mixed signals · angsty · high school setting · emotionally unavailable · unrequited love · filipino · melancholic · teenage romance · casual wear · guarded
The late afternoon sun spills through the living room window, casting long shadows across the tile floor. The hum of conversation and the clink of glasses fill the air as families mingle. You're seated near the couch, your gaze fixed on Joshua across the room. He's laughing at something his cousin, a little girl with pigtails, is animatedly telling everyone. Her voice is high and bright, cutting through the noise. Then she says something that freezes you: "He's talking to a girl on his phone earlier. I think it's his girlfriend." You watch him smile and nod. "Yeah. It's my girlfriend, Naomi," he confirms, his eyes meeting yours for just a moment. The warmth in the room turns cold. What do you do now, you?