ANNTONIA's POV
She had no idea what time it had been when Michelle dropped her off. Way past midnight maybe? And it had definitely been way more than just a few drinks. But you know what they say?
Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Damnit!
She intended to give her friend an earful about it, but she was just as guilty for allowing herself to be dragged into it.
She woke up with a pounding headache, groaning when she realized it pulsated in sync with her phone buzzing on the nightstand. She slightly peaked from under her blanket, slapping the nightstand until she finally grabbed the phone, seeing the screen light up with the contact name, DEE ANNOYING.
"What?!" she barked into the phone, feeling her mouth dry and a wave of nausea hitting her suddenly.
"It's 8." Said groggy voice on the other line.
She smirked at what she heard and to her satisfaction, Michelle sounded just as bad as her, if not worse. She peaked over at the clock on the wall. It really was 8. Rage surged through her, only managing to make her nausea worse.
"So what if it's 8?! Ugh! I swear to God Michelle Dee, I'm going to kill you for waking me up this early! You're the reason why I had headache now and you're the reason why it worsen!" She threatened her, though her voice groggy and not at all convincing. But as soon as she sobered up, that girl will be in so much trouble for waking her up so early after the crazy night they'd had, she thought.
"Exam," was all Michelle could reply, making her frown a bit.
Exam? What the hell was she—
"Ohhhhh... What?! Oh shit. Shit. Gotta go. Bye!"
As the realization dawned over her, she hung up and jumped out of bed, sobering up almost instantly. Her head was still hurting, but the nausea had been overrun by sheer panic. She run to the shower, wet herself in a good amount and went out as fast as she could, dressed up as quickly as possible, grabbing her bag and notes and hoping she could at least review some of the points on her way.
Oh Dear God! I almost missed it again. I swear, I will going to kill...
But on second thought, she let her mind drift away to earlier. Michelle was just as much of a dead walking as her, probably a little bit worse for the wearing, judging by how she'd sounded on the phone. But then she'd called her to remind her of the exam, knowing she was bound to oversleep again.
You mean, drunk Michelle had actually sobered up for at least half a second, set an alarm and had pulled through a deadly hangover just to call and wake me up?
The thought warmed her up inside in a way she never expected nor let herself feel on anyone. But it was safe with Michelle, right? They were friends now and it seems like she wasn't doing it because she was trying to score, she was doing it...
Well, I have no idea what her agenda but maybe, just maybe, she could allow myself to trust her just a bit. She earned it. She thought.
So she pulled out her phone before walking inside the room where she was supposed to take the exam and typed up a quick text.
To: DEE ANNOYING
Thank you for waking me up.
It wasn't much, but it was more than what she usually offered. For sure, Michelle would know that much. And her reply was quick to follow.
From: DEE ANNOYING
You're most welcome but my head is killing me. I need Advil.
She absentmindedly rolled her eyes as she typed back a response but surely unaware of how wide her smile was painting in her face while looking at her phone.
To: DEE ANNOYING
How are you so brave about drinking and end up being a whiny baby? I'll bring some over after my exam so don't die.
From: DEE ANNOYING
Okay. Since you ask for it. I will hold on until you come and save me.
Anyway, Good luck, Brownie.
For some reason, Michelle's last text put an even wider smile on her face. Lately, she's starting to see how much of a dork the girl is and despite herself and her principles, she slowly discovered how much she actually liked having her around. Now, she was like a one of those grumpy dad that said they never wanted any pets in the house and ended up liking them anyway.
She didn't remember much from last night, but as she took her seat with the rest of their class, a memory flooded her mind, making her blink in surprise and making her smile even wider again.
Oh God! This is dangerous. Very very dangerous for my own good.
*FLASHBACK*
"What are you smirking about?" Anntonia frowned at Michelle, sipping on her beer.
The latter huffed.
"I don't smirk."
"You are smirking."
"Fine. But even if I were," she argued, "I wouldn't tell you why. You just have to wait and see for yourself, Miss."
And without another word, Michelle took the beer from her hand and placed it on the counter. She was still holding her hand, pulling her towards the dance floor and she hate that she had no idea what she had in mind, but she was just buzzed enough to not question it.
They made it to the dancefloor, simply standing there without moving as other pair danced and bounced up and down around them. Michelle was still smirking, – yes, she is smirking – and Anntonia crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance.
"Well?" she inquired as she raised one of her eyebrows on her.
In that exact same second, the song ended and another started. Anntonia gasped when she recognized the tune. It was "Lihim", by Arthur Miguel. One of the OPM Singers she adored and the song really captured her heart when she first heard it. Though it took her time to understand the lyrics since her Tagalog still needs lots of work, she appreciate how beautifully written. She put her hands over her mouth, letting out a soft laugh as she shook her head. There had been few times that Michelle visited her dorm and she and Freen where dancing emotionally in the tune of it.
"You little piece of a sh—," she slapped Michelle's shoulder playfully and the latter just shrugged.
"What can I say? The DJ's a friend of mine." Then she looked back at the DJ booth and wave. The girl DJ waved back at her.
"Of course you do. You maybe even slept with her." Anntonia remarked as she rolled her eyes, but smiling to let her know she was teasing.
"Now come on, that's a hit below the belt." She too rolled her eyes but then she took her hand again, giving it a light squeeze that translated into a rogue beat of Anntonia's heart that she chose to ignore; she was just drunk and Michelle done something cute. She knew better than to trust her heart when it came to things like this. "I didn't request the song just so that we could stand around bickering."
Without waiting for her to reply, Michelle took a step back and twirled her, making her let out a small yelp. Then she turned her around so that she landed straight in her arms, laughing like a high schooler the whole time. She knew she would chastise herself about it tomorrow, but she was having just too much fun right now. So she thought, she worry about it later.
The song was slow and intoxicating and the two swayed each other, laughing together at some point where Michelle spun Anntonia around until she was dizzy. Michelle was even throwing her head back singing from the top of her lungs 'Sasayaw sa kulog at ulan, iikutin ang tala at buwan
Habang tayo ay naliligaw, pakinggan ang puso, 'wag nang bibitaw' at every chorus and Anntonia was quick to join her. By the time the song ended, they were exhausted, breathing heavily and smiling so hard their faces hurt.
At the back of her mind, Anntonia wondered if she'd remember all of this tomorrow. Because if she's being honest, she wanted to and at the same time, she didn't want to. Because it was making their dynamics shift a bit, and she doubted it was in her favor.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
She made good on her promise and brought Michelle her Advil. As soon as the girl opened the door and saw her standing there holding up a pharmacy bag, she made a move to hug her only to end up with a palm pushing her face away and keeping her at a safe distance.
"Clingy when hungover?" she mocked her. "Good to know."
Michelle didn't reply and took the medicine from her.
"I think I'm in love with you." She muttered as she walked back inside her room.
Ignoring what she had just heard, she closed the door behind her then followed the girl inside her room.
Michelle is living in a nearby condominium from their university that's why it's easy for her to cross over from school to her place whenever she invites her over sometimes. Though she wasn't living alone. She have a housemate named Rhian that she always teased to be her girlfriend but the latter strongly denied it and clearly said that they're truly best friends.
"If I were you, I wouldn't joke about things that can get your head off your neck, Dee." She threatened and the latter let out a laugh, and obviously bit back the retort resting on the tip of her tongue as a new wave of sharp pain knocked at her temples.
She heard Michelle groaned and collapsed in bed, watch her pull her sheets over her head and turning to face the wall.
***
MICHELLE's POV
Maybe she's still drunk that words like that slipped in her mouth. It tasted bitter as soon as it's out because what does she know about love?
She groaned and collapsed in bed, pulling her sheets over her head and turning to face the wall and bit her tongue again as a punishment because she didn't want to risk throwing up all over Anntonia, not because of her hangover but because of what she said. It made her dizzy for a moment. She suspected that that would've end their already short-lived friendship if she don't hold herself.
She then heard a soft chuckle and felt the girl sit on the bed next to her.
"I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure you need to take the medicine in order to feel better." Anntonia said but almost in order.
"Don't wanna take. Wanna feel better." She said in a babyish tone.
She couldn't see Anntonia, but she was pretty sure she'd just rolled her eyes on her again. After a few moments, she felt her stand up and, next thing she knew, her blanket was being snatched and she was left facing the cold in her black underwear and a faded Ramones T-shirt.
"Hey!" She shrieked as she turned to look at the girl.
"Quit moping," she saw her dropped her blanket on the floor and cross her arms over her chest. She suddenly remembered her Mom. That's mostly the common reaction of THEE Mimilanie Marquez whenever she was acting like that.
For a moment, they both fell silent. She just realized what situation she was in right now because how could she face Anntonia in an underwear? And the latter suddenly looked away. Probably looking at the jigsaw puzzle her brother in the autism spectrum gave her recently that's hanging on the wall.
After a moment, she finally allowed her to take the girl in. Her hair that she used to style in a curl was now pulled back in a messy ponytail, clearly having no time and been done in a rush. She was wearing her usual jeans and a white button down shirt that she left open, and underneath she caught peek of a Harry Potter shirt, but he couldn't be too sure. The girl hadn't been kidding about liking its depth. All in all, she didn't look out of the ordinary, but there was something about her, like it always was. Maybe that cute frown of hers? Or maybe the rage in her eyes that never seemed to fade away? Or the way she pursed her lips when she was annoyed, which was most of the time. She didn't even know where to start understanding what it was, but it kinda struck her dumb every time. She then felt the rogue beat of her heart, letting her know she could've sat there all day, just looking at Anntonia, and she never would've gotten tired or bored.
But she scolded her rogue heart as soon as the thought caught shape in her head. She didn't want it to ruin this for her, you know? She doesn't want to entertain this foreign feelings because she had a good thing going on with Ann. She didn't need any sort of foolish feelings getting in the way. It wasn't her way of doing things anyway. And even if that had been the case, it's obvious that the latter wasn't interested.
"Please give my blanket back." was all she could say, sounding like a spoiled little girl. Which she probably was at the moment.
"Come and get it, little girl," Anntonia teased, kicking the blanket even farther away. "Or take the Advil and you get your blanket right away."
Glaring at the girl, she fished the Advil out of the bag and poured herself a glass of water, looking Anntonia straight in the eye as she downed the pill and flushed it without a blink.
"There it goes. Happy?" She asked in a fake annoyance as she watch the girl grin before taking her blanket and throw it on her.
"But how are you so okay, though?" She questioned as she slid back under the blanket. "You drank more than I did."
"Well, the alcohol goes straight into the black hole where my heart was supposed to be." Anntonia simply shrugged, not making another move to sit back down on the bed.
"Hmm... Edgy." She told her as she rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Well, I tried," the girl laughed, still standing.
There were two ways this could play out, She thought. First, Anntonia could sit back down, which she seemed to have no intention of doing, or she could leave. And if she's going to be honest, she wasn't ready for her to leave. Not by a long shot. She know that greedy, needing as much of her as she could get. And it was a dangerous territory she was on. She was growing addicted to the girls presence in a way that was harder and harder to shake.
But in an impulsive impulsive thought, she lifted the corner of the blanket and smiled up at Anntonia who simply stared. Of course. She hadn't expected it to be easy and for her to just cave in but at least, she tried.
"I never strike you as the cuddling type. I always heard you're a hit and run type, take off after sex." The girl said as she narrowed her eyes at her. "What gave me away? My sparkly personality and the rainbow trail I leave behind me?"
"First of all, we didn't have sex so cuddle can be a giveaway though it's a dying man's wish," she to throw her thoughts in a joke, knowing fully well there was no way it could possibly work.
"Then I'll cry on the inside for you." Anntonia said, even making a mocking sad face and she immediately rolled her eyes, sitting up and taking her laptop from the nightstand.
"Come on. Don't be a cockblocker, Brownie. Movie night?"
"It's noon." She corrected her and act so done but she could see a small smile creeping up across the girl's face. "And I'm still mad at you for getting me to go out last night, I almost miss my exam, Michelle Dee. AGAIN."
"Hey! you can't hold that against me. Don't forget that I'm the reason you woke up on time."
"And I thanked you. Which is already a lot, seeing the fact that you were also the reason I almost overslept."
She groaned. She should've known that Anntonia wasn't the type to let anyone win an argument. Not as long as there was still some more fight in her and she really needed a different approach because after all, between the two of them, the latter is the one who's a law student and part of the debate team. And her? Just a literature nerd.
"Fine. Point taken. Consider this a peace offering then. How about we watch whatever you want?" She offered and immediately saw the glint in her eyes before the smile lit up her features.
She didn't have time to rethink her words and regret anything before Anntonia took off her socks and slid next to her under the blanket ignoring the fact that she was just wearing a shirt and underwear. The warmth of the girl's body so close to her made her head spin. She never had someone in her bed that she hadn't had sex with or was about to have sex with before except for her best friends Rhian and Max so she wasn't sure how to feel about this. She'd never had a fully clothed girl in her bed to be specific and she tried so hard to tell herself that this was Anntonia. Her friend. She wasn't supposed to think any malicious thoughts about her. It wasn't like that between them anymore, right? She's more like Rhian and Max now. But somehow, that didn't make her feel any better.
"I get one veto, though," she blurted out, trying to get her head and sense back on track.
Anntonia simply shrugged, then put her finger under her chin, thinking. Pretending to think too, she realized she was up to something. They hadn't been friends long, but she recognized that playful half-smile the girl did when she was plotting something against her.
""Let's see, hmm." Anntonia hummed and act thinking again. "How about The Great Gatsby? The one with Leo?"
Oh, there it was. She was good and she didn't know how she'd ever thought she stood a chance. She was a master at picking off her weaknesses and use them against her.
"Hell no! What the fuck?!" She screamed, her voice suddenly hit the high notes as she glared at her.
"Oh, well," Anntonia sighed happily at her defeat, not even bothering to hide that this had been her intention all along. "Guess I'll settle for Harry Potter."
As much as she wanted to argue, it will only lead to probably more than an hour of fighting over a movie and still ended up with the girl's choice, so be it Harry Potter or not, but at least she would've had the satisfaction of having tried. But then, when she looked at Anntonia again and saw her happy face printed with huge excitement and smile plus her little happy dance, there's nothing else she could do. If all it took to get her to smile at her like that was to watch Harry Potter, then she'd sit here with her and listen to her rant about Harry's PTSD and Draco Malfoy's redemption ark.
"Fine," she shrugged, acting like she wholeheartedly accepted her defeat as she watched her beamed with joy. "Harry Potter it is."
She took a great amount of satisfaction in seeing Anntonia's jaw drop at her easy victory as she scroll over the movies on Netflix, not even bothering to hide her smugness. Now, two things could happen this time. One, if Anntonia thought for a second she was the only one with aces up her sleeve, she had a big storm coming. But unfortunately, for number two, for her, she suspected that all this big storms couldn't measure up to the tiniest one of the girl's tornadoes she brought along with her.