Chapter 26
The bar wasn't too crowded, just the way Gianna liked it. Sapat lang iyong ingay ng mga usapan at low hum ng music para hindi niya marinig ang sariling iniisip.
She arrived in a fitted top, dark jeans, at isang light blazer—casual pero may dating. Hindi pang-wild night out, pero sapat na para sa isang gabing gusto lang niyang makalimot sandali.
As she stepped inside, she spotted Ella right away, already seated at a booth near the back, two drinks in front of her.
"Well, you look like you need this more than me," Ella remarked, grinning as she raised her glass.
Gianna sighed, sliding into the seat. "I just needed a drink, that's all."
She signaled the waiter and ordered whiskey. Something strong. Something to clear her head.
At first, the conversation was light—work, Ella's latest dating disasters, ang usual nilang rant session tungkol sa buhay. It was easy. Familiar. And for a while, Gianna let herself sink into it, pretending she wasn't carrying the weight of something unspoken.
Pero habang dumadami ang inom nila, humahaba rin ang mga katahimikan. Gianna found herself staring into her glass, swirling the liquid absently. The noise of the bar faded into the background.
Ella noticed.
"Alright," Ella said, leaning back against the seat. "What's up with you?"
Gianna blinked, snapping out of it. "What do you mean?"
"You keep spacing out. At whiskey ang iniinom mo, Gianna." Ella smirked. "You only drink whiskey when you actually have shit to think about."
Gianna let out a small laugh, pero hindi niya itinanggi ang sinabi ng kaibigan.
She took another sip, letting the warmth spread through her chest before speaking.
"Have you ever felt like...you messed up something before it even had a chance to be something?" she asked, voice quieter than before.
Ella tilted her head, intrigued. "Okay...That's cryptic as hell, but sige, go on."
Gianna exhaled, pressing the rim of the glass against her lips before setting it down.
"I mean...you let something happen. Hinayaan mo siyang makalapit. And then you realize—maybe you shouldn't have. Maybe you should've drawn the line sooner. But by the time you do, it's too late. And now...it's just messy."
Ella leaned back, swirling her drink thoughtfully.
"Messy how?"
Gianna hesitated. "They got hurt."
Ella's expression didn't change, but her gaze sharpened. "And you?"
Gianna inhaled. "I don't know if I handled it the right way."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"This about a student?"
Gianna stiffened. "It's not like that."
The response was too quick, too defensive.
Ella smirked, taking a slow sip of her drink. "I didn't say it was like anything. I just asked."
Natahimik si Gianna.
Ella studied her for a long moment before finally saying, "Alam mo, Gia...If it's guilt that's eating at you, then ask yourself—ano ba talaga pinagsisisihan mo? Na hinayaan mong lumapit siya? O na itinulak mo palayo?"
The words hit deeper than she expected.
Gianna gripped her glass tighter.
What was she more guilty of?
Letting Kairi in? Or pushing her away?
"Both," she admitted, barely a whisper.
Ella nodded like she already expected that answer. Then, with a knowing smirk, she raised her glass.
"Then, I guess it depends on which one you regret more."
Gianna let out a quiet laugh—soft, bitter. Then she tipped her glass back and drank.
She still didn't have an answer.
The night air was cool, carrying the damp scent of rain that had passed earlier. Neon lights from the bar flickered, casting a faint glow onto the wet pavement as Miss Herrera and Ella stepped outside.
Medyo unstable ang pakiramdam ni Miss Herrera habang naglalakad—not exactly lasing, pero sapat na para maramdaman niyang kailangan niyang mag-focus sa bawat hakbang.
Ella walked ahead, heels clicking lightly against the pavement. Halos hindi man lang lumingon habang dire-diretso papunta sa isang nakaparadang sasakyan malapit sa curb.
"Did you book a ride?" Miss Herrera asked, rubbing her temple lightly.
Ella shrugged. "Something like that."
Pagdating sa gilid ng kotse, nauna si Ella, at agad na binuksan ang pinto ng backseat. Miss Herrera was about to step in, but before she could, Ella placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.
"You take the front," Ella said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Miss Herrera frowned, about to protest, but Ella simply gave her a little push toward the front passenger seat before slipping inside and shutting the door behind her.
She sighed and moved toward the passenger seat. Her fingers curled around the handle, and she pulled the door open.
Then she froze.
Kairi sat in the driver's seat.
The dim streetlamp outside cast a soft golden glow on Kairi's face, highlighting the sharp angles of her jaw. Pero hindi siya nakatingin kay Miss Herrera. Her gaze was fixed on the road, hands resting lightly sa steering wheel—walang tension, walang hesitation.
But if Miss Herrera looked closely, she would've seen it—the faintest twitch in Kairi's fingers, the way her grip on the wheel tightened for half a second before she forced herself to relax.
"Get in, Miss," Kairi said, voice steady.
For a second, Miss Herrera didn't move. A thousand thoughts tangled in her mind, pero wala siyang masabi. Wala rin siyang magawa kung hindi ang pumasok at isara ang pinto.
Kagaya kaninang hinatid ni Miss Herrera si Kairi sa bahay nila, tahimik lang ulit ang biyahe. Pero this time, the silence felt heavier—charged with something unspoken, something neither of them wanted to touch.
Miss Herrera kept her gaze forward, gripping her lap as if holding herself together. Earlier, she had found a flicker of hesitation from Kairi. A reaction. Proof that, despite everything, she still had an effect on her.
But now?
She risked a glance to her side. Kairi's hands rested casually on the steering wheel, her face unreadable...again. Balik na naman siya sa pagiging composed. Detached.
Kairi kept her focus on the road, but her grip on the wheel was firm—too firm. Her jaw clenched for half a second before she forced herself to relax. She knew Miss Herrera was watching her, analyzing, searching.
Pero hinayaan niya lang ang guro. Dahil sa pagkakataong ito, she wouldn't give anything away.
Miss Herrera shifted in her seat, trying to ignore the way the silence stretched, pressing against her skin. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was something else entirely, pero hindi niya kayang hayaan lang ito.
"So," she started, eyes flicking toward Kairi. "Since when did you start driving?"
Kairi didn't look at her, just kept her focus on the road. "A while ago."
"A while ago as in—?"
"As in, matagal na," Kairi clarified, her tone even.
Miss Herrera frowned. "You never drive to school."
"I don't have a car."
"Then whose is this?"
"Kay ate," Kairi answered simply. "She lets me borrow it sometimes."
Miss Herrera glanced at the rearview mirror, catching Ella's reflection—eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
Then, ibinalik niya ang tingin kay Kairi. "You never mentioned this."
"You never asked."
Miss Herrera scoffed, shaking her head. "Right. And you actually have a license?"
Kairi's lips twitched slightly, almost amused. "Miss, do you really want to test that right now?"
Miss Herrera rolled her eyes and turned to the window, forcing herself to look anywhere but at Kairi. The quiet hum of the engine filled the space between them, steady, unbothered—so unlike the storm brewing in her chest.
Of course, Kairi was composed. Of course, she had an answer for everything.
Miss Herrera should be relieved—this distance, this boundary, was what she had asked for.
Then why did it feel like she was the only one struggling to keep it?