Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Hipak? You look like you need it.”

That was the first thing I heard after ending that stupid call I had with my ex who was begging me to take him back.

I don’t even know why he’s still bugging the shit out of me. We literally broke up two years ago.

“I don’t vape, sorry.” I said while fiddling with my phone, doing all the measures para ‘di na ako ma-contact ulit ng bwisit na ‘yon.

I was about to look up when she suddenly laughed.

Wala naman akong sinabing joke?

She took a hit of her vape — the smoke blowing into my face.

Okay, first off — weird. Second, how dare this stranger blow her vape sa mukha ko? Third, vaping in BGPOP? Really? And lastly, wow… 

Those are really beautiful eyes. The hypnotizing kind.

The kind that’ll trick you into doing whatever the hell she wants.

And true enough, she really did trick me into doing whatever the hell she wanted. 

Like how she tricked me into making out with her in our building’s eleventh-floor restroom.

Tricked me one more time.

Then again.

Those shenanigans weren’t a one-time occurrence. It first kept happening in the same restroom.

Until we almost got caught by another student, so we agreed to only do it at her place.

And when it became irresistible, I started inviting her over mine. 

It quickly became a cycle of are-you-down-tonight texts until we realized we couldn’t stop ourselves even if we tried to, so… we finally agreed to… this kind of setup.

No labels. No complicated nonsense. Just two adults who have the hots for each other. 

It’s better this way, I wouldn’t even be doing this if she weren’t so ridiculously attractive. 

I’m not even into girls like that. This is just for practice. Yeah, practice. That’s the term.

I groaned. That godforsaken woman is now the reason why I can’t focus on this paper I was supposed to finish last night pa.

Tangina talaga. Never ako nadistract sa kahit sino before, kahit mga naging ex ko pa, pero here I am stressing over a girl I’m not even dating.

A girl that’s just so... ugh. Kainis.

Pero kasi tangina ko rin. Why can’t I stop wanting that evil incarnate? It’s not like I like her, though. I’m just after the thrill.

I was stressing out with my own thoughts until my phone buzzed.

Lucky:

 

gising ka pa baks? huhu katakot mag isa nanood aq iskeri movie huhu

 

may smirnoff dito

 

ayain mo na rin si robles if u want

 

funny sha kachikahan

 

tsaka target q tropa niya plz

Robles. Robles. Robles. 

Taragis naman talaga. Sino ba kasing bobo na magpapakilala ng sneaky link labeled as a friend sa mga kaibigan niya?

I slipped into my hoodie and was just about to leave — dahil mukhang nangungupal na naman si JC at puro delivered lang texts ko sa kanya — when I heard the door creak open.

“Tara na?”

And there she was. JC in the flesh.

Jhoanna Christine.

Wearing her usual: Black glasses, navy blue cap, oversized Oxford shirt, and shorts that looked like it came from her dad’s closet. Hair also tied up — not too high, not too low, just enough to leave her neck visible.

JC, the bane of my existence.

I was halfway through saying something petty when she planted a kiss on my cheek.

Tangina naman, girl. Awa na lang, get the fuck up! Masyado kang down bad, eh.

I played it cool like my knees weren’t about to give up. Gago huminga ka, isa.

“Sorry, may ginawa akong errand kaya ‘di ako agad nakapag reply,”

“Iba na naman amoy mo ah, may inuna ka na namang babae? Galing mo talaga eh ‘no.”

“Babae agad? Nagpalit lang ako ng perfume!”

Kababaeng tao, napaka babaero.

I don’t mind, though. As long as she drops everything the second I text her.

Ganon ako sa kanya, dapat siya rin sakin.

–

We were all laughing hysterically because of Lucky who’s now running frantically because JC called Mikha — Mikha aka the ‘icing sa ibabaw ng cupcake ni Lucky’ Mikha.

I couldn’t stop laughing my ass out kasi para siyang naputulan ng vocal cords nung hinarap sa kanya yung video call, but as soon as that call ended… she started acting like a dog getting the zoomies.

“Gago ka talaga! Bakit bigla mong hinarap?! Wala akong ayos! Pano na lang kapag nag backout siya sa kasal namin sa utak ko?!” she shouted hysterically while running in circles.

I was laughing until I felt something warm slipping its way beneath my hoodie.

Lord. Good Lord.

JC was already holding my waist and I could feel her thumb softly brush over my skin — she was caressing it like it was fragile.

If she thinks she’s better than me at this game, she’s wrong. Kasi ang galing ko magpanggap na wala lang pero yung totoo, I was feeling lightheaded like I was an astronaut that got sent to space without a spacesuit.

Fuck. I’m not even touch deprived pero bakit tumatayo yung balahibo ko?!

I stopped her from doing that thing and glared at her. Parang gago, mamaya mahuli pa kami ni Lucky.

Also because I’m probably one physical contact away from jumping her, ovulation week ko ba? 

“Baby sungit,” she mouthed, her lips forming an annoying smirk.

“Ansaveh?” si Lucky.

I nudged JC and faked a laugh: “Wala! Sobrang funny mo raw,”

Half of our night revolved around Lucky talking about her theory na God created men daw and sent Mikha as an apology.

And the other half was me trying not to combust whenever JC would do her thing.

The stupid cute slash pogi thing she does that makes me do whatever the hell she wants, kahit alam ko na ‘di lang ako pinapaandaran niya ng ganito.

Yung susulyap.

Aakbay sa balikat ko tapos ngingiti.

Tapos kapag nag c-cr break si Lucky, nanakaw ng halik.

Classic, textbook babaero — tapos siya ang author.

Anyway, I could care less. Parehas lang namin kaming may iba’t-ibang ineentertain.

But there’s just this… weird, unexplainable feeling in my stomach everytime I’d form the words JC and other girls in the same sentence. 

Whatever. So what? Wala naman akong pake.

Chapter Text

I had no classes today and was about to prepare for a blind date since I’d just caught up with my backlogs, but life had other plans — suddenly the light from my windows were too bright and my head was throbbing.

I sighed. I think I’ve had too much caffeine today.

I removed the glasses I’d been wearing and collapsed on my bed — ito yata reason bakit ako nahihilo. 

I wanted to doomscroll because I was on device timeout the whole morning — also because I needed to lock in on my reqs — but I just became more nauseous the longer I stared at my screen.

My whole body felt heavy, and everything just felt loud — the jeepney noises and the blaring sirens of firetrucks roaming around Dapitan became a little too overstimulating today.

I guess I just needed a nap to take a break from all of this. Maaga pa naman, I have plenty of time to prepare for later.

-

I woke up to my head pounding — the pain had escalated and I could feel it radiating through my entire body. Pucha naman, magkakasakit pa yata ako eh.

Oh my God. I was supposed to go on a date.

Wait.

Wait lang.

Bakit parang lumiit yung bed ko? Parang I’m being swaddled by my unan…

This scent is weird though, I never use fabric softeners on my sheets…

Pero ang familiar eh, amoy–

What the hell?

I opened my eyes and turned. 

Si JC nga. Her arms were locked tight around my waist. I watched her for a moment, my eyes drifting to her lips that were softly parted as she slept on.

Gusto ko sana siya gisingin para tanungin kung bakit siya nandito but she looked too peaceful.

And beautiful. Effortless at that.

I could tell she wasn’t wearing any makeup because the moles on her face were visible. Lalo na yung malapit sa labi niya na lagi ko tinitingnan because… I don’t know, it just made her more attractive.

The light outside faded into a softer, gray color, making the contrast from my lamp sharper — its glow illuminated her lips. They weren’t just merely soft. It looked like an invitation, even.

I didn’t want to ruin this moment, though. Hindi siya kupal tingnan ngayon.

I lunged out of her arms kasi tangina, my mind went back to the date I missed — the date I was supposed to go on kanina! 

I felt the throbbing beat again.

“Na-message ko na, ayos lang daw,” JC muttered, stretching out a long, heavy yawn. “Hindi ko sinadyang basahin ah, sobrang dami lang kasing missed calls, lumusot na sa DND mo,” she added.

I pressed deep on my temples, trying to anchor myself back into the world, kasi lalo lang umikot yung paningin ko. “Ah, okay. Why are you here then?”

“Hindi mo yata chinecheck tracking app mo. May turon ako na binili, yung galing sa Hypermarket. May paracetamol din diyan if ever,”

“Oh, tapos? Ano ba kasing meron?” I scratched my head.

I mean yeah, I was craving that pero, how did she even know? Last I checked, hindi ko pa siya nirereplyan since this morning. And paracetamol? What for?

I opened my mouth to speak but the words dissolved on my tongue. I don’t know what to say, I’m so lost right now.

She stood up and grabbed the paper bag that was placed on top of my study table. “Check mo nga tracking app mo,”

“Dinelete ko na, it takes up so much space,” my brows drew together.

“Ngek, kaya naman pala,”

“Ano ba meron nga? Wala naman akong period!”

“Six days left daw eh!”

I’m so close to knocking myself out because I don’t know if I’m really this bobo or she’s just being random. May camera ba somewhere? Prank ba ‘to? Hindi ko na talaga gets.

“Gago, oh ano ngayon? Saka bakit mo alam?”, I said with a hint of annoyance, “at ba’t tinatrack mo?”

Ano ba kasing trip niya? Hindi naman ako mabubuntis so why bother?

“Ewan ko sayo! Tuwing bago ka magka-period, pansin ko nagkakasakit ka. Tapos ang hilig mo sa turon. Yung sa SM, specifically.”

Oh. 

I didn’t even know that about me. I laughed weakly at myself — something inside me did that stupid thing again.

She glanced up and smiled — the kind that widened her eyes and somehow made everything feel warmer — with both her eyebrows raised. Her hands busy stacking the things she got me. “May iba ka pang gusto?”

And as if on cue, I started pouting like a child sa isang telenovela na aping-api. “Cuddle please,”

“Order ni baby sungit coming right up!” she said playfully, her arms wide open. “Hindi na kailangan hingin ‘yan, matic na ‘yan ano ka ba.”

And we really did cuddle — and made lambing — the whole night as if all was right in the world. Bahala na lang yung ka-date ko dapat, katamad.

She tilted her head to catch a better view of my face, her arms still circled around me. “Alam mo, I like it like this,” 

Huh?

Silence hung in the air for a few jarring seconds — the only thing you could hear was the steady whirring of the ac.

I didn’t know what to say because I wasn’t sure if this was just one of her antics. “Like what?” I asked, almost like a whisper.

“Kapag ‘di ka masungit, o kapag hindi mainit ulo mo. I think we’d make a great pair, parang magaling naman ako sa pagpapakalma sayo eh. Ano sa tingin mo?”

I just nodded in agreement because how am I even supposed to respond to that?

Something was wrenching me from the inside that I could — almost — physically feel it… though I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

JC is… different talaga kapag hindi siya kupal. She’s sweet, caring, at higit sa lahat kaya kang paniwalain na ikaw yung pinaka-special person in the world kahit na, if we’re being real, lima kayong inuuto niya.

I’d actually date her if only we weren’t messing around.

And if I was actually, you know — gay.

The night went on like it wouldn’t end. Wala rin naman kaming classes tomorrow since it was a Sunday, so she decided to stay the night.

“Hanap ka na ng magandang romcom!” JC shouted from the bathroom.

Naiinis na ako kasi I’ve been scrolling for 10 minutes pero wala akong mahanap na romcom sa Netflix na convincing enough para panoorin namin.

For some reason, my mind kept darting back to her question. It's not like it bothered me or anything, but it kept popping up in my brain like a notification I just can’t seem to mute. Sana may silent option din for my thoughts.

I was feeling a lot better na so I stood up and followed JC para sabihin na bilisan na niya. I wonder why she’s taking so long.

I was about to walk in but she was saying something, her voice was faint but the door wasn’t completely shut — I could still hear her words clearly.

Tangina mo kahit kailan, Robles.

Gago ka ba?

Kanina ang sakit ng ulo ko, ngayon naman uminit. Tangina naman oh.

“Mamaya na lang, nagb-brainstorm kami ng groupmate ko. Ha? Anong si Arceta? Baliw ‘to oh, groupmate nga. Nilubayan ko na yun gagi, ba’t ba ayaw mo maniwala?”

It was taking every fucking particle in my body to not go up at her and scream in her face right now. Tangina, groupmate? Ako? Na cinuddle mo kanina? Tapos pinaglaruan yung buhok?

Turon ng SM Hypermarket and paracetamol?

Pagalingan talaga kami mag-kupalan eh.

Gusto ko na siyang sampalin kaso naalala ko wala nga pala akong karapatan. 

We weren’t girlfriends, much less friends.

We were nothing but a couple of dysfunctional adults who were there for each other when our needs called for it. 

Nothing more, nothing less.

Ano nga bang problema ko? Ako nga ‘tong may ka-date dapat kanina.

-

Days went by pretty quickly. JC and I would still meet up. We even found ourselves falling into a different — yet quiet and comforting — rhythm. We’d even unlocked something new: studying together. 

I had Saturday classes so I was with Maloi and Staks, nakatambay lang sa harap ng Plaza Mayor. May study session din kami later ni JC kaya nagpapalipas lang ako ng oras until ma-dismiss na sila.

The campus had fewer students today but the air was still filled with laughter, the faint rustling of leaves, at yung ingay ng ilang freshmen busy filming an assignment that’s most likely for their PathFit class. Giveaway yung mala-highlighter na uniform.

“Te Kwin, may barya ka diyan?” si Staku. “Bili lang ako ice cream kay manong,”

I laughed before giving her my purse. Staku was busy chatting with the vendor while Maloi was ranting about their professor. 

Their topic quickly shifted to something else. “Te,” Staks muttered, her focus still on her ice cream, “ano raw standards mo sa lalaki?”

“Maganda yung mata, alam niyo yung bilog na bilog? Ganon. Tapos pwede naman kahit same height lang kami. Dapat din maganda yung boses. Funny. Thoughtful, ganyan.” I answered without giving it much thought.

“Sa ugali kasi!”

“Ah, sa ugali ba? Edi ano, the art of knowing! Kumbaga to be loved is to be known diba,” I shrugged. “So dun ako sa hindi ko na kailangan sabihin kung ano yung gusto ko or what I need. Yung alam na lang agad!” 

Maloi leaned a little, her eyebrows shot up. “Gaga, wala namang ganon eh! Saka walang ganyan na lalaki, bobo yan sila lahat! Buti pa crush ko.”

Eh, may ganon naman ah? 

Natawa na lang ako. May ganon naman kasi talaga eh, diba?

I was just all ears while the two of them kept going, shifting from one topic to another. Simula paglabas ng room sa BGPOP hanggang QPark, nag-chihikahan pa rin sila.

We settled on a random spot beside the library — I took out my phone para mag-scroll lang.

I came across a picture of a girl leaning on another girl’s shoulder. The other girl looked… oddly familiar.

Ay, kaya pala. 

Si JC pala yung sinasandalan. 

Talagang naka-tag pa yung main account niya.

Kuhang-kuha niya talaga inis ko. Naalala ko na naman yung 'groupmate' thing. Siya ba yung kausap niya nung nagtatago siya sa cr?

Screenshot sent to JC. With the message: cute niyo ng jowa mo 

I felt my throat tighten. Ewan ko rin, I guess my ego is getting the best of me.

I was halfway through typing nung biglang nagsalita si Staku: “Huy, gigil na gigil ka naman sa phone mo! Para kang keyboard warrior diyan!” she joked.

I just gave her a weak smile, too stressed to even fake a laugh.

My phone kept buzzing. I didn’t have to check the name to know it was JC spamming me.

JC:

 

wala yan

 

ewan ko dyan bat niya pinost

 

tuloy pa rin tayo mamaya ah? study ulit

 

Bahala ka dyan, gago. Manigas ka ngayon. Do-not-disturb: ON.

I occupied myself by putting my earphones on, mostly ignoring what was going on around me. 

Ugh.

-

We went straight to our places after namin tumambay. Wala naman kami masyadong ginawa today pero for some reason, I felt so exhausted.

Parang gusto ko na lang matulog buong gabi.

Hindi ko alam kung kanino ako unang susuko: sa acads ba o kay JC?

I let out a heavy sigh and flopped on my bed. Ayoko matalo. Not now, not ever.

It's time to stop hiding behind excuses. I feel like acknowledging this is the only way for me to ease up even just a bit of what I’ve been feeling.

I can’t keep up with her sometimes, she’s just… too good at this game. The only thing that’s keeping me from backing out is literally my pride and ego.

It’s also been three months of me chasing these highs. The kind of buzz only JC could spark. Tangina, nakakasawa na rin yung situation ko pero I'm left with wanting more. It's like a hunger I can't satisfy no matter how much I feed it. 

Kung may rehabilitation center para sa mga tulad ko, please, sign me up.

Hindi naman ako nahuhulog, pero tangina hindi ko rin siya kayang tigilan. She just has this strong magnetic grip that I can’t pull away from.

Because she makes you feel seen. 

When she looks at you, it's like all of the weight you didn’t even realize you were carrying just… fades. Even when she’s being a pain in the ass, there’s still this softness that breaks through.

She can also be infuriating. Pops up with a random girl? Check. Magaling mang-uto? She got that covered. But I don’t think I want her to be completely out of my life. Masaya siyang kasama. She’s her. I don’t think I still need to elaborate on that.

That’s what gets to me the most — that she’s not even trying. 

Okay, maybe I notice more than I should. And yes, maybe I look for her in every room I step into before I even realize what I’m doing. 

But that doesn’t mean I like her, maybe it just means she’s impossible to ignore.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of this, it’s that JC does make me feel something I am very, very, very unfamiliar with.

Something I’ve never felt even with all the other guys I’ve talked to.

Pero baka ganon talaga kapag dalawa kayong babae? Girls feel at ease with their girl friends, right? Maybe that’s why I can’t quite shake her.

Maybe mas okay kung maging bestfriends kami?

Maybe, just maybe, the right man for me just hasn’t come along yet. 

Yeah. That must be it.

Chapter Text

“Hi! You must be Jiro?”

“Hey! Aiah?” the guy asked, smiling.

I scratched my head because I never really liked being called by my first name. “Yup! Pero Kwin na lang,”

I had to take my mind off some things so I went out on a date with this guy I talked to on a dating app. He looks okay, seems nice too. 

We only started talking two days ago but he looks decent so I guess I’ll give it a shot.

He guided me to the reserved table that had an unobstructed view of the city lights. The breeze was gentle enough for the candlelights to remain steady. 

It looks nice here. Could’ve been better though, parang may kulang lang kasi… pero ‘di ko alam kung ano. Basta. Maganda naman.

“So, what brings you here?” I asked as soon as we sat down.

“Honestly, just to catch up with family and friends. I was still a teenager the last time I went here,” he said while looking through the menu.

“But you’re on a dating app?” I laughed mischievously, like I was trying to catch him.

He gave a small, lopsided smile as if he was almost embarrassed, but that playful glint in his eyes stayed visible. “Well, I think it’s not bad to go on a date and maybe find someone right?”

“Hmm. Fair enough.”

Our conversation flowed steadily, each of us were taking turns in asking questions to get to know each other more. He’s okay naman, surprisingly. His accent also makes up for whatever he’s lacking.

We stayed in the lobby of the hotel after having dinner, talking about random, basic stuff — his life in London, cultural differences, things I enjoyed doing.

“You’re only into guys right?”

My eyebrows shot straight up as my brain stalled. Sobrang random naman? How do I even answer that?

I mean, duh, malamang. Ano pa bang sagot? 

What did I even get worked up for? Baliw. 

“Oh, I’m sorry if that sounded rude. I didn’t mean it that way, I just wanted to ask since–”

“Yeah, of course. Why’d you ask?”

“Ah, nothing. I just thought you and that girl that’s always on your stories–”

I cut him off again. “Ah, JC? She’s one of my closest friends,”

I let out an awkward smile because that was such a stupid answer. So fucking stupid that I almost laughed out loud.

One of my closest friends? Even a seven-year-old could come up with a much better lie than whatever bullshit I just said. 

But tama lang din naman kasi what else am I supposed to say? Tell him that we exchange spits every weekend?

Yeah, no.

We continued talking until the background noise became louder than whatever he was laughing about, it’s like my brain was piling up a list of excuses to break away from this conversation to jump on the nearest bed available.

Naibuga ko na yata lahat today. 

“Hey, it’s getting late, I should probably go home na.” I said, glancing at my watch. 

That was just an alibi because it was only what, like nine-ish? Gusto ko lang talagang umuwi.

Kailangan ko na mag-charge ng social battery ko. Tatanong-tanong din kasi tungkol kay JC. Ano, hanggang dito ba naman may anino?

He insisted on taking me home but I refused. Quota na siguro for now. Gusto ko na lang muna ng tahimik na ride na walang small talk.

We both leaned into a quick hug and thanked each other before pulling away.

This is nice. 

Not stressing out about someone feels nice.

But it felt weird for some reason. Don’t get me wrong, he’s okay. It was really more of a “there’s something else I’m looking for” kind of weird. Siguro dahil it was my first proper date in a long time? It’s too early for me to tell.

–

JC collapsed right next to me on the bed. All I could hear was our heavy panting and an R&B song that was coming from her laptop speaker. We were sweating all over — both of us were breathing in our mouths.

I turned to her as she enveloped me in her arms. “Fuck I’m—” I was trying to catch my breath so I tried to speak again. “Fuck. I’m tired.”

She kissed my forehead and let out a shaky, muffled laugh. “Same.”

I grabbed my phone to check my messages sana pero nakita ko na agad yung reflection ko sa screen.

“Tangina mo talaga, sabi ko wag muna eh! Or somewhere hidden at least!” I hit her arm lightly. Gago talaga. May pasok ako bukas and it’s such a hassle to use concealer!

“Cold spoon?” she asked innocently na parang batang iniwan sa mall. Akala mo hindi astang halimaw kanina eh.

I rolled my eyes at her and groaned audibly. 

“They never even work,” I sighed, accepting my defeat. 

Pucha bahala na nga. Nandito na ‘to eh.

JC pulled the sheets to cover herself — tanga lang? as if I haven’t seen a lot of her already. She looked so smug with that smirk na parang proud pa na napikon niya buong pagkatao ko.

I find hickeys hot. But I have classes tomorrow and it’s such a fucking struggle to cover it with makeup, so I guess I’ll have to put on a huge ass hoodie thanks to JC.

She moved around, trying to reach for her phone. I saw texts on her notification bar that she didn’t bother checking. 

Acceptable pa sana kung isang babae lang. Onting pang uuto lang yun eh.

But they were texts from different girls. 

Different. Girls. 

It was taking every fiber of my being to contain myself and not lash out on her right now but they should be the least of my worries.

“Do you sleep with other girls?” I blurted out.

Umayos ka ng sagot JC. Sasampalin talaga kita.

Her eyebrows furrowed momentarily — like she didn’t know whether to be offended or shocked — before her gaze softened. She looked me in the eyes before her voice cut through the silence. “No.”

Okay. I can finally breathe. JC is a lot of things, pero naniniwala ako sa kanya sa mga ganitong bagay.

“I told you, I don’t do it with other people,”

“Yeah. Whatevs,”

“Oo nga! I swea–”

“Save it. I believe you nga.”

Her arm was still wrapped around me while we were both on our phones. 

Shit, I forgot to reply to Jiro. Kagabi pa pala yung text niya.

It had been almost two months since the first date. He flew back to London pero babalik naman siya in a couple of weeks. 

We’d usually talk over the phone if we’re both free to call. Jiro is… I don’t know how to describe him. He’s okay? He’s a bit needy. I thought older men would be less clingy because they have their own shit going on but boy was I wrong.

He’d even call me out when he felt I wasn’t giving him enough time. I didn't want to make a big fuss out of it so I’d always end up apologizing. I really wanna see things through with this guy because that’s what we talked about before he left.

Kaso si JC eh. I have to figure out a way for us to get out of this setup... pero hindi na muna ngayon. We'll cross the bridge when we get there naman.

My fingers were hovering over my phone until JC muttered something na hindi ko narinig masyado. 

“What?” I asked, still busy typing.

“Boyfriend mo?”

Ew. I hate that term. “Just someone I’m seeing,”

“Why? Selos ka?” I teased.

“Seselos pa ako diyan? Sino ba katabi mo sa kama ngayon?” she fired back. 

Hambog. 

I was anticipating a joke from her, or any remark that would piss me off even more, but she just placed her phone on the bedside table and stared at the ceiling. She even let out a sigh that was barely audible.

I kept using my phone — or at least pretended to because I couldn’t help but focus on JC right now. 

That’s odd… she was unusually quiet. 

“What’s up with you? Pagod ka ba? Bigla kang tumahimik eh,” I tried to sound casual.

She gave a short, dismissive nod, then snatched her phone again. “Ano gusto mo kainin?” she asked, keeping her focus on the screen. Her tone was flat enough for me to notice that something in her energy shifted.

Her arm stayed put, we were still lying on the bed close enough for our bare skin to touch. I kept trying to talk to her, sumasagot naman pero she wouldn’t even throw me a glance.

Anong nangyari? Did I say something offensive?