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Colet has never been a big fan of storms. But, of course, she'd never admit it. She needed to be strong, needed to be the tough older sister who protected her younger siblings against everything in this world, including her worst fear.
So when a heavy thunderstorm was said to hit the city, Colet was beyond terrified. During the day, she prepared herself, making sure her devices were fully charged and her headphones prepped and ready to go.
But when the storm came, she was shaking under her covers.
God, she hated thunderstorms. Every crash rattled every fiber of her being. Every loud boom made her flinch in fear and cover her ears, the headphones with loud blaring music useless against the storm.
She felt helpless, terrified, and alone.
Aiah was still wide awake. In contrast to Colet, she loved the rain and she loved thunderstorms. She loved hearing the pitter patter of the raindrops hitting her window and watching lightning dance across the sky. But this time, it was different.
The only thing that was on her mind was Colet, and how terrified she must be. Colet respected her privacy and her personal space, Aiah knew that.
But why is she grabbing the keys to her car and rushing out her door?
Aiah drove through the heavy rain, barely flinching everytime thunder crashed through the sky. She keeps her speed steady, fast enough that she'll reach Colet’s condo in just a few minutes, but slow enough that she won't skid off the highway.
The only thought on Aiah's mind as she drove through the heavy rain with little to no visibility was that Colet must be absolutely terrified.
Colet needed someone, and if that someone had to be Aiah, then so be it.
Once she parked her car, the security guard let her right in, greeting her with a tip of his hat as he had recognized the visitor.
“Uy, Miss Aiah, andito po pala kayo. Pasok lang kayo.” The older man greets her with a warm smile.
She greets him back, rushing to the elevator. She presses the button once, twice, three times.
Ang bagal neto, lumalakas na ang ulan.
So Aiah does something either incredibly stupid or incredibly remarkable.
She runs towards the building's stairway, staring up at the staircase that seems to last in an endless spiral.
It's just the 22nd floor, how bad can it be?
By the time she reached the 22nd floor, her legs felt like jelly, her forehead damp with sweat and her lungs felt like they were on fire.
But she made it, the thought of keeping Colet safe giving her enough adrenaline to keep pushing.
She walked through the hallway, her legs wobbling with every step. Once she made it in front of Colet’s room, she rummaged through her keychain, searching for the right key. After finding the right key, she slowly opens the door. Colet’s condo unit was always neat and smelled like wood sage and sea salt. Aiah always thought that scent suited her, she smelled warm and comforting.
She walks through the quiet condo unit, save for the heavy rain outside and the occasional thunder crashing through. She reaches Colet’s bedroom door, opening it slowly and her heart breaks at the sight.
She sees a figure huddled under the covers, the figure underneath shaking with fear and she hears the faint beat of one of their songs playing in the background. She approaches slowly, careful not to startle the younger girl and she lifts the covers slowly, and there she was.
The once strong and stoic Colet was reduced to a terrified little girl, shivering with her hands over her headphone-covered ears while she hugged her knees close to her chest.
Aiah reaches her hand out, gently brushing her palm over Colet’s hair and the younger girl visibly flinches. She turns her head to see Aiah now beside her, covered in sweat.
What Colet does next surprises both Aiah and herself.
She launches herself out of the covers and into Aiah's arms, burying her face in the crook of Aiah's neck. Her eyes welled up with tears and her body shook as she sobbed in Aiah's arms.
Aiah immediately catches her, wrapping her arms around Colet as tightly as she could. She rubs Colet's back in a gentle and soothing manner, trying to calm the younger girl down.
"Shhh, it's okay. Andito na ako, ga. You're safe."
There was that word again. Langga. The endearment that Aiah had reserved for the younger girl made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Her heart skipped a beat whenever Aiah called her that.
They stayed that way for a few minutes, with Aiah rocking her back and forth. She whispers soft nothings in Colet’s ear, effectively calming the younger girl down.
Aiah pulls back from the hug enough to wipe away Colet's tears, a soft smile on her lips as a pout appears on Colet's face.
"Tahan na, langga. You're safe here with me, okay?"
Aiah asks, cupping Colet's face and she speaks sweetly. Colet fears that if she looks into Aiah's eyes, she might spontaneously combust into flames. She doesn't find the words to answer so she just nods, sniffling while she wipes away the tears in her eyes.
Aiah pulls back from the hug, standing up from the bed and Colet panics, her hand shooting out to grab Aiah's wrist, shocking the older girl.
"Please... wag moko iiwan.."
Aiah's eyes soften and she takes Colet's hand in hers, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.
"I'm not going anywhere, langga. Mag papalit lang ako ng damit. Is that okay?"
Aiah says in a soft yet teasing manner, a teasing smile on her lips. Colet blushes, nodding as she lets Aiah go to change.
God, Colet was a huge mess whenever Aiah was around.
After Aiah had changed into some spare clothes that she had left in Colet's condo unit, she walks back into Colet's room, seeing the younger girl now more relaxed and now comfortable in her bed, her headphones now off of her head and on her bedside table.
When Colet sees Aiah enter her bedroom, she scoots towards the other side of the bed, leaving some space for Aiah and allowing her to get into bed with her.
Aiah takes the hint and takes her place beside Colet, the younger girl immediately scooting closer when Aiah slipped under the covers.
Colet wraps her arms around Aiah's torso, breathing in Aiah's scent. Aiah always smelled sweet, it was Colet's favorite scent. Aiah reciprocated, wrapping her arms around Colet, placing a kiss on the younger girl's head.
They lay there together in comfortable silence, with Aiah placing gentle kisses on Colet's head every now and then while she ran a hand up and down Colet's back in a soothing manner.
"Thank you, for coming over."
Colet says, her voice barely audible as she had buried her face in Aiah's shoulder. Aiah hums in response, pulling the younger girl closer to her.
"Basta ikaw, lakas mo sakin eh."
Aiah jokes, making the younger girl chuckle and she lifts her head to look at Aiah.
Ang ganda niya.
Colet thinks, her eyes shifting between Aiah's lips and her eyes. Aiah notices this and she smiles softly, nodding subtly.
Colet leans in and Aiah finds herself doing the same, their lips meeting in soft and gentle manner. Colet could feel herself melting, her heart was beating faster than normal.
Her lips are so soft.
The kiss didn't last very long, with Colet being shy and burying her face in Aiah's shoulder while the older girl giggled.
Thunder crashes once again and Colet flinches, her body shaking once again in fear. Aiah holds her closer, kissing the side of Colet's head as she whispers.
"It's okay. I'm here."
Colet looks at Aiah and everything seems to blur, her eyes just focusing on the woman before her.
"Dito ka lang? Promise?"
Aiah smiles, nodding her head before kissing Colet once more.
"Dito lang ako, ga. I promise."