Chapter 81
Kairi woke before her alarm.
She frowned at the ceiling for a moment, wondering what had pulled her from sleep, pero tahimik pa rin ang buong kwarto. Walang notifications sa phone niya, walang ingay, at hindi pa ganoon ka-busy ang traffic sa labas.
Inabot niya ang phone sa bedside table at tiningnan ang oras.
6:08 a.m.
Eight-thirty pa dapat ang alarm niya.
For a moment, naisip niyang ipikit na lang ulit ang mga mata niya. Pero instead, napabuntong-hininga siya at dahan-dahang bumangon.
Tahimik pa ang apartment nang lumabas siya ng kwarto.
Sarado pa ang doors ng room nina Zoe at Maya at wala ring ilaw mula sa ilalim ng mga pinto. They were still asleep.
Good.
She grabbed a towel and a fresh set of clothes before heading into the bathroom. The warm water helped wash away the last traces of sleep at nang bumalik siya sa room niya, parang mas magaan na ang pakiramdam niya kaysa kagabi.
Standing in front of her closet with a towel draped over her shoulders, she had just finished buttoning her blouse when her phone vibrated on the bed.
She reached for it without much thought.
Isang notification lang ang nasa lock screen.
Good morning. I hope you slept well.
Saglit siyang natigilan.
Then she unlocked her phone. The conversation opened to the messages from the night before and without realizing it, she was already smiling.
Halos agad dumating ang reply.
Hindi nawala ang ngiti ni Kairi.
Three little dots appeared beneath her message disappeared, then returned a moment later.
Napatawa nang mahina si Kairi bago nag-type.
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
Napailing si Kairi, still smiling, before slipping her phone into her pocket. Then lumabas siya ng room at naglakad papunta sa kitchen just as the apartment was beginning to wake.
Maya was already there, standing in front of an open cupboard with a cereal box tucked beneath one arm. Napatingin siya kay Kairi nang marinig ang footsteps niya.
"You're up early."
"So are you."
"I have an eight-thirty class," Maya said, reaching for a bowl before looking back at her. "Ikaw?"
"Mamayang ten pa."
She paused halfway through pouring cereal. "Then bakit ang aga mong nagising?"
Kairi opened the refrigerator and reached for the milk. "I just woke up early."
"Voluntarily?"
"Hindi na ako nakatulog ulit."
"Huh." Maya studied her curiously. "I thought you'd sleep in after yesterday."
"So did I," Kairi admitted with a shrug. "But here we are."
She placed her bowl on the counter and poured in the cereal, pero bago pa niya maabot ang milk, nag-vibrate ang phone sa pocket niya.
Almost automatically, she stopped what she was doing.
She pulled her phone out, unlocked the screen, and smiled.
Pinanood siya ni Maya habang nagta-type ng reply bago muling bumalik sa cereal na ilang segundo lang niyang iniwan.
"Someone's popular this morning."
Napatingin si Kairi sa kanya, confused. "What?"
"You answered that pretty fast."
"Oh."
She glanced back at the phone. "I guess I did."
Muling nag-vibrate ang phone niya.
Without thinking, kinuha niya ulit iyon, mabilis na nag-type ng reply, then finally placed it face down beside her bowl.
Maya only raised an eyebrow.
Instead of commenting, kinuha lang nito ang breakfast niya at naglakad papunta sa dining table.
Makalipas ang isang minuto, sumunod si Kairi.
For a while, the apartment remained peaceful. The only sound came from spoons tapping lightly against the ceramic bowl.
Then Kairi's phone buzzed again.
She glanced down instinctively. The screen lit up with another message and almost absentmindedly, she picked it up and replied.
Maya watched the exchange for another minute before smiling to herself.
"So..."
Kairi looked up. "Hmm?"
"Sino namang ka-text mo nang ganito kaaga?"
The answer came so naturally that Kairi barely thought about it.
"Miss Herrera."
Maya blinked once. "Oh."
Kairi returned to her cereal. "Nag-uusap lang kami."
"I can see that," Maya said, smiling. "Hindi ko lang in-expect."
Nagkibit-balikat si Kairi. "Nag-send siya ng good morning message."
"So magkausap na kayo since pagkagising mo?"
"I guess."
Saglit na natahimik si Maya before resting her chin lightly on her hand.
"How's that feel?"
This time, talagang pinag-isipan ni Kairi ang tanong. Tumingin siya sa bowl niya bago sumagot.
"It feels normal."
Unti-unting lumawak ang ngiti ni Maya.
"I think that's a good sign."
Bago pa makasagot si Kairi, bumukas ang isang bedroom door.
Zoe wandered into the dining area with a towel wrapped around her damp hair, absently rubbing the ends dry with another towel resting over her shoulders. Tumingin siya kay Maya, then kay Kairi.
"What are we talking about?"
"Kairi's texting Miss Herrera," sagot ni Maya.
Biglang huminto si Zoe. "Already?"
Napatingin si Kairi mula sa phone niya.
"What do you mean, already?"
"It's not even seven."
"So?"
Zoe gestured vaguely toward the wall clock. "May mga taong gising na before seven?"
Napatawa si Maya. "They've been texting since Kairi woke up."
Dahan-dahang bumaling si Zoe kay Kairi.
"Why are you up so early?"
"Nagising lang ako tapos hindi na ako nakatulog."
"Hmm," Zoe hummed, narrowing her eyes. "I blame Miss Herrera."
Kairi rolled her eyes. "You blame her for everything."
"I do not. I also blame Ella sometimes."
"Zoe, hindi nakakatulong 'yan sa argument mo."
Maya laughed as she carried her empty bowl toward the sink.
"I'll let you two continue."
Bago siya tuluyang umalis, she shot Kairi a knowing smile. "Maliligo muna ako."
As she disappeared down the hallway, Zoe wandered into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. She moved lazily from cupboard to cupboard with the ease of someone who had repeated the same morning routine hundreds of times.
While waiting for the kettle to boil, she glanced toward the dining table.
Kairi's phone lit up again. Without thinking, she smiled at whatever appeared on the screen. It wasn't a big smile, just a slight lift at the corner of her mouth before she typed another reply.
Zoe watched the exchange for a few seconds before carrying her bowl to the table and sitting across from her.
She waited until Kairi reached for the phone again.
"Hey."
Kairi looked up. "Hm?"
Zoe nodded toward the bowl in front of Kairi. "Finish your cereal first."
Kairi blinked. "What?"
"Your cereal," Zoe said, pointing with her spoon. "Magiging soup na 'yan kate-text mo diyan."
Napatingin si Kairi sa bowl and finally realized na ilang minutes na pala siyang hindi nakakakain.
"Oh. Right."
A small smile tugged at Zoe's lips. "Kai, mabubuhay naman siya kahit five minutes kang hindi mag-reply."
Kairi looked at her phone, then back at the bowl in front of her before giving a reluctant nod.
"You're probably right," she agreed, turning the phone face down and sliding it a little farther away. "There."
"There," Zoe repeated with satisfaction.
Only then did Kairi pick up her spoon and finally finish her breakfast.
She stretched her arms over her head before slipping her backpack onto her shoulder and making her way outside. The moment she stepped through the library doors, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
A smile tugged at Kairi's lips before she even realized it. She unlocked her phone as she walked down the steps and typed back.
She had barely reached the bottom of the staircase when another notification appeared.
Kairi couldn't help laughing under her breath.
The typing indicator appeared almost immediately, disappeared for a second, then returned.
Kairi slowed to a stop in the middle of the walkway.
It wasn't a loaded question. It wasn't Can we talk? or Are you free?
It was simply coffee.
Casual and ordinary. The kind of invitation that belonged to people who had already talked enough that silence no longer felt something to be afraid of.
She found herself smiling again before replying.
A few seconds later another message appeared.
By the time Kairi slipped her phone back into her pocket, she realized the conversation had felt strangely effortless. Only a few days ago, every word between them had seemed impossibly difficult.
Now, they were arranging coffee the way they once arranged lesson consultations and the familiarity of it caught her off guard.
The café was only a short walk from the apartment building. Unlike the coffee shop near the university na halos laging puno ng students na nagmamadali dahil sa deadlines, this one sat along a quieter street lined with neighborhood restaurants and small family-owned stores.
Most of the customers coming in and out looked like people na katatapos lang sa work rather than students rushing between classes and the slower pace gave the whole street a different kind of calm.
Kairi slowed as the familiar storefront came into view. Almost at the same moment, a black sedan eased into an empty parking space across the street.
She recognized it immediately.
The driver's door opened and Gianna stepped out, locking the car before looking up. Their eyes met across the street and for a brief moment neither of them moved.
Then, almost at the same time, they crossed the remaining distance.
"You got here fast," Kairi said when they stopped in front of each other.
"So did you," Gianna replied with a smile.
"I walked."
"I drove."
Kairi laughed softly. "I mean, kalalabas ko lang ng library kanina. Akala ko mauuna pa ako."
"I know," Gianna said. "You still beat me."
That made Kairi tilt her head. "Really, Miss? What were you doing nearby?"
Gianna adjusted the strap of her shoulder bag before answering. "A few errands."
"What kind of errands?"
"The boring adult kind."
Napakunot-noo si Kairi, giving her an exaggeratedly suspicious look. "That's suspiciously vague."
"It is."
"And hindi mo sasabihin? Not elaborating?"
Gianna's smile widened just enough to give her away. "No."
Kairi let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, Miss. Sige na, palalampasin ko na."
"I appreciate that."