Chapter 43

Mikha POV

I really need to get familiar with this place. Pa sumpong-sumpong pa rin ang sakit ng ulo ko minsan, pero sabi naman ng doctor, I’m getting better. Having amnesia is honestly so weird-it’s like waking up in the middle of a movie and trying to figure out the plot.

Luckily, Jhoanna is here with me. Sabi niya sasamahan niya muna daw ako ng tatlong araw dito sa bahay. Konti na lang talaga, maiinlove na ako sa best friend ko na ‘to sa sobrang thoughtful.

Kidding aside… I’m still thinking about that girl from the hospital. Not just because she’s pretty-though honestly, she has this effortless, goddess-like beauty-pero maliban doon, I felt like she’s familiar to me. Ang gaan-gaan ng loob ko sa kanya.

Sabi ni Jhoanna, nakatira lang din daw siya dito sa loob ng Rancho. I don’t know kung kaano-ano siya ng family ko, pero sabi nila hindi naman daw namin siya kamag-anak. Then why did my chest tighten the moment I saw her?

Anyway, today is a beautiful day. Maaliwalas ang panahon at ang ganda ng sikat ng araw. Since I woke up early, nagluto ako ng breakfast namin: pancake, eggdrop, and wheat bread. Well, Jhoanna is a certified night owl, so most probably 10:00 AM na naman ‘yun gigising.

I just enjoyed my breakfast alone, then decided to walk around. I can’t jog yet, but I think a quiet morning walk will be great for my recovery.

Pagkalabas ko ng bahay, napatitig ako sa kabilang mansyon. They have a beautiful veranda and a wide front yard filled with so many colorful flowers.

It looks so peaceful. In my mind, kung magkakapamilya ako, ganyang-ganyan ang napipicture kong bahay-cozy and quiet.

Maya-maya pa…

May isang babaeng lumabas mula sa pinto nila.

Napatigil ako sa paglalakad.

Siya ‘yun!

The girl from the hospital.

She was wearing a tropical boho-style dress. Para siyang umiilaw- She reminds me of Mama Mary — sobrang ganda niya, angelic face, soft features, and she has this pure and calming aura.

The wind gently caught the hem of her dress as she stepped out, and in the morning sun, she looked incredibly soft. Beautiful. Parang biglang bumagal ang paligid ko habang nakatitig sa kanya. Her skin, her lips… biglang bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko yung parang kinakabahan na ewan.

Nagulat ako nang bigla siyang tumingin sa direksyon ko. Our eyes locked, and for a few seconds, neither of us looked away. But looking closely at her eyes…

parang may dumaang lungkot doon. It made me wonder why a girl that beautiful would look so sad.

Halatang nailang siya kaya mabilis niyang inalis ang tingin niya, na para bang hindi niya alam ang gagawin.

I’m usually the quiet, torpe type, but right now, I felt like I was drawn to her.

Hindi ko namalayan na naglalakad na pala ako lapit sa bakod namin. It’s a low fence dividing our properties, just enough to see through clearly.

“Ummm… Good morning,” I called out gently.

Tumingin siya sa akin, tapos ngumiti lang nang tipid.

Awts. She didn’t say good morning back. I bit the inside of my cheek, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

But I didn’t want to just walk away, so I tried to make small talk.

“I’ll be your new neighbor. This town seems really nice.”

She looked at me, then smiled again.

Is she mute? Bakit hindi siya nagsasalita? I wondered, genuinely curious. Maybe she’s just really shy.

Determined to at least get a proper hello, lumabas ako ng bakod namin at dumeretso sa may entrance area ng fence nila, kung nasaan siya. She was now watering her plants.

“You have a nice veranda… and I love the flowers,” I said again, looking at the white roses, then back to her.

Gosh, I couldn’t stop looking at her face. I felt a bit like a creep, but I swear I had good intentions. I just wanted to be friendly, pero mukhang wala talaga siyang interes na makipag-usap.

Nilakasan ko na ang loob ko para sa huling hirit. Medyo lumapit ako, humawak sa maliit nilang gate, malapit sa pwesto niya.

“I-I’m… I’m Mikha, by the way,” nauutal na sabi ko. Seryoso, Mikha? Bakit ka ba nauutal?

She looked at me fully this time. The moment our eyes met up close, my stomach did a weird flip. This is definitely not normal. Pakiramdam ko talaga nagayuma ako ng babaeng ‘to.

I extended my hand over the fence, hoping for a handshake.

Bigla akong nakuhaang-hiya habang nakaabang ang kamay ko sa hangin.

Sobrang nakakahiya kung hindi niya ako papansinin. At least four seconds passed, and I was already preparing to mentally bury myself in embarrassment..

But thank God.

Inabot niya ang kamay ko. Her grip was light and her hand was incredibly soft, but the moment our skin touched, a sudden warmth rushed straight up my arm.

“I’m… I’m Aiah,” mahina niyang sabi. Her voice was so soft, almost a whisper. But there it was again-that deep, heavy sadness in her eyes. It felt like she wanted to say more, but she was holding herself back.

Looking at her while our hands were still connected, one innocent thought crossed my mind.

I wonder if she’s single?

Gosh, Mikha, take it easy. First day mo pa lang dito sa Villa, bakit ka ba nagkakaganyan? But I really couldn’t help it. For some reason, my heart felt like it already knew her.

Napaubo ako para mawala ‘yung awkwardness, then I smiled.

And just like that, the pretty lady in front of me asked,

“Nag-almusal ka na ba?”

Gosh. She was asking me so softly, alam niyo yung feeling ng parang tinataning ka ng girlfriend mo kung kumain kana ba? could feel myself blushing. Kahit katatapos ko lang kumain sa bahay, I heard myself say no.

“Umm, actually, n-not yet,” sabi ko sabay kamot sa ulo.

“Do you want to come to my house, Mikha? Mag-isa lang ako ngayon so… if you want, you can join me. Let’s have breakfast.”

Jackpot!! I felt a heavy flip of kilig in my heart, and it was no joke.

I guess this is my lucky Day

“Umm, if you insist, I’d love to.”

Pumasok kami sa bahay nila, and for some reason, it looked strangely familiar. Dinala niya ako sa bandang veranda at pinaupo.

She smiled.

“Just wait for me, I’ll just get some things for us.”

I nodded shyly. “Thank you, Aiah.”

Habang naghihintay, nakakita ako ng newspaper sa lamesa. Out of boredom, I picked it up and started reading it.

Maya-maya, Aiah came back smiling.

I don’t know why I’m being like this. My heart was imagining things that I shouldn’t. Silly me, but watching her walk back to the table, I suddenly imagined her like she was my wife. I just felt this deep warmth and fondness in me.

“Coffee?” she asked.

“Yes, thank you,” I smiled, my eyes still fixed on her.

This girl is just so soft and sweet. Binaba niya ‘yung tray at siya na mismo ang nag-ayos ng pagkain sa harap ko.

“I’m sorry, my breakfast is only peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she said shyly, looking down at the plate. “I’m just… not really into cooking.”

“Kain ka na,” she added softly.

“It’s perfectly fine, thank you,” I replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

I took the warm mug and tasted my coffee, looking at her through the steam. She was just sitting across from me, but my heart was already beating completely out of time.

When I took a sip of the coffee, I felt a sudden warmth rush inside me-it was exactly how I liked it. No, Mikha. Control yourself. You can’t just fall in love on your very first day of talking to this girl.But I really couldn’t deny it; she was just so interesting.

We sat there at the veranda, talking about different random things. It felt easy, like we didn’t need to try hard to keep the conversation going. Then, this sweet, beautiful girl looked at me with genuine concern and asked about my condition if I was really okay, or if my head was still hurting.

Huhu, help. Why is she so sweet? The way she asked, the tone of her voice-it really felt like she cared for me so much. I gave her a reassuring smile and told her I was okay now. I mentioned that I just wanted to take a morning walk today to finally familiarize myself with the place.

“Sasamahan na kita,” she offered softly. She said it’s not a good idea for me to walk around alone just yet.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that, baka nakakaabala ako,” I said, trying to be polite, even though a part of me secretly wanted her to come along.

But she just smiled and said that actually, she was feeling a bit bored anyway and wanted to go around too.

Since we both agreed to go, we decided to get ready. Umuwi muna ako sa bahay to get some of my things, and she also went inside to change her clothes.

When we met back up outside, she looked at me with a bright, lovely smile. She said it’s been a while since she last strolled around the area, and she promised papasyal niya daw ako sa mga magagandang spots dito sa baryo.

Walking beside her, I couldn’t help but feel like this morning walk was turning into something much more special.

……

🌈🌈🌈

Short Update

Hi guys, I just want to apologize. This is supposed to be the #1 cozy Wattpad story, but I feel like I failed to deliver it properly. 🥺

I just needed to write and add some things to make the storyline more interesting, and I also decided to make the story longer because some of you asked me to. 🤍

Again, I’m sorry. Bati na tayo? I’ll make it up to you, promise. 🥺