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Chapter Text

Jhoanna Robles never claimed to be anyone’s hero—unless you counted the women she charmed at post-award parties. But she did take pride in one thing: her nose for the truth, especially the kind that ruined powerful people’s lives.

Her exposé on the Arceta pyramid scheme didn’t just earn her a plaque and headlines. It got Lourdes and Brent Arceta locked behind bars, their empire of lies collapsing faster than she could finish her victory drink.

Although Jhoanna was convinced that Aiah Arceta had a hand in the scam, the investigation didn’t turn up enough to prove it. Aiah walked away without charges, leaving Jhoanna frustrated but powerless. So when she spots Aiah reaching for her mail one ordinary afternoon, the realization hits harder than expected—Aiah isn’t just free. She’s her neighbor.

As she was about to take out her mail from the mailbox marked ‘506’, another hand shot in at the same time and aimed for the mailbox marked ‘606’.

“Sorry—”

“Excus—”

“Aiah Arceta,” Jhoanna says in a shocked tone with gritted teeth. It was rumored that she was thrown out of the Arceta mansion, as all of their wealth and assets were frozen due to the scandal. Not to mention, their offices and buildings are closed down as well, leaving Aiah with nothing. This must be where she intends to make a fresh start. By living in the same building as hers. Great.

“Jhoanna Robles,” Aiah replies with the same annoyance in her voice.

Aiah quickly takes her mail and Jhoanna follows suit. While quickly browsing through it to make sure it was all addressed to her, Jhoanna can hear Aiah mutter under her breath, “Of course.”

“Of course? Anong gusto mong iparating?” Jhoanna throws her a look, while also glancing and going through her mails.

“Of course, ‘yung taong sumira ng buhay ko, dito rin nakatira sa apartment complex na ‘to,” Aiah rolls her eyes, grabs her laptop briefcase that was on the floor and walks quickly towards the elevator.

Jhoanna followed behind as slow as she possibly could, but soon caught up as she watched the elevator slowly making its way down. She rolls her eyes, bracing herself to be in the same elevator as Aiah Arceta for the next 5 floors.

As they get in the elevator, Aiah presses for her floor and steps to the back. Jhoanna frowns, because of course an Arceta wouldn’t help press for her floor, even though she clearly knows Jhoanna lives below her. She can hear Aiah audibly sighs and somehow that ticked Jhoanna off. If anything, she should be the one annoyed right now. 

“Bakit dito ka na nakatira? Wala na bang available na unit sa impyerno?” Jhoanna turns around and asks in a mocking tone.

“No, this place was cheaper,” Aiah retorts quickly, “Kaya siguro dito ka nakatira,” she looks Jhoanna up and down as she says it.

“Awww, nawala rin ba ‘yung trust fund mo? Kawawa ka naman,” Jhoanna retorts back and turns around to the front again to face the elevator’s display. Three more floors.

“At least, para sa’kin, this apartment is just a new start, I can go up from here. Unfortunately for you, ito na ‘yung peak mo,” Aiah says, even without turning around she can feel Aiah is giving her a condescending look.

“Rather be a top here than to be at the top of a pyramid,” Jhoanna smiles, proud of herself to think up of a quick jab. 

…scheme. Jhoanna wanted to say.

After a small silence, Aiah replies, “Whatever, I can’t believe araw-araw ko nang makikita ‘yang mukha mo”

Jhoanna scoffs, “Oh, maniwala ka sa’kin, wala sa plano kong makita ‘yang pagmumukha mo araw-araw. At FYI, five years na akong nakatira dito. So kung meron man sa’ting dalawang nang-iintrude ng space, ikaw ‘yon.”

“Seems fair. You intruded into my life,” Aiah replies softly, but Jhoanna could sense that she’s angry. Well, tell that to half of Metro Manila citizens your family swindled was what Jhoanna wanted to reply but she bites back her own tongue.

The elevator reaches Jhoanna’s floor and the door opens. Jhoanna steps out and looks back at Aiah, “Hindi ko kasalanang demonyo ‘yang pamilya mo.”

Aiah seems quiet for a moment but manages to respond right as the door was about to close, “No, pero ‘di ko rin ‘yon kasalanan.”

When the door closes, Jhoanna groans out loud. Why? Out of all the apartment buildings in Manila, why must she move into the same one as hers?

--

Jhoanna has her arms around Stacey as the elevator door closes.

“Wait!” A voice yells out.

Stacey holds down the button and Aiah walks in. The moment Aiah’s eyes land on Jhoanna, she gets visibly irritated. She looks at Stacey, “Sixth floor, please. Thank you,” and walks to the back of the elevator, as far from Jhoanna and her date as possible.

Stacey kindly obliged and Jhoanna makes a show to pull Stacey closer to her. She kisses Stacey’s temple and whispers loudly so Aiah can hear, “Sweetie, anong gusto mong gawin natin mamaya?”

Stacey slaps Jhoanna’s body lightly and pushes her off of her, eyeing Aiah in the elevator and whispers back, “You’re so naughty tonight, babe.”

The door opens and they giggle as they make their way out. As Jhoanna was looking for her keys to her apartment, Stacey asks, “Babe, si Aiah Arceta ba ‘yon?”

Jhoanna shrugs, “‘Di ko alam. Hindi ko nakita.”

--

They reach for the mailbox at the same time again and Aiah quickly pulls her hands back. Jhoanna grabs her mail quickly and Aiah follows soon after.

“Pwede bang kalmahan niyo lang? Or get a less squeaky bed at least. It’s EEK EEK EEK EEK,” Aiah complains while looking through her mails.

“Pwede bang gaanan mo lang ‘yang paa mo? Every time na lang na naglalakad ka, it’s CLICK CLACK CLICK CLACK,” Jhoanna mocks Aiah in the same tone as her.

Aiah makes a loud hmph and raises her voice a bit too loud, “Kaya siguro walang nag-rerent sa unit ko before, they probably can’t stand you.”

As she walks to the elevator, Jhoanna follows along to get in a quip she just thought up, “So may balak ka na bang umalis? Balita ko meron nang vacant sa impyerno,” and smiles as sinisterly as possible at Aiah.

“Alam mo? Mas mabuti pa nga kung sa impyerno ako nakatira kesa makasama pa kita dito sa complex na ‘to. Pero I won’t give you the satisfaction of me moving out of here. I don’t give up that easily,” Aiah replies looking at Jhoanna, but quickly looks back at the elevator’s display when she sees Jhoanna’s smirk.

“Humanda ka na lang siguro, Arceta.”

That night Jhoanna moans just a bit louder than usual, and she swears she can hear Aiah stomping her feet twice as hard.

--

“Bye muffin, see you soon,” Jhoanna kisses Maloi goodbye, “thanks for walking me home.”

“Excuse me,” Aiah coughs lightly at Jhoanna and her date as they were blocking the entrance to the apartment’s building.

“Alam mo? Ang laki-laki ng daan. Pwede ka namang umikot,” Jhoanna grumbles but Maloi gives her another quick kiss, “Jho, ‘wag ka na magalit. Sorry,” Maloi apologized on behalf of them and waved Jhoanna goodbye.

Jhoanna opens the apartment’s door but doesn’t hold it for Aiah and lets it close behind her. Aiah throws her hands up at the childishness of it all and buzzes herself in. She walks into the building with those loud high heels that Jhoanna finds annoying. 

“Gaano ba karami ‘yang girlfriends mo?” Aiah suddenly asks as they are waiting for the elevator. That’s three she’s seen this week. All different each time.

“Bakit? Balak mo bang dumagdag?” Jhoanna smirks, “Sorry pero sarado na ang applications.” 

“Ew. Kahit na open pa ‘yan, I wouldn’t apply,” Aiah replies as she gives a disgusted look.

“At kung mag-apply ka man, diretso na ‘yan sa rejection pile,” Jhoanna quips back. 

“Good, mas okay ‘yon.”

The door opens and Aiah jumps in and quickly presses the close button. As the door closes, Jhoanna could see her smiling for the first time as she gives Jhoanna a little goodbye wave. Jhoanna swears she doesn’t hate anyone as much as she hates Aiah Arceta right now.

--

“Babe, narinig mo ba ‘yun?” Gwen asks when she hears a loud thunk upstairs.

“‘Wag mo na lang pansinin. May bagong lipat kasi diyan sa taas, and she’s annoying,” Jhoanna tries to reassure Gwen and continues kissing her. But the thunk doesn’t cease and it gets louder and louder, it sounds like someone is kicking the floor or hitting something on it.

“Baka naiingayan na siya sa’tin,” Gwen worries.

“‘Wag mo na lang isipin,” Jhoanna tells Gwen but the mood is gone. Neither one of them wants to continue making out. As Gwen leaves her apartment, Jhoanna is sure of only one thing and one thing only. Aiah Arceta really infuriates her.

--

The next evening, Jhoanna gets ready with a contraption she made, a hammer at the end of a broomstick, and waits for those annoyingly loud high heels to announce their arrival. She looks at her watch, anytime soon. After a few weeks of stumbling into her upstairs neighbor accidentally, she makes a mental note to avoid her. She leaves her apartment at 8 AM, comes back at 7 PM on the dot. They no longer share awkward elevator rides but she makes her presence known with her noisy thumping and annoyingly loud heels. This time, Jhoanna will be the one to make some noise back.

The minute she hears the heels, she bangs the ceiling with her contraption, “Shut up! Shut up! Ang ingay mo! Akala mo di ako gaganti ah!”

After her incessant banging, it’s filled with silence, and Jhoanna laughs to herself. That’ll teach her a lesson.

When she was about to sit on her couch, Aiah thumps back. Louder. Seems like she found herself something too.

Jhoanna climbs on her couch and bangs harder on her ceiling, “Kaya ko pang mas maingay diyan.”

They keep banging and thumping and hitting, Jhoanna at her ceiling, Aiah at her floor, until Jhoanna can see a crack forming. As the crack gets bigger and bigger, Jhoanna’s eyes widen and she quickly gets off the couch and takes a few steps back. 

“Hoy! Teka! May crack na!” Jhoanna yells as she hears Aiah’s thumping gets louder.

“Arceta! Itigil mo na!”

The cracking gets more audible now and Jhoanna’s eyes are drawn towards the ceiling. The thumping stopped but it was too late. With a whoosh, the ceiling comes crumbling down and Jhoanna could hear Aiah screaming.

“Fuck!”

Where her ceiling used to be is now a big hole and half an Aiah. Aiah is hanging onto her floor, her legs dangling in Jhoanna’s apartment.

“Help!”

Jhoanna fumbles around looking for something and quickly picks up the fallen pieces of the ceiling from her couch and pushes the couch so it is positioned under Aiah.

“Teka! Kumapit ka muna diyan.”

“I can’t! Dumudulas na ‘yung kamay ko!”

“Bitaw na! May couch na sa ilalim mo.” Jhoanna yells back, eyeing Aiah and the couch, making sure it is directly under her.

Aiah peeks a little and screams back, “Masyado pang mataas!”

Jhoanna swiftly climbs on the couch and manages to grab Aiah’s feet, “Bitaw na. Hawak ko na ‘yung legs mo.”

“Ang layo mo pa,” Aiah whimpers, it feels like she’s crying now.

“Trust me, I got you. Bitaw na,” Jhoanna touches her legs assuringly, letting Aiah know she’s under her.

Aiah closes her eyes and lets go, falling onto Jhoanna, and both of them land on Jhoanna’s couch.

“Ow—” Aiah groans in pain.

“So gaano mo katagal balak pumatong? Alis na,” Jhoanna mumbles through Aiah’s hair that is all over her face. 

Aiah gets acutely aware that her nemesis is under her so she quickly gets off the couch and starts yelling, “Sinira mo ‘yung sahig ko!”

“Excuse me? Ikaw ang sumira ng kisame ko!” Jhoanna shouts and points to the hole above her.

“If you haven’t been doing the nasty so much and being so obsessively loud, I wouldn’t bang my floor in the first place!” Aiah argues, her voice is raised even higher than normal.

“Doing the nasty? Ano ka, nine? Just say sex! Nagpapapansin ka lang eh! Ang ingay mo kasi maglakad!” Jhoanna fights back.

“I walk normal! Ikaw ‘yung nanghahampas ng sahig ko!”

“Yung higante mong paa ‘yung nakabutas ng kisame ko!”

Aiah looks at Jhoanna angrily and makes a hand gesture in the air like she wants to choke the life out of Jhoanna. But instead, she takes a deep breath to calm herself down. Jhoanna is not backing out and keeps her eyes on Aiah, preparing to counterpoint anything she’s about to say. They stay silent for a while as the dust from the debris settles down.

“Dito muna ako matutulog,” Aiah rolls her eyes, knowing how ridiculous her request is.

Jhoanna laughs a little, even she could notice how hard it was for Aiah to ask her that, “Bakit? Hindi naman buong sahig mo ‘yung nasira ah.”

“For now. What if lumaki ‘yang crack? What if my bedroom falls onto yours in the middle of the night tapos mahulog ako sa tabi mo?”

“Tama ka. Nakakatakot ‘yan,” Jhoanna could see the logic in her argument and mumbles softly to herself, “if anything, dapat sa impyerno ka mahulog.”

“What?”

“What?”

Aiah shakes her head at Jhoanna’s mumbling and continues, “So, we agree? I stay here for the night?”

“Basta ‘wag kang pumatong sa’kin,” Jhoanna smirks, mocking Aiah.

“Ganiyan lang ba pumapasok sa utak mo?” Aiah asks and crosses her arms to protect herself, as if Jhoanna would pounce on her at any moment.

“Hah! Sa tingin mo ba may balak akong magka-jowa ng kampon ng kadiliman? You’re more likely to fall for me, than I would for you. I mean, you literally fell for me tonight,” Jhoanna says smugly as she looks up at the hole.

“I didn’t fall for you, I fell onto you. Preposition is important. Akala ko ba journalist ka?” Aiah specifies, making it clear for both Jhoanna and her.

“Kahit ano pa ‘yan, I will never fall for you. Kahit ikaw na lang matirang babae dito sa mundo,” Jhoanna chips in as well.

“Fine by me,” Aiah says, as she places her hands on her hips now.

“Good,” Jhoanna agrees.

“Good,” Aiah repeats.

“Now that everything is clear, nothing is going to happen between us,” Aiah says as she points to Jhoanna and back at herself, “Dito muna ako matutulog.”

“Ngayon lang,” Jhoanna agrees.

--

It wasn’t just one night.

Jhoanna left Aiah alone to clean up and sleep on the couch. I would never sleep in the same bed as you she said and Jhoanna shares the same sentiment. When Jhoanna wakes up, her apartment is spotless and was cleaner than before her ceiling fell. Aiah is working on her laptop at Jhoanna’s kitchen island and Jhoanna groans loudly. Even her typing is annoying. Jhoanna reaches for the coffee pot and it’s empty. She glares at Aiah’s full cup and grumbles, “Seryoso ka ba? Hindi mo man lang ako tinirhan?”

“Bakit? Coffee beans ko ‘yon,” Aiah says as she takes a sip of her hot coffee.

“Pero coffee maker ko ‘to,” Jhoanna complains while she makes another pot and notices her empty sink, “Naghugas ka ba ng pinggan?”

“Ang kalat mo kasi,” was all Aiah said.

“So what? May OCD ka ba or something?” Jhoanna leans on the kitchen island and asks Aiah.

“I just like things to be neat, not everything is OCD,” Aiah shakes her head slightly as she replies to Jhoanna.

“So bakit nandito ka pa, Arceta?”

“One-hundred thousand pesos, Robles.”

“Ano?” Jhoanna creases her eyebrows, what is she talking about?

“I got a quotation, that’s how much to fix that,” Aiah points to the hole on the ceiling, “Hindi ako pwede mag-stay sa apartment ko hangga’t butas pa ‘yan, and I don’t have the means anymore to pay the contractor, no thanks to you. So I think tama lang na dito muna ako hangga’t hindi natin ‘yan napapagawa.”

“I’m sorry,” Jhoanna laughs a little, maybe she misheard, “what do you mean natin? ”

“It’s my floor and your ceiling, it’s only fair if we split the cost,” Aiah replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“At ano namang alam mo sa pagiging fair? Eh Arceta ka,” Jhoanna laughs out loud now, “Hindi ko ‘yan babayaran! Ikaw naman nakasira niyan! Plus, kung dito ka mag-istay, ‘yun na yung kapalit ng bayad ko!”

Aiah picks up something from the floor and puts it on the kitchen island. Jhoanna stares at the broom-hammer contraption she made the night before.

“So, hindi ba ito yung pinampukpok mo sa kisame mo?” Aiah raises her left eyebrow as she says this.

“You… you…. Well, hinahampas mo rin naman ‘yung sahig mo! With what? Baka gumamit ka pa ng bowling ball!” Jhoanna stammers as she tries to think up an excuse to get out of this.

“Pero hindi ako gumamit ng pamukpok,” Aiah gives a small side smile and pushes the quotation she printed to Jhoanna, “Tignan mo ‘to. Ganun talaga ‘yung presyohan nung contractor. I know you don’t trust me, but I’m not my mom and my brother. I’m really trying to have a fresh start here. Kung may funds naman ako, ipagagawa ko agad ‘yan eh. And I won’t even be staying here! Kung wala kang pera, sige ako na bahala magbayad. But I need a place to stay.”

Aiah looks sincere as she explains herself and Jhoanna feels sorry a little bit. Just a little bit. Aiah was right about one thing, Jhoanna doesn’t trust her. 

“Fine, I’ll pay my half. Para hindi ka na tumagal dito. Pero wala akong fifty thousand pesos agad-agad,” Jhoanna rubs her temple while she tries to figure out how to squeeze some money out of her meager salary.

“Baka pwedeng two thousand per week? Ganun lang din ‘yung kaya kong ma-afford ngayon,” Aiah offers a solution, “and you don’t have to worry about falling for me, sa couch naman lang ako lagi matutulog.”

Jhoanna smiles as she shakes her head, “Alam mo? Kung ako ma-fall sa’yo, ako na magbabayad nang buo. One-hundred thousand.”

“Is that a bet?” Aiah smiles. She rarely smiles and when she does it’s only when she’s trying to incite Jhoanna. Jhoanna hates her smile so much.

“How about this, ang kailangan natin is 2000 pesos for 25 weeks. Pero if one of us falls for the other, siya na magbabayad for the whole thing,” Jhoanna smirks and reaches out her hand for a handshake to seal the bet.

“Deal,” Aiah replies and shakes Jhoanna’s hands.

Chapter Text

“Bye, muffin, miss na kita agad,” Jhoanna kisses Maloi goodbye and closes the door. A few moments later, Aiah opens the door and walks in.

“Tapos na ba kayo?” She looks at Jhoanna judgmentally, and walks over to the kitchen island to open her laptop and continue doing the work she was doing earlier before Jhoanna and her date interrupted her.

“Hindi ko na kasalanan kung gusto nila nito okay,” Jhoanna gestures up and down her body and Aiah shakes her head and looks away, continuing her concentration on her work.

“Sana man lang nagbibigay ka ng warning,” Aiah grumbles, clearly remembering a few hours earlier when Jhoanna and Maloi stumble into the apartment while making out and Aiah frantically tries to leave.

“Paano ako magbibigay ng warning eh hindi ko nga alam number mo? Or gusto mo ba mag-iwan pa ako ng sign sa labas ng pinto?” Jhoanna smirks as she opens the fridge to get some water.

Aiah rips out a small piece of paper from her notebook and furiously writes something down. “Here, my number,” she shoves the paper in Jhoanna’s direction.

Jhoanna picks up the paper and takes a sip of water at the same time, she eyes the number a bit longer than usual and Aiah speaks up, guessing what Jhoanna is thinking right now.

“I’m not falling for you, it’s just a number. For roommates purposes,” Aiah makes it clear.

Roommates. More like a parasite. 

It’s been a few days since Aiah fell into her apartment and Jhoanna still can't get used to the fact that she lives with an Arceta. Jhoanna doesn’t care though, as she’ll bring home her usual girls and tries to avoid Aiah as much as possible. For the most part, Aiah keeps to herself and only uses the living room area, where the couch is her bed now, and the kitchen area to do her work. The bathroom is still the most awkward place to bump into each other, as they try to figure out a system. 

Jhoanna never stops making fun of Aiah for changing in the bathroom, because Jhoanna still freely changes in plain view. It’s all just body parts Jhoanna argues but Aiah still keeps her private parts private. Jhoanna doesn’t know if it’s even possible to make this prude fall in love with her.

However, Jhoanna is grateful for one thing. No matter how much investigating she did on the Arceta family, she didn’t know that Aiah Arceta is such a neat freak. Her apartment has been spotless for the past few days, every single mess Jhoanna made is cleaned up immediately. Jhoanna does get annoyed when Aiah reorganizes her kitchen cabinets, and when Jhoanna can’t find her usual things. The one good behavior an Arceta has and it still annoys Jhoanna immensely.

“Nasaan ‘yung blue mug ko?” Jhoanna asks on a Sunday morning and throws an accusatory look at Aiah, who is working on her laptop at the kitchen island.

“Top shelf, bottom row,” Aiah replies without looking up.

“Bakit ba lagi mong inaalis ‘yon sa sink? ‘Yun naman lagi kong ginagamit kapah umiinom, kaya mas madali kung nandiyan lang sa lababo,” Jhoanna grumbles while she opens the top shelf and finds the blue mug staring back at her.

Aiah walks over to the refrigerator and puts up a timetable and pins it with a fridge magnet.

“Ano na naman ‘yan?” Jhoanna looks at the handwritten timetable.

“Okay. One week na tayong magkasama dito pero pagod na pagod na ako sa kalat mo. May susunod pang 24 weeks kaya, please,” Aiah lets out a sigh as she continues, “Ayusin mo naman buhay mo. You throw your clothes on the floor, you leave dishes in the sink, tapos hindi ka man lang nagwawalis! I think the only function your broom had was as a part of a device to break your ceiling.”

“Hoy!” was all Jhoanna could say. Aiah wasn’t wrong.

“Look, 9 to 5 akong nagtatrabaho, tapos ikaw, you work… irregular hours na hindi ko naman memorized. Willing naman ako maglinis dito araw-araw, kahit weekends. All you need to do is pick up your clothes, clean your dishes and throw out the trash. Hindi ba pwedeng kahit ‘yun man lang sana magawa mo?”

Jhoanna takes a look at the timetable. It splits between chores and Jhoanna has most of the dishes and trash duties. Aiah takes it upon herself to clean the shower, sweep and mop the floors. Guess she doesn’t trust Jhoanna enough to do the heavy cleaning duties. 

“Well, okay. Bahala ka,” Jhoanna shrugs and tries to brush it off. Inside, she’s actually really happy she doesn’t have to clean the shower anymore.

“And nasaan na yung two thousand,” Aiah announced, “it’s been one week.”

“Wala ka bang tiwala sa’kin na kaya kong ibigay ‘yung fifty thousand after 25 weeks? Talaga bang every week mo akong sisingilin?” Jhoanna tries to haggle. She was still hoping she could seduce Aiah before the end of this so she doesn’t have to pay her share. 

“I’m not going to fall for you, so I need that cash now,” Aiah holds out her hand and smiles.

Jhoanna hates that smile. She angrily walks to her purse and takes out two crisp one-thousand peso bills and shoves it in Aiah’s hands.

“24 more weeks,” Aiah smiles again.

“Tama ka nga, hindi ka tulad ng mga nakulong na Arceta,” Jhoanna says and the smile on Aiah’s face starts to fade away at the mention of her family.

“Weh?” Aiah asks again for confirmation.

“You’re worse.”

Aiah rolls her eyes at that and keeps Jhoanna’s money aside. 

--

“Babe, no!” Stacey laughs as Jhoanna wipes a few of the sticky dough on her.

“Sweetie pie, parang mas bagay ang sticky pie,” Jhoanna laughs as she gives Stacey a quick kiss.

Stacey gives in to the kiss but when Jhoanna wants a deeper one she backs away and eyes at Aiah that is on the same kitchen island.

“‘Wag mo na lang siyang pansinin,” Jhoanna whispers.

“Paanong hindi papansinin, eh nasa gilid lang natin siya,” Stacey looks at Aiah again.

“You don’t have to whisper, I can hear you,” Aiah proclaims as she continues typing.

“Alam mo namang may iba pang space sa apartment na ‘to. Pwede ka bang lumipat while we try to bake these delicious cinnamon rolls?” Jhoanna argues.

“Dito pinakamalakas ‘yung signal ng WiFi eh,” Aiah counters.

Jhoanna ignores her and continues baking with Stacey. They don’t have a mixer so they mix the dough by hand and giggle away while paying no attention to Aiah that is doing whatever work she’s doing on a Saturday.

“Ano raw next step, Jho?” Stacey asks as she oils the big bowl. 

Jhoanna dumps the mixed dough into the bowl and looks at the recipe on her phone. “Ang sabi dito, we cover it and wait for it to rise for an hour,” Jhoanna says.

Jhoanna walks over to the drawer and is about to open the top row when Aiah stops her, “Nasa third row ‘yung towels.”

Jhoanna throws her head back and shouts, “Bakit mo pa kailangang ilipat ‘yung towels sa third row? Okay na siya dun sa first.”

“Not when you also have towels in the second and last drawer. Piinagsama-sama ko lang naman sila in one place. Fine, I’ll make labels,” Aiah types more furiously, and Jhoanna assumes she has started working on the labels immediately.

“So, Aiah Arceta,” Stacey asks, clearly unfazed by Jhoanna’s new roommate, “Totoo ba? Na finreeze nila lahat ng assets niyo?”

Aiah seems taken aback at Stacey’s question but answers anyway, “Yes, it’s true.”

“Everything but that ring. It’s gorgeous,” Stacey points out the diamond ring on Aiah’s index finger.

“Hindi kasi ‘to sa Arcetas. This is my mom’s,” Aiah answers straightforwardly, which makes Stacey apologize with a quick sorry.

It wasn’t a secret that Aiah Arceta is not actually a “real Arceta”. She’s the daughter of the late Richard Arceta and his mistress and was adopted into the family after her mother passed away. During Jhoanna’s investigation on the Arcetas, Aiah’s past still remains a mystery. Everything she knows about Aiah is after she was adopted into the family and even that wasn’t much. She keeps a private life, unlike her half brother who unabashedly flaunts his wealth everywhere he goes. Jhoanna still remains skeptical of Aiah. 

Even if she’s not Lourdes Arceta’s real daughter, she doubts Aiah is on the outs on their family's heinous crimes. True, the court let her go, but that’s only because they couldn’t find the evidence they needed. Maybe, if she prods a bit more, she can prove to the world that Aiah actually is a true Arceta. I mean, she is already scamming Jhoanna to stay at her apartment while they get money to fix the hole.

“Jho, sabi dito sa recipe kailangan daw natin ng powdered sugar for the icing later, meron ba kayo n’on?” Stacey asks as she browses through the recipe on Jhoanna’s phone.

“Wala siyang powdered sugar, just the normal ones,” Aiah answers on Jhoanna’s behalf, and Jhoanna gets visibly annoyed at how well acquainted Aiah is with her kitchen.

“It’s okay, ako na lang bibili,” Stacey grabs her jacket and heads for the door. 

“You sure, babe?” Jhoanna asks again.

“Yes, just stay here, mabilis lang naman siguro ‘to. Matagal pa naman ‘yan before mag-rise, right?” Stacey reassures Jhoanna and gives her a peck before she heads out.

When Jhoanna walks back over to the kitchen island, she lifts up the cloth to take a peek at her dough.

“You should leave it and let it rise properly. ‘Wag mo nang silip-silipin,” Aiah informs her.

“Ano bang alam mo sa baking?” Jhoanna scoffs. Sure, Aiah knows ballet, chess, mountain climbing, and she speaks 4 languages, but Jhoanna doesn't remember anything about baking during her research on Aiah Arceta.

“Nung buhay pa siya, my mom owned a bakery in Calamba.”

At the mention of her hometown, Jhoanna perks up, “Taga-Calamba siya? I’m from Calamba!”

Aiah looks up from her laptop and stares at Jhoanna. “I left in ‘07 when I got adopted by the Arcetas. Alam ko namang alam mo na ‘yan.”

“Alam naman ng lahat na Arcetas adopted you when you were 6. Isang search lang sa Google page, lalabas na ‘yon. Pero hindi ako aware na you were from Calamba! I think baka pinabura lahat ni Richard Arceta ‘yung past mo. I couldn’t find anything on you before you got adopted,” Jhoanna tells her the truth.

“Hindi ang dad ko ang may gawa niyan. ‘Yung asawa niya, well, my adopted mother. She’s… not a huge fan of my mom,” Aiah explains. 

“2007, huh? Ang bata ko pa ata n’on kaya ‘di kita maalala.”

Jhoanna’s phone rings and she picks it up immediately.

“Ganun? Um, teka, hindi ko rin sure eh,” Jhoanna covers her phone and asks Aiah, “Oy Arceta, wala raw powdered sugar sa supermarket, okay lang daw ba yung confectioners sugar?”

“It’s the same thing,” Aiah answers.

“Sweetie pie, same lang daw ‘yon. Pwede na siguro ‘yung isang pack. Okay, bye.”

“Does she know?” Aiah asks when Jhoanna hangs up the phone.

“Alin? Difference between sugars? Hindi siguro. Nagtanong nga kami sa’yo eh,” Jhoanna quips.

“I meant your sweetie pie. Kilala niya ba si muffin at si honey, and bakit ba lahat ng pet names mo ay food related? Do you even know their actual names?” Aiah speaks out against Jhoanna’s infidelity.

Jhoanna lets out a huge laugh that takes Aiah by surprise.

“Look, I try to respect your privacy by not saying anything in front of them, but you can’t expect me to stay silent when I see it happening right before my eyes.”

“Hindi mo ba alam ‘yung concept ng friends with benefits?” Jhoanna lets out a rhetorical question as she tries to stifle a laughter.

Of course Aiah has. And now she regrets confronting Jhoanna and blushes as she continues typing on her laptop.

“Don’t worry, Arceta. Friends ko silang lahat and aware naman sila sa existence ng isa’t isa. I don’t lie to people,” Jhoanna explains further.

“Is that a dig on my family, Robles?”

“Hindi ako ‘yung nagsabi niyan ah, you assumed it. What does that say about your family?” Jhoanna smirks.

When Aiah stays silent, Jhoanna tries to clarify even further, “‘Wag ka nang mag-alala para sa’kin, okay? I’m not looking for anything serious naman. We’re just having fun.”

“Napaka-green flag,” Aiah rolls her eyes and scoffs.

“Alam mo, if that’s a dealbreaker, hindi na ako makikipagkita sa kanila, and I’ll just pay attention to you,” Jhoanna says to Aiah as she props herself on her elbows and flutters her eyes in an exaggerated manner.

“Kailangan ko pa rin makuha ‘yung two thousand mo bukas, and no, I’m not falling for,” Aiah waves her hand at Jhoanna’s face, “whatever this is.”

To Aiah’s chagrin, Jhoanna just laughs it off and takes another quick peek at her dough.

--

Aiah has moved to the couch to avoid vomiting at the public display of affection between Jhoanna and Stacey. Between the kissings and the gigglings and the licking icing from fingers, Aiah just had about enough. Unfortunately for her, Jhoanna’s apartment is small and soon they join Aiah in the living room after putting their cinnamon rolls in the oven. The tension was palpable even though all they're doing is silently watching the television. Stacey looks up at the hole, which is now covered with carpet from Aiah’s apartment, “Mukhang hindi mo na makukuha ‘yung security deposit mo, huh?”

“Hindi, maaayos din namin ‘yan. Hindi naman kailangan malaman ng landlord namin,” Jhoanna tells her.

“So Ate Aiah —okay lang bang tawagin kang Ate— nahulog ka ba talaga diyan?” Stacey asks Aiah out of the blue.

“Thanks to your girlfriend’s mighty effort to hammer her own ceiling,” Aiah answers, her eyes on the television watching a random movie.

Stacey starts laughing and puts her arms over Jhoanna, “Hindi ko girlfriend ‘tong babaeng ‘to no. And nakwento pala ni Jho na you defended my honor, thanks for that.”

“Calling out something that I see is wrong can hardly constitute defending someone’s honor,” Aiah replies, trying to downplay her action.

“Wala namang mali sa casual sex, you prude,” Jhoanna glares at Aiah.

“Malay ko ba kung ano ang tama o mali, right?” Aiah replies and throws the same glare back at Jhoanna.

“Magnakaw ng pera sa tao ng Metro Manila, ‘yan ang dapat na alam mong mali,” Jhoanna throws back a fast jab.

“Okay!” Stacey stands up quickly and claps awkwardly in an attempt to break off the argument that’s about to get heated, “Jho, check na nga lang muna natin ‘yung cinnamon rolls.”

“Five minutes pa ah,” Jhoanna pulls on Stacey’s hands to get her back on the couch.

Stacey maneuvers her hands and pulls Jhoanna up instead, “Basta check na natin.”

They stay in front of the oven and just watch their cinnamon rolls bake to perfection while Aiah continues watching the movie absent mindlessly. 

Aiah’s train of thought was interrupted by a loud noise of the baking tray hitting the floor.

“Ah!”

“Babe!”

Aiah goes to Stacey who is in a panic so she asks calmly, “Anong nangyari?”

“Ito kasing si Jho, ta-tanga tanga. Hinawakan ‘yung tray nang walang oven mitts!”

Jhoanna is groaning on the floor clutching her hands so Aiah just looks down at her, “Tumayo ka diyan, tapos itapat mo sa cold running water ‘yang kamay mo.”

Jhoanna slowly gets up and Aiah lets the cold water run in the sink as she guides Jhoanna’s hand under it. 

“Just stay here for a few minutes,” Aiah instructs as she grabs the oven mitts and helps them salvage whatever cinnamon rolls she can while holding the hot baking tray.

“Thank you, Ate Aiah,” Stacey says in a grateful tone.

“Please, just Aiah. Oh, well. Ikaw nang bahala.”

Stacey just nods and thanks her again. Aiah puts the tray on the kitchen island and opens the freezer to grab a bag of frozen peas. She goes over to Jhoanna and holds her hand that is still under the running water. Jhoanna is taken aback slightly at the sudden attention Aiah is showing her.

“Hindi naman nalapnos. Okay lang naman siguro ‘yan,” Aiah observes, “Masakit pa ba?”

“H-hindi naman na masyado,” Jhoanna mustered a reply.

Aiah stops the running water and gives her the packet of frozen peas, “Hawakan mo muna ‘to. Akyat muna ako sa apartment ko. Kuha lang ako ng aloe vera gel.”

Stacey is about to pour the icing on the cinnamon rolls when Aiah’s hands stop her, “Wait for the rolls to cool off first or the icing will melt. And get your not-girlfriend to sit down and rest.”

Aiah leaves the apartment so Stacey guides Jhoanna to the couch. As they sit down, Stacey says, “Surprisingly, ang caring pala ni Ate Aiah.”

Jhoanna didn’t say anything back and just nodded as she held the bag of frozen peas. Maybe she’s wrong about Aiah Arceta.

They could hear Aiah in her apartment, and Jhoanna’s eyes widen when she sees the crack in the ceiling get bigger, “Hoy Arceta, dahan-dahan ka nga lang maglakad diyan!”

Aiah lifts the carpet and looks at them through the hole, “Dahan-dahan naman ‘to ah! Do you think I want to fall again?”

Jhoanna just shakes her head and laughs a little. 

“Heads up!” Aiah yells from above and a tube of aloe vera gel falls through the hole, hits Jhoanna on her head, and lands into her lap.

“Ow!” Jhoanna shouts back and looks up at Aiah who has an oops face.

Aiah Arceta is still annoying. But just for today, Jhoanna hates her a little less than usual.

Chapter Text

“Nasaan na ‘yung iniinom ko?” Jhoanna asks as she looks for her blue mug that she left on the counter.

“Hinugasan ko na,” Aiah answers while she types on her laptop, in her usual working space at the kitchen island.

“Umiinom pa ako!” Jhoanna complains as she opens the top shelf. There it is, her blue mug is cleaned and dried.

“Ten minutes na kasi mula nung nilapag mo diyan. Akala ko hindi mo na iinumin.”

“Ugh! Wala namang time limit sa pag-inom!” Jhoanna groans as she takes the mug and fills it up with water again. 

While she is drinking, she walks behind Aiah and asks, “Ano ba ‘yang lagi mong tinatype?”

Aiah slams her laptop shut and glares at Jhoanna, “Excuse me!”

“Jeez, sorry. Wala naman akong binasa eh, nagtatanong lang naman.”

“Alam mo? Ikaw na nga ‘yung laging mas malaking space ang nagagamit dito sa apartment eh. Just let me have the couch and the kitchen island, ‘yun lang naman hinihingi ko,” Aiah calms down and turns on her laptop again once Jhoanna is away from her.

“Nag-jojoke ka ba? Eh ‘yun yung pinaka-shared na areas sa apartment eh. I can walk wherever I want to in here,” Jhoanna declares.

“Fine, hatiin na lang natin ‘tong apartment na ‘to,” Aiah rolls her eyes. She feels like she rolls her eyes too much lately every time she’s with Jhoanna, it’s giving her a headache.

“Okay, ganun ba gusto mo? Edi gawin natin ‘yan,” Jhoanna opens the drawers one by one. She pulls one open, looks into it, and slams it close again when the thing she’s looking for is not there.

“Na-label ko na yung mga drawers, what are you even looking for?” Aiah rolls her eyes again. More headache ensues. 

“‘Yung duct tape.”

“That bottom drawer,” Aiah points to the drawer next to the refrigerator.

“‘Wag mo na ngang pakialaman mga gamit ko,” Jhoanna grunts as she opens the drawer and takes out a duct tape.

Aiah crosses her arms and defends herself, “You have to admit it’s more organized now.”

Jhoanna starts to tape right down the middle of the kitchen island countertop

“Itong side ‘yung sa’yo, itong side ‘yung akin,” Jhoanna declares as she sets her mug on her side, “Basta nasa side ko, bawal mo nang galawin.”

“Para kang bata,” Aiah shakes her head at Jhoanna’s behaviour.

“Pwede ka ring mag-tape ng space mo dito,” Jhoanna offers and hands Aiah the duct tape.

“Okay,” Aiah grabs the tape and opens the refrigerator, and starts taping all the trays right down the middle. 

Then, Aiah pushes all the food to the right side and announces, “Lahat ng nasa side ko, bawal mo kainin!”

“Kailan ba ako kumain ng pagkain mo?” Jhoanna disputes the accusation.

“‘Yung peach mango pie ko yesterday morning? My grapes last week? At ‘yung ice cream ko!” Aiah counterpoints, clearly letting out the anger she’s been holding back.

“Si Maloi kumain ng peach mango pie, si Stacey sa grapes and wala namang label ‘yung ice cream, it’s free for all if you didn’t label it,” Jhoanna grins, “Plus, kadiri naman ‘yung ice cream mo. Sinong kumakain ng low calorie ice cream?”

“I do!” Aiah huffs. 

“Pwede ka namang kumuha ng pagkain sa side ko eh. Hindi naman ako madamot. What kind of person doesn’t share food?” Jhoanna tries to argue her position again.

“Eh wala ka namang pagkain diyan sa ref eh! You only have beer!” Aiah replies in disgust.

“Na pwede mong inumin kung gusto mo,” Jhoanna raises her eyebrows and points to the row of beers in the fridge.

“Itong side ‘yung sa’yo, itong side ‘yung akin. Anything on my side, you leave it alone,” Aiah repeats Jhoanna’s earlier sentiment about the kitchen island.

Jhoanna grabs the duct tape and runs to the television in the living room and tapes it right down the middle, “Itong side ‘yung sa’yo, itong side ‘yung akin. Anything on my side, bawal mo panoorin.”

Aiah grabs the duct tape from Jhoanna and starts to tape down the floors, “This is my side, you’re not allowed to step in here.”

They argue back and forth and spend the whole morning taping down everything in the apartment, right down to the mirror in the bathroom.

--

Jhoanna is watching a dance tutorial on her iPad on her side of the kitchen island, while Aiah is doing her usual typing on her laptop. Her eyes keep going back and forth between Jhoanna fumbling her steps and her laptop. After an hour of watching Jhoanna struggle, Aiah decides to speak up.

“Mag-iisang oras ka nang nagsasayaw diyan, bakit hindi mo pa rin magawa? It’s just a simple basic box step.”

“Not everyone is a dancer like you,” Jhoanna pouts.

Aiah smiles a little. She knows Jhoanna did her investigation on her family, but she still gets a little bit impressed when Jhoanna knows something that’s not a common knowledge about her.

“Bakit ka ba nag-papractice magsayaw? And you have more space to practice on your side there,” Aiah points to the taped up floor near the living room.

“Ikaw na nga nagsabi, diba? Mas malakas ‘yung wifi signal dito. And invited kasi si Gwen sa work gala niya so she wants me to be her date. Sana man lang kahit itong waltz na ‘to eh matutunan ko,” Jhoanna explains, eyes still on her iPad watching the dance tutorial.

“Is Gwen muffin or honey? She’s the tall one na medyo short haired, right?” Aiah asks, already accustomed to Jhoanna’s parade of girls she brings to her apartment.

“Gwen is honey, muffin is Maloi. And yeah, that’s Gwen,” Jhoanna clarifies.

“Hindi ko pa rin gets bakit kailangan food names,” Aiah rolls her eyes and tries to fight back a headache.

“Gusto mo rin ba ng pet name?” Jhoanna stops her terrible dancing and looks at Aiah, “Pwede naman. Stinky tofu bagay sa’yo, or mas gusto mo bang sundot-kulangot?”

“Sundot-kulangot? What the fuck is that? Kinakain mo ba kulangot mo? Why am I not surprised?” Aiah replies and throws an unimpressed look at Jhoanna’s name suggestion.

Jhoanna repeats Aiah’s why am I not surprised in a mocking tone in lieu of a response and Aiah rolls her eyes yet again. After another ten minutes of dancing, if you could even call it that, Aiah gets fed up and stands from her chair.

“Hindi na kita kayang panoorin. Kung gusto mong magsayaw —’yung totoong sayaw—t uturuan na lang kita,” Aiah offers and closes her eyes, waiting for a jab from Jhoanna to make fun of her.

“Okay,” Jhoanna replies instead and Aiah is surprised at the response.

“Okay,” Aiah repeats, and before she takes a step inside Jhoanna’s area she asks for confirmation, “permission to step in?”

“Permission granted,” Jhoanna waves a hand as if to offer Aiah an imaginary access.

Aiah takes a step in and suddenly gets very aware how close she is to Jhoanna. She swallows a little before asking, “Sino ba mag-lelead, ikaw or si Gwen?”

“Hindi ko nga alam kung ano meaning niyan eh,” Jhoanna shrugs.

“Okay, I’ll lead first and you follow,” Aiah says and takes Jhoanna’s hands to put on her shoulder, while she puts her hand on Jhoanna’s hips.

“This is the basic box step for waltz, you just follow my feet, okay? It’s one, two, three. One, two, three. Simple lang naman.”

Jhoanna nods while looking down at their feet.

“Okay, I’m going to move my left foot forward, so you move your right foot back. That’s it, that’s step one,” Aiah instructs and Jhoanna follows her directions while her eyes are still looking down at their feet.

“Next naman, I’m going to the side with my right foot, tapos you go to the left. Ganiyan. And you close your right foot to your left foot. That’s the first one, two, three. Ayan kaya mo na,” Aiah praises Jhoanna.

“Gawin mo lang ulit ‘yun, but this time the opposite. Now I’m going back with my right foot, so you go to the front with your left. Ayan. You go to the side with your right, and close your left foot to the right foot. Ayan, okay na, mukha ka nang nagsasayaw.”

“Wow, oo nga no,” Jhoanna smiles while her head is still looking down.

They practice dancing a few more rounds together, but Jhoanna's face is still facing their feet, being careful not to step on Aiah.

“Tapos kapag nagsasayaw kayo, kailangan mong tignan si Gwen sa mata,” Aiah says and she takes a finger and lifts Jhoanna’s chin up to face her.

“Hindi ka si Gwen though,” Jhoanna smirks.

“Just pretend, Robles,” Aiah rolls her eyes again, “You need to practice. One more time.”

“One, two, three. One, two, three,” Aiah counts as they dance like how they practiced earlier, this time looking at each other in the eyes.

Jhoanna is looking into Aiah’s eyes so intensely that Aiah breaks into a laugh in the middle of their dancing.

Jhoanna takes a step back and puts her hands on her hips and asks in an annoyed tone, “Bakit? Namali ba ako ng step?”

“No,” Aiah tries to stifle her laughter, “Anong tingin ‘yon, Robles? Are you falling for me? Ikaw na ba magbabayad ng pang-repair?”

“Ha! Asa ka! Ikaw nagsabi na isipin ko ikaw si Gwen eh! Kung iniisip kong Arceta ‘yung nasa harap ko, ganito magiging itsura ko,” Jhoanna says and does a repulsed face.

“Wow. Ganda,” Aiah replies in a poker face.

“Permission revoked. Bumalik ka na nga sa area mo. Dun ka sa far away,” Jhoanna shoos Aiah away.

“Okay,” Aiah steps out from Jhoanna’s area and sits back on her chair, “Pero tandaan mo, if you do fall for me, full payment for that,” Aiah points to the hole in the ceiling.

“Asa ka. Ikaw nga nag-volunteer tumulong para lang makanakaw ng sayaw sa’kin eh,” Jhoanna leans in on the kitchen island, as close to Aiah’s area as possible without crossing in, “Baka ikaw ang nahuhulog sa’ting dalawa, Arceta.”

“Hindi ko lang masikmura ‘yang tinatawag mong sayaw. Mukha kang timang. Naawa lang ako kay Gwen kung maging ganyan ‘yung partner niya. Don’t mistake pity for affection,” Aiah denies.

“Pumayag lang naman akong turuan mo ‘ko para kay Gwen no,” Jhoanna clears the air once again.

“As long as we’re both clear about it,” Aiah says.

“Crystal,” Jhoanna reiterates.

Aiah continues to type on her laptop while Jhoanna browses more dancing videos on her iPad, both doing their work in silence. Both trying hard to forget about the gaze they gave each other during the dance. 

Chapter Text

“Achoo!” Aiah sneezes as soon as she steps into the apartment.

When she sees Jhoanna with a goat in the living room, she marches up to them and informs, “Uh uh, no! Pwedeng paki-alis ‘yang goat mo. I’m allergic. Achoo!”

“This is Comet!” Jhoanna introduces the goat cheerfully to Aiah.

“I don’t care kung comet pa ‘yan or a meteor, no goats in this apartment!”

“Meatier?”

“Meteor!”

“Sige na. Hindi mo ba naaalala ‘yung report ko about that illegal animal pound last week? Comet is rescued from there,” Jhoanna explains.

Of course, Aiah remembered Jhoanna’s report, it was all she’s been doing the past few weeks. It was a huge day when her report was finally published, she even had Stacey, Maloi and Gwen come over to celebrate. Aiah made up an excuse and got out of the way as it was too awkward for her to see three of Jhoanna’s non-girlfriend in the same room at the same time. The concept of friends with benefits is still foreign to Aiah. In fact, even the concept of friends alone is foreign to her. 

When Aiah takes a closer look at the animal, she can see the scars and injuries the goat had, probably due to his years on the pound. 

“I’m sorry, Robles. I’m still allergic. Wala bang ibang pwedeng mag-alaga kay Comet?” Aiah tries to hold back a sneeze and suggests a solution. She pities Comet, but being near goats makes her sneeze and gives her skin irritation.

“Magtatanong-tanong na lang ako sa iba, but we need to room him here for a few days," Jhoanna says and takes Comet’s face in her hands, “Sorry, Comet. Bawal pala sa demonyo ang mga goat.”

“Hindi ba sa demonyo nga associated ang goats? Baka kaya na-attach ka agad kay Comet kasi demonyo ka,” Aiah replies while holding her nose in an attempt to hold a sneeze.

“Of course you’d know your devils,” Jhoanna stands up and gives a condescending smile.

“Just… ‘wag mo lang palapitin sa area ko ‘yang goat na ‘yan,” Aiah says and takes a step back when Comet is walking in Aiah's direction, “Robles, get this goat away from me!”

“Relax, Arceta. Comet, wait,” Jhoanna directs Comet and he obliges, “Comet, dito ka.”

When Comet is near Jhoanna again, Jhoanna makes sure Comet pays attention to her, “Comet,” and Jhoanna points to Aiah, “Evil.”

Aiah puts down her laptop bag and shakes her head.

“Evil, bad. Evil, leave it,” Jhoanna gives instructions to Comet and Comet just looked at her, “Good boy, good boy.”

“If he comes anywhere near me, I’ll send him back to that pound,” Aiah says in a deadpan tone.

Jhoanna covers’ Comet’s ears and gives Aiah a horrified look, “Arceta!”

“Hindi ako nagbibiro,” Aiah says it seriously and Jhoanna looks at her angrily. 

She calls for Comet to come by her bed and asks him to stay while she calls all her friends to see who would take him.

--

“Robles! Nandito na naman siya!” Aiah shouts from the couch.

“I-entertain mo muna siya, gagawan ko lang siya ng pagkain,” Jhoanna opens all the cabinets to look for the goat food. When she opens the cabinet labeled ‘Medicines & first-aid’ her eyes land on an unfamiliar bottle. She picks it up and examines it.

Antihistamines.

She looks over at Aiah who is using her feet to drive Comet away from her. It was a futile attempt as Comet thinks Aiah is playing with him. Comet is walking around and playing around Aiah’s feet.

Jhoanna laughs at the image and puts back Aiah’s allergy medication back in the cabinet, and opens more drawers to look for the goat food.

“Arceta, saan mo nilagay ‘yung supplements ni Comet?” Jhoanna shouts to Aiah.

“Drawer B3, hindi ka ba marunong magbasa? Andiyan naman sa updated list!” Aiah shouts back.

Jhoanna opens the third row of the second drawer to the left, and takes out the goat supplement that she will add to Comet’s food. Comet comes running the moment he hears the rustling sound of Jhoanna preparing his lunch.

“Hi Comet, nag-enjoy ka ba makipaglaro sa devil?”

--

Aiah cranes her neck and starts massaging her own shoulder as she is hunched over her laptop, typing away on the kitchen island.

Jhoanna notices the movement from her area of the kitchen island and asks, “Sore?”

Comet comes to Aiah with a towel in his mouth, Aiah takes it from him and she throws it to the other end of the apartment while she answers Jhoanna, “Medyo lang.”

“Pwede ka matulog sa kama kung gusto mo,” Jhoanna offers.

“Siyempre ikaw may gusto niyan, hindi ako,” Aiah replies, eyes still on her laptop as Comet comes at her feet again with the towel in his mouth.

“Talaga ba, Arceta? Kung alam mo lang kung gaano karaming gusto matulog sa kama ko,” Jhoanna teases, “Pero, seriously, I’ll be away on assignment for a few days, pwede ka munang matulog sa kama ko.”

“A few days? Ako lang mag-aalaga kay comet mag-isa? Mag-iisang linggo na ‘yan dito!” Aiah starts scratching her neck, Jhoanna could see the red spots clearly on Aiah’s skin.

“Pagkabalik ko dito, I swear ililipat ko na siya. Please? You can have my bed,” Jhoanna begs.

“Fine,” Aiah agrees.

“Hindi naman sa ayaw ko sa kaniya,” Aiah says after a few moments of silence as she looks over at Jhoanna, “I swear I’m allergic.”

“Ako na bahala diyan paguwi ko, I promise,” Jhoanna says.

This time Comet brings the towel to Jhoanna, and Jhoanna takes it from his mouth.

--

Jhoanna comes back after 3 days of leaving her apartment. Tired and exhausted, she opens the door lazily, and gets herself mentally prepared for whatever verbal assault Aiah Arceta has for her for leaving her alone with Comet.

Aiah is on the couch watching television so Jhoanna walks over and asks something she noticed the minute she walks into the quiet apartment, “Nasaan si Comet?” 

“With Maloi,” Aiah answers nonchalantly. 

“What do you mean na kay Maloi?” 

“Comet is with Maloi,” Aiah looks at Jhoanna and repeats her answer again.

“Totoo ba, Arceta? Sinabi ko naman sa’yo na aayusin ko ‘to after ko sa task ko eh! Sinong nagsabi sa’yong ipamigay mo?!” Jhoanna yells at Aiah.

“Ang tagal mo kasing umuwi eh,” Aiah shrugs. The way Aiah is treating this like it’s nothing is making Jhoanna more pissed off than usual, not to mention she’s exhausted from her assignments on top of it.

“Look, alam kong hindi ka sanay matulog sa couch dahil pinalaki kang spoiled sa malambot na kama, kaya in-offer ko muna ‘yung bed ko sa’yo. Pero hindi ibigsabihin nun na pwede mo nang pakialaman ‘yung mga pagmamay-ari ko at basta mo na lang ipamigay ‘yung goat ko. That’s too far, Arceta! Hindi ko nga alam bakit pa ako nagpapakabait sa’yo eh. You just proved all that you Arcetas are the same!” 

Aiah kept quiet and didn’t say anything back so it made Jhoanna angrier than usual.

“Ibabalik ko dito si Comet!” Jhoanna yells as she leaves the apartment.

--

“Jho,” Maloi looks at Jhoanna in surprise when she opens the door.

“Nasaan si Comet?” the minute Jhoanna asks the question Comet comes walking to lick Jhoanna’s legs, “Hi Comet. Na-miss mo ba ako?”

“Nasaan ‘yung chain niya?” Jhoanna asks Maloi, while still petting Comet.

“Anong ginagawa mo, Jho?”

“Kukunin ko na siya pabalik.”

“Jho, Aiah is allergic to Comet,” Maloi tells her.

Jhoanna laughs in disbelief, “‘Yan ba ‘yung sinabi niya sa’yo? Wala lang ‘yon, umiinom naman siyang antihistamines. She’s not even that allergic.”

“Jhoanna,” Maloi holds Jhoanna’s hands to calm her down, she could see Jhoanna is getting riled up, “Hindi niya ba sinabi sa’yo?”

“Alin?”

“Noong first night ng umalis ka, she slept on your bed. Pero dahil may mga naiwang fur ni Comet sa area mo, she had a severe allergic reaction. She broke out in hives and nagka-asthma attack pa siya. She spent the last two nights at the hospital. Kaya ako na nag-volunteer na dito muna si Comet,” Maloi explains and Jhoanna just stands there in shock, unable to say anything at this new revelation.

“Wala siyang ibang matawagan noon. She called Stacey first, pero wala raw si Stacey sa Manila ngayon. So Stacey called me,” Maloi adds on.

“H-hindi… hindi niya sinabi sa’kin,” Jhoanna looks down at Comet, now regretting all the things she yelled earlier to Aiah.

“Actually, Jho, I found someone who wants to take Comet in, pero baka gusto mong makita muna sila? They’re a family, and meron silang farm, the daughter loves Comet already nung dinala ko si Comet sa kanila.”

“I…” Jhoanna takes a deep breath, this is too much information for her brain to handle in one night, “Pwede bang dito muna ako matulog, muffin?”

“Sure, babe.”

--

Jhoanna waits by the kitchen island for Aiah to walk in. She takes a look at the clock again, Aiah should be back from work any minute now. When Jhoanna hears the jangling of the keys outside the door, she straightens her back, readying herself to greet Aiah.

Aiah is unfazed when she sees Jhoanna and doesn't say anything as she quietly places her laptop bag and her takeout dinner on the counter. She takes a plate from the cabinet and sits at her side of the kitchen island, while she transfers her food on the plate to eat.

“Say something,” Jhoanna breaks the silence.

“Wala akong dapat sabihin,” Aiah responds as she stabs a piece of chicken.

“Gusto mo bang mag-sorry ako? Is that what you want?” Jhoanna didn’t mean to raise her voice, but Aiah acting like nothing happened infuriates her.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Aiah replies calmly.

“I got you admitted to the hospital! Muntik ka nang mamatay!” Jhoanna raises her voice again, how is Aiah so calm after all that happened?

“Don’t give yourself too much credit, Robles. Allergic reaction lang ‘yon,” Aiah says as she takes another bite of her salad.

“Aiah, pwede bang mag-pause muna tayo? With this whole i-hate-you façade?” Jhoanna pleads. This is a life or death matter and Jhoanna wants to take it seriously.

“It’s a façade?” Aiah laughs a little.

“I’m really sorry here. Hindi ko alam na sobra kang allergic,” Jhoanna apologizes.

Aiah takes a pause from eating her dinner and looks up at Jhoanna, sensing how sincere Jhoanna is at the moment, “Sinabi ko naman sa’yo.”

“I know,” Jhoanna sighs, “Nakita ko naman kasi may gamot ka, kaya akala ko you had it under control. Feel ko tuloy ang sama-sama ko. I’m really sorry.”

“I thought I had it under control too,” Aiah confesses, “I miss Comet. I don’t hate him, you know?”

“We can still visit him naman if you want. Mero na kaming nakitang family na pwedeng mag-adopt kay Comet, they’re nice. And may malaking lupa sila.”

“That’s good.”

“Again, sorry talaga,” Jhoanna apologizes yet again, looking down at her fingers.

This time Aiah responds with a dry laugh.

“What?” Jhoanna asks as she looks up to Aiah.

“I feel like this is the most you’ve apologized to me.”

“Well, muntik ka na mamatay eh.”

“Again, you’re giving yourself too much credit. Malalang allergic reaction lang ‘yon,” Aiah tries to downplay her allergy, like she didn’t spend two days being admitted.

“Just so we’re clear, I’m really sorry about this, Arceta. This could’ve ended badly dahil lang ayaw kong ipamigay si Comet. So, sorry. Pero sa ibang bagay, di na ako mag-sosorry dun.”

“Like getting my stepmom and brother arrested? Breaking my floor? Or eating my ice cream again?” Aiah digs up all of Jhoanna's past actions towards her.

“Not sorry about that at all. You broke my ceiling. And wasn’t me,” Jhoanna answers all of Aiah’s questions in one go.

“Kaya sabihan mo na ‘yung mga non-girlfriends mo to stop eating my food,” Aiah replies in an exasperated tone.

“Friends mo na rin naman sila ah. Balita ko, tinawagan mo si Stacey.”

“Yeah, buti na nga lang meron ako ng number niya. I don’t know who else to call. All my family is in jail.”

“Hindi funny ‘yang joke mo. Para kang tanga,” Jhoanna laughs a little, glad the heavy air around them starts to lighten.

“Kasing tanga nung humawak ng sobrang init na baking tray without oven mitts?” Aiah throws in a quick jab, she’s equally glad they could talk like normal again.

“Carelessness lang ‘yon, hindi katangahan,” Jhoanna defends herself.

“Or kasing tanga nung hindi pa rin makasayaw after an hour of watching tutorial videos?”

“The instructions were unclear. Ikaw na nga lang gumawa ng tutorial video, you’re a better teacher.”

“Or kasing tanga nung muntik nang makapatay ng roommate dahil sa goat?”

“Yeah, medyo tanga nga ako diyan,” Jhoanna gives a bitter smile, she really regrets on being stubborn at keeping Comet in the apartment.

Aiah feels sorry at bringing the issue back up again and tries to reassure Jhoanna, “I’m fine now naman na. It’s all good.”

“Pwede bang… pwede bang mag-reset tayo? On this whole thing? Pagod na akong makipag-away sa’yo. Kailangan pa kitang pakisamahan for 5 more months.”

“Don’t fall for me now, Robles,” Aiah gives a sly smirk at Jhoanna’s softness.

“Walang mahuhulog, just… friends?” Jhoanna offers a hand for Aiah to shake on.

“Sigurado ka na ba diyan?” Aiah asks again. She drops her fork but is wary about returning Jhoanna’s handshake.

“I-shake mo na lang, Arceta.”

Aiah smiles and shakes Jhoanna’s hand. They have 20 more weeks of staying together, maybe being friends is not such a bad idea.

Chapter Text

“Hoy babae, gising na. I-welcome mo naman ako!”

A loud presence woke Aiah up from her slumber. She usually stays in during the weekend and did not appreciate the sudden jolt on this lovely Saturday morning.

“Sino ka? Bagong babae ka ba ni Jho? Spanish bread? Sweet buns?” The female figure with medium length hair bombards Aiah with questions. She looks around her to see if she’s somewhere else. Nope, she’s in Jhoanna’s bed, an arrangement they made where Aiah could sleep in her bed if Jhoanna is away on assignments.

“Excuse me. Who are you?” Aiah throws back the same question at the mysterious person.

“Colet Vergara,” the person answers.

Colet Vergara?

“Jhoanna is in…” Aiah doesn’t know where Jhoanna is as she never tells Aiah where she goes, “Actually… hindi ko rin sure. Pero she’s on an assignment.”

“Ikaw ba bago niyang babae?” Colet asks and plops down on the bed next to Aiah.

“Ew, no,” Aiah looks disgusted as she replies, “I’m her… roommate, I guess? Nasira niya ‘yung sahig ko eh. I’m staying here while we get the money to get it fixed.”

“Alam mo, medyo familiar ka,” Colet squints her eyes and looks at Aiah with such intensity that Aiah pulls up the blanket higher to cover herself.

“I’m Aiah Arceta,” Aiah tells the truth, there was no need to hide anyway.

“Wait. Arceta? Like ‘yung Arceta na ginawan ng report ni Jhoanna? THAT Arceta?” Colet asks again in surprise.

“Well, her report was more on my step mom and brother but yes, that Arceta,” Aiah confirms.

“At dito ka nakatira?” Colet looks at Aiah warily, as if Aiah is up to something.

“Trust me, kung may choice lang ako, hindi rin ako mag-iistay dito. Like I said, nasira niya ‘yung floor ko,” Aiah points to the hole in the ceiling of the living room, “Na kisame niya rin, so, we’re splitting the repair cost.”

Colet walks over to the living room and Aiah follows.

“Anong ginawa niya? Paano niya nasira ‘yan nang ganiyan?” Colet laughs as she looks at the hole.

“Long story,” was all Aiah could say. She didn’t know where to start.

“Well, wala naman dito si Jho, so wala rin akong gagawin. So I guess, i-kwento mo na lahat ‘yan, Aiah Arceta. And tara bili na rin tayo ng brunch natin habang nagkukwento ka!”

“Ha?”

“Like I said, wala naman akong gagawin dito kung wala si Jho. Kaya ikaw na lang mag-entertain sa’kin.” Colet grins.

--

“Wait, ‘yung bakery ba ng Mom mo is called Maraiah’s bakery?” 

“Oo, ‘yun nga! ‘Yung nasa may tapat nung—”

“Jollibee!” Both Colet and Aiah answered at the same time.

“Hala, ang galing! Lagi kami pumupunta doon sa bakery na ‘yon nung bata pa ako! Kaso hindi ko pa kilala si Jho nun kasi noong elem lang kami naging best friends,” Colet exclaims.

“Lagi akong nasa bakery. Araw-araw. I don’t remember anyone though, I was too young,” Aiah reminisced. 

“Ay, wait. Ikaw ba ‘yung naglalaro lagi sa tabi ng cashier? Kilala kita ata. Parang iba pa nga tawag sa’yo nun…” Colet rubs her forehead in an attempt to remember, “Aiahkins!” 

“Oh my god, it’s been a while since someone called me by that name,” Aiah smiles as she remembers the nickname fondly, back when her life is less complicated.

“Aiahkins! Tapos ang tawag nila sa’kin nun ay Kulet!” Colet introduces herself again and tousles Aiah’s hair. 

“I don’t remember you but I do have a vague memory of someone always doing that to me when I was a kid,” Aiah grumbles as she quickly combs back her hair with her fingers.

They continue talking about Aiah’s memories of Calamba and her childhood all the way back to Jhoanna’s apartment. Aiah makes two cups of coffee and brings it to Colet who is on the couch.

“Okay gets kong roommates kayo, pero ang hindi ko ma-gets ay kung bakit may tape sa gitna ng TV niyo.”

“That’s her side, and this is mine. Everything in this apartment is equally split up tapos bawal kaming pumunta at makialam sa hindi namin side,” Aiah explains.

“Para kayong bata pareho,” Colet gets up and rips off the tape from the TV, “Sabihin mo kay Jho, para sa lahat ‘tong TV.”

“May ganiyang tape din sa gitna ng bathroom mirror,” Aiah laughs when Colet looks back at her in disbelief as she sits back down.

“‘Yan lang ba gamit mo?” Colet points to a box and a duffel bag next to the couch.

“Oo. Just all my clothes and everyday items mostly."

"’Yan lang talaga lahat?" Colet asks in surprise. She's not a fashionista but she owns twice as much clothes. Hell, maybe three times as much. She looks again at Aiah, fully comprehending the impact of being thrown out of a rich lifestyle with just the clothes on your back.

"Sa lab naman ako madalas nagtatrabaho since I work for R&D, so mostly natatakpan naman ng lab gown ‘yung damit ko. They don't really care about the variety of clothes I own. Tapos ‘yung ibang gamit ko nasa apartment ko lang naman.”

Colet looks up when Aiah mentions her apartment, staring at the hole.

“So, hindi ka ba talaga pwede mag-stay sa taas?”

“I feel like it’s not stable? Kung nag-memake sense man ‘yon. Like the foundation of the floor is shaken up or something. Tuwing nasa taas nga ako, sinasabi ng kaibigan mo na feeling niya mahuhulog na ‘yung buong kisame eh, so I try not to go up as often. Temporary lang naman ako dito. Sa taas na ulit ako mag-istay kapag napagawa na namin ‘yan.”

“Tapos, ano nga ulit usapan niyo? Kapag may na-fall sa inyo, siya na magbabayad ng lahat?” Colet inquires, concentrating on one particular information from Aiah’s long story from brunch.

“It was just a joke bet, hindi naman siya ma-fafall sa’kin. Feel ko nga she will never like me,” Aiah replies as she takes a sip of her coffee, “We’ve saved up for 6 weeks now, so 19 weeks na lang para makaipon ng pambayad.”

“Eh ikaw? Gusto mo ba siya?”

“Ano?”

“Si Jho. Sabi mo, hindi ka niya magugustuhan. Pero ikaw? Magugustuhan mo ba siya?” Colet asks again.

Aiah starts laughing a bit, “No way. Tulad nga ng sabi ko, it’s a joke bet. No one is going to fall for one another. Trust me, no one is going to pay for the full amount. Maghahati kami talaga.”

“Hindi kasi tipo ni Jho ‘yung pumasok sa serious relationships,” Colet divulges, trying to gauge Aiah’s reaction.

“Oh, I know,” Aiah looks back at Colet with an expressionless face. 

“Medyo… medyo maraming girls ‘yang si Jho. If you could call it that,” Colet smiles as she takes a sip of her coffee.

“Aware ako diyan,” Aiah smirks, “I think friends na nga kami ni Maloi? We text each other sometimes. It’s weird.”

“Sino ulit sa kanila si Maloi?”

“‘Yung medyo maliit na orange haired na may bangs. Jhoanna calls her muffin?”

“Ah, muffin. Mas okay ‘yon kesa sa nuggets.”

“Oh my god, meron siyang tinawag na "nuggets"? Hindi ko pa siya na-meet,” Aiah laughs as she leans into the couch, she feels so at ease talking to Colet.

“Hindi siya taga-Manila eh, baka kaya hindi pa napapadpad ulit dito. Pero dahil kakatawag ni Jho sa kaniya ng nuggets , hindi ko na maalala ‘yung pangalan niya. I guess hindi ko naman kailangan alalahanin since all the girls in her life come and go. Kaya siguro hindi ka na rin niya na-mention sa’kin,” Colet looks at Aiah as she says it, trying to imply something.

“Oh, please. I’m not one of the girls that she sleeps around with,” Aiah scoffs.

“Sigurado ka ba diyan? Naabutan nga kita sa kama niya kanina eh,” Colet raises her eyebrows up and down as she looks at Aiah.

“Sinabi ko na sa’yo ah! She lets me sleep in her bed if she’s away!”

“Joke lang naman. Pero okay lang naman kung magustuhan ka niya. I think I’ll like you for her,” Colet raises her cup of coffee as if to toast her acceptance of Aiah.

“Kung magustuhan man niya ako, you better help her pay for that,” Aiah smiles as she eyes the hole above them and Colet just laughs at Aiah’s comment.

“Eh kung ikaw ang magiging dahilan para tumino ‘yung bestfriend ko, willing ako mag-ambag sa bayarin. You have my word,” Colet promises.

“She won’t though, I’m sure of it,” Aiah whispers to herself as she takes another sip of her drink.

--

Colet wakes up to Aiah sweeping the apartment, she could see more cleaning equipment laid out at the sides, and assumes Aiah will be doing a thorough cleaning for today.

“Kailangan mo ng tulong?” Colet asks as she stretches in bed.

“Oh, sorry if I woke you up. Nag-prepare ako ng breakfast. You can stay in bed, it’s fine. Ganito lang talaga ako every Sunday,” Aiah reassures Colet as she continues her sweeping.

“No, tulungan na kita. Maglilinis ka rin ba ng bintana? Kuha lang akong pamunas,” Colet announced as she gets up from bed.

“I just want you to know you’re my favorite roommate,” Aiah puts a hand on her chest and feels thankful for Colet’s help.

“Please. Naging dormmates kami niyan ni Jho nung college, kaya kilalang kilala ko ‘yan. I’ve never seen her apartment this clean before, kaya alam ko agad na it was all you.”

--

“So, ‘yung letters ay for cabinets, then ‘yung numbers are their rows?” Colet asks as she browses through Aiah’s list.

“Yes! So this one is A, B up till the one next to the refrigerator is E. So, if you want to find a spoon and fork for example, it’s B1, which means itong drawer ‘yun,” Aiah explains happily, finally someone is actually browsing through her list.

“Ang organized mo naman masyado,” Colet praises.

“Thank you! Sana masabihan mo rin ‘yang bestfriend mo na hindi man lang tinitignan ‘yung list. Ang dali lang naman intindihin.”

“For sure, binubuksan niya muna lahat para lang mahanap niya ‘yung kailangan niya,” Colet says smugly.

“Wow, kilalang kilala mo nga siya,” Aiah laughs.

“Sorry kung ikaw laging nag-aabala dito,” Colet apologizes on Jhoanna’s behalf but Aiah waved it away.

”She does help with taking out the trash at least, although she hasn’t been home lately. Baka naghahanap na naman siya ng pyramid schemes ng ibang family.”

“She was just doing her job, naiintindihan mo naman ‘yun, right?” Colet replies in a serious tone. She makes fun of Jhoanna, but she’s quick to defend her as well.

“I know, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I joke about that. Minsan ang hirap intindihin sa utak ko  na iisa lang ‘yung dumb useless Jhoanna na roommate ko at ‘yung competent reporter Jhoanna na nanghalungkat ng scam ng pamilya ko.”

“She does have that weird duality about her,” Colet smiles.

Colet looks around at the clean apartment, the day is far from over so she asks Aiah, “So ano pang ginagawa mo every Sunday?” 

“Oh, that reminds me,” Aiah grabs a post-it note and writes down something.

“Two thousand?” Colet comments on the “2000” Aiah writes down on the pad.

“It’s Sunday, I always make her pay on Sunday. Pero kapag wala siya dito, sinusulat ko na lang sa sticky note to remind her,” Aiah tears away the post-it note from the pad and paste it on the refrigerator.

“Take out trash. Don’t eat my ice cream. Gwen was looking for you, tawagan mo siya,” Colet reads all the post-it notes out loud.

“Baka makalimutan ko rin eh, kaya sinusulat ko na lang,” Aiah shrugs.

Colet smiles as she looks at Aiah, “Sure ka bang wala kang feelings for Jho, Aiahkins?”

“Sira ka, Colet. I’m more like her secretary,” Aiah rolls her eyes.

--

Jhoanna opens the door to the sound of laughter, and assumes either Stacey or Maloi is hanging out with Aiah. She drops her bag and smiles wildly when she sees Colet.

“Ate Colet! Anong ginagawa mo dito?” Jhoanna says cheerfully while she hugs Colet.

“Kikitain sana kita. At since nakita na kita, babalik na ulit ako,” Colet pats Jhoanna’s shoulder and picks up her own bag by the door.

“Ha? Kakauwi ko lang ah,” Jhoanna protests.

“Three days na akong nandito, Jho. Minalas lang kasi nag-offline ka for work. Bisitahin mo naman kasi ako minsan,” Colet gives Jhoanna a hug and Jhoanna grudgingly accepts.

“Nag-research kasi ako about an illegal frat initiation. Sorry.”

“Alam ko namang importante ‘yang ginagawa mo,” Colet smiles, “Next time, okay? Bisita ka sa’min.”

Jhoanna nods and Colet shouts to Aiah who’s on the couch looking over them, “Thanks for spending time with me, Aiahkins. Ikaw rin, bisita ka rin sa Laguna.”

“Sure, Colet. Thanks for the company,” Aiah shouts back.

Jhoanna has a confused look at the whole exchange and just asks Colet softly, “Kailan pa kayo naging close? Aiahkins?”

“Three days kaming naging mag-roommates dito, we’ve bonded,” Colet replies with a side smile, “Nakahanap ka na ata ng katapat mo, Jho.”

“Hindi ko siya katapat. Roommates lang kami. We don’t have that kind of relationship,” Jhoanna denies whatever assumption Colet is insinuating. 

“Anong kind ng relationship? Wala naman akong sinabi ah,” Colet grins when Jhoanna catches her drift.

“Hindi mo na kailangang sabihin, kitang kita naman sa mukha mo, ‘Te Colet. Kaya ‘wag ka nang magkalat ng chismis, please, lalo na kay Mama.”

“Hindi ko ‘yan mapapangako, Jho,” Colet grins wider and makes her way out.

Right before Jhoanna shuts the door, Colet manages to get a last shout, “‘Yung bayad mo kay Aiah ah, dalawang libo! At tulungan mo naman siya maglinis kahit minsan!”

“Shut up! Umuwi ka na nga please! Love you!” Jhoanna shouts back and laughs while she closes the door.

Jhoanna can hear the echo of Colet yelling I love you too! from the hallway and it makes her smile.

“Sorry you missed spending time with your friend,” Aiah says as Jhoanna plops on the couch next to her.

“Okay lang. Sorry rin, hindi ko na-mention na baka sumulpot siya. She drops by to surprise me once in a while,” Jhoanna makes her own apology.

“Masaya naman siyang kasama. Plus, she helped me clean,” Aiah smiles.

“She’s just being polite, kasing kalat ko rin ‘yun no. ‘Wag ka masyadong maniwala sa kaniya,” Jhoanna scrunches her nose as she replies to Aiah.

“‘Wag ka nang magselos dahil siya ang favorite kong roommate,” Aiah lets out a tiny laugh, reiterating what she said to Colet a few days ago.

“Well, you’re my favorite roommate,” Jhoanna replies so swiftly it took Aiah by surprise. 

When Jhoanna notices there’s no response from Aiah, she doubles down, “I mean, wala naman akong ibang roommate eh. Ikaw lang.”

“Okay?” Aiah looks down and smiles without a thought. 

“Pero hindi ba naging roommate mo raw siya nung college? Pero ako pala ang favorite mo. Wow. Thank you.” Aiah teased, “Oh, by the way, sabi pala ni Colet na if you fall for me, willing siya mag-ambag for the repair,” Aiah smirks and continues to make fun of Jhoanna.

“Ha! Funny,” Jhoanna replies in a deadpan voice with a similar deadpan expression as she picks up her bag and walks to her bed.

Yeah, funny indeed, Aiah thinks to herself.

Chapter Text

Aiah lies down on the couch (that is also her temporary bed) and tries to shut her eyes for a moment. She’s been reading for the past few hours and wants to rest her weary eyes, when suddenly she feels something hit her hair. She takes the crumpled up post-it and reads it, take out the trash.

She gives an annoyed look to Jhoanna and throws back the note at her, “Para sa’yo ‘yang note.”

“I know, gusto ko lang manggulo,” Jhoanna smirks. Jhoanna is sitting on the chair opposite Aiah, barely concentrating on the TV, as she finds it more fun to distract Aiah from her rest.

“Pwede bang ‘yung mga non-girlfriends mo ‘yung guluhin mo, makipag-date ka or something,” Aiah pouts, she knows Jhoanna is bored but she is not in the mood to be the involuntary victim of Jhoanna’s boredom today.

“I don’t do dates,” Jhoanna laughs softly.

“Like, never ever?” Aiah wonders.

“Dates are messy. Kaya nga friends with benefits eh, para there are no feelings. Nothing romantic. Just the good stuff,” Jhoanna smiles.

Aiah just gives Jhoanna an unamused look and turns her head around to close her eyes again.

“Ano? Bakit ba nahihiya ka lagi kapag ‘yun ‘yung topic? There’s nothing wrong naman in talking about sex,” Jhoanna laughs again.

“I’m not shying away! I just don’t want to hear you talk about it,” Aiah fights back.

“Huwag mo na ako guluhin, just go out or something, it’s a nice day out for warm weather activities,” Aiah tries to change the subject as she rolls her eyes.

“Anong warm weather activities?” Jhoanna laughs a bit more this time, content with how amused she is with Aiah’s annoyance.

“You know, like, ride a bike, or go for a walk, explore a park, hiking, a picnic, what?” Aiah stops when she sees Jhoanna grinning wildly.

“Parang hindi ko ma-imagine na picnic girl ka,” Jhoanna says with a hint of a smile.

“Well, I’ve never done picnic, I just know na we have a good weather today if you want to do—”

“Never ka pang nag-picnic before?” Jhoanna interrupts and asks in a disbelief tone.

“Wala naman akong makasama eh. Ang weird naman kung ako mag-isa. Kuya Brent was always busy, and I never had any friends that wanted to do all that,” Aiah replies shyly, embarrassed by the fact that she hasn’t done such simple activities before.

“Let’s go,” Jhoanna stands up and offers her hand.

“What? Saan naman? Picnic? Ngayon?”

“Oo, let’s go. Para naman ma-try mo,” Jhoanna gestures for Aiah to get up and reaches out her hand once again.

“I thought you said you don’t do dates,” Aiah repeats what Jhoanna said earlier.

“Hindi naman ‘to date, this is just a warm weather activity, tulad nga ng sabi mo. Tara na, tumayo ka na diyan,” Jhoanna says as she grabs Aiah’s hands and forces her to get up. 

--

Aiah gives a long exhale through her nose as she looks over at Jhoanna who is taking out two cans of beer and a cup of yogurt from a tote bag.

“Ganito ba talaga ‘yung kinakain mo kapag picnic?”

“Ito lang pagkain sa ref eh. Kailangan na natin mag-restock ng groceries,” Jhoanna says as she opens a can of beer. 

"Ang hirap kaya, lalo na the only thing in your grocery list that you gave me are just beers," Aiah replies and Jhoanna just smiles.

Jhoanna passes a can to Aiah which she refuses. When Jhoanna offers the yogurt, Aiah begrudgingly accepts. They are sitting under a huge tree at the park opposite their apartment, providing the much needed shade for their impromptu picnic.

Aiah snaps off the plastic spoon that comes with the yogurt cup and starts eating. Jhoanna takes a sip of her cold beer and ahh in delight, “Ang sarap talaga ng cold drink on a warm weather activity day.”

“Tigil-tigilan mo na nga ‘yang pang-aasar mo sa’kin,” Aiah responds, her face looking down as she digs into her yogurt.

Jhoanna gives a genuine smile, “Hindi kita inaasar. Bakit lagi mong iniisip na nang-aasar ako?”

“Because you always do. Alam ko namang hindi… ako normal? If you could say that. I know, I’m an Arceta. I don’t have normal people experiences like you do. I don’t have friends. I don’t have a family. Everyone in this city hates me. I’ve never been on a picnic. Alam ko na lahat ‘yan, so you can stop making fun of me.”

“Hindi totoo yan, ‘no,” Jhoanna reassures her, “Tignan mo nga, you’re on a picnic now,” and she laughs.

Aiah can’t help but laugh along. Even if Jhoanna didn’t deny all the other stuff about Aiah, somehow she does make Aiah feel relaxed. Maybe this picnic isn’t such a bad idea after all.

“And may isa pang hindi totoo diyan, you do have a friend,” Jhoanna lies down next to Aiah and props herself on her elbow as she says this.

“Oh talaga ba? Sino naman?” Aiah asks even though she kinda knows the answer.

“Maloi. Parang madalas na kayo mag-text, right?” Jhoanna smiles, “Gusto mo ba siya? I can set you two up.”

Aiah’s expression changes when Jhoanna didn’t give the answer Aiah thought she would.

“Robles, please. Puro ba ganiyan talaga iniisip mo? Hindi ba pwedeng friends lang talaga? Maloi is nice. She likes you.”

“Alam ko, that's why I've stopped sleeping with her," Jhoanna confesses as she fully lies down with her hands behind her head. 

"Bakit ka ba takot na takot magkaroon ng feelings? What's wrong with settling down with Maloi?"

“Wala namang mali kay Maloi. I'm the one with commitment issues,” Jhoanna confesses.

“Parang hindi naman halata sa itsura mo,” Aiah says.

“What do you mean?” Jhoanna opens one eye and squints at Aiah, the sun is getting in her eye.

“I mean, your image. Kung hindi ka magsasalita at titignan ka lang visual-wise, mukhang pwede ka namang maging devoted wife. ‘Yung tipong mapag-alaga sa bahay pero nagtatrabaho pa rin araw-araw. Pero dahil kilala kita, alam kong burara ka,” Aiah says as she gestures a cleaning movement with her spoon.

“Oh my god, anong ibig mong sabihing mukha akong devoted wife? What? Ako talaga?” Jhoanna laughs.

“Yeah, that’s not what I meant,” Aiah laughs, “You look like a nice girl is all I'm saying."

"And ang meaning mo ba ng nice girl ay someone who cooks and cleans and is a devoted wife but still has a 9 to 5 job?" Jhoanna raises a hand to cover her eyes as she says this to Aiah as the sun is blinding her.

"Alam mo, kalimutan mo na nga! Gusto ko lang naman sabihin na you look nice, like you have a kind heart and may chance ka makahanap ng kasama sa buhay if you’d want to, that's all. Samantalang ako, other people would take one look at me and think na I’m suplada. Tapos, idagdag mo pa ‘tong sinumpang surname ko. Kaya tumatakbo talaga papalayo lahat nang makakakilala sa’kin.”

Jhoanna gives an immediate reply, “Hindi ka kasi nila totoong kilala.”

“Are you saying your opinion of me has changed because kilala mo na ako now?” Aiah scooches up a bit and looks directly at Jhoanna, helping her block the sun.

“Ehhh…” Jhoanna drags her reply as she puts back her hand behind her head.

“Ewan ko sa’yo, Robles.” Aiah laughs again.

“Joke lang. Hindi ka naman masama, Aiah Arceta,” Jhoanna smiles as she gives an answer.

“Hindi masama? I’ll take it I guess.”

Jhoanna pats down to the space next to her, gesturing for Aiah to lie down as well.

“No, I’m not lying down on grass.”

“Damo lang ‘yan, Arceta,” Jhoanna laughs a little and continues, “And, for your information, hindi rin naman ako ganun ka -nice tulad ng sinasabi mo.” 

When Aiah stays silent, Jhoanna laughs and shoves Aiah gently.

“No, Robles, I think you’re a good person. What are you saying?” Jhoanna mocks a reply.

Aiah just gives a side smile as she replies, “Halata ka masyado. Gusto mo lang na ulitin kong sabihin na you’re nice pare ma-reassure ka. Hindi mo ako mauuto, Robles.”

“I hate you, Arceta.”

“Hindi ka rin naman masama, Robles. You're dedicated to your job, nirerespeto ko naman ‘yon.”

Jhoanna’s heart warms at Aiah’s compliment and throws one at Aiah as well, “And you're not… Hindi ka naman pala tulad ng pamilya mo.”

“Guess we're both more than what we look like, huh?” Aiah ponders.

“I guess that’s another thing we have in common.”

“Anyway, I just want to say, gusto ka talaga ni Maloi. I think she'll be good for you,” Aiah brings back the Maloi subject again.

“I don't like being tied down. Plus, kapag pinili ko si Maloi, all my other girls will get jealous,” Jhoanna answers with a smile.

“Ginagawa mo na lang joke para maiba mo ‘yung topic.”

“Buti naman napansin mo.”

Aiah lets out a sigh, “Clearly, ayaw mo ‘tong pag-usapan, so I’ll drop it.”

“Thanks,” Jhoanna says, glad that Aiah catches her drift. A small ball hits Jhoanna’s legs and a group of kids runs up to them. Jhoanna picks up the ball and runs, making the kids chase her. Aiah just laughs at the absurdity of a grown woman playing around with a group of kids, because Aiah would never. Yet somehow Jhoanna just fits right in. 

“Ibalik mo na sa kanila ‘yung bola nila, idiot!” Aiah shouts, then quickly covers her mouth, not sure if the word idiot is suitable for the kids. But the kids all laughed so Aiah finds comfort in that. 

“Help us, Miss!” a girl shouts to Aiah so she gets up, unsure of what to do. But none of the kids know who she really is, to them she is their savior. So she chases Jhoanna, and tries to make her give the ball back.

“Bitawan mo na ‘yung bola, Robles,” Aiah exclaims proudly, as she steps in front of the group of kids, taking the lead.

“Make me,” Jhoanna gives a wink.

“What?” Aiah whispers softly so that only Jhoanna could hear her.

“Just pretend to hit me or something,” Jhoanna whispers back.

“Err… take this!” Aiah shouts and taps Jhoanna softly on her shoulders.

“Arghhhh, natalo mo ‘ko,” Jhoanna exaggerates her pain and lets go of the ball. The group of kids cheered around Aiah as she gave them their ball back.

When the kids continue to play their own ball game, Aiah offers a hand to help Jhoanna with getting up.

“And the Academy Award goes to…” Aiah laughs.

“I would like to thank my roommate, who has been an inspiration for my performance,” Jhoanna fakes an acceptance speech that makes Aiah laugh even louder. 

“Gusto ko rin pasalamatan ‘yung bola, who gives its own stellar performance. This one is for you ball,” Jhoanna raises an imaginary trophy as she continues.

“Para ka nang tanga,” Aiah laughs again as they walk back to their spot under the tree and sits back down.

Aiah continues with her yogurt, which only has a few scoops left, “That was fun.”

“Kids are the best. Parang wala silang inaalala. They just have fun everyday,” Jhoanna says and takes a huge sip of her beer.

“Is that why you act like a child everyday?” Aiah smiles at Jhoanna.

“Siguro,” Jhoanna smiles back.

As Aiah finishes her yogurt, she says happily, “Thanks for the picnic.”

“Anytime. Tapos ka na ba sa yogurt mo?” Jhoanna asks as she glances at the empty cup.

“Oo.”

“Okay, tara na,” Jhoanna gets up and brushes off the grass from her clothes.

Aiah looks up at Jhoanna in wonder and asks, “Saan na naman?” 

Jhoanna offers a hand to Aiah, “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what exactly?” Aiah asks first before accepting Jhoanna’s hand.

“We're going grocery now,” Jhoanna reaches for Aiah’s hands anyway and forces Aiah to stand.

“Uh, uh. No. No. Ayaw kita kasama mag-grocery. Para kang bata, puro unhealthy food na lang kinukuha mo. Tapos uubusin mo lang pera mo sa beer,” Aiah objects as they both struggle with each other. Jhoanna getting Aiah to stand up and Aiah insisting on sitting down.

“Robles! Kapag ako nainis, ikaw magbabayad ng groceries for this week.” Aiah yells when Jhoanna’s strong arms manage to pull Aiah up and they end up in a half hug as Aiah stumbles into Jhoanna’s embrace.

Jhoanna just laughs and runs ahead, waving for Aiah to follow her as she yells back, “Sabi mo nga it’s a nice day out. Sulitin na natin, mag-groceries na tayo!”

Chapter Text

Jhoanna stares at all the yellow post-its on the fridge and reads them one by one.

Take out trash. 

Stop drinking beers in the morning. 

May fruits sa ref, you can eat them. 

Don’t eat my ice cream.

2000.

Be back Saturday.

Ignoring the drinking beer note, Jhoanna opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of beer to start the day. She picks up the trash that’s already tied up and walks out of her apartment to throw it down the trash chute. When she comes back in again, the emptiness of her apartment is really apparent. There was no one to bicker with, no one to annoy. After a minute of being alone, Jhoanna picks up the phone and starts calling.

“Hi, honey, busy ka ba? Gusto mo bang pumunta dito? Wala naman si Aiah hanggang Saturday,” Jhoanna asks and gets straight to the point when she calls Gwen.

“Umalis siya for Brent Arceta’s appeal hearing. Okay, no, it’s fine. No, no, okay lang talaga,” Jhoanna tries to put Gwen at ease when Gwen says she already made other plans.

“Bye, honey,” Jhoanna bids Gwen goodbye and dials another number, “Morning, sweetie pie.”

--

“Checking out the news again?” Stacey asks when she notices Jhoanna reaches out for her phone for the umpteenth time. She cuddles up to Jhoanna and kisses her shoulder.

“Oo.”

“It's an appeal, baka hindi ‘yan agad lumabas sa main news.”

“Pero appeal hearing siya ng mga Arceta, lahat ng related sa kanila siguradong lalabas sa main news. Anyway, ‘yung katrabaho ko ‘yung mag-cocover ng news. I'm just waiting for his update.”

“Or di kaya worried ka kay Ate Aiah?”

“Ha? Hindi no. Gusto ko lang ng update,” Jhoanna dismisses Stacey and puts down her phone next to her nightstand.

“Okay,” Stacey replies and turns around to lie on her side of the bed.

“Ano? Bakit ganiyan tono mo?”

“Medyo halata na worried ka naman talaga kay Ate Aiah,” Stacey says.

“Naiirita nga ako sa kaniya eh. Really,” Jhoanna comes over to Stacey’s side and hugs her, pulling Stacey closer to her.

“Pero you still worry,” Stacey turns over and looks Jhoanna in the eyes as she says this.

“Gusto ko lang malaman kung ma-uunfreeze ‘yung trust fund niya. If she has money, hindi na siya magtatagal dito. Baka nga lumipat pa siya ng condo. And you and I, pwede na ulit natin ‘tong gawin,” Jhoanna climbs on top of Stacey and starts kissing her cheeks gently.

Stacey closed her eyes, but Jhoanna’s eyes glanced towards the nightstand when she hears a notification coming in.

“Don’t stop,” Stacey whispers so Jhoanna ignores her phone.

--

“Bakit mo nga ulit ‘to ginagawa?” Maloi asks as she looks over at Jhoanna who is carefully pasting post-it notes all over the refrigerator. The whole front of the fridge is covered with post-its, each note is written with quips and jokes.

“Lagi niya kasi ako iniiwan ng post-it notes para utusan ako at para maningil ng utang. So, now it’s my turn,” Jhoanna answers matter-of-factly, like it’s a normal thing to do to cover your own fridge with sticky notes as a prank.

“May point naman ‘yung notes niya ah, specially ‘yung beer thing. Also, two days pa lang namang siya wala dito ah, how is this place a mess already?” Maloi looks around and points to the article of clothes strewn around the apartment, and the empty containers on the kitchen island.

“Maglilinis ako bago siya bumalik,” Jhoanna shrugs and Maloi lets out a quick exhale through her nose, doubtful of Jhoanna’s promise.

“Bakit? Naglilinis naman ako dati dito bago siya makatira ah!” Jhoanna protests and crosses her arms, pausing her prank activity.

Maloi just smiles and pats Jhoanna lightly, “Yes, pero nag-iba na ang standard ng cleanliness ng apartment mo mula nung dumating siya dito.”

Maloi saunters over to the kitchen island and helps Jhoanna clean away the empty containers, or rather helps Aiah, as she was sure Aiah would clean all of this come Sunday. Jhoanna is now kneeling down to paste more post-it notes on the bottom part of the refrigerator.

“So, kumusta ‘yung case at ‘yung hearing?” Maloi asks.

“Oh, ikukulong pa rin ang mga Arcetas dahil nga malala talaga ‘yung ginawa nila. Parang based sa last hearing, matagal-tagal sila doon. Tapos, it will take a few years para makapag-appeal ulit sila. Then, ‘yung inheritance naman ni Aiah, frozen pa rin pero hindi ko sure kung bakit daw. Hindi ko nga rin alam kung makukuha niya pa ‘yun. Pero sa totoo lang, dapat i-unfreeze na nila ‘yung assets ng Arceta para mabayaran na nila ‘yung mga taong na-scam nila,” Jhoanna goes on a rant as she makes sure all the post-it notes are aligned with no spaces in between.

“Ano sa tingin mo nararamdaman niya?”

“Sino?” Jhoanna looks up to Maloi at the sudden question.

“Aiah. Sino pa ba?” Maloi creases her eyebrows as she answers.

“Aiah Arceta has feelings?” Jhoanna laughs a little.

“Jhoanna, it’s me. Hindi mo kailangang gawing joke lahat para lang iwasan mapag-usapan ‘yan,” Maloi comes over to Jhoanna and squats down beside her.

“Maiwasan ang alin?” Jhoanna feigns innocence. 

“That you care about Aiah,” Maloi spells it out for her.

Jhoanna didn’t answer Maloi and continues with pasting her notes.

Maloi lightly touches Jhoanna’s arms and mutters, “Okay lang naman kung you care about her. You’re a caring person, that's what I love about you.”

At the mention of the L word, Jhoanna perks up and looks at Maloi, “Maloi, napag-usapan na natin ‘to, ‘di ba?”

“I know. Just let me pine over you for a bit.”

“I’m sorry kung hindi tayo pwedeng lumagpas sa kung anong meron tayo, it’s not what I want,” Jhoanna apologizes in what seemed like a conversation they have had a hundred times before.

“You stopped calling me muffin, medyo masakit,” Maloi confesses.

“You’ll always be my muffin,” Jhoanna offers a kind smile and consoles Maloi, “Go out there, maghanap ka ng iba, merong ibang babagay sa’yo. Si Aiah, baka type mo siya?”

“Jhoanna, please,” Maloi rolls her eyes.

“Bakit? Anong meron kay Aiah?” Jhoanna asks.

“Mas tanga ka pa pala kesa sa naiisip ko,” Maloi just smiles and nudges Jhoanna softly but she loses her balance and stumbles a bit.

“Maloi? What's wrong with Aiah?”

--

Aiah opens the door and the first thing her eyes laid upon is the yellow fridge, the usual turquoise colored refrigerator has now fully turned yellow with all the post-it notes carefully pasted on it, leaving not even a slight space in between each note.

The second thing her eyes laid upon is Jhoanna sitting by the kitchen island with a shit eating grin, looking over at Aiah’s deadpan face.

Aiah walks over to the fridge and reads some of the notes.

Beer is good, beer is life. 

No, ayaw ko kumain ng fruits. 

Healthy foods are propaganda I will not fall for. 

17 more weeks of living with the devil, hooray! 

Sorry your inheritance is still frozen guess the judge gave you a cold shoulder ayyy.

Aiah didn’t react, didn’t even give Jhoanna her usual eye rolls and walks over to the couch and puts her bag to the side. She grabs her pajamas from her box of clothes she keeps by the couch and heads to the bathroom.

“Arceta! It was funny!” Jhoanna shouts at her but Aiah is still expressionless.

Jhoanna sits quietly as she listens to the faint sounds of Aiah getting herself ready for bed in the bathroom. She’s half disappointed her hours of work didn’t even garner the usual annoyed expression from Aiah, and half worried about her roommate. The appeal must have affected her more than Jhoanna initially thought. And now she feels bad for pulling a prank when Aiah is feeling down like this. The longer Aiah is in the bathroom, the more anxious Jhoanna becomes so she grabs her car keys and walks out of the apartment.

--

“Para saan ‘to?” Aiah asks when Jhoanna comes back with a sunflower for her. Aiah was already getting ready to sleep but she sits herself up on the couch as she takes the flower from Jhoanna.

“Sorry para doon sa prank. And this flower reminds me of you,” Jhoanna shrugs as she passes the one stalk of sunflower to Aiah.

“Kaya ba sunflower, kasi the yellow reminds you of the post-it notes?” Aiah takes the sunflower closer to her nose and smells it, and she finds that a sunflower doesn’t have any particular smell.

“Ha! Siguro! And ito nga pala,” Jhoanna passes Aiah four crisp thousand-peso bills.

“Four thousand? Bukas pa naman due ‘yung isang payment,” Aiah informs her.

“Kunin mo na lang,” Jhoanna shoves the money into Aiah’s hands.

“Gustong gusto mo na ba ako palayasin dito?” Aiah replies as she keeps the money aside in her purse.

“Yeah, hindi na kita matiis dito, kasi you’re always telling me what to do through post-it notes,” Jhoanna plops down on the couch next to Aiah and Aiah scooches over to give her more room.

“Don't worry. When I move back upstairs, I'll still leave notes on your door,” Aiah gives a small smile and Jhoanna smiles back because she finally gets a reaction from Aiah.

“Lalayas ako,” Jhoanna replies with a smug face, “Para hindi mo na malaman kung saan ako nakatira.”

“Finally! Alam ko na paano ka paalisin! Kailangan ko lang pala ng lifetime supply ng post-it notes!” Aiah laughs a little and Jhoanna looks down at her hands, fiddling with nothing, but smiling ever so slightly.

“No comeback?” Aiah questions when Jhoanna is still keeping quiet.

“Not today. Magpahinga ka na,” Jhoanna pats Aiah’s legs as she gets up from the couch.

“Don't go soft on me, Robles.”

“Just take the win, Arceta.”

“Doesn't feel like winning when you're not fighting back,” Aiah looks up to Jhoanna wistfully.

Jhoanna gives a soft smile and says in a low voice, “Good night, Arceta.”

“Good night, Robles. Thank you for this,” Aiah wishes Jhoanna and raises the sunflower.

Aiah lies back down on the couch and smells the flower again. She already knows the flower doesn’t have a scent but she wants to remember the feeling. Aiah places the sunflower on the small table next to her and just stares at the yellow petals as she slowly lulls herself to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Sumama ka na! Nandoon din si Maloi, hindi ba friends na rin kayo? Gwen is coming. And si Stacey naman kasama niya si Mikha,” Jhoanna begs.

“So gusto mo akong samahan ka sa beach with your ex-girlfriend, your current non-girlfriend and your other non-girlfriend with her girlfriend. Is Stacey still your non-girlfriend? Hay nako, Robles, nakakalito na ‘yang relationships niyo. Kaya no, no thanks,” Aiah refuses, the whole trip sounds daunting, not to mention awkward.

“Please? Hindi ko na non-girlfriend si Stacey, since dating na sila ni Mikha, pero medyo may something weird pa rin samin ni Maloi, and you’ve been such a good friend to her,” Jhoanna pleads again. Jhoanna is hoping Aiah would come along and act as the buffer between her and Maloi.

“Fine. Pero hindi ako mag-siswimming, okay,” Aiah tells Jhoanna.

“Yes! Thank you! You’re the best!” Jhoanna gives Aiah a quick hug that takes Aiah by surprise. They’ve never hugged before and Jhoanna must have done it instinctively and without a thought as she looks happy and continues packing for her beach trip. 

--

Aiah sits at the back with Maloi while Jhoanna is in the driver’s seat waiting for Gwen to get in.

“Hindi talaga ‘to awkward,” Aiah comments to break the silence.

“Hindi naman talaga! We’re all still friends. ‘Di ba, Maloi?” Jhoanna looks at Maloi through the rearview mirror.

Maloi gives a small smile as a reply. Jhoanna perks up when she sees Gwen coming out of her house and she gets out of the car to greet her.

Aiah looks over at Maloi, “Sure bang okay lang sa’yo ‘to? We can hang out somewhere else kung gusto mo.”

“No, gusto ko rin naman mag-beach, sayang ‘yung panahon. Jhoanna’s right, friends naman tayo lahat dito. I just have to get over my feelings for her,” Maloi replies.

“Medyo tanga lang siya minsan,” Aiah shakes her head.

“Alam mo bang gusto niya kong i-set up with you?” Maloi lets out a tiny laugh.

“Tinanong niya rin ‘yan sa’yo? She wanted to set me up with you!” Aiah cries out as she questions Jhoanna’s actions.

“Na-guiguilty ata siya for rejecting me kaya gusto niyang hanapan ako ng ibang pwedeng i-date. In her own weird way, she cares,” Maloi says. She wants to say something else to Aiah but gets interrupted by Gwen who opens the door.

“Hello! Nauna na pala kayo sunduin. Are we ready for the beach?” Gwen greets.

"Beach! Beach! Beach!" Jhoanna chants but no one is joining her.

"Ang KJ niyo naman," Jhoanna pouts and everyone else laughs at Jhoanna's failed attempt to get everyone chanting. 

--

“Wow, Arceta. Ang laki pala ng dala mong payong, pwede ka na magtinda sa kariton. Paano mo ‘yan napagkasya sa kotse?” Jhoanna teases Aiah when she sees the huge orange umbrella Aiah carries.

"At bakit may scarf ka? Nasa beach tayo! ‘Wag kang magtago diyan sa shade. Where's your swimsuit?"

“I’m only here because you ask me to. Just let me read my book in peace under the shade,” Aiah grumbles.

“Jhoanna!” Stacey waves everyone over, she’s already lounging by the beach in a polka dot bikini with Mikha by her side. They have reserved an area for the group and laid out two huge blankets over the sand. Gwen drops the sandwiches she made in the middle of the blanket and Jhoanna places the cooler down to hug Stacey and Mikha.

They all greet each other while Aiah awkwardly settles down at the corner of the blanket, planting her umbrella into the sand. She could see other beachgoers whispering among themselves so she reached out for her sunglasses in her bag to shield her eyes from the glaring looks. The Arcetas appeal hearing is making her the front news yet again, and she regrets coming out into the public eye this soon. Aiah Arceta having fun by the beach is not a headline she wants to see in the papers the next morning.

She hides under her umbrella and takes a peek at the group. Everyone has taken off their t-shirts and dresses and are all clad in swimsuits and bikinis. Jhoanna is wearing a high waisted floral bikini which Aiah already saw earlier at the apartment. Although, Jhoanna looks different wearing it here at the beach compared to when she was parading it in front of Aiah asking for her opinion. Aiah just keeps staring at Jhoanna as she ties up her hair in a ponytail.

“Talagang makukuha niya ‘yung attention mo, right?” Maloi sits down next to Aiah and interrupts Aiah's thoughts when she notices Aiah is looking at Jhoanna.

“Hard not to notice the loud and annoying presence in your life,” Aiah looks away and opens her book.

“Ganito ba kayo talagang dalawa? Reverting to insults kapag may nag-popoint out ng something that may be going on between you two?” Maloi raises her eyebrow as she prods Aiah on.

“Nothing is going on between me and her. ‘Wag kang mag-alala, Maloi,” Aiah says.

“That makes two of us. Wala ring something sa’ming dalawa,” Maloi shrugs.

“Sorry,” Aiah consoles Maloi, “She doesn’t deserve you anyway. Mag-move on ka na sa kaniya.”

“I know….” Maloi drags her answer and looks at Aiah, “Pero ang hirap. Di ko alam kung bakit mahirap.”

“Because love is dumb,” Aiah smiles, “And, ‘yang nagustuhan mo? That one over there is the dumbest,” Aiah points to Jhoanna with her mouth.

"Well," Maloi nudges Aiah with her shoulder, "Hindi lang naman siya ang dumb one."

Aiah gives her a confused look and Maloi just laughs at her reaction.

"Ano ba, Ate Aiah? Do you expect me to believe you've lived with her for 2 months tapos wala kang naramdamang anything sa kaniya?"

"Ugh. If anything, living with her in close quarters? Mas naging ayaw ko lang sa kanya. Hindi ako nagkakagusto sa someone who has poor eating habits, sobrang kalat sa bahay and has an unexplainable fear of commitment."

"Okay, sige. Sabi mo eh," Maloi gives a teasing smile.

"Stop! Promise, wala talaga. She ruined my life, she's the last person on this earth I would go for," Aiah explains herself further.

Maloi just gives a small smile and gets up, “Hindi ka mag-siswim?” 

“No, I’ll take care of all your stuff and read my book, go have fun,” Aiah informs and Maloi runs down the beach to join the rest.

--

"Sigurado kang ayaw mo mag-swimming?"

Aiah looks up to answer Jhoanna but her jaw drops when she sees the human lobster in front of her.

"Robles! Sobrang pula mo! Hindi ka ba nag-sunblock? Or sunscreen man lang?"

"Naglagay ako. Sobrang pula ko ba?" Jhoanna asks as she looks at her arms.

"Masusunog ka na oh! Umupo ka nga!"

Aiah reaches for her sunscreen in her bag and squirts a huge amount on Jhoanna's arms.

"I-rub mo pa. Dagdagan mo, your sunscreen must not be strong enough," Aiah instructs and Jhoanna did as she was told. 

"OA ka lang, mag-tatan lang ‘yan. Sumama ka na kasi sa’min. Para saan pa ang beach kung magtatago ka sa araw," Jhoanna pokes at Aiah's pale arms.

"I don't tan," Aiah pouts, and offers more sunscreen so Jhoanna extends her palm to accept it.

"Sa leeg mo pa. At sa likod din."

"Patulong ako?" Jhoanna points to her back as she rubs some on her neck with the other hand.

"Turn around," Aiah sighs and relent. She squirts a sizable amount on her hands and rubs on Jhoanna's back. Jhoanna's body twitched at the initial touch but settles down as Aiah rubs more sunscreen down her back. As Aiah's hands go further down to Jhoanna's waist, Jhoanna jerks away and Aiah quickly apologizes.

"Sorry, nakikiliti ako," Jhoanna says.

"I'm going to rub some more down your back," Aiah tells Jhoanna.

"Okay."

As Aiah rubs in a circular motion down Jhoanna's back, they don't say anything to each other. The only thing accompanying the smell of sunscreen and salt, is the deep silent breathing between the both of them. As Aiah's hand goes up again, she feels like she's imagining it but she swears she could feel Jhoanna's heartbeat getting faster. Or maybe it was hers, because she can't tell the difference as the pulses beat against her own chest. 

"Okay… okay na siguro ‘yan," Aiah gives a last pat on Jhoanna's back and keeps her sunscreen away.

"Th-thanks," Jhoanna gets up without looking at Aiah and runs down the beach to jump into the ocean.

--

"Gwen, this is so good!" Stacey exclaims as she takes another bite of Gwen's sandwich. 

"Thanks, nakita ko lang ‘yung recipe niyan sa cookbook na bigay ni Sheena. It's a wanpaku sandwich, they pack all the goodness in one sandwich. Masarap, right?" Gwen tells Stacey.

"Wanpaku. Sounds like Staku. Anyways, that's Japanese, right?" Mikha asks.

Gwen nods and Maloi asks a question of her own, "Ano meaning ng wanpaku?"

"Hindi ko lang sure kung totoo, but the cookbook says it means an energetic, mischievous or a cheeky person . Meron nga akong naalala nung nabasa ko ‘yun eh," Gwen laughs as she eyes Jhoanna. Everyone else turns around to look at Jhoanna.

"Ano?" she asks when she realized everyone was staring at her. Jhoanna is busy munching and wasn't even participating in the conversation.

"Well, I agree on the apt description," Aiah says as she takes a bite of the sandwich. Everyone else just snickers as Jhoanna pesters Gwen to tell her what they were talking about.

As they get ready to head to the ocean for another round of swimming, Maloi invites Aiah for the countless times that day.

"Sure you don't want to join us? Hindi mo naman kailangang bantayan gamit natin dito. Wala naman kukuha niyan for sure," Maloi says.

"Dito na lang ako, patapos na rin ako sa binabasa ko," Aiah lifts up her book and shows the last few chapters she needs to read.

"Come on, Ate Aiah, join us. This is our last round," Mikha grabs Aiah's hand in an attempt to pull her up.

"No!" Aiah shouts suddenly and takes everyone else by surprise. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, Mikha. I didn't mean to raise my voice, I just don't want to go near the waters," Aiah informs her.

The situation got a bit tense so Jhoanna gestures for everyone to go to the ocean as she stays back and sits next to Aiah.

"Arceta? Okay ka lang? Mikha didn't mean that. Gusto lang niya sigurong makasama ka sa fun," Jhoanna defends Mikha to Aiah.

"I know. I just… I don't want to swim that's all," Aiah says as she brings her knees closer to her face, keeping her face down.

"Why?" Jhoanna laughs a little to release the tension, "Meron ka bang bad experience sa tubig or something?"

Everything stays silent for a while, the only noise around them is the surrounding sound of other beachgoers laughing and playing in the sand. Jhoanna inches closer to Aiah. Their legs touching together as Jhoanna mimics how Aiah sits, bringing her own knees to her face.

"Okay ka lang?"

"My mom," Aiah breaks the silence, "Nalunod siya. That's how she died. I just… I've been scared of open waters since that day."

"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry. Hindi ko alam," Jhoanna apologizes.

"Okay lang, you didn't know. Not a lot of people do, no matter how good of a reporter they are."

"Pero sumama ka pa rin dito sa beach? You should have told me, para hindi na kita pinilit sumama. Sorry."

Aiah looks at Jhoanna for the first time since their conversation and just raises her left eyebrow as she gives a skeptical look at Jhoanna.

"Hindi talaga! Kung alam ko lang… I know I act mean with you but I'm not that malicious," Jhoanna says, "Alam mo ‘yan, right? Our banters are just fun back and forths, I would never hurt you on purpose."

Aiah doesn’t say anything back and just replies with a sad smile. She knows this, of course. Jhoanna can be petulant and difficult, but there was never any animosity. Jhoanna is different from other people in the whole Metro Manila, the whole country even, that hates her family.

"Gusto mo na bang bumalik sa apartment?" Jhoanna asks and the concern in her voice warms Aiah’s heart.

"Kasama natin sina Gwen pumunta dito, how are they gonna get back?"

"Nandiyan naman sina Mikha para ihatid sila pauwi."

"No, it's fine. I can stay here. Hindi na lang ako lalapit sa tubig."

"Okay,” Jhoanna replies and looks ahead at their friends playing in the ocean. Mikha is carrying Stacey on her shoulders and Maloi and Gwen are having fun tossing a beach ball at each other. When the ball hits Stacey on her head, Jhoanna gives a light chuckle.

"Samahan mo na sila doon, I'm fine," Aiah says when she notices Jhoanna is not joining them.

"No, dito na lang ako," Jhoanna looks at Aiah and smiles. The kind of smile that was so infectious, it made Aiah smile herself. They continue to sit in silence next to each other as they watch their friends. 

Jhoanna reaches for her phone to show Aiah a video, "Nakalimutan ko pala ‘tong ipakita sa’yo, look at Comet."

Aiah takes Jhoanna's phone and smiles softly as she watches Comet playing catch with his new owners. Jhoanna shifts uncomfortably in the sand, and looks straight ahead to the sea. 

"The water also reminds me that… I don’t know. It doesn't feel good knowing all the things I got from growing up are from my family stealing from other people," Aiah says.

"Hindi mo naman alam ‘yun before. At hindi mo na rin naman kasalan ‘yung kasalanan nila."

Aiah shifts her gaze from Jhoanna and turns her head to face the ocean again, "Do you miss your family?" 

"Minsan. I don't think I see them as much nowadays. Hindi na rin kasi ako madalas makauwi. Maybe during holidays or birthdays lang," Jhoanna ponders, it does feel easy talking to Aiah about this, knowing that Aiah has a different experience than her. She never really had anyone else to talk about this before.

"I miss my mom. Recently, more than usual," Aiah confesses.

"What was she like?"

"Hindi ko na maalala. I don't even have a photo of her, kasi she doesn't like taking pictures. Maybe she didn't want people to find out she's Richard Arceta's mistress. Kaya I only have this ring to remind her," Aiah says as she fiddles with the diamond ring on her index finger, "Masama ba akong anak kung hindi ko na matandaan ‘yung mukha niya?"

"Bata ka pa naman nung huli mo siyang nakita."

"Ang naaalala ko na lang sa kaniya ay ‘yung times when she would tell me stories before bed. Or kapag nag-bebake siya ng cookies for me every weekend at home. How she cooked me lugaw na may kasamang tokwa whenever I'm sick. I remember her smell. She would always smell like fresh bread. Because of, ‘yun nga, her bakery. Is that weird? That I don't remember her face but everything else about her?"

"Hindi. It’s not weird at all. I think it's lovely," Jhoanna gives a soft smile and nudges Aiah with her shoulder.

"Stop," Aiah says as she shakes her head.

"Stop what?"

"You being nice to me feels so unnatural."

"If you tell anyone about this, I will deny everything and taunt you for life," Jhoanna threatens Aiah jokingly with a cute menacing face.

"Ang hirap mo seryosohin," Aiah replies with a laugh.

"We can go back to hating each other kung mas okay ‘yun sa’yo"

"You're the worst person I know aside from my family. You literally ruined my life with your words and I can't believe I fell into your apartment."

"OC ka, tapos pinipilit mo pa ‘yung healthy lifestyle mo sa ibang tao. Parang gusto mo akong gawing fruit-and-vegetable-eating cult members. I'm pretty sure you're the devil incarnate." Jhoanna joked, trying to continue lift Aiah’s mood.

"I hate you," Aiah says with a smile.

"I hate you too," Jhoanna replies.

They both share a laugh as they bond with their dislike for each other.

Chapter Text

Beach day comes and goes, and Jhoanna has been sticking by Aiah ever since. She goes out for work at the same time as her, and comes back around the same time. Come Sunday, she even helped Aiah to clean up the house, and rejected Gwen's invite to come over. She doesn't know why, but Jhoanna feels a fervent need to stay by Aiah's side, and she feels happy doing so.

"You don't have to keep babying me, okay lang ako," Aiah says as she gets ready for work Monday morning. She could see Jhoanna rushing to get ready for work herself.

"Hindi kita bine-baby, kailangan ko lang din pumunta sa office. Baka you forget, nagtatrabaho rin ako," Jhoanna looks at Aiah curiously.

"You usually go out later. Halata namang nagmamadali ka lang para sabayan akong umalis." Aiah points out.

"Arceta, please. Bakit naman ako mag-eeffort para magkasabay tayong umalis? We're already together most days," Jhoanna defends herself.

"Okay, sige sabi mo eh. Alis na ako ah," Aiah grabs her purse and heads out the door.

"Teka nga lang kasi! Hintayin mo na ako," Jhoanna yells out and Aiah just gives her a look, "Hindi ko ‘to ginagawa para sa’yo. Sadyang ready na rin ako lumabas."

"Whatever, Robles."

They take the elevator ride down in silence and bid each other goodbye in front of the apartment building. Aiah heads down the walkway to the right while Jhoanna walks in the direction to the left. It was less than a minute after they separated when Jhoanna heard a commotion behind her. She looks back and there's an angry middle aged lady yelling at Aiah. Jhoanna runs over to them to only catch the end of the one-sided argument.

"Pinatay ng pamilya mo ang asawa ko!" the lady yells out and spits on Aiah's face.

"Excuse me po, okay, ma'am. Please. This is a private property. ‘Wag po natin gawin dito ‘yan," Jhoanna tries to calm the lady down and looks back at Aiah who is not reacting at all.

"Sana mapunta kayong mga Arceta sa impyerno!" she yells again and is about to jump on Aiah when Jhoanna holds her back and stops her.

"Ma'am, please. ‘Wag po tayong maging bayolente," Jhoanna pleads with her again.

"Bitawan mo ‘ko!" She shouts and Jhoanna does, making sure she's in between the lady and Aiah.

"Magkikita tayo sa impyerno, Arceta!" the lady shouts her final grievance as she walks away from them.

Aiah stands motionless on the sidewalk when Jhoanna comes over. The lady's spit is still on Aiah's face so Jhoanna quickly opens her bag looking for something. She curses internally when her bag is only filled with empty coke bottles, notebooks and bus ticket receipts. Where is the tissue when you need one?

Aiah grabs a handkerchief from her own purse and wipes it away, her face stays with a blank expression the whole time.

"Arceta, gusto mo bang—"

"I'm fine. I have to get to work. I'm late," Aiah cuts Jhoanna off and starts walking.

"Arceta!" Jhoanna calls out but Aiah keeps walking.

"Aiah!" 

At the mention of her name, Aiah stops for a second but continues walking. Jhoanna lets out an exasperated sigh as she herself walks in the opposite direction.

--

Jhoanna came home late that day, as she had to finish up a report her boss handed her at the very last minute. She could have finished it earlier but her mind kept thinking of Aiah and the lady from this morning. She opens the door to Aiah drinking on her couch (bed) with the same empty expression she always has.

Jhoanna looks down on the floor and the small table, where empty bottles of beer and a half empty bottle of whiskey are scattered. She picks one empty beer bottle that was on the floor and places it on the table.

"Ang pangit ng lasa ng beer mo. Good thing I have my whiskey," Aiah drunkenly whispers with a glass in her hand.

“‘Di ba may work ka pa bukas?” Jhoanna asks as she picks up another stray empty bottle.

“That's for tomorrow. Ngayon, I'm drinking.”

“Naubos mo ba ‘yung beers ko?” Jhoanna looks over at the beers, it’s too much for one person to drink.

“No, tinapon ko lahat sa sink kasi hindi masarap,” Aiah mimics a pouring down motion as she gives a thumbs down to Jhoanna.

“Arceta!”

“That's right, I'm an Arceta. We're the worst,” Aiah replies as she finishes the whiskey in her glass. She reaches for more alcohol but when her hand can’t reach the table without getting up, she gives up and sighs.

Jhoanna sits down next to Aiah and grabs the empty glass from her hand, “Not Aiah Arceta.”

“Ilang taon akong nag-research tungkol sa mga Arceta, but living with you for a few weeks made me realize you're the best Arceta I know,” Jhoanna puts her hands on Aiah’s leg lightly, reassuring her.

“Stop!” Aiah shouts and shoves Jhoanna’s hand away.

“Stop being kind to me, I don't deserve it,” Aiah starts tearing up as she says this. 

“Everyone deserves an act of kindness,” Jhoanna replies and puts her hand on Aiah again, this time Aiah doesn’t push her away.

“Not me.”

“Hindi ka naman kilala nung babae kanina. She just thinks you’re just like Brent and Lourdes.”

"Hindi naman siya ‘yung unang magsabi ng ganun sa’kin. And for sure, she definitely won’t be the last. Do you know how it feels to have a whole city hate your existence?"

Of course Jhoanna doesn't know that. In fact, living together made Jhoanna forget about that very fact. Seeing Aiah everyday, laughing and smiling, Jhoanna didn't think of what Aiah is facing when she steps outside their apartment.

"Walang araw na hindi ako nasigawan sa daan. I go to a new place and my service will get refused. When I walk around, people give me hostile looks. Pero tinatanggap ko lahat. Tinatanggap ko because I know my family has done some unforgivable things. So I just… I just accept it."

Aiah is going into a full rant and Jhoanna just listens silently.

"Baka nga ito na ‘yung karma. Lahat na lang ng pwedeng masamang mangyari, nangyari na sa’kin. When people yell verbal abuse at me. Tinanggap ko. When they didn't want to serve me, tinanggap ko. When I drop through a floor and have to spend months sleeping on a couch of the person who ruined my life?" Aiah looks at Jhoanna with tears in her eyes, "Tinanggap ko."

Jhoanna didn't know what to reply. She wonders if there's anything she could say now that would even help.

“Alam mo ba ‘yung nangyari kaninang umaga? Kung bakit galit na galit siya sa’kin? Because that lady's husband killed himself. My family robbed all of his savings.”

Aiah has her face in her hands as she is fully sobbing, “I killed someone, Jhoanna.”

“Aiah. Hindi mo naman kasalanan ‘yon. You didn't even take part in your family’s scheme.”

“But I know! I knew about it!”

Jhoanna freezes. It was something she suspected about Aiah Arceta when she first met her, and now Aiah has just confirmed it. Jhoanna has trouble processing this new information. Is Aiah not as innocent as Jhoanna thought?

“I knew about it and I didn't do anything.”

Aiah looks back nervously at Jhoanna, wondering if Jhoanna is betrayed by her admission. She regrets confessing when she sees the confusion on Jhoanna’s face.

“Kailan mo nalaman?” 

“When you started asking around a few years back. Maybe nag-iinvestigate ka na noon. You called my office asking for an interview,” Aiah starts her story.

“Natatandaan ko pa ‘yan. Tinanggihan mo,” Jhoanna thinks back to that day. Aiah Arceta was always an elusive enigma of the Arceta family. Jhoanna thought getting an interview with her might give her an noteworthy insight into the Arcetas, and when Aiah declined her interview was when Jhoanna spiraled into a deep-seated research about Aiah. She remembers the day well. 

“Mula noon, I started asking around. I found out you were doing an investigation on my family. Kaya tinanong ko si Kuya Brent tungkol doon, at sinabi na niya lahat sa akin. And I… wala na akong ginawa pagkatapos nun. I didn't have the courage to stop it, not like you did,” Aiah pause, “I know, and I didn't do anything. And now that lady's husband is dead kasi naduwag ako.”

“Aiah,” Jhoanna takes Aiah’s hands in hers, “Sometimes it's hard to oppose someone, lalo na kung pamilya mo sila. Sina Brent and Lourdes Arceta? Hindi ko sila kilala bago ako mag-investigate. Kaya madali lang sa’kin ilabas ‘yung mga tinatago nila. I wasn't brave, I was just doing my job, telling the truth. Pero ikaw? Sila ‘yung kasama mong lumaki. Kaya naiintindihan ko kung hindi mo kinayang sabihin ‘yon sa iba.”

Aiah looks down at Jhoanna’s hands, holding her hand so tenderly she feels like she could break apart if Jhoanna lets go. She looks up at Jhoanna’s face and Jhoanna is giving her a look so warm that she feels like crying again.

“At saka, kung hindi naman ako nag-investigate, hindi mo rin malalaman. Hindi ikaw ang mastermind dito. You didn’t kill that lady’s husband.”

"Pagod na pagod na ako," Aiah's voice starts breaking and she inhales sharply before she continues, "I'm tired of being the bad guy. I'm tired of accepting this life that I live now."

"Nagagalit ‘yung mga tao sa’kin kasi malaya ako. Nagagalit din sila sa’kin kasi Arceta ako. And I just… I also hate that I’m an Arceta. Gusto ko na lang takasan ‘to at samahan si Kuya Brent sa kulungan kung ‘yun ang tingin ng lahat na deserve ko," Aiah rants in between sniffles and full on crying. Jhoanna comes closer to Aiah and holds Aiah's shoulders gently to comfort her.

"Most days I'm okay, but then sometimes it's like," Aiah whimpers and breathes heavily, "I feel like drowning."

"Don't think like that. You're good," Jhoanna tries to calm Aiah while rubbing her shoulders, "You're a good person."

“Stop defending me. You can hate on me like the rest of the people.”

“Hindi kita dine-defend, I'm just telling the truth. Like what I did back then.” Jhoanna smiles as she sets Aiah’s mind at ease, “You're not your family.”

Aiah hugs Jhoanna unexpectedly but Jhoanna hugs her back. She could feel Aiah needed this as they embraced each other on that lonely night.

“And I don't hate you, not really,” Jhoanna whispers to Aiah’s shoulder.

“You don’t like me,” Aiah whispers back.

“You're a very unlikeable person, tinapon mo lahat ng beer ko eh,” Jhoanna jokes and chuckles, still in a hug with Aiah. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Come, sleep in my bed tonight, ako na lang muna sa couch,” Jhoanna says as she lets go of Aiah. But Aiah hugs Jhoanna tighter as she says, “No, just a few more minutes.”

"Sobrang lasing mo na," Jhoanna laughs as she lets Aiah hug her, "You are going to regret this in the morning when I tell you about it."

“Please, just a few more minutes,” Aiah pleads and Jhoanna could feel Aiah’s embrace getting tighter around her.

“Okay,” Jhoanna replies as she hugs Aiah back. 

After a few minutes, Jhoanna leads Aiah to her bed and tucks her in. 

The next morning, Aiah looks around the clean apartment, all the remains and evidence of her drinking are gone. Aiah wasn’t sure that she was actually drinking the night before but the splitting headache she’s nursing is telling her otherwise. Aiah doesn’t remember half her conversation she had with Jhoanna, and Jhoanna didn’t remind her of the long hug they had. Even though Jhoanna thinks it was best they forget about it, it was all she could think about all day at work. 

--

Jhoanna came home one day with Aiah holding the newspaper, and she smiles the moment Jhoanna enters the apartment, misty eyes and all.

“So nabasa mo na ba ‘yung article ko?” Jhoanna smiles back, heading straight to the kitchen.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Aiah joins Jhoanna in the kitchen and puts the newspaper on the kitchen island.

Jhoanna reads back the headline to her own article, The rise and fall of Aiah Arceta (and why she deserves a second chance). It was a hard pitch to make to her editor to publish it but Jhoanna is glad she wrote it. The grateful look on Aiah’s face right now is worth all the hard work. She could tell Aiah had read this over and over again, maybe even crying as she did, as Jhoanna could detect a few droplets of tears on the paper.

“It was nothing, nanghingi kasi ng quick article ‘yung editor namin, and ito ‘yung una kong naisip gawin,” Jhoanna says with an affectionate smile, brushing it off like it was nothing, like she didn't just work overtime for the past few days to get this article done.

"Alam mo ba, I jogged outside this morning and someone said hi to me. To me! Sa’kin talaga! Like specifically good morning, Miss Arceta so I know it was for me. And coffee! May nanlibre sa’kin ng coffee kanina! And wala siyang lason, I think, kasi umabot naman ako dito. Kaya napaisip ako kung anong nangyari bakit parang bumait sila. Until a colleague showed me this article. Why didn't you tell me?" Aiah starts to ramble excitedly, and so happily, it makes Jhoanna smile even wider.

"Gusto ko lang ma-surprise ka. Surprise," Jhoanna grins with the same grin she has every time she pulls a prank on Aiah. Except this time, Aiah wasn't annoyed.

Aiah picks up the newspaper and starts to read, “It’s true—there’s no undoing the damage the Arcetas inflicted on the city. But second chances? Those are not only possible; they’re necessary. Especially for someone like Aiah Arceta, who’s quietly rebuilding a life under the heavy shadow of her family name. And if our city truly stands for hope and compassion for all, shouldn’t we be willing to offer that—especially to someone like her?”

“It’s well-written,” Aiah pauses before she continues, ”Thank you, Jhoanna.”

At the mention of her name, Jhoanna looks at Aiah, “I only wrote the truth,” Jhoanna replies brightly, ”Pero may utang ka sa’king beers.”

“Restocked na,” Aiah says with a smug face.

Jhoanna opens the fridge excitedly and beams when she sees the fridge full of her favorite beer.

“See? Kaya deserve mo talaga ng second chance. Never akong nagkamali, ‘di ba?” Jhoanna laughs as she takes out a bottle.

Aiah smiles as she looks over at Jhoanna who is happily drinking her beer. How could a person who ruined her life, can also be the one to save it? Aiah feels thankful that out of all the apartments she can fall into, she fell into Jhoanna’s. Life can punish her with all the karmas in the world, but falling into Jhoanna's apartment? This one she doesn't mind.

This one she accepts wholeheartedly.

Chapter Text

“Arceta, pwede bang skip ko muna ‘yung bayad this week? Please? May kailangan lang ako pag-gamitan muna,” Jhoanna begs with Aiah on one fine Sunday morning.

“Okay, sure. May problema ka ba?” Aiah asks.

“Thanks, ang bait mo talaga. Feel free to stay here for an extra week!” Jhoanna avoids the question and leaves the apartment.

Aiah wanted to inquire more but Jhoanna looks extraordinarily happy so she was sure nothing bad was happening. She brushes it off and continues to do her work on her laptop.

--

Jhoanna comes back with a huge box and a cooler. She places all the items on the kitchen counter with a heavy grunt.

“Jhoanna Robles, ginastos mo ba ‘yung two thousand mo para sa…” Aiah reads the english words under the foreign letters on the box, “Authentic fluffy ice happy shave machine? Ano ‘to?”

“Magulo lang ‘yung name pero this is an electric ice shaver machine! Gawa tayo ng bingsu!”

“Bing what?”

“Bingsu! It’s Korean shaved ice. Parang halo-halo nila? Tutal parang lagi na lang mainit dito sa Pinas, parang masayang kumain ng shaved ice,” Jhoanna replies eagerly as she takes out the machine from the box.

“So ginamin mo ‘yung pera for a machine… that shaves ice?”

“To be fair, 1,500 pesos lang naman ‘yan sa Shopee. ‘Yung natirang 500, I spent on ingredients. Nagyelo na ba ‘yung nilagay kong ice tubig sa ref?” Jhoanna asks as she opens the freezer to check on her ice.

Aiah just groans and rubs her temple, “Kung alam ko lang na para dito mo lang gagastusin ‘yung pera, I would never have agreed for you to skip payment this week.”

“Gagawan din naman kita eh. Come on. This is a great investment,” Jhoanna says with her usual grin that makes Aiah roll her eyes.

“Sa itsura mo pa lang ngayon, mukhang magkakalat ka lang dito sa kitchen. Basta I’m not cleaning it up.”

“Ako maglilinis ng kalat ko!”

Aiah shoots Jhoanna a scolding look and Jhoanna promptly cries, “Promise!”

As Jhoanna fiddles with the machine and tries to figure it out, Aiah continues with her work on the kitchen island. Once in a while, Aiah will glance at Jhoanna to see her struggle with the machine. The wire can’t reach the plug point from Jhoanna’s area, so Aiah is just waiting for the inevitable question.

“Medyo maikli pala ‘tong wire nito. Permission to do it in your area?”

“Okay, permission granted.”

Aiah is no longer glancing as she is fully staring at Jhoanna and avoiding her work. It’s so fascinating for Aiah to see Jhoanna so concentrated on something besides her job. Aiah has learned to differentiate the Jhoanna who is serious about her work and the Jhoanna at home, who is goofy and careless and crass. Although Jhoanna rarely brings her non-girlfriends home anymore, Aiah suspects it’s because she’s around so often, Jhoanna does stay over at their houses sometimes. But lately she’s been staying at home more often and Aiah doesn’t mind the company.

Jhoanna doesn’t even notice Aiah’s stare and shows Aiah the instructions pamphlet she’s been browsing, “Medyo hindi ko maintindihan ‘yung English sa instructions. Tignan mo ‘to.”

“Where did you even buy this?” Aiah asks as she looks over the pamphlet.

“May Korean shop lang sa Shopee eh.”

Aiah starts to read the instructions out loud, “In order to save, please no water near electricity. Machine is for fluffy ice. Anong fluffy ice? Paano mo bang masasabing ice is fluffy?”

“Ice to be put before sharp. Careful no hands near sharp. The sharp is the blade I suppose,” Aiah continues reading, “Shave ice careful, not hurt hands. ”

“Woah, oh, oh,” Jhoanna pretends to put her fingers near the blades of the shaver.

“Kapag naputol ‘yang daliri mo, pagtatawanan lang talaga kita.”

“Hindi mo ba i-kikiss nang ganito kapag nasugatan ako?” Jhoanna pouts as she puts her finger near her lips.

Aiah has a disgusted face when she hears Jhoanna’s cutesy tone, “Ew Robles. Tigilan mo nga. Hindi sa’yo bagay mag-baby talk. Maybe it worked with your sweetie pie, or honey, or whatever stupid nicknames you have with your non-girlfriends. Pero hindi gagana sa’kin yan.”

Jhoanna just laughs it off and asks Aiah a question, “Eh anong gagana ba sa’yo?”

“Ano?”

“Humor me, what gets you off?”

“I am NOT talking about this with you,” Aiah raises her voice and continues to do her work that she avoided earlier. She quickly covers her ears with her hair because she is sure it has turned red at this point.

“Namumula ka na naman. Are you flustered?” Jhoanna smirks when she notices Aiah’s blush.

“Must everything be sexual with you, Robles?”

“I don’t mean what gets you off sexually, ikaw lang naman ‘yung iba ang iniisip.”

“Then i-rephrase mo ‘yung question mo.”

“Okay, fine. Like, what do you like? Hindi kita masyadong nakikita lumabas eh.”

“Well, unlike you, I don’t do friends with benefits, or whatever you call your non-girlfriends,” Aiah replies as she pretends to type something.

“How about your ex, si… ano nga ulit ‘yon, Jeremy, right? Is that your type?”

At the mention of her ex, Aiah paused. “I hate that you know everything about me.”

“Okay, para fair, ask me anything.”

“Ano?”

“May point ka naman, it’s not fair I know a lot about you since nag-investigate ako sa pamilya mo. So para fair tayo, ask me anything.”

Jhoanna finishes setting up the machine and walks to the fridge to take out a block of ice from the freezer as she waits for a question from Aiah. 

"Okay. Um…” Aiah trails as she thinks of a question, “Kailan birthday mo?"

"January 26. Yours is on 27."

"Of course, alam mo rin ‘yon."

"Magkasunod kasi birthdays natin. It's a fact that is hard to forget."

Aiah continues with her work again. It’s one thing that Jhoanna knows all the facts about her, it’s another that Jhoanna actually remembers. 

“Wala ka nang questions?” Jhoanna sits in her area on the kitchen island, giving her full concentration to Aiah.

“I don’t know what to ask. Ano pa ba alam mo tungkol sa’kin?”

“Alam ko kung saan ka nag-aral. Alam ko na you have a double degree in Engineering and Business from Ateneo. I know about your family. I know about your ex. Siguro pati na lahat ng hobbies and talents mo. Basically everything about you after you turned 6, after the Arcetas adopted you,” Jhoanna reveals.

“Pero hindi mo pa rin alam ‘yung type ko in a person?” Aiah raises an eyebrow.

Jhoanna laughs lightly and walks over to Aiah, stepping into her area without asking for permission, “Hindi naman ‘yon malalaman through journalism and investigation. That’s something that’s… in there,” she says as she pokes Aiah’s upper chest lightly.

“Go away,” Aiah brushes off Jhoanna’s fingers and warns her, “Don’t touch me.”

“Bawal ka magalit. Not touching. Not touching,” Jhoanna mocks Aiah while keeping her hands close to Aiah’s face without touching her.

“Tandaan mo, you’re in my area. At natutunaw na ‘yung yelo mo,” Aiah points to the block of ice that Jhoanna set aside earlier.

“I just finished setting this up, let me get the...” Jhoanna says as she opens the cabinets one by one, “Arceta, anong cabinet ulit ‘yung bowls?”

“C3,” Aiah answers exasperatedly, “Andiyan lang ‘yung inventory oh! Gamitin mo kasi ‘yung mata mo.” she points at the laminated list next to the fridge.

“Bakit pa ako magbabasa kung pwede ko namang itanong sa’yo?” Jhoanna smiles smugly. 

"Panoorin mo na lang ‘to,” Jhoanna goes back to the machine, places the ice in the compartment and presses a button. In an instant, shaved ice appears underneath the machine and Jhoanna catches it all with a bowl.

“Oooooh, shaved ice in under 2 seconds. Hindi ba amazing? Look, look, machine make fluffy ice,” Jhoanna repeats the broken English instructions in the pamphlet and shows Aiah the bowl of shaved ice.

“Ikaw lang ata napabilib ng machine na ‘yan.”

“Gawan na lang kita ng bingsu para lumamig naman ‘yang ulo mo.”

Jhoanna takes more ice from the freezer and shaves it. She pours some condensed milk and tops it with a red bean paste she bought from Koreatown. Then she takes out some fruits she bought and chops it up. Jhoanna has that certain concentrated look on her, the same look when she was fiddling with the machine earlier that Aiah can’t help but to laugh softly when she sees it.  

“Anong nakakatawa?”

“I’ve never seen you this serious in the kitchen.”

“Okay. Ayan, one new fact about me na alam mo. I can be serious if I want to.”

She carefully places the strawberries, kiwis and oranges around the bowl and perfects her food presentation as if Aiah is a judge in a food competition. 

“Wow, naglagay kang fruits, bago ‘yan ah,” Aiah points out as Jhoanna usually avoids it even if Aiah stocks it up in the house.

“Kumakain naman akong fruits ah,” Jhoanna protests.

“Skittles are not fruits.”

“Eh bakit FRUITS Skittles ang tawag nila?”

“Kasi nga fruit flavored ‘yon… Alam mo? We are not having this argument again.”

She knows Aiah gets riled up when she brings it up but Jhoanna secretly enjoys their bickering. Jhoanna smiles as she takes out a pint of ice cream and scoops it out to finish her bingsu. 

“Tignan mo ‘to, Arceta. This is real ice cream. Hind ‘to katulad ng low calorie stuff na binibili mo,” Jhoanna says as she brings the bowl to Aiah. 

“Permission to enter?” Jhoanna asks as she’s about to step inside Aiah’s area and Aiah nods. Jhoanna places the bowl between them. Aiah pushes her laptop aside and takes a picture of the bowl, it really did look colorful and pretty. So pretty that she doesn’t dare to eat it. Jhoanna takes a spoon and gets a bit of everything. When she holds out the spoon in front of Aiah to feed her, Aiah pulls away a little.

“Kaya kong kumain mag-isa,” Aiah says in a wary tone.

“Mas maganda ‘yung scoop ko, meron na lahat. Kainin mo na!”

Aiah opens her mouth and Jhoanna carefully places the spoon inside, and Aiah is thankful she could eat it in one bite. She brings her palm in front of her mouth as she chews the sweet dessert. 

“So?”

“Okay, this is really good. I didn’t know what fluffy ice was, pero I think ito nga ‘yung tamang term for this,” Aiah says in a surprised tone.

“Yes! Gawa naman ako ng para sa’kin,” Jhoanna says happily as she prepares herself to make another bowl.

“We can share this one. Hindi ko naman ‘to kayang ubusin.”

“Okay,” Jhoanna replies as she gives the spoon to Aiah and grabs a new spoon for herself.

"And Arceta?"

"Hmm?"

"Kung may gusto kang malaman tungkol sa’kin, just ask."

"Kapag nakaisip na ako ng mga questions, I'll let you know."

They continue to enjoy the bowl in silence, with an occasional glance to each other.

“Why is the ice so sweet? Anong nilagay mo?” Aiah asks halfway through the bowl, the silence is making it too awkward.

“Nag-freeze din ako ng milk, tapos nilagay ko rin doon sa machine.”

They continue to eat in silence and the tension becomes heavy again. Aiah just looks at Jhoanna while she eats, and Jhoanna looks back with a smile as she takes another scoop of the ice. That’s when Aiah notices something.

“Yung yelo lang kinakain mo eh! Ang daya. Kumain ka rin ng fruits!” Aiah yells.

“Shux. Napansin mo. ‘Yung ice kasi ‘yung best part,” Jhoanna replies and sticks her tongue out a little, gleeful at being caught.

Aiah scoops all the fruits with her spoon and feeds it to Jhoanna, “Ito.”

“Kaya kong kumain mag-sisa,” Jhoanna mocks Aiah’s earlier response.

“Mas maganda ‘yung scoop ko, meron na lahat. Kainin mo na.” Aiah replies similarly as Jhoanna’s. 

“Ayaw ko ng kiwis,” Jhoanna pulls a face as she looks down at the green fruit on Aiah’s spoon.

“What do you have against New Zealanders?” Aiah laughs at her own joke.

“Ang corny mo talaga,” Jhoanna chides but can’t help to laugh along as well when she sees Aiah laughing. She notices that Aiah rarely makes jokes, and when she does she always laughs to herself. Jhoanna finds it super endearing.

“Kung ayaw mo ng kiwi, bakit naglagay ka pa?” Aiah argues, her spoon still in front of Jhoanna, waiting to feed her.

“Para sa’yo naman ‘yung ginawa ko eh.”

Aiah just shakes her head. Now she knows why Jhoanna wanted to make a bowl for herself, hers would have less fruit and more ice cream probably. Aiah eats the kiwi from her own spoon and offers it to Jhoanna again, “There. Wala nang kiwi.”

Jhoanna takes the offer and bites on Aiah’s spoon longer than Aiah expected. They linger for a few moments before Aiah slides the spoon out of Jhoanna’s mouth.

“Worth it naman ‘yung pag-skip ko sa payment para dito, right?” Jhoanna says with a sly smile.

“I can't believe you're actually making me stay here a week longer para lang gumawa ng bingsu.”

“Worth every cent.”