Love is blind?
Aiah sat slumped on the plush couch of her apartment, a pillow hugged tightly to her chest. Her usually calm and confident demeanor was nowhere to be found, it replaced by a rare pout that caught her friends’ attention who just arrived.
Stacey plopped down beside her, raising a curious eyebrow. “Alright, spill it. What’s with the sulking, ate Aiah? Para kang batang inagawan ng candy.”
Mikha leaned on the kitchen counter, sipping her iced coffee. “Sinong umaway sa baby girl ni cutie busker?” she quipped, earning a glare from Aiah.
Aiah groaned, burying her face in the pillow. “It’s so embarrassing,” she muttered, her voice muffled by the fabric.
Mikha and Stacey exchanged amused looks. “What’s embarrassing, ate Aiah?” Mikha pressed.
“Dudang may gagawin kang kahihiyan,” Stacey teased. “Pero hindi malabo kung tungkol kay... alam mo na.”
Aiah peeked out from behind the pillow, her cheeks tinged pink. “Last night… I finally approached Jhoanna after her busking.”
Mikha nearly choked on her coffee. “Wait, you approached her? You finally had the courage to approach her, ate? Well, this is fun!”
Aiah shot her a look but nodded. “Yes. And she didn’t even recognize me!”
“What?! How could she not recognize you? Baka naman balot na balot ka nanaman with your hoodie, cap, and mask?” Stacey questioned with mock shocked reaction.
Aiah winced, her face scrunching up as she recalled the moment.
—
Aiah, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, slowly reached up and pulled her mask off, revealing her face. She watched Jhoanna closely, expecting some kind of reaction—shock, surprise, maybe even recognition. Her heart beating so fast that it might’ve surpassed her heartbeat record during her fun runs and jog.
Jhoanna, however, didn’t immediately react. Instead, she looked up, blinking a few times before squinting slightly since there’s a good distance between them.
“Finally! Kakain na siya!” Jhoanna cheered playfully, her tone filled with mock relief.
Aiah's jaw dropped for a moment, confused by the lack of a dramatic response. She glanced down at herself, suddenly self-conscious. “You... you don’t recognize me?” she asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into her voice.
Jhoanna, oblivious to the shift in mood, shrugged nonchalantly and took a bite of her food before looking at Aiah, her expression puzzled and embarrassed. “Uh… hindi ko suot glasses ko tsaka medyo madilim dito sa pwesto natin. Malabo lang, ha, baka magtaas ka pa ng daliri sabay tanong kung ‘ilan ‘to?’”
Aiah couldn’t help but pout though it was replaced immediately as she laugh quietly at how nonchalant Jhoanna was, despite everything. It was almost as if her identity wasn’t as important to Jhoanna as the fun, spontaneous moment they were sharing.
As they finished their meal, the younger glanced at her phone and sighed, her expression shocked.
“Shucks, I need to go na pala,” Jhoanna said, wiping her hands on a napkin. “Naghihintay nga pala friends ko sa place ko."
Aiah quickly pulled her mask back on before Jhoanna could even look up.
Jhoanna stood up, slinging her guitar case over her shoulder. “Thank you for trusting me enough to join me in a meal, mask girl. Sana na-convert kita as a fan ko,” she said, her grin wide as she flashed a thumbs up.
Aiah stood too, nodding slowly. “I’ll see you around.”
But Jhoanna wasn’t paying attention to her tone, too caught up in the excitement of the moment. “Next time ulit!” she said, turning around with a mischievous smile.
“Take care, Jho,” Aiah replied softly, her voice slightly muffled by the mask that it didn’t reach the busker.
Jhoanna wore her glasses and waved before heading off, her friends already bugging her about her whereabouts.
As Jhoanna walked away, Aiah's heart felt both light and heavy at the same time. She watched her go, a small smile playing on her lips, then quietly adjusted her mask once more. Her chest tightened as the words Jhoanna had said echoed in her mind
“Next time ulit!”
She chuckled softly to herself. Maybe, just maybe, she was starting to believe that next time wouldn’t be so far away.
—
Stacey and Mikha were both roaring with laughter after Aiah finished recounting the story. Stacey clutched her stomach, tears forming in her eyes as she managed to choke out, “Oh my god! Ang clueless and very innocent ni Jhoanna. Ang funny but endearing at the same time!”
Mikha, holding back her own giggles, added, “Grabe, the drama in your head and she’s just out here surviving nearsightedness, ate Aiah. Gaano ba kataas yung grado ng eyes n’ya?”
Aiah threw a pillow at Mikha, who narrowly dodged it, still laughing. “Stop! I didn’t know she couldn’t see clearly without her glasses. Do you know how mortifying it was? I thought I was making some big reveal na, tapos wala lang pala sa kanya!”
Stacey finally sat down beside her, wiping tears from her eyes. “Uy, baka naman hindi ‘wala lang sa kanya’. But wait, bakit hindi siya nag-glasses? I mean, isn’t that basic survival for someone with high-grade nearsightedness?”
Abigail let out a defeated sigh. “She said it was getting in the way of her face, so she decided to keep them off.”
Mikha, grinning, teased, “Kaya naman pala, ate! You were expecting a slow-mo, k-drama moment, tapos wala. She was just trying to figure out if ikaw ba yun or poste!"
“Pero that is some next level straight out of a rom-com movie moment ah,” Stacey added, trying her best not to burst out with laughter.
Aiah groaned. “Stop laughing na! It’s not funny!”
“This is hilarious,” Mikha said between giggles.
“True. Imagine, you had your ‘ta-da’ moment, and Jhoanna basically went, ‘Sino ka d’yan ‘te?’” Stacey added.
Aiah winced, her face scrunching up as she recalled the moment. “She thought I was just some random fan pa nga… or worse, someone sent by the barangay to complain about the noise.”
Stacey clutched her stomach, laughing. “You mean to tell me, the Aiah Arceta, got mistaken for a barangay official? That’s gold! Your kwento just made my day na talaga like no one can top this!”
Aiah glared at Stacey, though the embarrassment was evident in her flushed cheeks. “Staks naman! I got so self-conscious and panicked kaya I put my mask back on before I could even introduce myself properly.”
Mikha smirked, leaning closer. “Wait, wait. So, hindi n’ya pa rin alam until now na ikaw yung kasama and kausap n’ya?”
Aiah shook her head, groaning again. “No! I panicked, okay? And now I feel like an idiot. Kilala n’ya lang ako as ‘mask girl.’ I’m so stupid.”
Stacey nudged Mikha, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Wait, how did the two of you ended up eating together pala? I feel like we missed a chapter.”
Mikha grinned. “Oo nga, ate Aiah!"
“I'm not telling you anything na,” Aiah snapped, her cheeks turning pink again because of embarrassment.
Stacey ignored her, her grin widening. “Kailangan mo pumunta ulit and magpakilala! You know, sabihin mo you're the one she has a massive crush on.”
Aiah’s head shot up, her wide eyes betraying her surprise. “Wait, what? She… she doesn’t—”
Mikha cut her off with a teasing laugh. “Oh, come on, ate Aiah. It’s all over her busking videos kaya. She literally dedicated a song to you, in front of a crowd. What more proof do you need?”
“Hindi n’ya naman binanggit kung sino sa ating apat!”
“Pero what if ikaw?” Stacey countered.
Aiah’s cheeks turned crimson, her heart skipping a beat at the memory of Jhoanna’s performance.
What if nga? Would it be possible na that song was dedicated to me talaga?
“Basta feel ko ikaw talaga ‘yon,” Stacey added. “Check mo social media accounts mo tapos i-repost mo yung videos n'ya baka sakaling mapansin ka.”
“Stop it,” Aiah mumbled, her hands covering her face.
Mikha and Stacey shared a victorious high-five, laughing at their friend’s rare display of bashfulness. “Talino mo doon, Staks! Imagine, Aiah Arceta, nagpapapansin?”
“Alright, enough na baka biglang dumapo yung kamao ni ate Aiah sa pagmumukha natin,” Stacey said, leaning back with a smirk. “But seriously, you’ve got to tell her next time. Or at least let her recognize you without the mask, ate Aiah. Paano mag kaka-progress ang love story n’yo n’yan?”
Aiah sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips despite her embarrassment. “Yeah… maybe next time.”
—
Jhoanna groggily rubbed her eyes, still tangled in the warmth of her blankets. Her phone buzzed relentlessly on the nightstand, the screen flashing with multiple notifications. She groaned, half tempted to ignore it, but curiosity got the better of her so she reached for it.
As she swiped the screen to check, her eyes widened at the flood of messages from Sheena and Maloi.
Maloi: Gising na, bading!!!
Sheena: CHECK YOUR SOCIALS, ATE JHO!
Sheena: Tulog mantika!
Maloi: JOWANAAAAAA ROBLES!!!
Her pulse quickened. What’s going on?