Chapter 2
Arushi (POV)
Pagdating namin sa mall, agad akong napabuntong-hininga. Ang daming tao, ang ingay, at ang daming unnecessary distractions. Seriously, bakit nga ba ako pumayag dito?
I rolled my eyes. “This is not my definition of fun, Citrine.”
Raegan laughed and slung an arm around my shoulder. “Oh, come on, Shi. Just loosen up, okay? We’ll watch a movie, get some food, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll actually enjoy this.”
Patuloy kaming naglalakad habang si Raegan at Citrine ay busy sa pag-uusap tungkol sa kung anong movie ang papanoorin namin. Ako naman, tahimik lang, looking around, making sure na walang biglaang drama na mangyayari.
Then, suddenly, may napansin akong pamilyar na mukha sa di kalayuan. May isang babae na nakatayo sa harap ng isang clothing store, naka-cross arms at parang may hinihintay. Saglit akong natulala bago ko tuluyang na-recognize kung sino siya.
Napansin din siya ni Raegan at Citrine, at halos sabay silang napasigaw ng—
Napalingon agad si Min-Jae sa direksyon namin, at nang makita niya kami, bahagyang lumawak ang kanyang mga mata bago ito napangiti. “Oh? What a surprise.”
Lumapit kami sa kanya, at bago pa ako makapag-react, bigla nalang siyang niyakap ni Citrine. “Damn, girl, it’s been forever! Akala ko hindi na kita makikita ulit!”
Min-Jae smirked and turned to me. “Still the same, huh, Citrone?”
I crossed my arms. “And what’s wrong with that?”
She chuckled. “Nothing. I actually admire your consistency.”
Nagpatuloy kami sa pag-uusap, catching up about random stuff. Si Min-Jae ay isa sa mga kaibigan namin noon, pero dahil naging busy ang lahat, bihira na kaming magkita. Ngunit sa kabila ng panahon na lumipas, parang walang nagbago sa dynamics namin.
Min-Jae glanced at me, as if silently asking if I was okay with it.
I sighed. “Do I even have a choice?”
She smiled. “Nope.”
And just like that, we ended up with another companion for the day.
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
__
Patuloy kaming naglalakad sa loob ng mall, si Citrine at Raegan abala sa walang katapusang daldalan habang si Min-Jae naman ay chill lang sa tabi ko. I was just minding my own business, zoning out while they talked, nang biglang bumagal ang lakad ni Citrine.
Napatingin ako sa direksyong tinitingnan niya, and lo and behold—Professor Kwon Ruby, aka ang nanay ni Min-Jae, aka isa sa mga pinaka-respetadong professors sa university namin.
Suot niya ang isang eleganteng navy blue na dress, her presence alone radiating authority and grace.
Pero instead na formal greeting, walang pasabing lumapit si Citrine at binigyan siya ng peck sa pisngi.
I nearly choked on my own breath.
Citrine just giggled. “What? It’s called respect, MJ. We greet our elders properly.”
Raegan, standing beside me, suddenly turned to smirk in my direction. Alam ko na agad ang iniisip niya, and I swear to god, if she opens her mouth—
I groaned. “Oh my god, Raegan. Stop.”
I clicked my tongue and turned away. “I don’t.”
Raegan, the devil that she is, leaned in closer to me. “Hmm, really? Kasi parang kinakabahan ka bigla, Shi.”
I shot her a glare. “Shut. Up.”
Ms. Kwon, oblivious (or perhaps just used to this kind of chaos), merely chuckled at our interaction. “It’s nice to see you all together. Nagre-reunion ba kayo?”
Ms. Kwon turned to me with a knowing smile. “Citrine’s right. You’ve always been a bit of a loner, Citrone. It’s good to spend time with your friends.”
I sighed. “Yeah, yeah.”
Min-Jae, still recovering from the earlier embarrassment, crossed her arms. “Mom, don’t encourage them.”
Ms. Kwon just smiled and patted her daughter’s shoulder. “Alright, I won’t keep you. Enjoy your day, kids.”
Citrine, being the extra person that she is, blew a playful kiss in Ms. Kwon’s direction before turning to us with a wink. “Bye, Ms. Kwon~”
Raegan, of course, couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire. She nudged me and whispered, “You sure you don’t have a thing for older women, Shi?”
I facepalmed. This is going to be a long, long day.
__
Pagdating namin sa sinehan, I was finally looking forward to some peace and quiet. The lights dimmed, and the movie started playing. Thank god. At least dito, hindi na ako kailangan makinig sa endless chattering ng dalawang ‘to—
Or so I thought.
I sighed. Not even five minutes in. “Citrine, manood ka na lang.”
She giggled. “Pero ang hot niya, diba? Like, if he—”
Citrine gasped dramatically. “Rae! You can’t silence me! This is a free country—”
Raegan, clearly having had enough, suddenly grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it straight into Citrine’s mouth. “There. Problem solved.”
Citrine made a muffled sound of protest but ultimately just chewed the popcorn, giving Raegan a death glare habang ako naman ay pilit na pinipigilan ang matawa.
Min-Jae, sitting on my other side, leaned in and whispered, “You seriously hang out with these lunatics?”
I sighed. “Unfortunately.”
She smirked. “I forgot how chaotic they were.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, well, welcome back.”
Finally, tahimik na ang lahat, and I could actually focus on the movie. Pero kahit anong gawin ko, hindi mawala sa isip ko ang panaginip ko kagabi. That faceless woman. That strange yet oddly familiar presence. Parang… parang ang lapit niya pero ang layo din niya.
I shook my head. Not now, Arushi.
I forced myself to concentrate on the screen, tuning out every thought except the movie.
At least for now.