Riz stirred awake to the sound of something… off.
It wasn't a knock. Not an alarm.
It was crying.
Not soft whimpers either.
It was loud, broken sobs—coming from just a few feet away.
She groaned slightly, her head pounding from the aftermath of too much Alfonso. Her throat was dry, and her temples throbbed with every breath. She blinked through the hangover, mind foggy, body heavy.
But when she turned toward the source of the sound—everything hurt less.
Kate.
Kate was curled up on the edge of the bed, her back turned, her shoulders shaking with every heaving sob. She was crying like a child. Like her heart had been ripped out and she didn't know where to put the pain.
Riz sat up, dizzy, but pushed through it.
Then she saw it—Kate's phone glowing dimly on the bed. The screen still lit up with his name on the call log.
She didn't need to ask.
Alam na niya.
Her best friend, in a moment of drunken heartbreak, had called him.
The same man who walked away.
The same man who let her stay while he planned to leave.
Without hesitation, Riz pulled herself up and crawled across the bed, wrapping her arms tightly around Kate from behind.
"Shhh… okay na… I'm here, I'm here…" Riz whispered, running a hand up and down Kate's trembling back.
Kate gasped for air between sobs, each breath cutting through her chest. "Tinawagan ko siya, Riz… hindi ko alam kung bakit. Ang tanga ko, diba?"
"No." Riz said it firmly, almost angrily—not at Kate, but at the world. "You're not stupid. You're hurting. You loved. That's not a weakness."
"I asked him if he still cared," Kate choked, barely getting the words out. "And he said… he didn't want to fake it anymore. As if… as if everything was fake."
Riz clenched her jaw, her fingers pausing in Kate's hair for a second before continuing to soothe her. "He's a coward. Don't let his fear become your worth."
Kate turned her body fully into Riz's chest, burying her face as her cries grew louder, more guttural, more broken—no longer held in. Just released.
Riz held her tighter, rocking her gently.
"He made me believe… Riz, he made me believe we had something." Kate's voice was cracked, barely audible. "The way he looked at me. The way he stayed. It felt real."
"I know, Frenny…"
"He made me feel seen. Like… like maybe I mattered again." Kate's hands gripped the fabric of Riz's shirt tighter. "And now I feel stupid. Kasi bakit ako nag-expect sa isang taong hindi naman sigurado sa'kin?"
"You're not stupid," Riz said again, softer this time. "You're human. You saw the good in him. You saw the parts of him he couldn't even see. That's not weakness—that's love. It's just that sometimes… loving the wrong person feels exactly like loving the right one."
Kate sniffled, trying to catch her breath. "Sinubukan ko maging sapat, Riz. Lahat ng kaya kong ibigay, binigay ko. Kahit alam kong pwedeng masaktan ako sa dulo. Tinaya ko lahat, wala akong tinira para sa sarili ko."
"And that's exactly why he didn't deserve you," Riz murmured, brushing hair away from her friend's damp cheeks. "You gave all of you to someone who only had pieces to offer. You were ready. You were sure. That doesn't make you weak. That makes you brave."
Kate sobbed again. "But bakit ganon? Bakit parang ako lagi 'yung pinipili lang kapag convenient? Pero pag kailangan na nilang maging sigurado, umaatras sila?"
Riz closed her eyes, her own throat tightening. "Because not everyone is built to love the way you do. You're the kind of person who stays. Who chooses even when it's hard. That's rare, Kate. That's beautiful. But not everyone knows how to hold something so real."
"I just… I just wanted to be enough. Even just once."
"You are. More than enough. You were just trying to prove your worth to someone who didn't even know how to receive it."
Kate's shoulders slumped against her, the weight of every word pressing down like gravity finally catching up to her.
"Wala na talaga, no? Tapos na talaga?"
Riz didn't answer right away. She just pulled her tighter. "Maybe it's over, yes. But that doesn't mean it's the end of you. And definitely not the end of your story."
Kate's sobs softened, her voice dropping into exhaustion. "Mahal ko pa rin siya, Riz… kahit hindi ko dapat."
"I know," Riz whispered, pressing her lips to the top of her friend's head. "And that's okay. You don't have to stop loving him right away, take your time to heal. You just have to start loving yourself more."
"Ayaw ko…I can't unlove him…I just cant."
"I know. Hindi mo naman ma-a-unlove kaagad ang tao lalo na kapag Minahal mo naman talaga siya…"
Kate could barely breathe through her sobs. The pain had mixed with the last traces of alcohol in her system, and everything was spinning. Her body shook, her heart aching so loudly it drowned everything else.
Then—slowly—her cries softened.
Her breaths slowed.
And then… she went still.
She had cried herself into sleep.
Blacked out in Riz's arms, still in the clothes from last night, still drenched in the scent of heartbreak and brandy.
Riz looked down at her, brushing the hair from Kate's damp face. Her own eyes stung with tears—but she held them back.
Not now.
Now wasn't her turn to cry.
Now was her turn to be what Kate once was for her—a safe place, a warm shoulder, a quiet shelter.
Riz gently leaned back on the headboard, pulling Kate fully into her embrace, letting her rest.
She knew they had duties to face in a few days. A new life in Manila. A reset. Though temporarily.
But for now…
They could just be broken together. Seeing her friend like this broke her. Kung pwede niya lang sapakin iyong lalaking iyon ay ginawa na niya.
For now…No pretending. No pushing forward.
Just stillness.
And sleep.
Itutulog na niya rin muna ang hang over niya.
---
Hapon na nang magising silang dalawa.
The room smelled faintly of alcohol and blankets soaked in tears. Kate blinked at the soft light coming through the window, her head pounding gently with the last traces of her hangover.
Riz stirred beside her, groaning. "Ugh… bakit parang binugbog ako sa panaginip?"
Kate cracked a tired smile, rubbing her eyes. "Hindi panaginip, Riz. Tatlong bote 'yon ng Alfonso."
"Right," Riz said, pressing her palms against her temples. "Kasalanan mo 'to. Kung hindi mo ako pinainom…"
Kate gave her a weak glare. "Ikaw kaya 'yung nagdala ng alak."
They both laughed lightly—tired and sarcastic. The kind of laugh that comes not from humor, but from the shared weight of emotional hangover.
Then Kate's stomach grumbled. Loudly.
Riz blinked. "Tangina, nalipasan tayo ng gutom."
Kate nodded slowly. "Ayoko na. Ang sakit ng ulo ko… pati ng puso ko."
They lay in silence for a few more seconds, neither of them moving.
Then—Riz's phone rang.
Kate watched as her friend groaned, reaching for it.
"Love," Riz answered groggily. "Sobrang sakit ng ulo ko…"
Kate only caught bits of the conversation—something about food, soup, and "hintayin mo ako diyan, love."
Not even twenty minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
Riz dragged herself to the entrance.
"Love!" Riz said in a softer tone, more energetic now.
Kate sat up on the couch, straightening herself even though she still felt dizzy.
It was Riz's boyfriend.
A kind smile on his face, a paper bag in one hand, and a Tupperware of steaming soup in the other.
"Para sa dalawang lasingera kong mahal," he said with a chuckle.
Kate gave a small, sheepish smile.
Riz rolled her eyes playfully and smacked his arm. "Hindi kami lasingera, nagka-moment lang!"
He looked at Kate with concern. "Kumain ka na ba, Kate?"
She shook her head.
"Good, kasi eto. Chicken soup. Pang-alis ng sama ng loob at sakit ng ulo."
Kate took the bowl from him with both hands. It was warm—comforting. The scent alone made her realize how hungry she really was.
They sat together at the small table in her apartment, Riz beside her boyfriend, legs tangled under the table, teasing each other between spoonfuls.
Kate watched them quietly.
Her heart… tightened.
She remembered the nights Riz would come crying to her. Snot and mascara-stained cheeks, ranting about the men who couldn't choose her, who played with her, who left her on read.
Kate was always there. Always listening. Always trying to find the right words—even when she had none.
But now?
Riz had someone.
Someone who showed up without needing to be asked. Someone who brought soup when her head hurt. Someone who wasn't scared of her sadness. Someone who made her laugh even when her heart was tired.
The one.
Kate looked down at her bowl.
And clenched her fist.
Ganito pala 'yon kapag mas mahal ka ng lalaki. Kapag hindi mo kailangang magtanong kung mahal ka ba talaga. Kapag hindi mo kailangang hulaan kung saan ka lulugar.
When will that kind of love find me?
She lifted her spoon slowly, trying to focus on eating—but her thoughts kept drifting back.
To Frooze.
To the silence.
To her voice shaking on the call.
To his not fighting for her.
And then, to this—
Riz laughing, safe in someone's love.
Kate stared at her food again.
And something inside her whispered: I don't want to love again.
Because the last time she did, she lost herself trying to be enough.
She placed the spoon down, breathing in shakily.
Love… just the thought of it made her feel sick.
This kind of love—theirs, Riz and her boyfriend—was beautiful.
But it wasn't hers.
And maybe… it never would be.