No Erase

Amber had never imagined a life where she had to count her money. Not once.

She was born into wealth—the kind that ensured she never had to worry about bills, groceries, or even thinking twice before swiping a black card. She lived in a mansion with a walk-in closet bigger than some people’s apartments, filled with designer clothes, shoes, and bags she barely used.

But that all changed when her parents decided enough was enough.

Enough of her reckless spending, enough of her never learning the value of money. So, on her 22nd birthday, instead of a new car or an spontaneous vacation, they gave her something else—a dose of reality.

“You need to learn responsibility,” her father had said, handing her a new set of house keys—not to a mansion, but to a modest apartment in the city. Her mother had simply kissed her forehead and added, “You’ll have enough for rent, bills, and food. Nothing more.”

Her black cards? Gone.

Her endless bank account? Frozen.

Her new life? A small but decent apartment with her essentials and a daily allowance that was just enough for her rent, bills, and basic food.

And just like that, Amber was on her own.

She thought it was a joke at first. She scoffed. Surely, her parents wouldn’t last a week before caving in and giving her back her privileges.

They didn’t.

Two weeks in, reality hit. Hard

No more spontaneous shopping sprees. No more expensive café dates where she’d buy overpriced coffee just because she could. No more five-star restaurant dinners. She had to budget, had to think, had to calculate every peso. It was humiliating.

But the breaking point came when she saw the limited-edition bag she had pre-ordered months ago finally drop—and she couldn’t afford it. That was when desperation set in.

Reality hit her like a truck—her beloved collection of high-end bags would have to go.

So, she did what any desperate, spoiled former-rich girl would do. She set up a live selling stream.

She sat on her bed, staring at the lineup of luxury bags on the floor. Pristine, barely used, some still in their dust bags. Each one was a symbol of her old life.

She sat in front of her phone, her setup dimly lit because she refused to splurge on a ring light. The screen flashed as viewers trickled in. Amber cleared her throat, trying to sound professional.

“Hello, everyone! Today, I’ll be selling some of my pre-loved designer bags. Authentic, of course,” she added hastily, flipping her hair. “No fakes here. Just a girl trying to, uh, live.”

The chat started flooding with comments.

“Presyong mayaman to for sure.”

“Baka naman 100K isang bag hahaha.”

“Sis, may GCash installment ba?”

Amber rolled her eyes but forced a smile. “Okay, let’s start with this Louis Vuitton—”

And then, it happened.

A notification popped up. A certain @LETTPINK had joined her live. Amber’s stomach dropped.

The chat went wild.

“Uy, andito si Scarlett! Hahaha”

“Pakibaba presyo sa level namin, Ate Amber.”

“Jeje vs Sosyal, let’s gooo.”

Before Amber could process anything, she saw that reply.

“CrU$h,, p4-shOut0uT… bk4 m@Y l1bReng bag dyn…”

Amber squinted at the screen, struggling to understand what Scarlett was saying first before she smirked. “Libre? Girl, do I look like a charity?”

The chat exploded.

“OH MY GOD SHE CLAPPED BACK”

“Walang pa-libre kay ate mayaman HAHAHA”

“Scarlett vs Amber round 1”

Another comment.. “Grabe naman ‘to. Eh kasi naman, Ate, anong gagawin ko sa bag na ‘yan? Lalagyan ng chicharon?”

Amber gasped, scandalized. “This is a Chanel! You don’t put—chicharon—in a Chanel!”

“Eh paano kung gutom ako, Ate? Kailangan practical.”

The chat was losing it. Amber was supposed to be making money, but now her live had turned into an impromptu comedy show. 

And now?

Amber wasn’t sure how she ended up here—broke, on a live stream, fighting for her dignity against Scarlett.

Scarlett, her jejemon classmate who always had the best comebacks and the worst spelling. The same girl who never seemed to care about the rich kids in their school, who found humor in the simplest things while Amber’s world revolved around luxury and prestige.

She wasn’t popular, not in the same way Amber was, but her circle was small and real. Meanwhile, Amber’s circle was… well, let’s just say they wouldn’t even text her now that she wasn’t rolling in luxury anymore.

But seriously? God. Scarlett was painfully and embarrassingly crushing on her. It wasn’t subtle either—Amber knew. The lingering glances, the way Scarlett would always find a way to be near her without being too obvious, the way she’d stammer sometimes when Amber actually spoke to her. It was cute, but she never acknowledged it.

And now? Scarlett wasn’t just here to cause chaos—she was bidding.

“Alright, moving on,” Amber said, brushing imaginary dust off her pristine Chanel bag. “This is a limited-edition Prada handbag, retail price at—”

A comment came immediately

“ATE Amber!” 

Amber almost dropped the bag. “What now?”

"Magkano yan?"

Amber squinted at the comments. Someone named @gucciqueen22 had bid ₱15,000 for the bag. She smirked. “Fifteen thousand. Why? You wanna bid?” she teased.

Without missing a beat, Scarlett typed: ₱15,500.

The chat lost its mind.

“HUH?”

“GAGO SI SCARLETT MAY PERA???”

“WHAT IS GOING ON”

Amber blinked, staring at the screen. “…Are you serious?”

Another comment.

“Grabe naman ‘to. Syempre! Wag mo akong minamaliit, mayaman ako sa pagmamahal,”

The other bidder, @gucciqueen22, raised it to ₱16,000.

Amber exhaled. “Finally, someone normal—”

“₱16,500!” Scarlett sent immediately.

Amber whipped her head back at the screen. “Scarlett, stop! Are you just messing with me?”

Another reply.

“Excuse me, Amber, hindi ako scammer!”

The chat was on fire.

“THIS IS THE CONTENT I LIVE FOR”

“Si ateng pink fighting for her life”

“Amber, just give it to her at this point 😭”

Amber had to stop herself from smiling. “And where exactly are you getting this money?”

“Huwag ka nang magtanong, basta may paraan.”

The chat was howling.

“HUWAG KA NANG MAGTANONG 😭”

“BENTA KOTSE NI PAPA”

“SCARLETT BE SERIOUS”

Amber was about to shut it down when @gucciqueen22 backed out.

A notification popped up:

@LETTPINK won the bid at ₱16,500.

Silence.

Scarlett’s comment came after seconds of the silence. “So, Amber… sa'kin na ‘yung bag, diba?”

Amber groaned. “Oh my God, you actually bought it?”

“Syempre naman! Anything for you, reyna ng puso ko!”

What just happened? And more importantly…

Why did she feel so flustered?

Amber was not flustered. Nope. Definitely not.

She cleared her throat, pushing aside whatever weird feeling had crept up on her. She was here to sell, not to get all… weird because Scarlett was bidding like a lunatic.

“Okay, next item,” she announced, lifting a Gucci shoulder bag. “This one is in excellent condition. Retail price at—”

“₱15,000!” Scarlett commented.

Amber’s grip tightened on the bag. “Can you wait until I finish explaining?”

“Ay sorry, excited lang ako, Queen.”

The chat exploded again.

“HUH??? MAYAMAN NA NGA BA???”

“SCARLETT STOP GIVING ME HOPE”

“She’s just tryna give Amber her money back at this point 😭”

Amber exhaled, turning back to the screen. Someone else, @luxebabe98, had bid ₱16,000. Finally, someone sane.

But then—

“₱16,500.” - @LETTPINK

Amber narrowed her eyes. "Scarlett, seryoso ka ba? What if—” She caught herself. “I mean, like, you totally don’t have to keep bidding, you know? It’s, like… uhh… excessive?”

She cringed at herself. The conyo was conyo-ing too much again.

“What? Hindi mo ba gusto ‘yan?”

Amber scowled at her screen, but she could feel the warmth creeping up her neck. “I mean—yeah, but—”

The chat was having a field day.

“AMBER STUTTERING HELP”

“TINDERA ARC BUT MAKE IT CONYO”

“Sis, tagalogin mo na lang HAHAHA”

Amber huffed. “Okay, fine. I–ito, bag na ito, maganda siya, authentic siya, okay?”

The chat erupted.

“HELP SHE’S STRUGGLING”

“ANG PILIT 😭”

“Ma’am, anong ulam niyo po today?”

A reply from Amber came.

“Teka lang, Amber, bakit parang galit ka? Sabi mo nga ‘authentic’ eh, ganyan din ba sa feelings mo?”

Amber almost dropped the bag. Her ears burned. “W-WHAT?!”

“OH MY GOD.”

“DID SCARLETT JUST FLIRT?”

“NO ONE TALK TO ME.”

Even @luxebabe98 had stopped bidding. The only name left was @LETTPINK

Amber was speechless. “You—you seriously won again?”

“Hindi mo ba ako pagbibigyan?”

Amber let out a breath, rubbing her temple. “You just spent over thirty thousand in one night.”

A pause. 

“Okay lang. Worth it naman.”

Amber disconnected the live.

Amber had never done a delivery in her life.

Yet here she was, standing in front of a modest apartment door. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.

Amber couldn’t believe this was her life now—walking down a poorly lit hallway, carrying two designer shopping bags with no personal driver, no assistant, not even a Grab delivery guy to do it for her. Rock bottom, she thought.

She knocked on the door twice, adjusting her grip on the bags.

The door creaked open almost immediately. Scarlett stood there, barefoot, wearing an oversized hoodie and messy hair that clearly said, I just woke up, don’t judge me.

But what threw Amber off wasn’t her appearance.

It was the way Scarlett—who had spent hours loudly flirting and joking around on the live—now?

She wasn’t even looking at Amber.

She wasn’t grinning like a madwoman. She wasn’t throwing out another one of her ridiculous lines. She wasn’t even making eye contact.

“Uhh… hey.” Scarlett cleared her throat, reaching for the bags. “Thanks.”

That was it? That was it?!

Amber narrowed her eyes. “Are you serious?”

Scarlett’s grip on the bags tightened. “H-Ha?”

Amber crossed her arms, now fully pouting. “Where’s the loudmouth from earlier? Where’s ‘Ate Amber, pa-giveaway naman!’ Where’s ‘Basta may paraan!’” she mocked, mimicking Scarlett’s voice in the most exaggerated way.

Scarlett winced and avoided her gaze. “Uy, grabe, wag mo na akong i-bully…”

Amber huffed dramatically, her pout deepening. “Why are you like this?”

Scarlett was still staring at the bags like they were the most interesting thing in the world. “Like what?”

“Like—” Amber flailed her hands. “Loud and annoying to everyone else but shy around me! It’s frustrating!”

Scarlett finally peeked up at her, cheeks turning pink. “Baka kasi… ikaw ‘yung nakakafrustrate.”

Amber blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Scarlett sighed, still not meeting her eyes. Then, she took a deep breath, hesitated… and softly muttered—

“Pasok ka muna. Gusto mo ng juice?”

Amber deadpanned. “Did you just—deflect?”

“I have mango juice.”

“Scarlett.”

“Fresh mango juice.”

Amber groaned, pushing past Scarlett and stepping inside without permission. “You are so annoying.”

Amber had been in plenty of luxurious penthouses, extravagant hotel suites, and houses so big they needed intercoms to communicate. Scarlett’s apartment? Yeah, not one of those places.

The couch she flopped onto was a little lumpy, the small dining table was covered in books and snack wrappers, and the whole place smelled like… fabric softener and something sweet. Maybe mangoes.

Scarlett shuffled awkwardly to the kitchen, still clutching the designer bags. “Uh, you sure you want juice?”

Amber raised an eyebrow, arms still crossed. “I’m sure I want an answer, not juice.”

Scarlett peeked over her shoulder, clearly struggling to act normal. She looked so different from her usual self—so quiet, so hesitant, so… small.

Amber didn’t like it.

Not because she didn’t want Scarlett to be soft—no, it was because she wasn’t used to it. This wasn’t the same girl who confidently bid thousands in her live or roasted her Tagalog skills in front of thousands of viewers.

This was a Scarlett that only she got to see.

Amber wasn’t sure what to do with that information.

Scarlett cleared her throat, pouring juice into a mismatched glass. “So… paano ka nakarating dito? May driver ka pa rin?”

Amber scoffed. “You think I still have a driver? No, genius, I had to take a bus.”

Scarlett visibly choked. “A bus? Ikaw?!”

“Yes, me.” Amber rolled her eyes. “And before you ask—no, I didn’t die. I didn’t combust into flames. I just sat there. Like a normal person.”

Scarlett stared at her like she had just confessed to robbing a bank. Then, a slow grin stretched across her face. “Ang yaman mo pa rin kahit walang pera.”

Amber gasped. “Excuse me?”

“Yung vibe mo, girl. Parang hindi ka designed para sa commute.” Scarlett chuckled as she handed Amber the juice, sitting beside her—but not too close.

Amber took the glass, squinting at her. “You’re still avoiding my question.”

Scarlett sipped her own juice, looking everywhere except Amber. “Anong tanong?”

Amber groaned, setting the glass down. “Oh my God. Why are you acting like this?! You were so annoying on the live! Now you won’t even look at me!”

Scarlett finally turned, eyes flickering up to Amber’s face before darting away just as fast. “…Eh kasi.”

Amber narrowed her eyes. “Kasi what?”

Scarlett hesitated. Played with her hoodie sleeve. Bit her lip. And then—so quietly that Amber almost missed it—

“Kasi ikaw na yan.”

Silence.

Amber’s breath hitched. “What?”

Scarlett immediately shot up, face completely red. “Juice mo malamig pa ba? Gusto mo ice?”

“Scarlett.”

“Or gusto mo ibang juice? Meron akong calamansi, orange—”

“Scarlett.”

Amber stood too, blocking Scarlett from escaping to the kitchen. Scarlett refused to meet her eyes, but Amber could see how nervous she was—how her fingers curled into her sleeves, how her ears were burning, how she looked like she regretted every life decision that led her to this moment.

Amber wasn’t used to this.

She wasn’t used to feeling like this.

Like she was on the edge of something… big.

Slowly, she took a step closer. “Did you just—”

“Naiihi ako.”

Amber blinked. “You what—”

“NAIIHI AKO!”

And with that, Scarlett bolted to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Amber stood there, juice in hand, heart pounding, utterly speechless.

Then, she sat back down, covered her face with her hands, and groaned.

“Kasi ikaw na yan.”

After that earth-shattering revelation in Scarlett’s apartment, Amber couldn’t not think about it.

It was so obvious now. The bidding, the teasing, the way she was loud to everyone else but quiet around Amber. And the worst part? Now that Amber knew, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

So, naturally, she decided to test it out.

At school the next day, Amber stalked Scarlett. Well, not literally, but whenever she saw Scarlett, she made a point to walk past her, brush shoulders, or—her favorite move—trap her against a wall with a casual hand.

But every time she did, Scarlett would freeze, blush, and run away like her life depended on it.

Now, to everyone else, it looked like Amber was some kind of bully.

“Grabe ka naman kay Scarlett,” one of their classmates whispered as they passed by. “Takot na takot siya sa’yo, oh.”

Amber, standing tall and confident with a smirk, crossed her arms. “Takot? Really? You sure about that?”

Across the hallway, Scarlett was literally pretending to read a poster, peeking at Amber like a kid caught stealing candy.

Amber narrowed her eyes and took a step forward.

Scarlett immediately turned the other way and speed-walked down the hall.

Amber groaned. Oh my God, she’s avoiding me.

It went on for the whole day. Every time Amber tried to approach Scarlett, the girl would stammer, look anywhere but at her, and run.

It was frustrating. So frustrating.

So, by the time classes ended, Amber had had enough.

She stood by the exit, waiting.

And as soon as Scarlett walked out—looking all innocent and unsuspecting—Amber grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside.

“Okay, enough,” Amber huffed, staring her down. “Why are you running from me?”

Scarlett stiffened. “H-Hindi kaya–”

“You are.” Amber tilted her head, stepping closer. “What’s wrong? You weren’t like this before.”

Scarlett swallowed, her face already turning pink. “Walang mali.”

Amber smirked. “Really?”

She took another step forward.

Scarlett immediately stepped back.

Another step forward.

Scarlett, once again, stepped back.

This went on until—

Thud.

Scarlett hit the wall.

The moment she realized she was cornered, her eyes finally locked onto Amber’s—wide, panicked, and helplessly flustered.

The second their gazes met, her whole face exploded into red.

The hallway, filled with students, erupted.

“AYIEEEEEEE!!!”

“TANGINA SCARLETT NAPATUNAYAN NA MAY CRUSH KA!”

“ANG CUTE NILA, LORD!”

Amber’s grin widened as she leaned in slightly, her voice dropping. “Oh? Why are you looking at me now?”

Scarlett gulped. “I—I don’t—I wasn’t—”

More cheers. More teasing. More shamelessly loud reactions from their classmates.

Scarlett clenched her eyes shut, groaning. “Oh my God, pwede ba akong mag-drop out?”

Amber laughed. 

Amber wasn’t sure what was more amusing—the way Scarlett refused to open her eyes, or the fact that their classmates were literally acting like this was some kind of romantic drama unfolding in real-time.

“OH MY GOD, JUST CONFESS NA LANG!”

“Amber ANG TAPANG GRABE, WALANG TAKAS.”

“ANG CRUSH NAGING KALABAN, GANYAN.”

Scarlett groaned louder, pressing herself further against the wall, as if she could physically disappear into it. “Amber, please, kaya ko pang lumaban sa buhay—wag mo akong i-bully.”

Amber snorted. “I’m not bullying you. I just want you to look at me properly.”

Scarlett’s hands flew up to cover her entire face. “Wag na lang.”

Amber tilted her head, her smirk growing. “But why? You looked at me just fine on my live.”

Scarlett visibly flinched. “H-Hindi naman kita kaharap non!”

“Exactly.” Amber leaned slightly closer. “So, ano? Behind a screen, kaya mo. But in person?” She paused, letting the tension build. “Parang hindi mo na ako matitigan.”

Scarlett was fully red now.

Amber loved it.

“Ayieeeeeeeeee!!!”

The teasing got even louder, some students even stomping their feet in excitement. Someone was dramatically fanning themselves. Another person was pretending to wipe away tears like this was the ending of a teleserye. 

Scarlett finally cracked. She peeked through her fingers, glancing at Amber just for a second—only to immediately look away again.

Amber’s grin turned mischievous. “See? You’re doing it again.” 

Scarlett groaned into her hands. “Ayoko na. Lalagnatin na yata ako.” 

Amber chuckled. “Hmm. I wonder why?” 

Scarlett shot her a glare, but her flustered face ruined the effect completely. “I hate you.” 

“Liar.” Amber crossed her arms, pretending to think. “Actually, let me help you out.” 

Scarlett squinted. “Ano?” 

Amber’s expression turned smug. “If you can look into my eyes for five seconds without turning away, I’ll stop teasing you.” 

Scarlett stiffened. “H-Ha?” 

“Five seconds,” Amber repeated, holding up a hand. “That’s it.” 

Scarlett swallowed, her hands dropping to her sides, fidgeting. “And if I can’t?” 

Amber shrugged. “Then I definitely won’t stop teasing you.” 

A tense silence. 

Then, a determined exhale from Scarlett.

“Okay,” she muttered, steeling herself. “Fine.”

Amber raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Confident ka bigla?”

Scarlett squared her shoulders. “Kaya ko ‘to.”

The students around them shut up real quick, leaning in, waiting.

Amber grinned, counting in her head. “Alright. Five seconds. Ready?”

Scarlett nodded, inhaling sharply.

Amber met her gaze.

One second.

Scarlett’s fingers twitched.

Two seconds.

Her ears started turning red again.

Three seconds.

Her jaw clenched, her eyes flickering like she desperately wanted to look away.

Four seconds.

Amber smirked.

Then—

“AYIEEEE!!” Someone screamed in the background—probably at the drama, probably just to mess with Scarlett—

And that was all it took.

Scarlett completely broke, her face practically bursting into red as she spun around.

The entire hallway erupted into chaos.

“TANGINA TALOOOO!!”
“WALANG PRIZE PERO NAG-GIVE UP PA RIN HAHAHA”
“AMBER PANALO, NO SURPRISE.”

Scarlett ran.

Not just walked away, not just escaped the teasing—she ran.

Because the humiliation that clung to her was too much. Not because of her feelings, no—she had come to terms with that a long time ago. She was embarrassed because Amber outed her like that. In front of everyone. In front of their entire batch.

Now, she’d forever be remembered as the girl who got exposed for crushing on Amber Arceta.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she pushed through the crowd, ignoring the way her classmates howled with laughter.

“AYIEEE SCARLETT ‘WAG KANG TUMAKBOOOO!!”

“LAGI KA NAMANG TINATAKBOHAN NI Amber, BALIKTAD NA NGAYON!”

“HAHAHAHA LOOK AT AMBER, CHASING SCARLETT?? HISTORIC.”

But Scarlett couldn’t look. She could barely breathe.

She didn’t stop running until she reached the empty school garden, a place where she could finally breathe.

Or at least, she thought she was alone.

Because the second she turned—

"Amber?!"

Amber stood there, hands on her knees, completely out of breath. “Jesus Christ, Scarlett, do you always run this fast?”

Scarlett froze. "You—” She swallowed. “You chased me?”

Amber straightened, chest rising and falling, strands of hair falling over her face. “Of course I did.”

Scarlett blinked.

She should have been angry. She should have yelled at Amber for embarrassing her, for making a public spectacle out of her dumb, hopeless crush.

But she couldn’t move.

Because Amber—standing there, slightly disheveled from running, the golden afternoon sun catching the soft curves of her face—

Looked like a goddess.

Aphrodite herself, in disguise.

And it made Scarlett's breath catch in her throat.

Amber took a slow step forward, her brows furrowing. “Why did you run?”

Scarlett let out a hollow laugh, trying to shake off the daze. “Are you seriously asking me that?”

“Yes.”

“You embarrassed me in front of the whole school, Amber.”

Amber frowned. “I—I didn’t mean to. I was just—” She huffed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I don’t know. I got carried away.”

Scarlett scoffed. “You got carried away?”

“Yeah,” Amber said quietly. Then, more hesitantly—“But it wasn’t… bad, right?”

Scarlett turned to her, incredulous. “Are you kidding me?”

Amber stepped even closer. “I mean, the way you looked at me back there—”

Scarlett winced. “Amber, please, stop—”

“No.” Amber’s voice was firm.

Amber didn’t speak. She just stood there, eyes locked onto Scarlett’s, like she was searching—waiting—for something.

And Scarlett knew the question in her gaze.

"Why did you even run?"

This was her chance. She could joke about it, could deflect with her usual kanal humor, pretend it wasn’t that deep.

She could say, "Kasi gusto kong mag-cardio," or "Feeling ko nasa teleserye ako, sayang naman kung ‘di ako tatakbo," or something—anything that would lighten the air and let her run away again.

But she was tired of running.

So instead, she took a shaky breath, clenched her fists at her sides, and—

"Kasi gusto kita."

Because when Scarlett finally met her gaze, when their eyes locked—

Amber saw it.

The love. The raw, unfiltered adoration.

It was real.

And it made Amber forget how to breathe.

“…Oh,” Amber whispered.

Scarlett’s fingers twitched. Because Amber wasn’t just staring at her anymore—she was seeing her.

And for the first time, Scarlett felt completely exposed.

She had nowhere to hide.

And Amber—who used to live in a world of gold and luxury—was standing here, in front of her, looking at her like she was something priceless.

Aphrodite had nothing on Amber Arceta.

And God help her, but Scarlett was so screwed.

It came out soft. Honest. No joke, no teasing—just the truth.

And it must have hit Amber, because she froze.

The silence between them stretched. Scarlett’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.

Amber had heard a hundred confessions before. A thousand, maybe. Boys, girls, strangers, classmates—people she didn’t even know existed until they suddenly had the courage to tell her they liked her.

But this?

Hearing it—from Scarlett—was different.

It felt different.

It wasn’t a grand confession, wasn’t rehearsed or wrapped in poetic words like the love letters she used to get.

It was raw. Unpolished.

It was real.

And for the first time in her life, Amber understood what it meant when people said their heart skipped a beat.

Because hers just did.

Scarlett, still holding her breath, forced out a shaky laugh. “Tangina, ang corny ko.”

Amber swallowed. Her mind was spinning.

She should say something—should react—but all she could focus on was the way Scarlett had said it.

Not "I like you." Not in English, not in some awkward, overly-planned confession.

"Kasi gusto kita."

Like it was just that simple.

And somehow, that felt so much better.

Amber stared.

And Scarlett panicked.

Her heart was already threatening to punch its way out of her chest, but Amber’s silence? The way she just looked at her? That was so much worse than being rejected on the spot.

“W-Wala kang narinig, okay?” Scarlett blurted out, waving her hands frantically. “Nag-hallucinate ka lang, baka gutom ka na. Dapat kumain ka muna bago ka maghabol ng tao—”

Amber blinked.

Then, to Scarlett’s absolute horror, Amber smiled.

No—grinned.

And God, she had never looked so—

“You’re cute.”

Scarlett died.

Not literally, obviously, but she wished she did. Right there. On the spot. Someone call a priest. Dig her grave. Goodbye, world.

“I—” Scarlett wheezed. “I hate you.”

Amber laughed. Actually laughed. “Liar.”

Scarlett groaned, covering her face. This was not happening.

“You said it so seriously,” Amber continued, clearly enjoying every second of Scarlett’s suffering. “No jokes, no distractions.”

“I can take it back,” Scarlett mumbled, absolutely regretting everything.

“You won’t.”

“I can.”

“But you won’t.”

Scarlett groaned even louder, wanting the earth to swallow her whole.

Amber tilted her head, stepping closer. “Say it again.”

Scarlett’s hands dropped from her face. “Ha?”

Amber’s grin softened, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. “Say it again.”

Scarlett choked. “Amber—”

“Come on.” Amber smirked. “Unless…”

She leaned in, and Scarlett felt her breath hitch.

“… You don’t mean it?”

Oh, Amber was evil.

Because now, it was a challenge.

Scarlett’s pride was at stake.

And she refused to back down.

So, with all the courage she could gather, she squared her shoulders, looked Amber dead in the eyes, and—

"Gusto kita."

And this time—

Amber’s breath hitched.

Scarlett saw it. The way Amber’s confidence stuttered for just a second. The way her lips parted slightly, how her grip on her phone tightened.

And that—that moment of weakness—

Made everything worth it.

“… Hmm,” Amber hummed, recovering quickly. But now, there was a new glint in her eye. Something dangerous. Something excited.

Like a challenge had just been accepted.

“Well then,” Amber murmured, stepping even closer—so close that Scarlett could see the warmth in her deep brown eyes.

“Let’s see if you’ll still be able to say that,” Amber smirked, “when I make you fall even harder.”

Scarlett’s brain shut down.