Invisible String

2

-

The competition was finally over and she managed to place in the top 10, she was disappointed with the results and in herself but there wasn't really any point in dwelling with it right now. She's still thankful to have represented the Philippines to the best of her ability. Anntonia made it to the top 2 and ended up being the 1st runner up and she's very proud of her newly found friend. After their chance encounter on the bus, they've been inseparable for the last week leading to the competition.

Now in her casual clothes with her black evening gown safely stowed away in the backstage, she's meeting her family, friends, and team who were all waiting for her in the lobby of the venue alongside all the other candidates'. She exchanges hugs, congratulations, and thanks with everyone, at the same time trying to look for her mother who was notably absent from her little welcoming crowd.

She looks for her over the throng of people and finds her in one side of the lobby, speaking with a woman that Michelle doesn't recognize. They were in a seemingly deep and serious conversation, something extremely out of place in the festive mood that the whole lobby was in. She starts to walk over to them and the woman catches her and their eyes meet for a quick second before the woman turns to her mother and motions towards Michelle. 

Her mother turns to see her then exchanges a few more words with the woman, and gives the woman's arm a squeeze before stepping away to walk towards Michelle. 

"Ma, do you know that woman?" she asks, looking at the woman who was also looking at her now. There was something familiar with the woman's eyes that Michelle couldn't place. 

"No, anak, you know me, just making friends everywhere I go," her mother pulls her arm to turn her around and away from the direction of the woman.

"Okay," she helplessly says as she tries to give the woman one last look before her mother pulls her in to a hug and offering her a congratulations, effectively diverting her attention from the eerily familiar woman. 

-

"Michelle!" a familiar voice that she's gotten used to for the past week calls out to her. She turns around to see Anntonia walking towards her, her signature bright smile on display. "I was worried I won't be able to catch you one last time!"

"Well, I'm here, woman," she says spreading her arms out playfully.

"Yes, you are," Anntonia says giggling and surprises Michelle when she walks into her arms to give her a hug. Michelle can see a few flashes of cameras go off from around them.

"You're flying home already?" she asks as she wraps her arms around Anntonia to return the hug.

"Not until tomorrow afternoon, but we might not see each other so..." 

"I'm flying out early morning, I'll be staying in L.A. for a few days to visit some family," she tells her.

"Oh, then I guess this is goodbye then," Anntonia hugs her tighter and Michelle feels the urgency behind the hug, an acceptance that it was likely the last time they'll ever see each other again. "I'm really glad to have met you, Michelle."

"You too, Anntonia," she says back. If there was something that came out of all this pageantry thing Michelle got into, it was the friendships she made with all the candidates, most especially Anntonia. 

"Keep in touch?" Anntonia says as she pulls away and their eyes meet.

"Of course," she nods. 

With one last exchange of smiles, Anntonia turns and walk aways from her. Michelle watches in dread, now also accepting the reality that this was likely the last time she'll ever see Anntonia. 

Before Anntonia can get more than a few feet away though, she suddenly turns and faces her again. "Oh, you know, I just suddenly remembered something, remember that thing you asked me the first time we met?"

Michelle shakes her head, not really knowing what it was Anntonia was pertaining to. 

"I have seen a frog at the beach before, it was years ago during a rainy night in Phuket!" Anntonia grins widely, her tone full of amusement as if saying 'Can you believe all this?' "Weird, huh?"

All Michelle could do was nod as she tries to wrap her mind around the fact that it really was Anntonia that she met that random night in Phuket years ago. Anntonia gives her another wave and finally, finally walks away completely from her towards a group of people, one of which was the eerily familiar woman her mother was speaking with from earlier. Michelle doesn't even let herself think about it as she finds herself smiling, not really believing how in this big, vast universe, she'd bump into Ann from that night again. 

She doesn't feel too dreadful now, doesn't really believe that it was the last time she'll see Anntonia again. She's now sure that someday... they'll see each other again. 

But for now, what a wonderful coincidence.

---

A/N: Kokak.

Will drop the next chapter after midnight!