No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 1- The Ghosts of Yesterday

Aiah's POV

There are certain memories that stay with you no matter how much time has passed. They cling to the corners of your mind like a song you once loved but can't bear to listen to anymore.

For me, those memories always begin and end with Mikha Dela Cruz.

The first time I saw Mikha, she was a storm in human form-unpredictable, chaotic, and impossible to ignore.

It was my first year at UP Diliman, and I was still adjusting to the rhythm of university life. The campus was alive with movement-students rushing to their next classes, professors discussing theories over coffee, and organizations setting up booths along the Academic Oval.

I was focused on my own world, walking towards Palma Hall, when I heard a sudden burst of laughter from a group of students near the entrance.

That's when I saw her.

Mikha Dela Cruz.

She was standing in the middle of a group, grinning as she casually leaned against a parked bicycle. She wasn't doing anything particularly remarkable, yet she had this undeniable presence, like she belonged wherever she stood.

She wore a white oversized polo, half-tucked into her black slacks, paired with scuffed sneakers that told me she had spent more time outside than inside a classroom. Her hair was messy but effortlessly perfect, strands falling over her sharp eyes.

And then, as if feeling my gaze, she turned.

Our eyes met.

And in that instant, something shifted.

She smirked, tilting her head like she had already figured me out. Then, without hesitation, she walked straight towards me.

"Kanina ka pa nakatingin. Interested ka?" she asked, her voice laced with amusement.

I blinked, caught off guard by her directness. "I was just wondering how someone could be that loud this early in the morning."

She let out a laugh-rich, full of mischief.

"Tahimik ka pala. Serious type?" she teased, crossing her arms. "Sige nga, tignan natin kung hanggang kailan mo 'yan mapapanindigan."

I rolled my eyes, dismissing her with a shake of my head. I didn't know then that she would be right.

That I would break every rule I had for her.

Mikha had a way of inserting herself into people's lives without permission. And somehow, I let her into mine.

Our friendship started with random encounters. She would find me at the library, claiming she needed help with her Business Law subject when she was really just looking for an excuse to bother me. She started sitting next to me during lunch, dragging me to events I had no interest in, and showing up uninvited at my study sessions.

At first, she was an irritation, a distraction from my structured world. But somewhere along the way, she became the person I looked for in a crowded room.

One night, after an exhausting day, she forced me to go with her to Maginhawa Street for a late-night food trip. We sat on the hood of her car, eating isaw and laughing about the most ridiculous things.

"Alam mo, Aiah, masyado kang seryoso sa buhay," she said, nudging me with her elbow. "Minsan, kailangan mo rin mag-relax."

I scoffed. "Not everyone has the luxury to be carefree, Mikha."

She hummed in thought, looking up at the night sky. "Hindi pagiging carefree 'to. Alam ko namang ambisyosa ka. Pero hindi mo ba naisip? Minsan, baka sa sobrang focus mo sa future, nakakaligtaan mo nang mabuhay sa ngayon."