No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 8- Diversion

I stilled.

"Alam mo 'yan, Mikha." Her voice softened, but the teasing edge remained. "And so does she."

I exhaled sharply, my fingers unconsciously tightening around the pen I was holding. Damn it.

Then Sheena grinned again, clearly enjoying my inner turmoil. "So... gusto mong ibalik 'yung laro?"

I hesitated. "Sheena-"

"Hear me out." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "You don't even have to do much. Just... have fun a little."

I frowned. "Define fun."

She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Flirt back, Mikha. Gumanti ka. Do something annoyingly distracting. Like, I don't know, laugh a little louder? Touch someone's arm? Act like you're having the best time in the world?"

I blinked at her. "That's literally the pettiest thing I've ever heard."

She grinned. "And yet, it works."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Sheena, this is dumb-"

But before I could even finish that sentence, she suddenly turned to one of the male employees passing by.

"Hoy, Ian!"

The guy-one of the IT specialists, if I remembered correctly-paused, looking confused. "Uh, yes?"

Sheena smirked, then shoved me toward him.

I barely caught my balance. "What the hell-?"

Sheena ignored me, looking at Ian instead. "Mikha needs help with something. You free?"

Ian blinked, glancing at me. "Uh... sure?"

Sheena leaned in. "Make sure you stay real close, ha?"

I swear, I was going to kill her.

Sheena gave me one last smirk before strolling away, leaving me standing awkwardly in front of Ian-who, to his credit, looked just as confused as I felt.

"So... uh," he scratched his head. "Do you actually need help with something?"

I forced a smile, my eyes darting involuntarily toward the glass where Aiah was sitting.

And sure enough-she was watching.

Her gaze was sharp, unreadable. But I could tell.

She saw.

And she wasn't ignoring it.

My lips twitched.

Fine. Let's play, then.

I turned back to Ian, my smile shifting into something smoother. "Actually... yeah. I think I do."

I leaned in slightly, just enough to close the space between me and Ian, tilting my head in an almost too casual way.

"So..." I dragged out, letting my voice dip just a little lower. "What exactly is it you do again, Ian?"

He blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... IT. I handle system security and-"

I hummed, pretending to be fascinated. "Interesting," I mused, fingers lightly brushing against his forearm as if I needed to keep myself steady.