Mikha's Pov
"Mikhs it's the alumni homecoming." Gwen said.
"And?" I said.
"And hindi ka pa naka-attend kahit isang beses lang." Jho said.
"I'm busy preparing for the opening of my new restaurant branch in quezon city." I said.
"It's just one night mikhs, bonding with our batch mates and us your bestfriends." Colet said.
I looked at my three bestfriends, i took a deep breath. They are really persuasive.
"Okay i'll go." I said.
"Yehey." Jho said habang nag apir sila ni colet.
"So the reason the three of you came here was only to persuade me to go." I said.
"Yes." The three of them said.
They just suddenly appeared in my restaurant here in baguio city. I'm mikhaela janna jimenea lim, my nickname is mikha and mikhs naman tawag sakin ng mga friends ko. I'm one of the famous chefs in the philippines.
I worked in hotels and restaurants at first and my cooking helped me build a solid reputation. After a year, I made the decision na magpatayo ng first restaurant ko in baguio, then napag-isipan ko na din magpatayo sa quezon city where my mom and stepfather lives and may condo din ako doon.
"I'm guessing the three of you came here unplanned with no place to stay yet." I said.
"We know that we can stay in your place." Jho said.
The three of them are smiling at me.
"The three of you are lucky that you're my bestfriends." I said.
I left the restaurant to my staffs while me and my bestfriends went home.
"Wow nice house mikhs." Colet said.
"Simple pero ang ganda lalo na ang view." Jho said.
"Feel at home guys." I said.
They are watching tv while i cook dinner. My kitchen is a kitchen, dining and living room combo.
"Jho nasa news pinsan mo, she won another case." Gwen said.
"She's one of the best attorneys." Jho said.
"Mikhs remember maraiah queen arceta?" Colet asked.
"I remember her." I said.
"Pagkaka-alala namin she's your crush since high school." Jho said.
I threw an apple at jho na nasalo niya din. Jho is aiah's cousin.
"Eat an apple." I said.
"Mikhs sinasabi lang ni jho ang totoo." Colet said.
I looked at the television. Maraiah queen arceta, an attorney in the LawVoyagers firm. The arceta family owns the firm and also owns other businesses like hotels and restaurants. She has proven that she's a great attorney through her skills and not because their family owns the firm. I have a crush on aiah since high school.
"Someone's smiling." Gwen said.
"I'm not smiling." I said.
"Mikhs simula bata pa tayo kilala kana namin. Lalo na cousin ko si aiah." Jho said.
"Don't you three have work?" I asked.
"I told the captain that colet and i are going to you, so she gave us permission to be absent for a few days." Jho said.
"I just finished recording a song with sheena and matagal pa next model gig ko." Gwen said.
Jho and colet's captain is my stepsister, they are part of a special detective unit while gwen is an artist and model.
"How am i friends with the three of you? It's like you always have free time." I said.
"It's not like always, we just find time to have fun for ourselves too. It's good for you too." Colet said.
"I get your point colet, i just like working." I said.
"Working or just avoiding my cousin. Mikhs we know you so well." Jho said.
"Jho's right, it's good that you agreed to come to the reunion next week." Colet said.
"I only agreed because i see the efforts of the three of you coming here." I said.
"Okay chef lim." They all said to me with their teasing eyes.
These three always know how to tease me. After a few minutes, we ate dinner while talking about other topics.
A week passed by and the reunion is tonight. I'm already here in quezon city three days ago. I left my restaurant in baguio to be handled by ate ica, the general manager, while i'll be handling my new restaurant branch here at quezon city.
"Mikha come down already. Colet and the others are already here." Mom said.
"I'm coming." I said.
I went downstairs, my three bestfriend are looking at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Are you sure that's what you're wearing mikhs?" Gwen asked.
"It's just a reunion party." I said.
"Tita ang anak niyo is one of the famous chefs but her clothing style is sometimes unexplainable." Jho said.
"Mikha honey change into something better, you have lots of clothes that is better than that." Mom said.
"Either she's lazy to choose her clothes or she doesn't really know what to wear." Gwen said.
"Ako na bahala tita." Colet said.
Colet drag me back upstairs to my room to change into something better. After a few minutes, we went back downstairs.
"Now that's better." Mom said.
"Okay let's go then." I said.
We used two cars, one is my car and the second is jho's. Colet is with me while gwen is with jho.
"Are you that excited to go mikhs? Relax." Colet said.
"I admit i'm nervous. I mean this is my first time to attend." I said.
"Just relax and don't get flustered when you see her." Colet said.
"Does she always attend?" I asked.
"Yes, she's beautiful." Colet said.
"She's always beautiful." I said while smiling.
"Mikhs it's just us two here, be honest. What you are feeling is hindi na crush but you already like or love her." Colet said.
"I know what you're saying." I said.
"Then bakit hindi ka pa nag try noon?" Colet asked.
"Because fate was not in my favor, she likes boys and not girls." I said.
"Well, maybe you could have still tried confessing before." Colet said.
"I was super shy before. When i see her, i just walked to the opposite direction or push one of you three to walk faster." I said.
"I like to remind you that during our 2nd year, it's valentine's day you gave her a single blue tulip bouquet and a golden retriever keychain." Colet said.
"You pushed me that time and i had no choice to muster my confidence then i quickly left after giving it to her." I said.
"Then we saw her giving you a sunflower crochet keychain when you were about to lock the classroom door. Kita ko nakalagay sa susi ng condo mo." Colet said.
"It's a remembrance." I said.
"If tonight is the start of your fate, will you risk it?" Colet asked.
"I would risk it. I would take the chance if that's possible." I said.
After fifteen minutes, we arrived at our old school. The party is in the gymnasium. A lot of people already arrived.
"Look who's here. Good to have you chef mikha." Kaori said while patting my shoulder.
"There's three people who went to baguio city in my restaurant just to persuade me." I said while smiling.
"Well, time for you to enjoy the night. Come on let's bond with the others." Kaori said.
Kaori drag me to the others. If the old me don't speak much, the current me changed a bit. In my profession, i got used to talking to people especially when customers wants to give personal compliment to the head chef. Now i'm more comfortable to talking to my batch mates too.
"I heard you're going to open a new restaurant here in quezon city." Isabel said.
"Guys if hindi kayo busy next week, gusto ko kayo imbitahin sa soft opening ng restaurant ko." I said.
"We would be honored to eat the food cooked by one of the famous chefs in the philippines." Anji said.
"I'm just a simple chef." I said while smiling.
"You changed a bit mikhs but you're still a humble person." Vivoree said.
"Speaking of humble person, here's another humble person arriving. Atty. Maraiah queen arceta." Colet said.
Aiah walked towards us, i feel my heart beating faster. I don't know if i should stay or go somewhere. Too late, jho is already holding my shoulder.
"Hi everyone." Aiah said.
"Atty. Arceta is late." Colet said.
"Stuck in a traffic jam." Aiah said, smiling while laughing a bit.
I'm restraining my face to not smile that much. Gosh she's really so beautiful. Suddenly my phone is ringing, i excused myself then went outside of the gym. I'm thankful to whoever is calling me right now. It's maloi, my stepsister. Bestfriends sila ni aiah at magkaklase din nung high school.
Call Conversation:
Me: Thanks for calling maloi.
Maloi: Huh? Why?
Me: Nothing, where are you?
Maloi: I'm on my way, i just dropped papa at home.
Me: The meeting did take long this time.
Maloi: You know how papa works.
Me: The party just started.
Maloi: Okay i'll be there shortly mikhs.
Me: Drive safe.
I ended the call then looked at the sky, it's full of stars tonight. My mom and dad are divorced. I still have communication with my dad, before still visit him and my stepbrothers but not that much anymore since i have been busy working. Ate maloi's dad is my stepfather, i'm thankful that mom met papa. He also lets me continue using the surname lim.
"Chef lim."
I looked behind me who called my name. It's aki and JL, my classmates. Both of them are also famous chefs now.
"This is unexpected, you attending homecoming." JL said, patting my shoulder.
"I can't say no to colet and the others. They're already inside." I said.
JL went inside, leaving me and aki outside.
"It's nice of you to show up." Aki said.
"I kinda missed this place too." I said.
"Mikhs crush mo pa din ba si aiah? If you do then it's not just a crush anymore." Aki asked.
Both of us have a crush on aiah during high school. Aki confessed to her but he was busted. Right now he already have a girlfriend, it's vivoree.
"Why are you telling me that?" I asked.
"If fate will give you a chance tonight, take the chance this time." Aki said.
"She's already inside, she's still the same and she has a boyfriend." I said.
"Gelo, pasikat lang yun. Feeling good guy." Aki said.
"I don't know if he changed especially they have been in a relationship for two years." I said.
"I'm curious why you didn't even try to confess before. Almost all of our batch mates knows you have a crush on her." Aki said.
"Aki i don't stand a chance against a guy. As if she would noticed me before." I said, smiling a bit.
"Just so you know i still treated you as my rival before even if you didn't confessed to her." Aki said.
"What if i finally take the risk this time to confess my feelings to her?" I said.
"Then i'll be more happy seeing you finally grow up." Aki said.
"What am i? A kid? We're already grown up aki." I said, laughing a bit.
"A grown up who didn't confess to the one she likes since high school." Aki said, laughing a bit too.
Aki went inside while i went to look at our old classroom in the near building at the third floor. The lights in the hallways are on.
"This place surely changed." I said.
I was about to go back to the gym when i heard voices in the stairs. It's aiah's and gelo's voice. I know it's bad to eavesdrop but it's like they're arguing.
"Come on now baby, let's get back together." Gelo said.
"Gelo my answer is no." Aiah said.
"It's just one mistake, i'm sorry." Gelo said.
"It's not just one gelo. You cheated for many times already." Aiah said.
"You already know? You should have talked to me." Gelo said.
"Talking to you about it is useless." Aiah said.
"You also have faults aiah, lately you don't have much time. Especially when you're so busy." Gelo said.
"So you're saying it's my fault that you cheated? Gelo you should know the risk when i became your girlfriend." Aiah said.
Aiah turned around, about to walk away from gelo but he grabbed her hand then was about to slap aiah. I quickly went infront of aiah, making me being the one who is slapped in the face.
"You made a wrong move trying to hurt a girl like aiah." I said.
"Mikha? Leave me and aiah alone." Gelo said.
"Why would i leave her to someone who just tried to hurt her? She deserves someone better." I said.