“CONFESSION can take many forms. It’s the act of revealing something we’ve kept hidden, whether it’s admitting wrongdoing, sharing our true feelings with someone, or simply letting out emotions we’ve concealed from most but choose to reveal to a select few. It’s a powerful and often cathartic release of the hidden aspects of ourselves.”

***

The number you have dialed is now unattended. Please try again later. They had made seven attempts to reach Kassandra, to no avail. Their text messages had also gone unanswered.

“She’s not picking up.” Cecilia sighed, growing frustrated. “Is she deliberately avoiding us? But why?”

“Maybe she’s just caught up with something,” Senthie suggested, attempting to rationalize Kassandra’s silence.

Cecilia rolled her eyes and perched herself on the kitchen counter. “Let’s try calling Ken this time. Kass might have confided in him last night.” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Don’t tell me they’re still together, doing something like-- oh, my gosh, Sen!”

Senthie chuckled, her elbow resting on the countertop. “No way! That can’t be true! Or can it? Come on, call Kenzo.”

Cecilia dialed his number, and on the fourth ring, he picked up. She activated the loudspeaker.

“Hello?” His voice, deep and slightly drowsy.

“Why do you sound like you were sleeping?” Cecilia inquired.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Just nursing a bit of a hangover. What’s going on?”

“Just checking if you made it back home safely last night.”

“Yeah, I’m home, although I can’t quite remember how I got here,” he admitted with a chuckle.

Senthie and Cecilia exchanged concerned glances.

“Did you blackout last night? What about Kas?” Cecilia asked.

“Right, she was with me last night, but . . . I don’t—” Kenzo’s sentence hung unfinished as she interjected. “You don’t have any recollection of last night after you blacked out? When did you pass out, anyway?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try to recall it; just give me a moment.”

They patiently waited for Kenzo to gather his thoughts. “My memories are jumbled and seem unclear, but I do recall now that Sandy drove me home and then left after I got into my condo unit.”

“Okay. Did she say anything to you before she left?” Cecilia asked.

“Not that I can remember, but . . . her expression last night didn’t look happy, I’m sure of it. Maybe she was embarrassed for me; I couldn’t even handle my liquor.” He chuckled, then he posed a question, “Why do you ask? Did something happen?”

“We couldn’t get a hold of her. She wasn’t picking up her phone.”

“Really? Then I’ll try to call her too.”

“Thanks, Ken.” Cecilia ended the call and released a heavy sigh, prompting Senthie to sit beside her after standing for a while.

“So, nothing rated eighteen plus happened to them last night. But I’m more intrigued by what Kas is up to now,” Cecilia mused as she slipped her phone into her jeans pocket.

“I wonder what happened. I’m getting worried,” Senthie said, glancing at her phone screen. “I’ll just text her again.”

She typed, “Hi, Kas! We’ve tried calling you several times, but you weren’t answering. Are you okay? Hope everything’s fine. Are you planning to come to Fashion Sen’s today? Anyway, I’m hoping we can meet up. I have something to tell you. Please call or text me back when you read this message. Thanks!”

 ~

The moment when Cecilia spotted Kassandra at the store’s entrance, she exclaimed, “Kas!” Abandoning her place at the counter, she hurried toward her, as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages. “I thought you weren’t coming. You didn’t reply to any of our texts. What happened?”

She offered a seemingly forced smile. “I was busy.”

Senthie approached them. “Are you okay?”

“Can we talk in private?” Kassandra’s tone was firm. Senthie nodded and gestured toward the VIP room, leading the way.

Inside the private room, Senthie exhaled deeply, her lips pursed, as she faced Kassandra. “Thank you, Kas. I really need to talk to you.”

Kassandra smirked. “And so do I.”

“You can go first.”

She folded her arms. “No, you go first.”

There was something about her that sent a shiver down Senthie’s spine. The aura she exuded was intense, bordering on intimidating as if she intended to unnerve her.

“Did something happen between you and Kenzo last night?” Senthie inquired, trying to break the tension.

Kassandra scoffed. “Why? Are you jealous?”

Senthie furrowed her brows. “No, why would I be? I was just concerned about you. Kenzo didn’t cause you any trouble last night, did he? He’s not much of a drinker,” she said with a nervous chuckle.

“What’s your relationship with Kenzo?” she asked, her expression unchanging, and still emanating that intimidating aura.

Senthie’s palms grew sweaty, her heart pounding loudly. It seemed Kassandra might have an inkling. She let out a nervous sigh and swallowed hard before confessing, “Kenzo is my ex.”

The moment those words left Senthie’s lips, Kassandra’s hand delivered a resounding slap across her face. The sound echoed sharply through the room, and it was clear the strike had left its mark. Senthie’s hand instinctively moved to her stinging cheek as her eyes widened in disbelief at Kassandra’s sudden outburst. She hadn’t seen that coming. Her desire to question her actions was overshadowed by a need to await her response.

“So, it’s true. You’ve been deceiving me all this time,” Kassandra uttered, shaking her head as she regarded Senthie with a deep sense of resentment. “I thought I was your friend. Well, I guess I was just entertainment.”

“No, Kas!” Senthie countered. “Trust me, I intended to tell you. Why would you think that? I asked to talk to you precisely so I could explain. I would never deceive you. I’m sorry if you felt that way. . . . I’m truly, genuinely sorry, Kas.”

“So, you want me to just accept your petty little sorry?” She forcefully shoved Senthie’s hands away from her arms, as though she were a repugnant germ. “The damage has been done, Sen. Did you have fun watching me plead to you and entertain you with my unrequited crush on Kenzo? I bet you were laughing at me for being so dense and stupid! How dare you do this to me, Sen? You had all the time in the world to tell me the truth, and yet you chose not to.”

“No, please, believe me, I was planning to. But these past few weeks, I had a lot on my plate . . . it slipped my mind until today when I realized I’ve been delaying it for too long,” Senthie hurriedly explained. “The damage has been done, you say. I agree. I’m truly sorry. But even though Kenzo is my ex, you don’t need to worry. We ended things properly between us; we’re over, and now we’re back to just being friends.”

Kassandra scoffed and then closed the distance between herself and Senthie, fixing her with narrowed, searching eyes. “Are you sure it’s over? Because I can’t see it. He still loves you! He loves you so much that it hurts me, too!” Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she wiped them away with frustration. Stepping back, Kassandra crossed her arms and turned her gaze away. “It hurts me to see him like that.”

Senthie remained silent, too shocked to respond at this moment.

Kassandra sniffled, then let out an ironic laugh as she sank onto the white single sofa. She fixed her gaze on Senthie for a moment before she began, “This is the first time. . . . The first time I’ve felt like this. Initially, I was so angry with you for not telling me, thinking you did it on purpose. But the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that anger is just a fraction of what I truly feel.”

She sprang back to her feet, her index finger pointed accusingly at her. “I’m angry with you for hurting him like that. I’m furious at you for making him cry. I’m mad that you’ve made him love you so deeply!” Kassandra paused, taking a sharp inhale and exhale, before continuing with red, teary eyes. “I hate you for making me realize what I truly feel for him. I hate you for making me swallow my pride and accept that what I feel for him is love!”

“I hate you, Sen! I hate you for making me lose this game! I hate that all I have to do is admit that I never even had a chance to win this game in the first place. I hate that I lost in my own game!” She cried, her sobs growing louder.

Senthie’s heart felt like it was being squeezed by Kassandra’s words. She was torn between guilt for Kenzo and sympathy for her. Her emotions were a tangled mess, leaving her unsure of what to say or how to react. But one thing was clear, she needed to respond.

“It’s okay even if you’ve lost in your own game. We can’t always win all the time,” Senthie comforted, her smile gentle and understanding. “Not everything will work out the way we had planned. There are things we cannot control, and that’s okay. Sometimes, going with the flow is the best way to handle it. It’s not what we think, not what others say . . . but when we follow our hearts, that’s when we win. But let’s make sure not to hurt anyone in the process.”

Kassandra rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “I didn’t sign up for unsolicited advice.”

Senthie immediately regretted her words. Who am I to give advice? she thought, feeling embarrassed. She recognized her own hypocrisy, realizing she had hurt people around her. “I-- I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She looked down, forcing her eyes shut, her forehead creasing. She bit her lower lip, attempting to steady herself for whatever Kassandra was about to say. When she finally mustered the courage to meet Kassandra’s gaze, a laugh filled the air.

“I was just kidding,” she said, holding Senthie’s arms. “I felt comforted.”

Senthie’s relief was palpable as the tension between them dissipated as if it had never existed. She smiled gratefully at Kassandra and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m really sorry, Kas. Please, don’t be mad at me anymore.” She released the hug, wiping away the tears of joy from her eyes. “Do you forgive me?”

She smirked and nodded. “I do.”

Senthie couldn’t contain her joy and hugged her once more, this time even jumping in excitement. Kassandra laughed, bouncing along with her, and they shared a lighthearted moment. Eventually, they pulled away from each other.

“You know what, Sen, you have something about you that can make people trust you so easily. I don’t know how you do it, but it really amazes me.”

Suddenly, Senthie’s expression turned somber. Memories of broken trust with men and the unattained trust of her mother flooded her thoughts.

“Are you okay? I wasn’t trying to offend you.”

She forced a smile. “I’m okay. It’s just that . . . I somehow both agree and disagree with what you said.”