Second Chances

Chapter 12

The next morning...

"I can't believe you're only calling me now!" Chatnalin huffed out, arms crossed and pouting in displeasure.

The two Thai best friends were on a Facetime video call. It was only a little past 6am, and as expected, everyone else was still asleep. Anntonia was in the kitchen, sitting by the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in hand.

"You ignored all my messages yesterday and even last night, too!!" Lin continued, glaring through the screen.

Anntonia made an 'oopsie' face, staring apologetically at her best friend. "I'm sorry, Lin! I was busy!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know all that, you have a new girlfriend!" the younger girl teased, smirking. "But I think she's putting in more work, judging by that huge hickey on your neck!"

Anntonia's face turned beet red, a hand instantly covering up her neck. "That's not—I, um—" She has no excuse. She ended up just bumping her forehead lightly against the marble countertop, murmuring, "I'm gonna kill Michelle..."

Lin laughed out loud. "I hope you have a great concealer for that and a lot of it, because you'll be needing it for the next few days!"

Anntonia looked up and glared back at the screen. "I never should have called you."

"C'mon, no need to bite my head off," Lin replied, still chuckling. "I'm sure Michelle would prefer you bite her instead."

Anntonia groaned. "I'm hanging up, goodbye—"

"Noooo! I'll behave now, promise! You just make it so easy!"

The older girl rolled her eyes.

"In all seriousness though, I'm happy for you, sis. Love is a good look on you," Lin said genuinely.

Anntonia blushed again, her brain briefly short-circuiting at the word 'love'. She and Michelle had not exchanged those words yet. Granted it's only been a few days, but she knows how deep her feelings went. There was no denying it.

I'm irrevocably in love with her.

On the other side of the call, Lin could almost tell the exact thoughts running through the other girl's mind.

If the circumstances were different, Lin would have called Anntonia crazy for getting into a whirlwind romance that can crash and burn at any moment—but this wasn't just that. Anntonia and Michelle had history. They had an unfinished story that fate allowed to continue once more.

"So," Lin broke through her best friend's thoughts, "You wanna tell me about her?"

Anntonia grinned, all too happy to talk about Michelle.

And so she did, and Lin listened with a smile, intermittently teasing.

...

"Why are you awake so early anyway?" Lin asked once there was a lull in the conversation.

"Ah, you just reminded me!" Anntonia stood up, opening up the fridge. "I was gonna cook breakfast for my baby."

"Ugh, you're so stinkin' sweet, it's so annoying!"

"Oh, shush, it's not just for Mich. It's for Rhian and Sam, too."

Lin's eyes widened, "Hold on! THE Rhian and Sam? Like her BFFs?!"

Anntonia set some ingredients on the counter and faced the screen, "Yes."

"Oh my God, I hate you! Why am I not invited to the fun?? Why do they get to meet the girlfriend, and I don't?!"