Chapter 27
Nang makarating sila sa apartment complex ni Miss Herrera, Kairi smoothly pulled into the curb, shifting the car into park.
"We're here," Kairi said.
Miss Herrera exhaled, unbuckling her seatbelt. Inabot niya ang door handle, handa nang bumaba. Pero bago pa niya tuluyang maitulak ang pinto—
"Take care," Kairi said.
Something about the words—simple, polite, distant—made something snap inside Miss Herrera. That's it? That was all Kairi had to say? No hesitation, no second-guessing, no resistance?
After everything—after the way she clung so tightly before—ganito na lang iyon? Parang wala lang?
Miss Herrera let out a dry, humorless laugh and leaned back against her seat.
"That's it?"
Napakunot ang noo ni Kairi. "What do you mean?"
Miss Herrera turned to her fully, halata ang pagkairita sa mukha niya. "No insistence on coming inside? No reckless stubbornness?"
Hindi agad nag-react si Kairi. Instead, she studied Miss Herrera for a long, unreadable moment. Then, in a calm, almost detached tone, she asked, "Would you rather I force myself in?"
That did it.
Miss Herrera's grip tightened around the door handle.
"Oh, so now you know boundaries?" she snapped before she could stop herself.
A pause.
Kairi's fingers flexed against the steering wheel, pero nanatiling steady ang boses niya. "You told me to, didn't you?"
Miss Herrera's breath hitched.
Kairi turned her head, meeting her gaze. Her eyes—steady, unwavering—held something that made Miss Herrera's stomach twist.
"You told me what I did was wrong. That we shouldn't have gotten close," Kairi said, voice calm. Almost too calm. "So I listened."
Miss Herrera swallowed hard. Masakit pakinggan ang mga salitang sa kanya rin nanggaling. Pero mas masakit kasi wala man lang pag-aalinlangan sa boses ni Kairi.
She forced a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Don't act like you're so above this now."
Kairi let out a slow breath. Then—
"I'm not acting," she murmured. "I just...maybe I finally learned my lesson."
Miss Herrera's jaw clenched, heat rising to her face. "And what lesson was that?"
Kairi's gaze sharpened, but her expression stayed calm. Then, with a quiet finality, she said—
"That I shouldn't push myself where I'm not wanted."
The words hit like a slap.
Miss Herrera's breath caught, her fingers curling into a tight fist against her lap. A sharp, unfamiliar panic twisted in her chest.
No.
She wanted to refute it, throw the words back at Kairi, tell her she was wrong—that she was always wanted.
But nothing came out.
The silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Because wasn't this exactly what she asked for?
Her own words, her own rules—now being used against her.
And Kairi wasn't angry. She wasn't hurt. She was just...accepting it.
Parang tuluyan na talaga siyang bumitaw.
May kung anong frustration na kumulo sa loob ng guro, burning beneath her skin.
Siya ang nagtakda ng hangganan, siya ang naglagay ng pader sa pagitan nila—so why did it feel like Kairi was the one walking away?
This wasn't how it was supposed to feel.
But Kairi only exhaled, fingers tapping once against the steering wheel before reaching for the door lock.
"Miss, you're drunk. You should go."
Miss Herrera's stomach twisted.
That was supposed to be her line. Siya dapat ang may control ng situation, ng takbo ng usapan, at ng kung ano man ito. Siya dapat ang nagpapaalis kay Kairi.
And yet, here she was—being dismissed.
Something inside her recoiled at the finality of it. The calm in Kairi's voice. The way she wasn't fighting anymore.
Ngayon, pakiramdam ni Miss Herrera, siya ang napag-iwanan.
And she hated it.
Without another word, she yanked the door open and stepped out into the cold.
Then—slammed it shut behind her.
Kairi flinched slightly at the sound. Pero hindi siya lumingon. She just sat there, waiting for Miss Herrera to disappear inside before shifting gears.
But even as she forced herself to stare straight ahead, her grip on the wheel tightened—knuckles paling, jaw clenching for just a second too long. She let out a slow breath, releasing her fingers one by one, as if reminding herself that this was the right thing to do.
That she wasn't allowed to want more.
Sa likod, Ella finally stretched, rubbing her eyes.
"Well," she muttered. "That was intense."
Kairi didn't respond. She just kept driving.
Pagdating ni Miss Herrera sa tapat ng pinto ng apartment, nanginginig ang kamay niya—hindi dahil sa lamig, kung hindi dahil sa frustration na hindi niya maipaliwanag. Sinubukan niyang ipasok ang susi sa lock, pero muntik na niya itong mabitawan.
Napilitan siyang huminga nang malalim, pilit pinipigilan ang panginginig ng daliri. Nang sa wakas ay mabuksan niya ang pinto, halos isandal niya ang sarili sa likod nito pagkasara.
She exhaled sharply. Eyes closed. Jaw clenched.
"Fuck," she muttered, running a frustrated hand through her hair.
She didn't want to think about it—about how Kairi barely reacted, about how she acted so mature, so distant, so indifferent.
Miss Herrera scoffed bitterly under her breath, rubbing her face.
Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it meant she did the right thing.
Maybe—
Maybe she should stop thinking about it already.
She groaned, pushing herself off the door at dumiretso sa kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. Habang umiinom, napatigil siya nang maalala ang mga salitang nanggaling kay Kairi.
"Miss, you're drunk. You should go."
Dismissed.
She had been dismissed. Like a student being sent away. Like some insignificant person that didn't matter.
Napahigpit ang pagkakahawak niya sa baso. Nagawa ba talagang sabihin ni Kairi iyon sa kanya? Iyong Kairi na dati lang ay halos ayaw ng umalis sa tabi niya?
Miss Herrera let out a slow, bitter exhale, her lips curling into a humorless smile.
So that's how Kairi wanted to play this?
Fine.
She could play along.
A soft chuckle slipped past her lips, though there was nothing warm about it.
Let's see how long you can keep this up, Miss Ferrer.
The park was almost empty at this hour. Ilang streetlights lang ang nagbibigay-liwanag, casting long shadows over the pavement. The occasional rustling of leaves filled the silence, mixed with the distant hum of passing cars.
Kairi sat on a wooden bench, elbows resting on her knees, fingers loosely clasped together. Tahimik lang siya, staring at nothing in particular. Beside her, Ella stretched, arms behind her head, bago tuluyang binasag ang katahimikan.
"So," Ella started, her tone light but knowing. "Pag-uusapan ba natin ang nangyari kanina, o should I pretend I was asleep the whole time?"
Kairi let out a slow breath at napailing ng ulo. "You shouldn't have been pretending in the first place."
Ella shrugged, completely unfazed. "And you shouldn't have been pretending either."
Napatingin si Kairi sa pinsan. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"
Ella turned her head, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, come on! All that 'I listened, I learned my lesson' crap? Cute, pero..." she let out a knowing chuckle. "Kai, ang obvious mo kaya."
Kairi looked away, jaw tightening.
Ella leaned forward slightly. "You're not over her, are you?"
Kairi exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "You're reading too much into things."
"You're not fooling me, you know."
"I'm not trying to fool anyone."
Ella scoffed. "Bullshit."
Kairi narrowed her eyes. "Really, Ella?"
"I mean, let's be real here," Ella started, leaning her back against the bench.
"You drive all the way there. Walang tanong-tanong, walang pag-aalinlangan.
Hindi ka man lang nagdalawang-isip noong sinabi kong nandoon siya.
You sit in that damn car with a straight face while she tries to push your buttons.
And then—what? You act like you don't care? "
Ella let out a dry chuckle, shaking her head. "You care. You care so much it's fucking crazy."
Kairi clenched her jaw pero hindi siya sumagot.
Ella glanced at her, waiting for some kind of rebuttal. Pero wala.
Instead, Kairi let out a slow, controlled breath.
"If I cared that much, I would've stayed."
Ella hummed, unimpressed. "No, Kairi. If you cared a little less, you would've stayed."
Kairi's fingers twitched against her lap.
A breeze passed between them.
Ella turned her gaze to the sky, exhaling, before speaking again. This time, it was softer.
"Gets ko, okay?" Ella muttered.
"Iniisip mo na ito iyong tama. Na ito iyong best option," Ella shook her head slightly. "Pero at what point do you stop lying to yourself?"
Kairi's throat felt tight.
Ella leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees.
"You've changed, you know."
Kairi's lips parted slightly, pero walang lumabas na salita.
Ella turned to her fully, watching her closely. "Hindi ko lang alam if it's for the better."
The words hit like a slow, sinking weight in Kairi's chest.
For the first time since the conversation started, Kairi looked...unsure.
She exhaled quietly, before finally muttering—
"Ano pa bang dapat kong gawin?"
Ella held her gaze for a long moment.
Then, she leaned back, exhaling.
"I don't know," she shrugged. "But I don't think you do either."
Silence.
Dumampi ang malamig na hangin, slightly ruffling Kairi's hair.
She didn't respond.
And maybe—that was the biggest answer of all.