veintecinco

After that night at the beach camping, it felt like all the tension between Risa and me had completely disappeared.

We settled down—no more chasing, no more hiding, no more bullshit.

It was just us, raw and real, finally stepping out of the shadows and into something solid. Something unshakable.

Now, she’s here at my condo, sprawled out on the sofa like she’s completely drained, one arm draped lazily over her forehead. She looks so at home, so comfortable, like she belongs here. And maybe she does.

She’s in her usual loose sweater and shorts, legs tucked beneath her as she absentmindedly scrolls through her phone.

No work today, so she’s just hanging out, no obligations, no stress—just Risa, here with me.

It still feels surreal sometimes.

She had already told the entire office that we’re together. No more denials, no more dodging questions, no more secret glances across meeting rooms.

When we got back from the beach, the whole staff practically gathered in the lobby just to confirm it. The moment we walked in, hands linked, it was like throwing gasoline on an already raging fire of gossip.

But Risa had just squeezed my fingers tighter, lifted her chin, and with that unwavering confidence of hers, said,

“Yeah, it’s her. So go do your jobs and leave us the fuck alone.”

And that was it. No grand speeches, no dramatic confessions. Just Risa, always direct, always unapologetic.

We’re getting older, but it’s only now that I truly feel like I don’t want to keep hiding anymore.

Risa was lying on the sofa, her head resting on my lap, her breathing slow and even. I played with her hair, threading my fingers through the silky strands, watching as she relaxed further under my touch.

We talked about how wild the office reactions were when she made the announcement, how people gawked, how some of them cheered.

“We’re not getting any younger, Alice,” she murmured, voice drowsy, her lips barely moving. “One day we’ll wake up all washed up and wrinkly.”

I chuckled, leaning down to press a soft kiss on her forehead. “Even if you get all washed up, you’re still the only one I want.”

She cracked one eye open, smirking. “Idiot.”

“You’re my idiot,” I shot back, grinning.

Then, the condo door suddenly swung open—not that I was surprised. Only one person has a spare key.

“Alice, I brought—WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Leni stood frozen at the doorway, grocery bag in hand, her eyes locked on Risa’s head on my lap and my hands still cradling her face.

“Leni—”

“Wait a minute, what is this? Why does this look like—” Leni squinted at me. “Why didn’t you even warn me you had a girlfriend?!”

I grinned, obviously enjoying her reaction. “Surprise?”

She turned to Risa, her friend for years. “Risa. Fuck. You never mentioned you had an Alice?!”

Risa quickly sat up, looking guilty as hell. “Leni, it’s not that I—”

“Fuck, am I the idiot here?! Alice, you never told me! You didn’t say she was the teacher you used to hate and now… what? This?!” She gestured between us wildly. “You had a crush on her?!”

I had the audacity to smirk. “Correction: I never hated her. That was just denial, Ate.”

She stared at me like she was reevaluating her entire life. “So, this whole time, you had a crush on her since high school?! And you never told me?!”

“Well, you also never told me she was your friend,” I shot back.

Leni sighed heavily, rubbing her temples. “So let me get this straight. Years ago, you left the Philippines, changed yourself, became a different person, and then when you came back… you came back to Risa?”

Risa cleared her throat. “Uh, technically, I came back for her…”

Leni shot her a glare. “THAT’S NOT THE POINT, RISA!”

I snickered, obviously entertained. “Ate, chill.”

“CHILL?! WHAT THE FUCK, ALICE?! YEARS! FUCKING YEARS! And only now?! I’m just finding out now that you two are together?! This has been going on for ages, hasn’t it?!”

Risa gave a small, sheepish smile. “…Sort of?”

Leni groaned. “You two are fucking unbelievable. I need a drink.”

I laughed and pulled Risa close, pressing a quick kiss to her temple like we weren’t currently destroying Leni’s entire perception of reality.

“Ate, just accept it. It’s me and her now. Nothing you can do about it.”

Leni sighed, shaking her head as she grabbed a beer from the grocery bag. “Fucking hell. You two are a mess, but whatever. Congrats, you dumbasses.”

I smirked, leaning in closer to Risa. “But you’re the one I want to eat first.”

Leni gagged dramatically. “WHAT THE FUCK! I’m not drunk enough for this!”

Risa just laughed, pulling me in closer as Leni stormed off to the kitchen. And for the first time in forever, everything felt right—honest, messy, and finally ours.

Leni was still grumbling in the kitchen, cracking open a beer like it was the only thing keeping her sane.

Meanwhile, Risa leaned against me, completely unbothered, her fingers lazily tracing circles on my thigh.

“You really like pissing her off, don’t you?” she murmured.

I grinned. “It’s a sibling’s duty.”

Leni groaned from the other room. “I can hear you, dumbass!”

Risa chuckled, shaking her head before sitting up properly. “Maybe we should go easy on her. She looks like she just found out her childhood pet was actually two pets that kept getting replaced.”

I laughed at that, but before I could respond, Leni stormed back into the living room, beer in one hand and phone in the other, squinting at the screen like she was reading a message she couldn’t believe.

“Okay, serious question,” she said, pointing at us with the beer bottle. “Who else knows?”

Risa raised an eyebrow. “Everyone at the office?”

“And…” Leni prompted.

“…Cass and Wes,” I added, watching as she slowly put the pieces together.

“Cass and Wes,” she repeated, blinking. Then she let out an exasperated sigh. “Holy shit. So I’m the last one to find out?”

Risa and I exchanged looks.

“Well…” I started.

“Fuck you,” Leni deadpanned, chugging her beer.

I laughed so hard I nearly choked.

And just like that, it didn’t matter how long it took, how messy it had been, or how many secrets we had kept.

Because right now, in this moment, it was just us—no hiding, no pretending. Just real, raw, ridiculous love.

And Leni, unfortunately, had to witness all of it.