Under The Same Umbrella

Beneath The Rain

The late afternoon sun turned everything in the quad gold, like the city had been dipped in syrup. Mia balanced her iced coffee on the edge of the stone planter, trying to look casual while scrolling through her phone. Across the courtyard, Leo was leaning against a pillar, laughing at something one of his teammates said. He wasn’t even looking at her but she could feel the gravity, the kind that pulls your eyes back no matter how many times you’ve already glanced.

Andrea’s arrival broke the trance. “Uy, daydreaming ka na naman,” she teased, plopping down beside Mia. She had a new haircut shorter, sleeker and a way of speaking that turned every word into a test.

Mia faked a laugh. “Pagod lang.”

But Andrea wasn’t fooled. “You’ve been staring at him for the last five minutes.”

Mia’s cheeks warmed. “Hindi ah.”

“Relax, I’m not judging,” Andrea said, her tone sugar over glass. “But, you know, Leo’s kind of everyone’s crush. You have to be careful.”

The comment lodged itself somewhere between Mia’s ribs. She forced herself to sip the coffee, letting the cold burn her tongue.

Across the quad, Leo finally looked their way. He smiled small, private, like he was letting her in on a secret no one else could see. Mia’s pulse tripped.

Andrea caught it too. “Wow. He’s actually looking.”

Before Mia could reply, Leo started walking toward them. Andrea straightened, flicking her hair behind her ear like she was prepping for a photoshoot.

“Hey,” Leo said, eyes flicking between the two girls but landing on Mia a fraction longer. “You guys going to the review session later?”

Andrea answered first. “Depende. Ikaw ba?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Mia?”

Mia nodded, trying to sound neutral. “Oo, pupunta rin ako.”

Leo grinned. “Cool. Sabay na lang tayo?”

Andrea jumped in. “Good idea! Sabay tayong tatlo.”

There was no polite way to refuse, so Mia just smiled, feeling Andrea’s hand rest lightly but possessively on her arm.

By the time they reached the library’s third-floor study room, the rain had started again light at first, then steady, like someone slowly turning up the volume. Manila rain always sounded like static on a broken radio.

Leo claimed a corner table. Mia sat across from him; Andrea slid into the seat beside him.

They opened their notes and started discussing the upcoming exam, but Mia’s focus frayed. Every time Leo bent closer to point at something on Andrea’s paper, a small ache tugged at her. Andrea laughed more than she needed to. Leo smiled politely but his gaze kept drifting to Mia’s notebook, to the little doodles on the margins, to her hand fidgeting with the pen.

During a short break, Leo leaned over the table toward Mia. “Nagdala ka ba ng payong?” he asked quietly.

Mia shook her head. “Nakalimutan ko.”

He smirked. “Siyempre.” Then softer, “Sabay tayo mamaya?”

She blinked, surprised. “Eh si Andrea?”

Leo just gave a small shrug. “Baka may iba siyang kasama.”

Something fluttered in Mia’s chest. She nodded once, the tiniest agreement, and returned to her notes before Andrea could notice.

The rain was heavier by the time they left. Andrea’s phone rang; she stepped aside to take the call, her back to them.

Leo moved closer to Mia under the awning. “Come on,” he said, opening his umbrella dark blue, a little frayed at the edges.

For a moment Mia hesitated, the memory of their first accidental payong encounter flickering in her head. Then she stepped under it.

This time there was no pretense. They were shoulder to shoulder, sharing warmth in a cool drizzle. The city smelled of wet asphalt and fried street food. Jeepneys hissed past in the puddles.

“You okay?” Leo asked, voice low.

“Yeah,” Mia said, barely above the sound of the rain.

Andrea reappeared, tucking her phone away. “May sundo na ako,” she said, glancing at them both. “Kayo?”

“We’re good,” Leo replied before Mia could.

Andrea’s eyes flicked to their shared umbrella. Her lips curved into something between a smile and a smirk. “Ingat kayo,” she said, then turned and disappeared into the wet evening.

Leo and Mia started walking. The silence between them was comfortable now, the kind that didn’t need to be filled. Mia felt the brush of his arm against hers, the way the umbrella tilted slightly more toward her side.

“Salamat,” she whispered.

“Anytime,” Leo said. He tilted his head toward her, rain-damp hair falling into his eyes. “Besides parang tradisyon na natin ‘to, di ba?”

Mia laughed softly, the sound lost in the rain. For the first time, she let herself imagine what it would be like if this wasn’t just an accident if it was, somehow, theirs.