Chapter 8
1283 Words
Saturday – 10:38 AM – University Gate
“Ready?” Mira beamed, wearing her oversized straw hat and carrying a tote full of snacks.
“Barely,” Aira said, eyeing the van. “You sure we’ll survive five hours in that thing?”
Mira smirked. “Girl, we survived finals. Kaya ‘to.”
It was their org’s team-building-s***h-beach-retreat weekend. Half of the block was coming. Including him.
Aira spotted Calix near the back, helping load bags. He looked relaxed, wearing a simple white shirt, hair a bit messier than usual. When he saw her, he smiled.
Just like that, her chest warmed.
Maybe this won’t be so bad.
11:02 AM – Inside the Van
“Shotgun!” Mira yelled—then promptly gave her seat to Aira and sat beside someone else.
Aira sat up front, slightly awkward until—
“Mind if I sit here?” Calix’s voice was low, almost teasing.
Aira scooted. “You’re lucky Mira’s matchmaking skills are subtle.”
He laughed. “That wasn’t subtle.”
The Ride – Light Moments
They shared earphones. Aira picked the playlist. Mostly indie tracks. Some acoustic. One old OPM ballad she claimed was “ironic”—but she didn’t skip it.
“Do you always sing when you think no one’s listening?” Calix asked mid-song.
Aira blinked. “I wasn’t—wait, did I?”
He smiled. “It was cute.”
She lightly elbowed him but didn’t deny it.
3:18 PM – Arrival at the Beach House
Waves welcomed them. The rented house sat just a few feet from the shore. Big windows. Open deck. Salt and breeze.
Within minutes, bags were dropped, slippers off, and people scattered—some went to prep food, others straight to the water.
Calix headed to the grill.
Aira stayed under the shade, watching everything. Everyone.
It was rare—this kind of day. Light. Uncomplicated.
And yet, a soft flutter of nervousness still stirred in her chest.
Why do I feel like I’m waiting for something to go wrong?
4:12 PM – A New Face
She noticed her when Mira waved her over: Lianne, a girl from another course, recently joining their org.
Confident. Loud laugh. And the kind of pretty that turns heads without trying.
She walked up to Calix by the grill, said something that made him laugh.
Aira blinked.
Then looked away.
Just like that—something clenched in her chest.
---
Aira’s POV (Internal Monologue)
> “It’s not like he’s mine.
But I hate that I noticed.
And I hate more that I care.”
5:09 PM – Dinner Prep
Lianne sat near Calix during dinner setup. She laughed loudly at his jokes. Nudged his arm. Told stories with flair.
Aira said nothing.
Until—
“Uy, Calix, ikaw pala yung madalas kasama ni Aira sa campus?” Lianne said, eyes wide. “Kala ko tutor mo lang siya.”
Before Calix could respond, Aira spoke, calmly but clearly:
“Nope. We’re not study partners. He’s a little more than that.”
Lianne blinked.
Aira didn’t elaborate. She just stood and offered Mira a bottle of water like nothing happened.
But Calix looked at her differently after that.
6:42 PM – Sunset (Deck Overlooking the Beach)
He found her watching the sky melt into gold and gray.
“You okay?” he asked, stepping beside her.
Aira nodded, arms folded. “Yeah.”
“Thanks for what you said earlier.”
She shrugged. “Didn’t like how she framed you.”
Calix smiled. “Didn’t expect you to… say anything at all.”
Aira met his eyes. “Me neither.”
He didn’t press.
Just stood beside her quietly, letting the breeze wrap around them both.
Later – Aira’s Notes App
> “I used to disappear in group settings.
Now, someone looks for me in the crowd.
And for the first time,
I think I want to be seen.”
8:14 PM – Bonfire by the Beach
The bonfire crackled, casting a warm glow across their small circle. Waves hummed in the background, and the sky was a velvet blanket speckled with stars.
Someone played soft music from a Bluetooth speaker. Others roasted marshmallows, teased each other, took photos.
Calix sat beside Aira—not too close, but not far enough to feel like friends.
They didn’t speak much. But when she passed him a marshmallow without asking, and he split his soda in half without a word… everyone else faded.
9:02 PM – The Game Begins
“Okay, okay!” Mira clapped her hands. “Truth or dare. Rules: walang safe answers, walang boring dares, walang sablay.”
The group cheered. Groans, laughter, anticipation.
Aira raised a brow at Calix. “You playing?”
“Only if you are.”
She smirked. “Then I guess we’re both doomed.”
Moments Later – Aira’s Turn
Mira’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Aira. Truth.”
Aira sipped from her soda. “Bring it.”
Mira grinned. “If you had to choose one person here to be stuck with during a typhoon, who and why?”
Everyone “ooh’d.”
Aira pretended to think, then looked at Calix—just briefly—before answering.
“Hmmm… someone who listens. Who makes things feel calm kahit magulo.”
She didn’t say a name.
But Calix looked down, smiling.
Calix’s Turn – Truth
“Your turn, Calix!” another voice called. “Truth.”
Calix shrugged. “Okay.”
“If you could ask one person here one question and they had to answer honestly, who would you ask—and what?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I’d ask Aira.”
Half the group froze. Mira dropped her marshmallow.
Aira blinked. “Me?”
He nodded.
“And what’s the question?”
Calix tilted his head. “If someone genuinely cared for you—quietly, fully—would you let yourself be loved again?”
Silence.
Then: the crackle of the fire, someone shifting in their seat.
Aira opened her mouth. Closed it. Looked down at her hands.
But she didn’t laugh it off. Didn’t dodge.
She just said, “I don’t know. But I think… I want to learn how.”
10:45 PM – After the Game, Just Them
Most of the group had trickled back to the house. Only a few stayed by the dying fire.
Calix and Aira sat side by side, their knees nearly touching.
She looked at him. “You okay?”
He glanced her way. “More than okay.”
“About the question earlier…” she started.
He shook his head. “You don’t owe me answers, Aira. Not unless you’re ready.”
“I wasn’t lying,” she said.
His heart skipped.
“I think I want to learn how to let someone in again,” she added softly. “But it’s not easy.”
“It’s not supposed to be,” he replied. “But I don’t want easy. I want real.”
11:12 PM – The Almost Kiss (Again)
He looked at her, eyes searching.
Not pleading.
Just hoping.
And for the second time, he leaned in—slowly, cautiously.
She didn’t pull away.
She didn’t rush forward either.
Their faces hovered inches apart.
Then—footsteps. Loud laughter from the deck.
They pulled back just before it happened. Just before it could fully become something.
And yet, it already was.
Aira’s Notes App – Midnight
> “Maybe love isn’t the big declarations.
Maybe it’s in soft games by the fire.
In the courage to ask, and the gentleness to wait.
Maybe I’m not afraid anymore.
Or maybe… I’m just less willing to run.”
- Writer
