Chapter 28: CHAPTER 26

I entered the condo, my eyes widening in surprise as I see my friends and family gathered together. They all smile brightly, their faces illuminated with genuine joy.

I take a step back, overwhelmed by the sight of so many people. I can't help but feel a wave of emotion wash over me.

"Thank you," I say, my voice trembling slightly. I feel a lump forming in my throat.

I approach each person one by one, embracing them tightly. The warmth of their hugs, the scent of their perfume, the feel of their hands on my back – it all feels so real, so comforting.

When I reach Mateo, I hesitate for a moment. His eyes meet mine, I see a flicker of something in them – something that makes my heart skip a beat.

I take a deep breath and wrap my arms around him. He holds me close, his embrace firm and reassuring.

"Welcome back," he whispers, his voice barely audible.

I pull away from him, naramdaman ko ang pag init ng pisngi ko. I can't help but feel a surge of happiness, a sense of belonging, as I stand amidst with my loved ones.

“Thank you,” I whispered back, pulling away from him and walking towards Ella, who was giving me a teasing look.

“Ikaw ha, hindi mo sinabi si Mr. Montevallo pala ama ni baby pogi,” Ella teased, laughing as she hugged me. Then Jake followed suit.

“Kilala niyo si Mateo?” I asked curiously. The two of them nodded.

“Grabe ka na, sis. Kakaiba talaga karisma mo. Gayuma reveal naman jan,” Jake added fuel to the fire, so I pinched him in the waist, making him yelp in pain.

He glared at me. “Aray, ha! Ang brutal mo. Pero true nga, gwapings niya, ang yaman pa. Siya yung dapat ik-kwento ko sa’yo noon,” he said, rubbing the part where I pinched him.

“Anong ik-kwento?” I asked, confused. He rolled his eyes.

“Oo nga pala, matagal na yun, malamang nakalimutan mo na. Ayun nga, yung sinasabi kong ka-business partner ni Mr. Panot, este Panit. Hot ng datingan sis, ewan ko nga ba’t pumayag si papang pogi sa alok ni boss, e,” he said in a dramatic voice. I just shook my head.

Hindi ko alam kung paano namin nagawang mag-tiis sa companya ng panot na ‘yon. Bukod sa mababa magpa-sweldo, manyak pa.

"Gaga, sobrang pogi, katakot nga lang ang aura," Ella chimed in.

"Kain muna kayo rito, Luliana," Mama said, getting our attention.

"Sige, Ma. Hoy kayong dalawa, mamaya muna chismis. Kain muna," I told them.

"Ito na, sungit naman nito," Jake rolled his eyes at me, so I rolled my eyes back at him.

"Saan ba makakakita ng ganoong kapogi? Nang mapuntahan ko, lakas ng dating," I heard Ella whisper to Jake. I was about to stand up when Mateo suddenly appeared in front of me. Bilis ah!

"Y-yes. B-bakit?" I asked him. Shit! Why am I stuttering?

He glanced at my friends. “Can we talk?” he said, as if he was just offering food.

“Tungkol saan?” I managed to ask, even though my chest was tightening with nervousness. It felt like something was stuck in my throat.

“Follow me,” he said, turning away. I had no choice but to follow him. I scanned the room and saw that everyone was busy, except for Francisco, who was looking at me. I smiled at him before following the tall, dark figure.

“Anong pag-uusapan natin?” I asked, wanting to leave because of what I was feeling.

He licked his left ckeeks. “About us,” he said, making me furrow my brow.

“What about us? Wala namang tayo,” I said, but as those words left my lips, it felt like someone stabbed my chest. It was like the past came rushing back.

Pain was evident in his eyes when I said those words. “Yeah, but I want to court you. I-I liked you since then, that’s why I did a wrong thing that made you mad. I know I can’t take that back, but babawi ako. Just give me a second chance to prove myself,” he said. "Can I court you?" I was surprised by his words and by the fact that he was kneeling. I thought for a moment, why shouldn’t I give him a chance?

“Stand up. Just one chance, Mateo,” I said. His eyes widened in surprise.

“Just one chance. I promise I will kill myself if ever nasaktan kita,” he said, which shocked me even more. I hit him on the arm.

“Anong papatayin? Gago ka ba?!” I said angrily. I don’t know why, but his words made me nervous.

May isa siyang salita. Kapag sinabi niya gagawin niya.

He furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Bakit? May gagawin ka bang ikakasakit ng damdamin ko?” I asked, my brows furrowing.

“Of course not. This is my last chance. I will do everything, kahit pahirapan mo pa ako,” he said quickly, almost bragging. Tangina, he’s so hot when he speaks Tagalog.

“Hey, are you okay? You are spacing out,” he said, snapping his fingers a few times, bringing me back to reality.

“Ah, m-may iniisip lang,” I said, embarrassed.

“A penny for your thoughts,” he said with a smile. I just rolled my eyes at him.

“No, halika na, balik na tayo sa loob,” I said, hurrying away from him. I heard him chuckle softly.

“Thank you, Luliana!” I heard him shout before fully going inside. It was good that everyone was busy eating. I walked over to my two friends, who were already gossiping again, but I went straight to Alicia and Tayrence. When Alicia noticed me approaching, she immediately stood up and came towards me. She hugged me tightly, making us stumble a bit.

“Ate Graceeeee! Na-miss kita,” she said, stretching out my name and wiping away tears, even though there were none.

I smiled at the twins. “Namiss ko kayo. Kamusta kayo?” I asked them.

“Okay lang kami, Ate. Naiinis nga ako kasi nung first time natin mag-meet, nawawala nun si Kyle,” Alicia said, pouting. I looked at Tayrence, who was staring at me. I stared back, then walked towards him.

“How are you, Tayrence? Ang laki mo na ah. May Girlfriend na ba?” I said, as if we were really close. He just smiled and stood up.

“Courting stage, Ate. We’re taking it slow,” he said, hugging me. I was surprised at first, but I smiled back eventually.

“Sino ‘yan, ha?” I asked, but he just shook his head.

“Liana,” I heard someone call out. I didn’t plan on paying attention to it, but Alicia spoke up.

I sighed and gave them a apologitic smile.

“Tawag ka na ng kaibigan mo, Ate,” she said. I just nodded.

“Puntahan ko lang sila,” I said, and they both nodded.

“Saan ka galing? Sino yung kausap mo, pogi ah,” Ella asked as soon as I sat down.

“Sa labas lang. Bakit? Kayong dalawa alam niyong may kausap ako. Tinawag niyo na ako at bata pa si Tayrence kaya tumigil kayo,” I said in a tart tone.

Jake made a face. “Kanina ka pa hinahanap ni Daddy Francisco,” he said, making me cringe.

“Ano ba yan, Jake, ang dirty ha,” I said with disgust. I heard Ella laugh.

“Tse, panira ka. Hanapin mo si Daddy Francisco. May importante atang sasabihin,” I sighed and excused myself from them.

As I was walking down the hallway towards the veranda, I stopped when I heard Francisco and Tita Mica talking.

I heard Francisco sighed. “Mom, I like Liana, but she only treats me as her older brother. I know I shouldn’t have felt this way, but I can’t stop myself.” What? He likes me?

"Son, I know that, but Luliana loves Mateo. You know that sometimes we can't force someone to love us back. If you truly love her, you are willing to let her go and let her be happy with her loved one," Tita Mica said, making me clench my lips.

Francisco scoffed, a painful one. “But how, Mom? I loved her for years,” he said, almost like a child complaining to his mom.

“As I said, you have to risk. That’s part of love, anak. Now stop drinking. We have to go home,” she said. I peeked in and saw Francisco sitting down. Tita Mica was standing in front of him.

I never expected this. Every gesture he made towards me, I thought it was normal because we were friends.

“I can’t let go of her,” Francisco said, his voice filled with despair. I walked inside, and Tita Mica saw me. She smiled and approached me.

"“Ikaw muna bahala sa kanya. You should talk to him, anak,” she whispered, and I nodded. She smiled again before leaving.

I slowly walked over to Francisco. He seemed to sense my presence and lifted his head, causing our eyes to meet. He wasn’t surprised to see me.

“You heard what we talked about, right?” he said as I sat down in front of him.

“O-oo,” I stuttered.

“I know you don’t like me because you only see me as your Kuya,” he chuckled, as if there was something funny about what he said.

“Pero bakit nagustuhan mo pa rin ako kahit alam mong hanggang Kuya lang turing ko sa’yo?” I said, struggling to find the right words.

"I just... it's not that hard to love you when you are unconscious. I've tried many times to date to forget you, but I can't. Whenever I am flirting with other girls, I always think about you. I feel like I'm cheating on you," he said, the pain evident in his voice. I couldn't say anything, I just listened.

“But now I decided to let you go, like what Mommy said,” he continued. I wasn’t sure how to react.

“Yung paghalik mo sa noo ko pagbigay mo ng bulaklak, akala ko normal lang iyon sa turingan na magkapatid or magkaibigan,” I said, remembering him giving me flowers and kissing my forehead.

“I was courting you that time,” he said, making me cringe.

“Courting without telling me?” I asked, frowning.

He chuckled, a bit tipsy. “That’s my way to court a girl. You are just numb,” he said. Aray ha, maka-numb naman nito.

“Why? May niligawan ka na dati?” I asked, squinting at him.

“No, I didn’t have a girlfriend since birth,” he said, blushing, making me laugh.

He glared at me. “Don’t laugh. You don’t have a boyfriend too, since birth,” he said, pouting. I stopped talking and rolled my eyes at him.

“Ito naman, namemersonal masyado. Pero back to topic,” I said, because our topic was getting sidetracked.

“It’s okay with me. I will find another girl. I’m letting you go now,” he said. I walked towards him and hugged him.

“Thank you, Kuya,” I said gratefully.

He gave me a smile. “Everything for my princess,” he said, kissing my forehead, making me close my eyes. I felt him hug me back.

“Okay, na tayo Kuya. Ha?” I said, and he nodded.

We were heading downstairs, having settled things with Francisco, when we only found a few people left.

“Oh, saan kayo galing? Kumain na ba kayo? Bakit namumula mukha mo, ijo?” Mama asked.

I shook my head. “Nag-inom, Ma. Pero okay naman na siya,” I said. I don’t know why, but I looked at Mateo. He was looking at me, so I smiled at him. He smiled back, a small smile, but I felt nervous because of the way he was staring.

“Ingat po, Tita/Tito sa pag-uwi,” I said goodbye to Tita Mica and Tita Kristine, as they were going home. We gave them a hug, and they said their farewells. My two friends left first because they had work tomorrow.

“Ma, binigyan ko ng second chance si Mateo,” I said hesitantly, as we stepped inside.

“Oh? Bakit mukhang kinakabahan ka at natatae dahil diyan sa mukha mo?” she asked, chuckling.

I squinted at her. “Hindi ka galit, Ma?” I asked.

“Hindi, bakit naman ako magagalit? Malaki ka na at sabi ko sa’yo, kung ano man ang desisyon mo, susuportahan kita,” she said quickly. I smiled at her words.

“E, si Francisco, anak. Nasabi na ba niya na gusto ka niya?” She furrowed her brows, making me furrow mine as well.

“Alam mo, Ma?” I asked, confused. She nodded.

“Oo. Alam mo ba sinubukan niya pa ngang humanap ng ibang babae nung wala kang malay pero hindi niya kaya. Hindi sila nag-work nung babae,” she said, and I nodded.

“Opo, Ma. Nasabi niya sa akin. Okay naman na kami. Nakapag-usap na kami kanina,” I said, and she nodded.

“Osya, bukas na. Inaantok na ako. Bukas na tayo maglinis,” she said. I nodded and stood up.

I decided to go into Kyle’s room to check on him. When I went in, the lights were off. The only light came from the moon.

I walked over to him. He was sleeping soundly, so I left him be and kissed his forehead before leaving the room.

After washing my face, I went to my bed to sleep because I was going to help Mama clean tomorrow.