Caelis sat at their usual corner table in the café, the one near the big window where warm afternoon light always spilled in like honey.
Outside, students and workers rushed down the busy street, but inside the café, everything felt cozy — the low hum of chatter, the smell of coffee beans, the clinking of mugs. It was the kind of place where waiting didn’t feel like waiting… except today.
Her iced mocha had melted into a sad, watery pool hours ago, but she barely noticed. She kept checking her phone, screen lighting up every few seconds like it was teasing her.
Still no “On my way!” text from Astrid.
Her friends, of course, were already knee-deep in their usual disaster-of-the-week antics.
Riley and Cassie — the enchanted duo of chaos — were locked in an intense Call of Duty battle, the speakers blasting gunfire so loudly the barista kept giving them side-eye.
“RILEY, DITO! DITO!” Cassie shouted, slamming her thumb across her screen.
“ETO NA!” Riley yelled back. “Ikaw tong rush nang rush kahit walang armor! Sino ka, Rambo?!”
Cassie gasped. “Eh di ikaw yung sidekick ko! Mag-adjust ka!”
Pao lounged on the opposite side, knee bouncing as he scrolled through Instagram with the concentration of a detective uncovering political scandal.
“Hmm… interesting…” he muttered dramatically.
Ellise sat beside him, her posture soft, thumbs tapping slowly across her screen. A tiny smile curved her lips — the private, kilig kind — which of course Bree noticed immediately.
“Oy,” Bree said, leaning over with a cat-like grin. “Sino yan?”
Ellise nearly threw her phone across the table. “WALA! ANO!?” And just like that, her face turned strawberry pink.
At the edge of the table, Jax was half-zipped into his jacket, posing as if auditioning for a music video that absolutely no one funded.
“Hot or not?” he said confidently, chin tilted up.
Bree didn’t miss a beat. “Depends. Are you trying to impress your followers or summon demons?”
Pao cackled. “Bro, mukha ka talagang pa-mixtape. ‘Debut Track: Walang Nagtanong Pero Andito Ako.’”
Even Caelis had to bite a laugh. Her friends were loud, ridiculous, and borderline embarrassing — but they made the world feel lighter.
Still… every few seconds, her eyes drifted back to her phone.
Waiting. Hoping. Half-smiling at every notification that wasn’t Astrid.
And then—
Pao gasped dramatically, clutching his phone like he’d discovered a government secret.
“OH. MY. GOD.”
Everybody froze.
“If that’s another thirst trap,” Jax muttered, “Pao, I swear—”
“It’s not,” Pao said, turning the screen slowly like a plot twist reveal. “But Caelis? You’re gonna wanna see this.”
On the screen was an Instagram story.
Astrid’s.
It was the photo from the bay — golden hour painting everything warm and soft. Caelis had her arms around Astrid, kissing her cheek, while Astrid laughed with her eyes closed, pure bliss on her face.
BẠN ĐANG ĐỌC
Only When No One's Looking
Lãng mạnThey were always careful. Careful with their words. Careful with their distance. Careful not to let the world notice the way their eyes never quite let go of each other. Behind locked doors, love bloomed in whispers. But love that can only exist in...
