No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 29- Break us apart

Jho's phone suddenly vibrated on the table. She glanced at the screen before looking at me. "Si Sheena tumatawag."

I nodded, taking another sip of my coffee as Jho answered the call. "Hello? Oh, bakit?"

There was a short silence before Jho's brows furrowed. "Huh? Anong hindi pumasok?"

My fingers stiffened around my cup.

Jho glanced at me before putting the call on speaker.

"Mikha, alam mo ba kung nasaan si Aiah?" Sheena's voice came through, laced with concern. "She didn't show up at work today. Hindi rin sumasagot sa messages namin ni Stacey."

I forced a small, casual smile. "Oh. She told me she's going to her parents' house today."

Jho raised an eyebrow. "Talaga?"

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral. "Yeah, she mentioned it this morning. Baka busy lang, kaya di nag-reply sa inyo."

Sheena sighed. "Hmm. Okay. Akala ko kasama mo siya."

"Nope," I said lightly. "Pero I'm sure she's fine."

We ended the call, and as soon as Jho put her phone down, she stared at me.

"Mikha."

"Hmm?"

"Sinabi ba talaga ni Aiah na pupunta siya sa parents niya?"

I met her gaze, my smile unwavering. "Of course."

Even though that wasn't true.

Even though I had no idea where Aiah was.

I tightened my grip on my coffee cup, feeling the warmth seep into my fingertips, grounding me even for just a moment. But inside, my heart was unraveling, thread by thread.

"Please, enough, Aiah..." I whispered in my mind, my chest tightening. "Baka hindi ko na kayanin kapag malalaman kong nagsisinungaling ka nanaman sa akin."

Jho was still looking at me, her gaze searching, questioning. She knew. Maybe she didn't know the full story, but she knew something was wrong.

I smiled at her, but it felt hollow. "Bakit ganyan ka makatingin? Wala namang problema."

Jho leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "Mikha, kilala kita. Kung may hindi okay, pwede mo namang sabihin."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Jho, promise. I'm fine. Masyado ka lang nag-aalala."

But was I really fine?

"Ilang beses ko pang pipiliing maniwala sa'yo, Aiah?"

The thought alone made my stomach turn.

I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Let's not talk about this, okay? I just want to enjoy my coffee."

Jho didn't push further, but I knew she wasn't convinced.

Neither was I.

Because deep down, the truth was clawing at me-louder, harsher, and impossible to ignore.

What if Aiah was lying to me again?

And what if this time... I wouldn't be able to forgive her?

I stirred my coffee absentmindedly, watching the milk swirl into the dark liquid. Jho had gone quiet, but her presence was comforting in a way I couldn't explain.

Deep inside, my thoughts screamed for answers.

Where are you, Aiah?
What are you doing?
And most of all... are you lying to me again?

I let out a soft sigh, blinking back the weight in my eyes. I didn't want Jho to see how tired I was-tired of pretending, tired of second-guessing, tired of feeling like I was the only one holding on.

My phone vibrated.

My heart jumped as I saw Aiah's name on the screen.

Aiah: Hey, love. Kumain ka na?

I swallowed, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

Kumain ka na?
That's it?
No explanation? No update on where she was?

I forced a small smile in front of Jho, then replied.

Mikha: Yeah. Ikaw?

A few seconds passed before she responded.

Aiah: Not yet. Pauwi na rin ako.

Pauwi.

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to ask, "Galing saan?" But I didn't.

I was too scared of the answer.

Instead, I just typed:

Mikha: Okay. Ingat ka.

I placed my phone back on the table, my hands slightly trembling.

Jho tilted her head. "Mikha... okay ka lang ba talaga?"

I looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Even though deep inside, I wasn't.

Because Aiah was keeping something from me.

And I wasn't sure how much longer I could pretend I didn't know.