Chapter 15
1236 Words
Friday – 3:18 PM – Campus Lawn
Midterms were officially over.
The air smelled like freshly cut grass and overpriced milk tea.
Aira was stretched out on a picnic blanket with Mira and Nhene, sunlight dancing on their cheeks, shoes tossed aside. They weren’t talking about exams anymore. Just life. And crushes. And the things you don’t say out loud when stress is still hovering.
“May message ako from someone weird,” Aira suddenly said.
Mira turned. “Ex mo na naman?”
“No,” Aira replied, scrolling through her phone. “Si Camille. Yung high school friend ko.”
“The one na biglang nawala after college started?”
Aira nodded. “She wants to meet daw. Said she’s around QC this weekend.”
“Do you want to see her?”
Aira paused. “I’m not sure.”
Flashback – High School, Aira & Camille
“I’ll always be your person, okay?” Camille once said, tears in her eyes, holding Aira after one of her first heartbreaks.
But that promise faded after graduation. No big fight. Just slow silence. Drift. Life.
And now? A message.
> “Can we talk soon? I miss you, Rai.”
5:40 PM – Dorm Hallway
Aira passed Calix in the hallway—he was walking with his orgmates. They smiled at each other, but didn’t stop.
She expected him to message after. He didn’t.
She told herself not to overthink it. But her thumb hovered over her chat window longer than she cared to admit.
Saturday – 10:17 AM – Café by Maginhawa
Camille arrived 10 minutes late, still with her signature messy bun and oversized jacket. She hugged Aira like no time had passed.
“You look so different,” Camille said. “But in a good way. Stronger.”
Aira smiled politely. “Ikaw rin.”
They talked. Tentatively. Carefully.
Until Camille said: “I ghosted you, didn’t I?”
Aira blinked.
“I was dealing with my own mess,” Camille admitted. “And I couldn’t carry both of us anymore. I’m sorry.”
There was no drama. No shouting. Just honesty.
And strangely—Aira didn’t feel abandoned anymore.
She felt… older.
> “People leave,” she thought. “But sometimes, they also come back softer.”
1:33 PM – Calix’s POV – Org Office
Calix stared at his phone.
No message from Aira.
It wasn’t anger—just a flicker of worry. She usually updated him. Even just a “I’m off to lunch!” or “Brain dead. Help.”
He thought about texting first… but decided to wait.
> “She knows where to find me,” he reasoned.
But part of him wondered if she was pulling back.
Sunday – 4:20 PM – Dorm Rooftop
Aira sat alone with her journal, writing halfway through a new entry before pausing.
She thought about Camille.
About Calix.
About how peace wasn’t always loud. Sometimes, it came after clarity.
But silence? Silence made her nervous again.
Aira’s Journal
> “Why do I notice the pauses more than the words lately?
I think I’m scared to need him.
Scared that needing means losing.
And yet… I keep looking for his name on my screen.”
6:35 PM – Calix’s Dorm Room (Text Received)
AIRA:
> Hey. Can we talk tomorrow?
CALIX:
> Of course.
But even then, he noticed something.
> No emojis. No jokes. No “goodnight, Calix.”
And the ache in his chest told him:
This might be a different kind of conversation.
Monday – 11:04 AM – Campus Auditorium
Celebration.
That’s what the banner said. “Post-Midterm Chill: You Survived!”
Free iced coffee. Acoustic music. Bean bags. Confetti even if no one asked for it.
Mira dragged Aira in despite her reluctance.
“We deserve this,” she said. “Your eye bags deserve this.”
Aira smiled, but her mind wandered.
Calix wasn’t there.
Or… not yet.
11:47 AM – Calix Arrives
He came in with his usual quiet walk, hands in pockets, eyes searching.
Their gazes met.
He smiled.
Aira gave a small nod.
Something in him sank a little—unsure if the gap between them was imagined, or widening.
1:15 PM – Courtyard Bench
They sat side by side, plates of fries and iced tea between them.
“Congrats,” Calix said softly. “We made it through midterms.”
Aira nodded. “One major anxiety wave down. Five more to go.”
He chuckled, but the laugh didn’t reach his eyes.
A moment passed.
Then Calix asked, “So… how was the weekend?”
Aira hesitated. “I met up with someone. High school friend. Camille.”
“Okay.”
“She used to be close. Then she ghosted. Then she came back.”
“Closure?” he asked.
“Maybe.”
Then Aira added, “I didn’t tell you agad kasi… I didn’t know how to explain it. Or if I had to.”
Calix’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
“You don’t have to,” he said.
“But you sound like you wish I did,” she replied.
He didn’t deny it.
Flashback – Calix, 18 Years Old
He once dated a girl who said, “I want space,” and meant goodbye.
Since then, he learned to give room—but it always came with that cold knot of fear.
> “What if space means they’re already walking away?”
2:03 PM
Back at the event, Mira’s friend approached their group and casually teased:
“Uy, Aira! Calix isn’t your boyfriend yet, right?”
Everyone laughed.
Except Calix.
Aira didn’t respond either.
And though no one said anything after that, silence settled awkwardly between them.
Not heavy. But noticeable.
5:21 PM – Dorm Balcony (Aira’s POV)
> “Why didn’t I say something? Why didn’t I just smile and say ‘not yet, but maybe soon’?”
She stared at the sunset and felt the pressure of being known—and not fully choosing to show up.
It wasn’t about titles.
It was about how something small—left unspoken—could make someone feel like a secret.
6:49 PM – Calix’s Room
He paced.
Typed a message. Deleted it.
Typed again.
Finally hit send.
CALIX:
> Rai… are we okay?
AIRA:
> I think so. Are you?
CALIX:
> Honestly? I don’t know.
A long pause.
Then:
AIRA:
> Can we talk?
For real this time?
7:26 PM – Dorm Rooftop
This wasn’t dramatic.
No yelling. No crying.
Just two people sitting, facing the truth between them.
“I think I was trying to keep things light,” Aira admitted. “To protect what we had.”
Calix looked at her. “But you pulled away.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“I know. But I felt it.”
Another pause.
Aira breathed deeply. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t,” Calix said. “But next time, don’t make me guess if I still matter.”
Those words hit her harder than she expected.
And in that quiet, she reached for his hand.
Midnight – Aira’s Journal Entry
> “It wasn’t a breakup.
But something in me cracked open today.
Sometimes the turning point isn’t loud. It’s a choice to speak up before silence gets too comfortable. To say: I’m here. And I choose to stay.”
- Writer
