Stacey Sevilleja had never been the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. She was all sharp edges, perfected with an effortless grace that drew people in, even as she pretended not to notice. But for all her aloofness, there was one person who had stubbornly inserted herself into Stacey's life: Maloi Ricalde.
Maloi was loud, persistent, and undeniably charming—a walking ray of sunshine with a knack for turning even Stacey's worst days into bearable ones. Stacey didn't know when Maloi's relentless antics started growing on her, but she hated admitting it to herself, let alone to Maloi.
And so, Stacey kept her feelings hidden. If Maloi wanted to keep chasing her, that was fine. Stacey wasn't in any rush to reciprocate—or so she thought.
One Friday afternoon, Stacey was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram while waiting for her iced coffee order. A post from Colet, Maloi's best friend, popped up on her feed. It was a series of candid photos of Colet and Maloi at a café.
In one picture, Maloi was laughing mid-sentence, her dimples on full display, while Colet leaned into her shoulder with an expression that could only be described as soft. The caption read:
"Kasi naman, hindi lahat kayang intindihin 'to the way you do. 😉"
Stacey froze. Ano raw?
She reread the caption, her blood simmering beneath her usually cool exterior. What exactly was Colet implying? And why did Maloi look so comfortable with her?
Her grip on her phone tightened. She told herself it wasn't a big deal—Maloi and Colet were practically inseparable, after all—but the unsettling feeling in her chest said otherwise.
"Uy, Stacey, mukhang galit ka ata sa phone mo?"
Stacey snapped out of her daze to find Aiah, one of her classmates, smirking at her from across the table.
"I'm fine," Stacey replied coolly, locking her phone.
Aiah raised an eyebrow. "Sige na, ano na naman ginawa ni Maloi?"
The question caught Stacey off guard. "What makes you think this is about Maloi?"
"Come on," Aiah teased, leaning forward. "You're only like this when it's about her. What did she do this time? Too much kulit? Or... something else?"
Stacey glared at her, but Aiah didn't back down. Finally, she sighed and muttered, "It's not her. It's Colet."
Aiah's amused expression flickered, replaced by genuine curiosity. "Colet? Bakit naman?"
Stacey hesitated. "She posted something... weird. About Maloi. It looked—" She stopped herself, embarrassed.
"Looked what?" Aiah pressed.
"Intimate," Stacey finished, her voice lower now.
Aiah stared at her for a beat before bursting into laughter.
"Hindi nakakatawa," Stacey snapped, crossing her arms.
"Sorry, sorry!" Aiah said, still chuckling. "Pero grabe ka, Stacey. Are you seriously jealous of Colet? Alam mo namang magkaibigan lang sila ni Maloi."
"I'm not jealous," Stacey protested, though the heat rising to her cheeks betrayed her.
"Sure ka?"
Stacey refused to answer, but deep down, she knew Aiah was right. She was jealous—and that terrified her.
The next day, Stacey couldn't shake off the image of Colet and Maloi from her mind. She needed to do something before it drove her crazy.
When Maloi approached her after class with her usual grin and a coffee in hand, Stacey decided it was time to take action.
"Para sa'yo," Maloi said, holding out the cup. "Alam kong late na naman 'yung iced coffee mo kahapon, kaya naisip ko—"
"Are you and Colet dating?" Stacey interrupted.
Maloi blinked, caught completely off guard. "Ha?"
"Colet," Stacey repeated, crossing her arms. "Are you two... together?"
"Anong 'together'?" Maloi asked, tilting her head like a confused puppy.
"You know what I mean," Stacey said, her tone sharper than intended.
For a moment, Maloi just stared at her. Then, as if a light bulb went off in her head, she grinned.
"Wait lang," she said, her eyes gleaming. "Jealous ka ba?"
Stacey's stomach flipped. "What? No!"
But Maloi didn't seem convinced. "Grabe ka, Stacey. Di ko alam na may ganito kang side. Cute pala!"
"Maloi," Stacey warned, but Maloi just laughed.
"Okay, okay," Maloi said, holding up her hands in surrender. "To answer your question: no, Colet and I are not dating. She's my best friend. Period."
"Then what's with the post?" Stacey demanded.
Maloi shrugged. "Ewan ko sa kanya. She's just messing around, like always."
Stacey narrowed her eyes, searching Maloi's face for any sign of dishonesty. But all she saw was sincerity—and maybe a hint of amusement.
"Promise," Maloi added, her voice softening. "Ikaw lang naman ang gusto ko, eh."
The words hung in the air between them, and for once, Stacey didn't brush them off.
Over the next few days, Stacey found herself doing things she never thought she'd do. She started seeking out Maloi's company, sitting beside her during lunch, and even cracking the occasional joke just to see her smile.
At first, Maloi was confused. This wasn't the Stacey she was used to—the cold, distant girl who barely acknowledged her efforts. But she wasn't complaining. If anything, she seemed happier than ever, her golden retriever energy dialed up to eleven.
Meanwhile, Colet watched the whole thing unfold from the sidelines, barely able to contain her laughter. She hadn't meant to stir up this much drama with her post, but she couldn't deny the results were entertaining.
Aiah, however, wasn't laughing. She cornered Colet during one of their study sessions and said, "Alam mo bang ginawa mo?"
"What?" Colet asked, feigning innocence.
"Yung post mo! Halos ma-baliw si Stacey kakaisip kung kayo na ni Maloi."
Colet grinned. "Eh di effective. Finally, gumalaw na siya."
Aiah rolled her eyes. "Kung hindi lang kita girlfriend..."
One evening, Maloi found Stacey waiting for her outside the library.
"Uy," Maloi said, surprised. "Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
"I needed to talk to you," Stacey said, looking uncharacteristically serious.
Maloi's smile faltered. "Bakit? May problema ba?"
Stacey took a deep breath. "I like you, okay? I've liked you for months. I just... didn't know how to handle it. And then Colet posted that picture, and it made me realize I couldn't stand the thought of you being with someone else."
For a moment, Maloi didn't say anything. Stacey braced herself for rejection, but instead, Maloi broke into the biggest smile she'd ever seen.
"Grabe ka," Maloi said, her voice filled with wonder. "Pinaghintay mo pa ako ng ganito katagal."
"I'm sorry," Stacey said softly.
Maloi shook her head. "Wala na akong pake. Basta ikaw. Seryoso ka ba sa sinabi mo?"
"Yes," Stacey replied, meeting her gaze. "And I want to make it official. If you'll have me."
Maloi grinned. "Siyempre naman! Matagal ko nang hinihintay 'yan."
The next day, Stacey and Maloi walked into campus hand-in-hand, much to the shock of their friends. Aiah immediately started teasing them, and gave Stacey a knowing smirk.
"Finally," Aiah said. "Akala ko hindi na mangyayari."
Stacey rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto her face.
As for Maloi, she couldn't be happier. After months of chasing, she finally had the girl of her dreams—and this time, Stacey wasn't holding back.
It had been a week since Stacey and Maloi started dating, and Stacey had never felt so... peaceful. Sure, she was still getting used to Maloi's over-the-top energy, but she secretly found herself enjoying the way Maloi held her hand, sent her random texts, or surprised her with her favorite snacks.
What Stacey hadn't prepared for, however, was Colet.
Colet, who had no idea they were now dating, was still pushing Stacey's buttons. Whether it was a pinch to Maloi's cheeks or overly affectionate teasing, Colet seemed determined to drive Stacey up the wall—and Stacey was this close to snapping.
Stacey was sitting on a bench outside their lecture hall, waiting for Maloi to show up. She spotted her golden retriever bouncing toward her from the other side of the quad, but she wasn't alone. Colet was with her, and to Stacey's growing irritation, Colet was pinching Maloi's cheek while laughing.
"Ang cute mo talaga, Maloi!" Colet gushed loudly.
Stacey's jaw clenched. Cute? Sure, Maloi was cute, but she didn't need to hear it from Colet, of all people.
Maloi noticed Stacey first and lit up. "Stace! Kanina ka pa ba dito?"
"Not too long," Stacey said, her tone cool.
Colet, oblivious to Stacey's simmering irritation, grinned at her. "Uy, Stacey! Ang swerte mo naman, lagi kang pinapansin ni Maloi kahit sobrang kulit niya."
Before Stacey could respond, Colet slung an arm around Maloi's shoulders. "Pero alam mo, kung ako si Maloi, ako na mismo mag-aalaga sa'yo, Stace. Kasi—"
"Colet," Stacey cut in, her voice dangerously calm. "Pwede ba, bitawan mo na si Maloi?"
Colet blinked at her, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. "Bakit? Wala namang masama—"
"She's mine," Stacey said firmly, standing up and walking toward them.
Maloi looked like she wanted to sink into the ground, but Colet's jaw dropped. "Wait. Anong ibig mong sabihin?"
"Ibig sabihin," Stacey said, grabbing Maloi's hand, "kami na."
The silence that followed was deafening. Colet's eyes darted between Stacey and Maloi, who looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or run away.
"Ano?" Colet finally said.
"Surprise!" Maloi said weakly, giving her best friend an apologetic smile.
"Wait, kailan pa 'to?!" Colet demanded as the three of them sat at their usual café.
"A week ago," Maloi admitted, fiddling with her drink.
Colet gaped at them. "And wala man lang nagsabi sa akin?!"
"To be fair," Maloi said, "you've been very busy teasing Stacey, so..."
Stacey smirked. "Speaking of, tigilan mo na 'yang kalokohan mo, Colet. Or else."
"Or else what?" Colet shot back, still reeling from the revelation.
"Or else," Stacey said, leaning forward, "I'll make sure you regret it."
The two locked eyes in a silent battle of wills before Colet finally sighed and threw her hands up in defeat.
"Fine, fine," Colet said. "Pero grabe, Stace, ikaw na pala nanalo sa puso ng golden retriever natin. Proud ako sa'yo."
Stacey raised an eyebrow. "Thanks... I think?"
Maloi laughed, pulling Stacey closer. "Hayaan mo na 'yan, Stace. Magiging mabait na 'yan, promise."
Colet smirked but said nothing, silently vowing to find new ways to mess with Stacey—just for fun, of course.
A few minutes later, Colet, as always, couldn't help but poke at their relationship, mostly out of habit.
"Pero, Stacey..." Colet said, leaning back in her chair and eyeing Stacey with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Stacey raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Colet crossed her arms, the smirk on her face slowly spreading. "Di mo ba alam na pinsan ko si Maloi?"
The sentence hung in the air for a moment as Stacey blinked, processing what Colet just said. "Excuse me?!"
Colet casually took a sip of her drink and shrugged, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Oo, tas jowa ko yung Reyna sa klase niyo."
Stacey's mouth went dry as her mind tried to catch up. "Si... Aiah?!"
"Yep, Aiah," Colet confirmed, her smile growing wider. "Surprised?"
Stacey turned to look at Maloi, who was equally as stunned by the revelation. (Like it was also the first time she find out about it)
"Maloi?" Stacey's voice was a mix of disbelief and confusion.
"Err... surprise?" Maloi said, sheepishly grinning as she scratched the back of her neck.
"Maloi..." Stacey said, shaking her head, trying to make sense of the mess that had just unfolded in front of her. "Bakit hindi mo sinabi agad?!"
Maloi gave her a guilty smile. "Well, kasi... di mo naman tinanong, love eh."
Stacey's eyes widened. "What?"
"I thought you knew," Maloi said, suddenly serious, "kasi may Vergara sa pangalan ko."
Stacey paused, staring at her in complete disbelief. "Wait. That’s what the V in your middle initial stands for?"
"Yeah." Maloi chuckled, clearly amused by Stacey's reaction. "I didn't think it was a secret, but I guess I never really brought it up. Colet's my cousin. And Aiah... well, she's been Colet's girlfriend for months."
Stacey let out a breath, her mind reeling with all the information. The puzzle pieces that had never quite fit suddenly came together in a mess she didn't know how to deal with. She looked at Colet, whose smug grin remained in place, and then at Maloi, who was still trying to hold back her laughter at the whole situation.
"So all this time," Stacey began, her voice filled with frustration and disbelief, "you didn't think I'd find out?"
"Well," Colet interjected, "I figured you might have realized, especially after I started pinching Maloi's cheeks and calling her cute in front of you. Thought it would be obvious."
Stacey threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "I thought you were just teasing! You always tease Maloi! I didn't think you were her cousin, and I definitely didn't know you were dating Aiah!"
Maloi laughed harder now, clearly enjoying the chaos she had unintentionally caused. "Sorry, Stace. I didn't think it would be this big of a deal. I mean, you know Aiah and Colet are close, right?"
"We are so going on a double date"