownies.”
Mira crossed her arms. “No one bakes at midnight for a guy unless the guy is special. Are you… falling?”
Aira took a sip of her drink. “...I think I already am.”
Silence.
Then Mira threw her arms up in celebration.
2:30 PM – Rooftop Again
Calix rejoined her there, looking a bit flushed from his earlier hangout.
“How were your friends?” Aira asked.
“Loud. But good. You?”
She grinned. “Also loud. Also good.”
They sat down together, backs against the wall.
“You didn’t seem scared earlier,” she said. “About what your friends thought.”
Calix glanced at her. “Should I have been?”
“No. It just… surprised me.”
He smiled softly. “I’ve never felt the need to explain you. That’s how I know this is real.”
Flashback – Calix, 17 Years Old
He once liked someone who said, “You’re too intense.”
So he tried to be less—less expressive, less honest.
It didn’t last.
He promised himself next time, he wouldn’t dim down for love.
4:49 PM – Dorm Lobby
Aira and Calix stood by the glass doors again.
It had become their unofficial goodbye spot.
“Do you ever think about labels?” she asked.
He tilted his head. “Sometimes.”
“And?”
He chuckled. “I think… if you’re asking, maybe you’re almost ready for one.”
She looked down, smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe I am.”
They didn’t define anything that day.
But something between them clicked anyway.
---
8:11 PM – Aira’s Room (Text Exchange)
AIRA
> Thanks for today. Even with the ambush visits.
CALIX
> You mean the friendship invasion? Anytime.
PS: Next time, I’m baking again. The bar is high now.
AIRA
> Game.
Just don’t burn the tray.
CALIX
> Only if you promise to keep texting first sometimes.
AIRA
> Deal.
(Also… you’re important, too.)
Midnight – Aira’s Journal Entry
> “We didn’t say the words.
But our friends saw it.
He felt it.
I knew it.
Sometimes you don’t need labels
to know you’ve finally arrived
in something real.”
- Writer
