"Are you really in a relationship now?" Raymond asked his cousin.
"Yeah," Joel admitted, a faint smile on his lips. "And I'm genuinely happy knowing she loves me."
"Then what about Airah?" Raymond pressed. "She's trying to come back, isn't she?"
"No," Joel said firmly, shaking his head.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I only dated her for two weeks," Joel replied. "That was when Nicole was still recovering—and when you were still her partner. Airah was the one who reached out to me."
Raymond frowned. "Wait. You met up with her again, and it only lasted two weeks?"
"Yeah," Joel nodded. "That's why there were times you didn't know where I was. She suddenly showed up again."
"That explains a lot," Raymond muttered.
"I did try," Joel continued honestly. "I thought I was happy—being back with Airah. We kissed, we hung out. But every time I saw Nicole at school…" His voice softened. "All I wanted was her."
Raymond stayed quiet, listening.
"I needed to confirm something first," Joel went on. "That's why I couldn't apologize to Nicole right away. I didn't want to use her just to test my feelings."
"So what did you realize?" Raymond asked quietly.
"That even when I kissed Airah, I felt nothing," Joel said. "I loved her once—you know that. I was almost obsessed, even when the relationship was toxic. But when Nicole came into my life… I wanted to love her instead."
Raymond exhaled slowly.
"So I ended things with Airah for good," Joel continued. "There's nothing left between us. I warned her not to interfere anymore, and I've refused to meet her since. Whatever love I had before—I gave all of it to Nicole. Maybe even more than I ever gave anyone else."
He let out a small chuckle.
Raymond sighed. "If you went that far just to confirm your feelings… then maybe I can finally relax." His expression hardened slightly. "I just hope Airah doesn't try anything—especially toward Nicole."
"I won't let her hurt Nicky," Joel said firmly. "I've made my choice. If Airah refuses to accept that, then she'll face the consequences herself."
Raymond studied him.
"You still don't believe me, do you?" Joel asked.
"Well," Raymond admitted, "considering how things were between you two before… I had doubts. But yeah. When you say you felt nothing—that makes sense now."
Joel smiled faintly. "Thanks. I'm glad you see it. I'm serious about this relationship. And I'm relieved I didn't drag Nicole into my confusion."
"Good," Raymond said. "She doesn't deserve that."
He patted Joel's shoulder. "Take care of her."
Joel laughed. "Are you acting like her big brother now?"
"She's my girlfriend's best friend," Raymond grinned.
Joel shook his head, chuckling.
"So," Joel asked, "how are things with Melissa?"
Raymond smiled instantly. "I love her. I really do. She supports me in everything, and I try to do the same. That's why I always make time for her, no matter how busy things get."
"Glad to hear that," Joel said sincerely.
"Let's double-date sometime," Raymond suggested. "You, me, Melissa—and Nicky."
Joel smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."
******
Meanwhile, Airah's furious voice echoed through a messenger call.
"How can I calm down, Dawn?" she snapped. "I wasted two damn weeks on him!"
"Relax," Dawn said calmly. "You still enjoyed those kisses, didn't you?"
Airah scoffed. "Yeah. He still kisses like hell." She smirked. "That's why I can't let him go. None of my other relationships felt like that. I know he still loves me—he'll give in eventually."
"But he ended things this time," Dawn pointed out.
"That's exactly why I can't accept it," Airah snapped. "No one dumps me."
Dawn sighed. "He used to love you obsessively. Nicole isn't even that significant."
"Give me one or two weeks," Airah said with a sly smile. "I'll visit your school. Let's see how things turn out."
"Yeah," Dawn encouraged. "You should show up more often."
"I'll call you later," Airah said before hanging up.
The line went dead.
Dawn leaned back, rubbing his temples.
It's true—Joel used to be crazy about her, he thought. Even with her toxic attitude, he tolerated everything.
But he smirked.
Whatever. What matters is I can still play this.
As for Cielo… he'll dance in my palm too.
I just need to get rid of Julie.
Then his thoughts drifted.
Julie doesn't even care about me. And Cielo? He hasn't changed how he treats me.
Why am I even rushing?
Dawn stood and stretched.
I'll deal with it later. For now, I need rest.