No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 20- finally home

Bigla akong nakaramdam ng kakaiba. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero parang may bumara sa lalamunan ko.

"Aiah-"

Pero hindi siya huminto. Hindi man lang siya lumingon.

Nanatili akong nakatayo, pinapanood siyang pumasok sa office niya at isara ang pinto nang hindi man lang ako tiningnan.

Bakit parang mas malamig siya ngayon kaysa dati?

And why does it bother me this much?

Pagkaupo ko pa lang sa desk, biglang nag-ring ang telepono. Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat. Kinuha ko agad ang receiver at sinagot ito.

"Hello-"

"Office. Now."

Napasinghap ako.

Aiah's voice was cold, firm, and left no room for argument. Hindi na niya hinintay ang sagot ko, agad na niyang binaba ang tawag.

Napakurap ako, hawak pa rin ang receiver, habang ang puso ko ay bumilis ang tibok. Ano na namang nangyari?

Bakit parang ang bigat ng boses niya?

Huminga ako nang malalim bago tumayo. Hindi ko alam kung anong naghihintay sa akin sa loob ng office niya, pero isa lang ang sigurado-hindi ko gusto ang pakiramdam na 'to.

Pagpasok ko sa loob ng office, agad akong sinalubong ng malamig na tingin ni Aiah. Parang napatigil ang paghinga ko sa intensity ng mga mata niya. Hindi ko alam kung anong ginawa ko this time, pero ramdam kong hindi ito isang simpleng meeting lang.

"Umupo ka," utos niya, malamig at walang emosyon.

Dahan-dahan akong lumapit at umupo sa harap niya. My hands felt clammy, and my heart was pounding.

Tahimik lang siya saglit, nakatitig sa akin. Parang may iniisip.

Then, out of nowhere, she asked, "Kumain ka na ba ng breakfast?"

Napatigil ako. That was... unexpected. I was expecting her to scold me or maybe throw sarcastic remarks, pero ito?

"A-ah?" I stammered, unsure how to respond. "Uh... yeah. Kumain na ako."

Nagtaas siya ng kilay, as if she didn't believe me. Then she leaned back against her chair, arms crossed, still watching me like she was trying to figure something out.

"Good," she muttered, before looking away.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. This wasn't like her. Bakit parang ang bigat ng atmosphere sa office niya ngayon?

I barely had time to process the awkwardness of her question about breakfast when Aiah suddenly spoke again.

"Is Drew really just a friend to you?"

Her tone was sharp, almost accusing.

My heart skipped a beat. I wasn't expecting that-at all. My hands instinctively gripped the hem of my skirt as I swallowed hard.

"What?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice betrayed me.

Aiah leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. Her eyes were intense, unwavering. "You heard me, Mikha. Is he really just a friend?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. The way she was looking at me made it impossible to lie, but at the same time, I wasn't sure what she wanted to hear.