No strings attached |(UNDER REVISION)

Chapter 39- I see you again

I shouldn't fucking care.

Pero bakit ganito? Bakit parang may bumalik na sakit na matagal ko nang binaon sa limot?

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. Aiah was married now. She had a child. She had a family. And I-I had Ethan. I had moved on. I had a new life.

Right?

I let out a bitter chuckle as I stepped out of the mall, the cool air barely doing anything to calm the fire burning inside me. My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Ethan.

I inhaled deeply before answering.

"Hey, babe," I said, forcing my voice to sound normal.

"Hey," his voice was warm, familiar, safe. "Are you done shopping? I was thinking we could grab lunch together."

I hesitated for a second. "Yeah. Yeah, sounds good."

"Great. I'll pick you up. Where are you?"

I glanced around, grounding myself in the present. "Near the entrance. I'll wait for you here."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

As soon as the call ended, I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. Tama na. Hindi ako dapat nadadala sa kung anong naramdaman ko kanina.

Aiah was my past.

Ethan was my present.

And I refused to let my past ruin the future I was building.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. My hands clenched at my sides as I forced every emotion back where it belonged-buried, forgotten, locked away.

Pero putangina.

Some twisted part of me wanted her to chase me. To feel what I felt when she walked away. To know what it was like to be left behind, to be the one aching for something that was already gone.

Gusto kong makita siyang maghabol. Magmakaawa. Hanggang sa ako naman ang tatalikod.

But how the fuck was I supposed to do that... when she already had everything?

She had him. She had a family. She looked happy.

I let out a humorless chuckle, shaking my head.

"Fuck, Mikha," I muttered. "You're pathetic."

I shouldn't be thinking about this. I had Ethan. I had moved on. I was happy.

Diba?

A car honked in the distance, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up just in time to see Ethan's car pulling up to the curb. He rolled down the window, smiling at me like I was his entire world.

And maybe that should've been enough.

Maybe it was.

I squared my shoulders, pushing every lingering thought of Aiah away. I had already chosen my path. And this time, I wasn't going to look back.

I took one last deep breath before stepping toward Ethan's car. His eyes softened the moment I got in, concern flickering in them.

"Hey, okay ka lang?" he asked, reaching out to squeeze my hand.

I forced a smile. "Yeah. Just tired."

He studied me for a moment, like he didn't quite believe me, but he didn't push. Instead, he laced our fingers together and kissed the back of my hand.

"Let's go home," he said softly.

I nodded, leaning back against the seat as he drove. The city lights blurred outside the window, but my mind was stuck somewhere else-somewhere in the past.