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“Aiahkinsss, nandito na ang package mooo!” Maloi called, dragging out the last syllable dramatically.
“Thanks, Loi!” Aiah replied, smiling as she accepted the box from the orange haired woman.
It was a chill Thursday—the kind with no rehearsals, no recording session, and just the right amount of sun. Naturally, the girls decided they missed each other way too much and made it Aiah’s problem (affectionately) by all randomly crashing at her place at 1 PM sharp.
The box that had arrived was a PR kit from a makeup brand hoping to collaborate with her. And Aiah, ever the responsible idol-celeb-influencer she was, wasn’t about to slap her name on something blindly just for the hefty paycheck afterwards. She wanted to try everything first—feel the formulas, read the ingredients, make sure the product actually lived up to its promises and was something worth recommending to their fans. The brand’s whole appeal was their commitment to non-toxic ingredients and cruelty-free practices—green flags that convinced Aiah to accept the initial round of “freebies.”
“Girls!” Aiah called out, carrying the box to the living room. “May i-uunbox akong mga makeup from this brand na gustong mag-collab with me. Gusto niyo i-test din?”
On the couch, Mikha, Sheena, and Gwen were locked in an intense round of Roblox: Dress to Impress, eyes glued to the screen like it was a matter of life and death.
“Maybe later, Ate Aiah,” Gwen said, clicking intensely on her phone. “May inuunlock pa kaming special event only na mermaid tail ni Bebe. Bawal mag-leave ng game, mawawala Yung progress.”
“Yuhh, later, Ate Aiah,” Sheena echoed, just as focused.
“I’ll come after this round,” Mikha chimed in, “Anong brand ’yan, bub?”
“Ayiee, bub daw!” Sheena teased, looking from her game to wiggle her eyebrows at Mikha.
“Veloura Beauty,” Aiah replied, chuckling at the side comment as she shook the white box slightly for emphasis.
“I think I’ve heard of them,” Mikha added, casually ignoring Sheena’s teasing. “Local brand, ’di ba? They’ve been getting super popular lately.”
“Yup that’s them,” Aiah nodded. “I’ll be in my room opening everything. Come whenever.” With that, she left the gamers to their Roblox fashion war, cradling the PR box to her room like a baby.
Walking the hallways of her home, Aiah softly hums a tune under her breath mentally debating what to cook for the girls for dinner later. Maybe pasta if she was feeling lazy. Or sinigang, since they weren’t together that often anymore outside schedules. She’d decide after.
Aiah placed the white box down on the floor and started setting up a small foldable table, makeup wipes, a mirror, lighting, and her iPad—because hey, if she was going to test products, she might as well record it, right? Once everything was in place and aesthetically arranged, she sat cross-legged and opened the box.
Inside were four lipsticks—one nude, one brown, one bold red, and one coral red—along with four matching glosses. Aiah smiled at the thoughtful shade range. Alongside them were a foundation, a concealer, and a blush compact. Everything was neatly packaged, minimalist, and sleek. She picked up one product at a time, reading through the labels with practiced eyes. True to the brand’s word, the ingredients checked out—non-toxic, cruelty-free, and skin-friendly. One box ticked.
Next up: performance.
Aiah adjusted the lighting and angled the mirror toward herself, then reached for the nude lipstick. It was her go to shades so she decided to start with that. She twisted the cap open and gave a small smile, excited to see how it would wear. She applied the nude lipstick carefully, watching her reflection as the pigment glided across her lips. The color was soft and natural, and to her surprise—it didn’t even need a second layer. One swipe and the coverage was even, full, and smooth.
“Hm, this looks good. In fairness,” Aiah murmured to herself, puckering her lips slightly to distribute the color.
“Passed. Cute siya,” she added with a nod, clearly impressed.
She reached for her wipes to remove the product, dabbing gently. It didn’t budge immediately—took a bit of effort to fully clean off, which in her book? Was a very good sign. Once her lips were bare again, she moved on to the brown shade. Another clean application. Another flawless finish.
She grinned. “Okay, now for the vibrant colors…”
Talking to herself like a low-key beauty vlogger, Aiah reached for the coral red lipstick, curious to see if the bold shades would deliver just as well. She applied the coral lipstick with practiced ease. The texture? Flawless. The coverage? Just as impressive as the first. But the color?
Aiah tilted her head, examining her reflection.
“Mm… not really my thing,” she murmured, smacking her lips once. It was a bit too bold. Nothing wrong with the product. Just the color wasn’t really pairing well with her tan skin.
Though… she could think of someone it would look amazing on.
And right on cue, that certain someone stepped into the room.
“Is that one of the products?” Mikha asked, closing the door behind her as she walked in.
“Yes,” Aiah said, turning toward her with a smile. “Pero di ko siya masyado bet. Too vibrant for me. Ikaw, though—I think it would look so good on you.”
She patted the space beside her, motioning for Mikha to sit. The younger girl raised a brow, intrigued, and crossed the room without hesitation. She plopped down next to Aiah, close enough that their shoulders touched.
“Say hi to my vlog,” The older girl teased as she uncapped the lipstick again, nodding over at the iPad in front of them.
“Ay for a vlog ’to?” Mikha asks curiously looking at the camera.
“Nope. Joke lang.”
Mikha rolled her eyes, but a small laugh slipped out anyway.
“What color is that?” she asked, watching as Aiah swirled the lipstick up from the tube.
“Coral red,” she replied, gently lifting Mikha’s chin with one hand, steadying her face. “Hold still.”
Mikha parted her lips slightly, eyes fixed on Aiah. The corner of her mouth tugged upward as she watched her girlfriend lean in—expression focused, brow slightly furrowed in concentration, lips pursed like this was the most serious thing in the world. It was oddly adorable. The way Aiah applied lipstick like she was doing delicate surgery.
And Mikha? She didn’t mind being the patient.
“Sana hinalikan mo na lang ako para mabilis yung transfer,” Mikha teased, a smirk playing on her lips as Aiah worked on her lips.
The older girl immediately scrunched her nose. “Yuck. Stop talking, nga—nagugulo ’yung application,” she said, faking an annoyed tone, though the twitch of a smile betrayed her.
“Ang sakit mo,” Mikha shot back, pretending to be offended.
“Talaga.”
And then they both cracked up, laughter spilling between.
“Galaw ka nang galaw, Mikha Lim!” Aiah scolded, trying to stay steady.
“Don’t make me laugh kasi!” Mikha whined, barely holding still.
After a few more seconds—and a lot of exaggerated sighs from Aiah—she finally leaned back, admiring her work.
“Ganda,” she said with a small nod.
“Ko?” Mikha asked, grinning.
“Urgh!” Aiah groaned, laughing again as her eyes disappeared into those signature eye smiles. “But yes you’re pretty. And the lipstick too. Bagay sayo.” she says softly, handing Mikha the mirror.
Mikha tilted the mirror toward her face, looking at herself before giving a satisfied nod. “Mhm. Ganda nga.”
“Nung?” Aiah teased, raising a brow.
“Nung katabi ko,” Mikha shot back smoothly, flashing her a grin.
“Ang landi mo today, Bub. May nakain ka ba?” The older girl asked, smiling wide, clearly amused.
“Wala pa,” Mikha said with a shrug, eyes glinting. “Pero kung puwede… kahit ikaw na lang—kai—”
“Ay wala na. Sira na,”
The two idols continued testing out the rest of the products, moving through them one by one. The red lipstick? Absolutely stunning on Mikha. It gave her this confident, striking edge that made Aiah pause mid-application just to admire her for a second. While the same shade looked gorgeous on Aiah too, she still gravitated toward her usual nudes and neutrals.
“Hm… so far everything’s exceeding my expectations,” Aiah said thoughtfully, wiping the red tint off Mikha’s lips with a makeup wipe. “Only downside for me is medyo konti yung laman ng products. Like, the size is on the smaller side.”
“Magkano ba isa?” Mikha asked, casually reaching for another shade.
“185 lang naman,” Aiah replied. “So honestly, worth it pa rin.”
Once they were done with the lipsticks, Aiah neatly set them aside and unboxed the lip glosses next. As always, she started by scanning the labels, carefully reading the ingredients.
“Safe,” she said with a nod. “Pass pa din sa checklist.”
“Flavored sila oh,” Mikha noted, picking up the reddish-pink tube and handing it to her. “Here—try this one.”
“Strawberry?” Aiah asked, inspecting the packaging.
“Yup,” Mikha replied, popping the ‘P’ at the end. “If it’s all natural, puwede kaya ’to kainin?” She added, eyeing it way too intently.
Aiah laughed. “Probably. But let’s not resort to eating lip gloss just because you want something sweet, babi.”
Without missing a beat, Mikha took the gloss back from her, uncapped it, and squeezed out a small bead of product onto the applicator. She inspected the texture, holding it up to the light with mock seriousness.
“Let’s try it.”
Mikha got on her knees in front of her, leaned in, and gently cupped her jaw to steady her.
“Hold still,” The red haired girl said, voice soft as she brought the gloss to Aiah’s lips.
She trailed the tip of the gloss applicator slowly along Aiah’s lower lip, painting it with the perfect layer of shine. Her movements were unhurried—deliberate, almost reverent. Then she moved to the upper lip, matching the pressure, her breath brushing faintly against Aiah’s skin.
Satisfied with the application, Mikha set the tube aside and—without breaking eye contact—used the pad of her fingertip to gently smooth the product in, blending it evenly with a soft touch that lingered a second too long to be casual.
And then, whispering in a low voice, Mikha murmured
“Finished.”
Aiah blinked, lips instinctively pressing together to test the texture. Tasting the sweet tang of strawberry.
“Hm… lasang strawberry nga,” she mumbled, gaze flicking up at Mikha.
“Talaga?” Mikha asked, voice low, eyes still focused on her lips.
Aiah nodded. “Yeah. Tamis.”
“Patikim.”
Before Aiah could even process what she said, Mikha was already leaning in.
The red-haired girl kissed her—softly, warmly—like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It wasn’t rushed or dramatic. Just a tender, lingering brush of lips that carried all the sweetness of the strawberry gloss and something even sweeter beneath it. Aiah barely had time to melt into the warmth of it before Mikha pulled away.
She blinked, cheeks blooming pink as she stared at Mikha, lips parted in stunned silence.
The younger girl was already grinning at her, eyes sparkling with mischief, her lips curved into that signature, cheeky smile.
“Hm, tamis nga,” Mikha said, licking her lips just a little too smugly.
“N-Nung ano?” Aiah replied, heart beating fast, trying her best to reply and hold on to their banter like a lifeline.
“Ikaw,” Mikha said, without missing a beat.
Sue her.
Sue Aiah if she couldn’t hold back the kilig that punched her straight in the chest.
She immediately turned away, hiding the growing smile that threatened to split her face in half.
“Mikhaaa!” she called out, voice shooting up an octave—completely betraying her.
“Yes pooo?” Mikha teased, with that mischievous grin plastered on her face. “Bakit nagtatago, Miss Arceta?”
She leaned over, trying to peek at Aiah’s face, who had turned her head so far it looked like she might twist herself in half just to avoid eye contact.
“Nakakainis ka!” Aiah laughed, swatting at her as Mikha gently took her by the shoulders, trying to turn her back around.
They wrestled playfully, laughter spilling between them as Aiah tried her hardest to keep her face hidden from Mikha. But Mikha, persistent and hopelessly amused, kept leaning in closer, until her weight tipped just a little too far. With a surprised yelp and a burst of laughter, the two of them toppled over, landing in a tangled heap on the floor.
Aiah immediately threw her arms over her face, once again hiding from the younger girl.
But Mikha wasn’t having it.
She gently peeled Aiah’s arms away and pinned them down with one hand, hovering above her. Her other hand moved to Aiah’s cheek, giving it the softest—yet most gigil—pinch ever.
“Kilig na kilig,” Mikha grinned, her voice low and teasing. “Crush mo ba ako?”
Aiah burst out laughing again, completely unable to hold it in, her cheeks still flushed with pink. She was trying to act offended, but the way her eyes crinkled into a smile gave her away.
Mikha with a warm smile, leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Aiah’s lips.
Then another.
And another.
Soft, playful pecks that made Aiah giggle at first—but gradually, the laughter faded. Her smile remained, but her gaze shifted into something deeper. She looked up at Mikha, completely still now, eyes filled with pure love and quiet awe.
Mikha’s grip on her wrists loosened, as if her whole body had relaxed under Aiah’s gaze. Sensing it, Aiah reached up slowly, cupping Mikha’s cheek in her hand.
Mikha instinctively leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering shut, her breath catching ever so slightly. She looked so at peace in that moment—like the world had gone quiet just for them.
Aiah took a breath, heart full to bursting, and gently pulled Mikha down into a long, sweet kiss. It was slow, sincere—more a promise than anything else.
For a while, nothing else existed.
Just warmth. Skin against skin. A steady heartbeat against her chest.
The teasing faded into something quieter. Something warm. Something that felt a whole lot like love.
…
Later, on nights when they weren’t together after a long day or weeks that they were too tired to come over to each other’s places, Aiah would quietly open her iPad, slip under the covers, and press play on a certain video.
The screen would light up with the two of them: laughing, teasing, flirting, smudged with strawberry lip gloss and love. Mikha is hovering above her with that cheeky smile and under her, an almost off screen Aiah, blushing and glowing.
She’d watch in silence, the kind that didn’t ache—just missed. And every time Mikha leaned in for one of those quick, silly kisses, Aiah would smile like she was feeling them all over again.
Between all their official content, fan edits, and candid videos of each other.
This one was her favorite.
It was her secret little way of keeping Mikha close—especially on days when the world felt a little too far apart.