Echoes of Us

Chapter Five- Unfinished Conversations & Unspoken Hurts

I pretended to not see her at binaling ang tingin ko sa kabilang banda. There I spotted Claire at the far end of the room—legs crossed, drink in hand, smirking like she knew something I didn’t.

"Eto na naman tayo."

I took a deep breath, adjusted the strap of my camera bag, and mentally prepared myself for the night ahead.

Andre was already bouncing between tables, making sure everyone was comfortable. Van and Mico were loudly debating something completely useless, and Lexa—well. She was there.

But before I could process that fully, Claire’s voice rang out.

"Ano ‘to, Fiel? Nagparamdam ka? Dapat may press release ‘to ah!"

I rolled my eyes, walking toward her. "Ang drama mo, Claire."

She grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Dalawang taon kang parang multo, tapos ngayon ka lang sumulpot? Parang comeback tour ‘to, gago!"

I groaned. "Wala ba tayong ibang pag-uusapan?"

Claire leaned forward, chin resting on her palm. "Meron." She glanced at Lexa across the room. "Pero ayokong ako ang unang magsabi."

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Claire, pakiusap."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Fine, fine. Pero seryoso, Fio—kamusta ka na?"

I hesitated. Unlike Andre, Claire had a way of prying without actually asking. She would throw sarcasm around, tease me until I

got annoyed, but deep down, she always knew when something was off.

And right now? She was staring at me like she could see right through whatever I was pretending to be.

So I gave her something close to the truth.

"Mas okay na ako ngayon."

She tilted her head, studying me. "Yan lang?"

I exhaled. "Oo. Yan lang."

Claire didn’t look convinced, but—thankfully—she let it go.

For now.

The evening unfolded like most gatherings did—comfortable chaos, familiar voices, conversations laying over each other. Drinks flowed, plates were passed around, and everything felt normal.

Almost.

Because sporadically, I’d catch Lexa looking at me.

Not in a way that made me uneasy. Just… curious.

Like she was observing from a distance, trying to figure out something neither of us could put into words.

Claire, of course, noticed.

"Nakakatakot ‘yang titigan n’yo, Fio," she muttered under her breath, taking a sip of her drink. "Parang may telepathy ‘yan eh."

I shot her a look. "Tigilan mo nga."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Okay, okay. Pero kung sakali lang—hypothetically speaking—kung may gusto ka pang sabihin sa kanya, ano ‘yon?"

I frowned. "Bakit mo tinatanong?"

She shrugged. "Ewan. Gusto ko lang malaman."

I rolled my eyes. "Wala. Wala na akong gustong sabihin."

Claire raised an eyebrow but didn’t push. Instead, she leaned back, her gaze flickering toward Lexa before settling back on me.

"Alam mo, minsan mas madaling magsinungaling sa sarili kaysa aminin na may natitira pang tanong."

I stared at her. "Claire, ‘di kita tinawag dito para maging philosopher."

She smirked. "Ay, sorry. Kala ko gusto mo ng wisdom."

I groaned, stealing her drink and taking a sip. "Tama na nga."

She laughed, but deep down, I knew she wasn’t completely wrong.

Because no matter how much I told myself this was fine, I still felt something lingering.

Something unanswered.

Andre eventually stood, clapping his hands together.

"Okay, since ang daming chismisan dito, may announcement ako."

The conversations slowly died down, and all eyes turned to him.

I leaned back, sipping my drink. "Ano na naman ‘to, Andre?"

He grinned. "Fio, alam mo ba ang ginagawa ko kapag may reunion?"

I squinted. "Ano?"

"Nagpapalaro!"

Groans erupted around the table. Van dramatically leaned back. "Tangina, Andre, ayoko!"

Mico laughed. "‘Wag naman ‘yung weird ha!"

Andre ignored them. "Relax! Simple lang ‘to. Drinking game. You answer, you drink."

I narrowed my eyes. "Seryoso ka?"

Claire smirked. "Tingin ko dapat sumali ka, Fio. Baka matulungan kang sagutin ang mga tinatanong mo sa sarili mo."

I glared at her. "Masyado kang invested sa buhay ko."

She laughed. "Syempre. Dapat lang."

And then, Andre turned toward Lexa.

"Lexa, sasali ka?"

I stiffened. Lexa blinked, pausing slightly before nodding. "Sure."

My stomach twisted.

Because suddenly, this night felt a lot more unpredictable than I expected.

The way she said it—calm, collected, as if this was just another casual game—made something in me tighten.

Because this wasn’t just another game.

This was Lexa, agreeing to sit in a circle with old friends, answering questions that might drag things out of both of us that we weren’t ready to face yet.

Claire nudged my arm, smirking. "Relax ka lang, Fio. Hindi ‘to interrogation."

I gave her a sharp look. "Hindi naman ako kinakabahan." aniya ko

She snorted. "Sure ka?" may ngising tanong niya, ansarap bangasa ng tomboy na 'to

I rolled my eyes. "Tigil-tigilan mo ‘ko."

Andre clapped his hands, bringing everyone's attention back to the center. "Okay, simple lang ‘to. Sasagot ka, or inom ka."

Van groaned. "Hindi ba dapat inom muna tapos sagot?"

Mico laughed. "Tangina mo, Van, lasing ka na nga bago pa magsimula ‘yung laro!"

Andre ignored them, leaning forward. "First question." He glanced around, his eyes settling—unfortunately—on me.

"Fio, pinaka-cringe na ginawa mo sa isang past relationship?"

Laughter erupted around the table.

I groaned. "Ptangina, Andre."* sagot ko sa kaniya, nananadya ba 'tong mga gago na'to

Claire cackled, nudging me. "Hala, ang dami mong sagot diyan!" aniya sabay tuamwa ng malakas

I threw her a glare. "Hindi naman ako ganun ka-cringe!"

Van raised his drink. "Bakit parang kasali ako sa history ng cringefest mo?"

Mico smirked. "Lexa, ikaw ba gusto mong sumagot on her behalf?"

Lexa chuckled, shaking her head. "Nope. This one’s all Fio."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Okay, fine." Pinagkakaisahan ako ng mga 'to

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for an answer that wouldn't ruin my dignity entirely.

"Siguro ‘yung... ‘yung sinurprise ko siya nang malala, kahit sinabi niyang ayaw niya ng surprises."

Laughter burst from the table, even Lexa gave a knowing smile.

Claire leaned closer, eyes sharp. "Teka. ‘Siya’ meaning..."

I sighed. "Yes, Claire, it's Lexa."

Van howled. "Tangina, Fio, ikaw pala ‘yung nagbigay ng grand gesture na hindi kailangan!"

Lexa chuckled, shaking her head. "To be fair, it wasn’t that bad. Pero oo, ayoko talaga ng surprises."

I groaned, throwing my hands up. "Kaya nga cringe!"

Andre laughed, clinking his glass against mine. "Well, at least honest ka!"

The game continued, questions bouncing around—some light, some deep, some so ridiculous that Van nearly choked on his drink from laughing too hard.

And then, another question landed.

Claire stretched her arms, sighing dramatically. "Okay, last question from me. Para sa inyong dalawa—Lexa, Fio."

I stiffened.

Lexa tilted her head slightly, watching Claire carefully. "Ano’ng tanong?"

Claire smirked. "If bibigyan kayo ng chance na bumalik sa isang moment ng past n’yo… anong moment ang pipiliin n’yo?"

The laughter faded. The group quieted—not in an awkward way, but in a way that meant this question actually mattered.

I swallowed hard, eyes flickering to Lexa.

She looked at me, steady and unreadable.

And for a second, I wondered—were we really ready for this question?

I felt my throat tighten.

Claire’s question wasn’t just one of those playful, passing things you could brush off with a laugh and a drink.

This one had weight.

Beside me, Lexa stayed still. Composed. Like she was taking her time before deciding whether she would answer at all.

I shifted slightly, fingers lightly grazing the glass in front of me. "Bakit ganyan tanong mo, Claire?" tanong ko, pretending to sound unaffected.

She smirked, taking a slow sip of her drink. "Wala lang. Curious lang."

Andre sighed, shaking his head. "Alam mong hindi 'wala lang' ang tanong mo."

Claire chuckled. "Fine, fine. Pero sagutin n’yo pa rin."

My mind raced, flipping through old memories faster than I wanted. Two years' worth of past moments. Laughter, fights, quiet nights, tangled fingers under city lights—which one mattered the most?

Lexa shifted slightly, finally breaking the silence. "Pwedeng iba ‘yung sagot namin?"

Claire raised a brow. "Syempre."

Lexa nodded, exhaling slowly. "Okay."

She glanced at me—just a quick look, but enough for me to know that whatever moment she was thinking about, I was in it.

"Ako na muna," she said, lifting her drink as she spoke.

She didn’t hesitate. "I’d go back to the day before we broke up."

The words felt sharp, even though her tone was calm.

I swallowed, watching her closely. "Bakit?"

She sighed, rolling the glass between her fingers. "Para pag-isipan ko kung pwede pang baguhin ‘yung ending."

The air suddenly felt heavier. Even Van and Mico, who had been laughing seconds ago, fell silent.

I sat back, gripping the stem of my glass.

Lexa wanted to go back—not to the happiest moment, but to the last one.

For a second, I thought maybe I should pick a different kind of memory. A lighter one. A safer one.

But that felt unfair.

So I lifted my drink and finally answered.

"Ako? Babalik ako sa araw na hindi ko siya tinawagan."

Lexa’s brow furrowed slightly. "Anong araw?"

I looked straight at her. "‘Yung araw na gusto ko sanang lumaban, pero hindi ko nagawa."

And just like that, the past wasn’t so distant anymore.

Andre cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Okay! Palitan na natin ‘to, masyado nang seryoso."

Van dramatically groaned. "Thank God. Claire, ikaw talaga, alam mong marupok ‘tong dalawa eh!"

Claire laughed, raising her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine! Let’s move on."

But even as the conversation shifted, as the drinks flowed, as the laughter picked up again—Lexa and I didn’t speak much after that.

Because after that question, after that answer, there wasn’t much left to say.

For now.