Chapter 1: Next door

"Let's end this, I don't need you anymore quinn."

echoes in my head. Persistently, reminding me of the end of my three-years relationship, a steady part of my life.

Yet instead of crying as I probably should, I'm sitting on the couch, intrigued. Gulat and relieved at the same time. Realizing na tama siya, we were together only because we were used to it, it was convenient.

"Well, at least you don't have to find excuses to not kis him anymore." My best friend Mila remarks.

"Bad ka Mils."

"No, that's sad! My one-night stands give me more pleasure than your three years boyfriend, isipin mo un, three years na kayo pero wala pang nangyayari sainyo, boring nyo naman"

"He was a good boyfriend, mabait siya lagi and he always makes time for me." I don't even know why I'm defending him, he just broke up with me.

"Mabait? Really Quinn? Nice is your criteria for a boyfriend? Ang masasabi ko lang, d enough ang mabait lang"

she pauses to take a sip of her beer before continuing.

"I don't understand why you date him in the first place. I think he did you a favor, alam ko na hindi mo kayang makipag break sakanya e. It doesn't matter how miserable you were."

I glance sadly at her, tama siya. I would probably never break up with him, even if I had no interest in him anymore.

I took a sip of the beer Mila had opened for me, miss ko parin siya...

Hopefully, it is only because i can't have him anymore and not because i still have effing feelings for him, may bad habit kasi ako, mas gusto ko yung mga bagay na alam kong hindi ko makukuha.

Siya ang first boyfriend ko. Parang ang weird kung mag ddate pako ng iba e.

The situation between us was far from an ideal one, but I felt so comfortable with him. From now on I will have to be naked in front of someone I don't even know.

Honestly, I don't understand how Mila does it. She makes it sound so easy.

She knows what she wants, and she is confident about herself.

I'm sure as hell I'll be uneasy and awkward when I sleep with a guy, after i had an rs that lasted 4 years and I'm still a virgin.

Such a thought drives me to drink half of my beer in one shot, it's enervating.

It was when I recognized Mila observing me, her eyes are focused on me. It's how she behaves when she is analyzing me.

She was always torn between being a journalist or a psychologist. And even if she is now studying journalism, I still think na gusto nyang pagsabayin ang dalawa. Or gusto lang talaga niya kong pagexperimentohan.

The thing is, she is usually right about what she asserts regarding me, kilalang kilala niya talaga ako...

We're best friends since high school and now we're studying at the same college. journalism ang kinuha nya and I'm studying engineering. It's hard to comprehend how we become best friends nga e. Magkaiba talaga kami, our tastes, opinions, everything is usually opposites.

But i love her regardless.

Naghihintay ako sa sasabihin nya kasi  it is always like that naman e. She watches me, analyses me, considers the right way to say it, and declares it.

It didn't come, though. na interrupt siya nung tumonog ang doorbell ko.

I turn my head through the entrance to welcome my older sister, hearing her talking to someone in the hall.

"Hey, my favorite girls!" He greets us.

ulol ah, si Mila lang naman favorite neto tagal tagal nang gusto, ayaw pang umamin.

"Hello sayo ate!" I observe him entering the apartment followed by another girl.

Sino nanaman to? babae niya ba to? araw araw ah dami niya nang ginagawang rebound, infairness angganda. sayang, d siya boy.

"This is my friend Maxine, Maxine this is my sister Amelia and her friend Mila."

"Nice to meet you," Maxine speaks.

shet ganda ng boses

While he is speaking I innocently glance to acknowledge him. Stopping my sights on his features, which provokes my mouth to drops open.

Recognizing this woman is something. she's currently smiling at us, with his perfect white teeth. Ilang beses ko kailangan mag toothbrush para pumuti ng ganyan ngipin ko?? angganda nya nakaka insecure na ah.

My eyes continue traveling to check the remaining of her, realizing I'm staring at the hottest effing girl, she's the most exquisite specimen of a woman I have ever seen. Like wtf?? angganda na pogi pa, pwede pala yon?

sayang straight ako

Her long red hair is slightly curled, falling on her forehead formed curtain bangs that fit her so well, matched with the prettiest brown eyes. And checking his lips meanwhile I'm biting mine, I grasped she is smirking. Proving, I'm busted ogling her.

rold tabang

"Nice to meet you too." I quickly add, shifting my attention to my sister again, in hopes she hasn't caught me staring at her friend.

"What's up, Col?" my sister's name is Nicholas, but as the lazy girl, I call him Col, to shorten it. if you're wondering why her name is Nicholas it's because technically she isn't a girl, she may have girly features but she has male genitals...............

"See my friend Maxine here has  problem in his apartment and he needs a place to stay hehehehe" he starts looking at us.

sabi ko na nga ba e, kaya may pa 'favorite girls' sya

"Could you please let your room for Maxi and move to Mila's spare room?? Plss" He requests and I don't miss his pleading

"That's fine by me, naka'y Quinn naman na susi ng apartment ko e" Mila states. It's right, Hindi ko na naibalik sakanya. Pinahiram niya sakin kasi nag out of town siya and need nya ng magaalaga sa mga halaman na anak nya, kahid d talaga ako marunong magalaga.

Believe me, the only plant of mine that has survived is a fricking cactus.

"And we can go party!" She adds jumping around and grinning at me.

"Magiging third wheel kalang Mila HAHAHAH" I scoff at Col's statement, getting up to take another beer from the fridge.

Pano ko sasabihin sakanya na Jeremy and I broke up already. He adores the guy haysssttttttt.

"Hindi mo alam, Cols?" Mils taunts him with her mischievous grin. She would be pleased to inform him.

"Mila, please, not now. 'I' will tell him later." I assert, emphasizing the 'I' and being assured she has well understood my plea.

"No, not later amelia, tell me now,"

Col demands impatiently. And I take a deep breath before announcing it, knowing he'll be displeased.

"We broke up na Col."

"Ano? Bakit? I saw you guys last weekend and you're perfect. What did you do, amelia?" He asks, frowning.

"Bakit ako???" I inquired with one hand holding my beer and the other now on my waist.

"Because he's crazy about you."

good joke, so, now who will tell em? Right, it's me, I will have the pleasure to drop it in his face.

I couldn't avoid the smirk that appears on my face when I say,

"Yeah, he sure is, and that's why he was the one who fucking broke up with me e HAHAHAHAHAHA" I'm pleased watching Col's mouth drop open, with no response.

"Dun na muna ako sa apartment ni mils," I inform them. Returning to the initial subject, in hopes, Col forgets about the break-up.

"Thank you, Amelia!" I swayed my head finding Maxine's's mischievous smile, the way he pronounced my name with her deep voice was just...

"How have you guys met?" I let my curiosity out, starting a conversation with him.

"We were classmates in college. We used to go out all the time, but since I'm busy working I haven't seen him as before", he explains, taking the beer Col is handing him. "The last time I came here, Col was living alone. That's why I've asked him to receive me for a while," he completes, her accent is stronger now.

"So, you also studied civil engineering?"

He nods in response while sipping his beer.

My brother is 3 years older than me and has studied engineering as well. The only difference is he chose buildings and I'm interested in energy. Especially renewables.

"So, Andrew, please tell me that little Quinn here doesn't have to worry about you sleeping with your girlfriend in her bed?"

May gf sya? so.... bading??

That's typical Mila. She always finds a way to ask what we want to know without being nosy.

"I don't have a girlfriend"

Ay hindi bading.

"Since when do you respect other people's beds? Not having a girlfriend never stops you from sleeping around and using any bed available," my sister spoke with his signature smirk.

"Oh man, that happened once, it won't happen again I promise. I will go to the girl's place. It is easier. I can leave when I want."

It doesn't matter how gorgeous she is, Apaka immature nya. Not the kind I'm fond of.

Anyhow, she is also way out of my league.

"That's childish. A real person can at least face the woman he slept with the next day."

"Trust me it avoids a lot of problems. Anyway, it's not like you would like me banging a girl in your room, right?" He responds lifting his brow and smirking at me.

I end the discussion, moving to my room to take some basic items, like clothes, and hygiene products. I still can come in case I need something else. I'm not going too far naman e, only on the other side of the hall.

ate col joins the room once I'm finishing it.

"Thanks, Amelia, for lending your room to Maxi," she recognizes it. "She helped me a lot at the end of college. I kind of owed him, so I couldn't say no."

"ok lang, Col."

"Come, I'm cooking some pasta. You will taste my brand-new pesto sauce today. I made some improvements after last time," she invites grinning.

Col loves cooking, well, to experiment while cooking. He hates following a recipe. Gusto nya siya nag i-invent and naga-adjust ng ingredients. Ako lagi tumitikim, usually masarap naman pero ung pesto nya last time Urgh.

"God, I'll miss all these try. I'll have to cook now, or eat the pasta without salt and sauce from Mila," I declare while tasting col's dish.

Mila has a lot of qualities, cooking isn't one of them.

"Don't worry quinn, Dadalan nalang kita. You still are my favorite taster."

"Here Maxine, I think you will need a key. Pwede bang ikaw nalang mag pagawa ng duplicate and give em back tom??" I ask once we finish the dishes, leaning to give hem my keys chain.

It tingles when we touch our hands. I dropped the keys and almost jumped when I felt a small amount of electricity passing through me.

Calm down quinn, it was probably the keys...the metal providing static electricity.

I gape at him catching the keys from the floor, smirking and winking at me. Something tells me that his smirk means trouble. So much trouble.....................

_______________________________________

Hellaur this is my first time writing hehe

i hope you'll enjoy reading 🥹🫶🏻

srry pag may grammatical issues ha? d ako perpect 🫰🏻🫰🏻😁

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eyy🤙🏻🤙🏻