No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 15- A mistake

"Bakit parang ikaw pa 'yung triggered?" bulong ni Stacey, amusement still evident in her voice. "Dapat nga chill ka lang, e. You had fun, right?"

I opened my eyes, exhaling sharply. "I don't know, Stacey. Putangina, ang gulo."

She tilted her head, observing me closely. "Gulo kasi ng ulo mo, Mikha. Pero teka lang-ba't parang mas concern ka sa reaction ni Aiah kaysa sa video mo?"

Hindi ako sumagot.

Kasi alam kong may punto siya.

I didn't know why I was doing this. Maybe I just wanted to clear things up. Maybe I wanted to see if she actually cared.

Before I could overthink it, I marched back to Aiah's office, knocking once before pushing the door open.

She didn't even look up from her phone.

"Aiah," I started, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

She exhaled sharply, still scrolling. "What?"

I clenched my fists. "About last night-"

"What about it?" She finally lifted her gaze, her expression unreadable.

I hesitated. I expected her to be mad, maybe even confrontational, but instead, she looked... indifferent. Like she couldn't care less.

"I just-" I paused, trying to find the right words. "I didn't mean for things to get out of hand."

She let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head. "Mikha, let me stop you right there."

I frowned. "What?"

She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "You were pretty clear last time. Hindi dapat ako makialam whoever you want to fuck, right?"

Her words hit harder than I expected.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "That's not-"

"No," she cut me off. "You don't get to explain now. You made your choices, Mikha."

I felt my nails dig into my palms.

Aiah just stared at me for a second longer before turning back to her phone, completely dismissing me.

Like I didn't matter.

Like I never did.

I stood there, feeling like an idiot, before forcing myself to turn around and leave.

Biglang bumigat ang pakiramdam ko. Parang may kung anong nakadagan sa dibdib ko, pinipiga hanggang sa halos hindi na ako makahinga.

I barely made it out of Aiah's office before the stinging in my eyes became unbearable. Hindi ako pwedeng umiyak dito. Hindi pwedeng may makakita sa akin ng ganito.

Mabilis akong naglakad, halos tumakbo, papunta sa comfort room.

Pagkapasok ko, agad kong sinara ang pinto ng isang cubicle at sumandal sa likod nito, pilit na pinipigil ang panginginig ng katawan ko.

I clenched my fists, biting my lip hard enough to hurt.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Bakit ko pa binalikan? Bakit ko pa sinubukang magpaliwanag kung wala naman pala siyang pakialam?

Aiah's words replayed in my mind, sharper than any blade.

"You made your choices, Mikha."

Napapikit ako nang mariin.

At doon, sa loob ng malamig at tahimik na comfort room, hindi ko na napigilan.

Isa-isa nang bumagsak ang luha ko.

I pressed my palms against my face, trying to muffle the quiet sobs escaping my lips. I hated this. Hated how Aiah could still affect me like this.

Damn it, Mikha. You weren't supposed to care anymore.

Pero bakit ang sakit?

I took shaky breaths, forcing myself to calm down. After a few minutes, I wiped my face harshly and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Red eyes. Messy hair. A complete mess.

I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on my face, hoping it would wash away whatever this feeling was.

You don't have time for this, Mikha. Get it together.

Taking one last deep breath, I straightened my posture and walked out of the cubicle. Paglabas ko, wala akong pakialam kung mukhang hagardo versoza ako. I just needed to get through the rest of the day.

But the moment I stepped back into the hallway, I froze.

Aiah was there.

Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, her sharp eyes locked onto me.

And just like that, my heart clenched all over again.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to act like nothing happened. Like Aiah's presence didn't shake me to my core.

"Tsk," I clicked my tongue and rolled my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Aiah didn't answer right away. She just stared at me, her expression unreadable. Then, in a voice that was quieter than usual, she asked,

"Why were you crying?"

Napahinga ako nang malalim, pilit na pinipigilan ang muling pagluha. I let out a dry chuckle, shaking my head.

"Seriously, Aiah? Ano bang gusto mong marinig? Hindi ako umiiyak, okay?" I lied, crossing my arms in front of me.

Her jaw clenched. She pushed herself off the wall and took a step closer.

"Mikha-"

"What? Wala ka naman dapat pake, 'di ba?" I snapped, taking a step back. My voice was harsher than I intended, but I needed to protect myself.

Aiah stared at me, her gaze searching mine for something-regret, maybe? Guilt? But I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

I took a shaky breath, forcing a smirk on my lips.

"You said it yourself. Hindi mo dapat pinapakialaman kung sino gusto kong kant-"

"Mikha," she cut me off, her voice tight, her expression darkening.

I bit the inside of my cheek, holding back the lump forming in my throat.

"Exactly," I scoffed. "So don't act like you care now."

And before she could say anything else, I turned on my heel and walked away.

This time, I refused to look back.

Ps: This story does not feature intersex characters. All characters are portrayed as their assigned sex unless stated otherwise.