No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 28- One Month of love

I took a deep breath, feeling the excitement build in my chest.

Now, all I had to do was wait for Aiah.

And judging by the way she had been trying to find me all day, she wouldn't take long.

The rooftop was set. The fairy lights cast a warm, golden glow, the flowers were arranged beautifully on the table, and the food was still warm. Everything was perfect.

Except... Aiah wasn't here.

I checked my phone for the hundredth time. Still no reply.

I had texted Sheena and Stacey earlier.

Mikha: Is she on the way?
Sheena: Yup! She just left the office.
Stacey: She looked tired, tho. Hope she doesn't fall asleep in the car.

That was thirty minutes ago.

I bit my lip, adjusting my dress nervously. It wasn't like Aiah to ignore my texts. I had sent her at least three messages by now.

Mikha: Baby, where are you?
Mikha: I have something special for you tonight.
Mikha: Aiah? Please reply.

Nothing.

I tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail.

I felt my chest tighten. Did something happen?

Or... did she find out about the surprise and decide not to come?

No. Aiah wasn't like that. She wouldn't just ignore me.

Would she?

I exhaled sharply, trying to push away the creeping doubt. Trust her, Mikha.

But as the minutes turned into an hour, my excitement slowly turned into worry.

Where was she?

And why did it feel like something was wrong?

An hour had passed. The food on the table was getting cold. The fairy lights that once looked magical now only added to the eerie silence around me.

Still no sign of Aiah.

My fingers trembled as I dialed Sheena's number. It rang twice before she picked up.

"Mikha? Ano na? Nasa inyo na si Aiah?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Sheena, wala pa siya."

A pause.

"What? Pero umalis na siya sa office. We thought she was already with you."

My heart pounded harder. "Sheena, she's not answering my calls. Ni-text ko na rin siya, wala."

I heard Stacey in the background. "Wait-what do you mean wala pa siya? She left an hour ago!"

"Sheena," my voice cracked, panic seeping in. "What if something happened?"

Sheena must have sensed the fear in my voice because she quickly reassured me. "Relax, Mikha. Maybe na-traffic lang or lowbatt phone niya. Alam mo namang minsan burara 'yon sa battery."

But my gut told me otherwise.

Aiah would never not answer. Even if she was tired, even if she was annoyed, she would at least send one text.

My hands clenched into fists. "I'm going to find her."

Sheena sighed. "Okay, okay. Tatawagan namin ulit siya. Stay put for now, Mikha."

But I couldn't just sit here and wait.

I grabbed my coat and rushed to my car.

Something was wrong. And I wasn't going to wait until it was too late to find out what.