Chapter Seven

Last night Jana stayed with me and it was amazing.

After our little make out sa sasakyan niya, we made it to her apartment and she took a few pieces of her clothes. She didn't need to bring any of her toiletries kasi palagi meron na din ako sa condo and some of the things I have there, may gamit na din si Jana. We arrived at my place late so kadating ng condo medyo groggy na kami pareho but we both managed to take a bath and change into fresh clothes. Kahit pa alam namin saturday naman the next day, we still think na anytime merong magpapatawag samin kaya we keep our phones close.

People think na kapag nagtabi na mag boyfriend at girlfriend eh automatic ng may nangyayari sakanila. I'm not innocent when it comes to those kind of things pero I've always treated Jana with respect kaya kahit minsan sobrang gusto ko na siya gawan nang kung ano, napipigilan ko yung sarili ko kasi ayaw kong dumating yung day na masabi niyang yun nalang yung habol ko sakanya. I love her too much na ayaw ko siyang mabastos or kung ano man yan kaya as long as we are not married, we don't do stuff more than kissing.

But in times like last night, gusto ko lang na katabi si Jana at kayakap. Its enough and I always wake up with a smile. I mean sino ba naman yung hindi matutuwas kung kamulat ng mata mo, ngiti ng isang anghel yung una mong makikita.

"Good morning" she sweetly greets, I grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to me tsaka ko siya kinulong sa yakap ko. "Love you need to get up and eat your breakfast na, I made you one while you were still sleeping" She hugs back despite the things she was telling me.

"Five more minutes then i'll eat you" pabiro kong sabi na ikinagulat din naman ni Jana. Kinurot niya ko sa tsan ko tsaka niya ko hinampas ng unan nung nakalas niya yung sarili niya sa yakap ko.

"Anong sabi mo?!" She kept poking while I laugh heartily sa pamumula niya. Patuloy niya kong pinaghahampas ng unan habang di ko naman mapigilan ang sarili kong Iwrestling siya pabalik ng kama. Para kaming bata na nag kikilitaan na may kasamang kurot sa bewang tsaka kili kili. Makilitiin kasi si Jana kaya hindi siya mahirap pabagsakin, kunting kiliti mo lang sa bewang niya naninigaw na siya kakatawa. Don't get me wrong ha, yung mga pag sigaw niya hindi man yung nakakainis, mas matatawa ka lalo pag naririninig mo yung tawa niyang may halong pag saway. Make you want to do more.

Nauwi na sa sipaan at hampasan yung ginawa naming dalawa kaya ako na yung unang nagsurrender at nagpasorry sakanya bago pa kami may mas malala pang magawa sa isat-isa.

"Okay I yield" I raise both mg hands while she kept on pinching me sa sides ko, obviously nanggigigil nanaman siya. She jumps on my chest causing me to fall back to the bed, she strangles me with her body but she weighs light so kahit pa daganan niya ko, I can easily go and untangle her from me. Pero di ko gagawin yun kasi i'm pretty much enjoying the situation we are in. She smiles like an angel before going down to give me her morning kisses, and by morning kisses meaning kisses all over the face and not on the lips.

Now this, this situation right now, this is one of the things na hindi alam ng karamihan at wala din naman akong balak ipagkalat sa iba pero sobrang sweet ni Jana lalo na kapag kayo lang talagang dalawa. She has this side that when your together and no ones watching, she'll shower you with kisses then hugs you, literally na kung sa iba nakakairita yung segusegundo nanglalambing pero sakanya hindi ka magsasawa. Pag nag umpisa na siyang lumambing sayo, hahanap hanapin mo na.

"Now I'm truly awake of your saliva" sinabayan ko pa ng pahid sa mukha yung sinabi ko na agad namang tinapik ni Jana. She lays down on my chest and she softly pecks my lip. Snuggles closed causing a little friction down there so panigurado naramdaman din naman niya kung anong epekto niya sakin. Though maaga din and I'm a healthy man kaya hindi ko matatago yung nangyayari sa baba pag ganitong sitwasyon.

"And now someone else is awake" she teases causing a muffled laugh from me. Pag dating sa ganitong bagay open naman kami ni Jana, we talk about it but we just don't do the deed yet. To think ilang years na kami and nakayanan namin tiisin ang isat-isa.

"You are teasing me and you think hindi magigising yan" I flipped us both suddenly, causing her to be trapped in between my arms and the bed. I lower down my head to properly kiss her, those pecks are not enough anymore.

"Baby, you need to eat first" she whines but a smile was on her face, at kahit pa sinabi niya yun, actions speak louder than words nga. Her arms are around my neck so pano din ako makakatayo. Halata din naman siguro na wala kaming paki if may morning breathe ako or wala, usually kasi wala. Trivia people, morning breathe are actually caused by the insides and not by the actual mouth. I learned this from a friend and I researched about it and it was true. May mga bacteria daw kasi talagang umaakyat na nag cacause ng bad odor if you are not that healthy of a person. Since I am healthy and never ko narinig si Jana mag reklamo so I just assumed na we are both fine kahit maghalikan kami buong umaga kagising namin ayus lang.

"But I still want to play with my love" she smiles even brighter when I said those things, see here guys, tamang puri at appreciation lang sa girls. Wag natin sila hayaang matulog or umalis na hindi nila alam na appreciated sila. Couples who actually take some time to admire their partners tend to understand and communicate more with each other. Napansin ko lang din to dahil sa parents ko, up until now kasi kahit matanda na sila my dad would still find some time to admire my mom and just let her know how beautiful she is, or how amazing she is and you'll see na sobrang effective nun sa health na both ng parents ko.

She kept biting her lip while playing with my hair, "I love you" she whispers.

"I love you" I whispered back, tsaka ko siya ulit hinalikan and this time, hindi na siya nagsalita ulit.

I do love her and gusto ko siya maging masaya. Kung iisipin wala na din kasi akong mahihiling pa kasi sobrang naging perfect girlfriend sakin si Jana for the ilang years na magka relasyon kami. We started as friends so we had that foundation that kept us standing until today and hopefully forever. Tinatanong na din ako ng mga barkada ko pag minsan kung ano naba talaga yung plana ko kay Jana, especially now na nakamit ko nanaman yung isa sa mga pangarap ko panigurado tatanungin nanaman nila ako niyan pag nagkita kita kami kung ano na plano ko. Everyone is practically expecting me to propose to her and I honestly think na siya na nga yung gusto kong makasama habang buhay. I just don't feel na tamang oras na to para samin. Mahal na mahal ko si Jana but I do feel na meron pa siyang mga bagay bagay na gustong makamit sa buhay niya, hanggang ngayon hindi niya pa pinupursue yung pagiging artist. Ayaw ko siyang matali na hindi nakakamit yung pangarap niya. I want her to be ultimately happy and satisfied that when we do settle down, she wont have any regrets. Kaya kahit pa handa na din ako, I don't want to rush her into marriage. Bata pa lang din naman kami and if its about sex, we can always do other things naman tsaka hindi rin naman kasi yun yung foundation na meron kami. We love each other and I know its enough.

After ng kulitan naming dalawa we finally decided to stand and eat the breakfast prepared by Jana. No one seems to be calling our phones so I guess we have a free day today, kaso pwede pa rin mag iba yun.

"So what did you cook?" I teased because hindi talaga siya mahilig magluto and when she does cook something for you, isang malaking achievement at effort sakanya yun. She likes baking more than cooking kaya i'm always at the cooking side. Kaya medyo nag aalala din ako kung ano nanaman ang naembeto niyang lutuin for breakfast.

"Wag kang masama ang ugali, I actually made you fresh pancakes, tsaka nagprito na din akong bacon at sausage. I can still do those type of cooking" she leads me to my bar stool at doon sa counter naka lagay yung niluto niyang pancakes, bacon at sausage. Nilabas niya na din yung orange juice ko tsaka syrups for the pancake. "Go sit and I'll get you a glass of water" she leaves me for a second to grab some water and so umupo nako at tiningnan lahat ng niluto niya. She returns with a glass of water for both her and me tsaka siya umupo sa chair sa tabi ko.

"Thank you baby" hinila ko siya ng kunti para mahalikan ko siya sa noo at para din malapit siya sakin habang kumakain. Clingy ako especially pag may oras. Hindi rin naman siya umilag kaya okay lang din. Kung hindi nga lang bar stool yung upuan ko dito baka kinalong ko na siya eh. Kami lang din naman dalawa, we don't need to hide anything.

"Love, kailangan ko pala bumalik ng Boston next week. Inemail ako kanina ni Candice na kailangan daw ako sa board meeting ng twenty four" habang binibigyan ako ni Jana nung pancakes, she explains to me na pinapatawag nanaman siya sa main company nila sa Boston. Kuya niya na kasi yung may hawak nun and everytime na meron silang meeting or any kind of event, kailangang pumunta ni Jana doon as part of the family and because she is also their companies representative. Candice is her assitant there and whenever Jana is needed back to Boston, si Candice na ang bahalang mag ayus ng schedule ni Jana para mag fit lahat ng trabaho niya. "Tsaka, minessage ako ni Kuya, gusto daw ako kausapin ni dad" pabulong niyang sabi sabay kuha ng orange juice at buhos sa baso niya.

"Oh bakit parang hindi ka excited na hinahanap ka ng tatay mo?" Its no secret between us na minsan nalang talaga siya pinapatawag ng tatay niya, mas madalas pa yung pangangamusta ng parents ko kay Jana kesa sa sarili niyang ama, kaya kapag pinatawag na siya ng tatay niya, usually masayang-masaya siya kaso ngayon parang bitbit niya nanaman ang langit at lupa. There were times in the past na sinasamahan ko siyang umuwi ng Boston since doon talaga yung bahay nila, and in those times, kuya niya lang talaga yung masayang nandoon kami. Hindi ko pa ata na witness na tumawa kahit minsan si Mr. Sanchez at according sa kuya ni Jana, ganun na daw talaga yung daddy nila since nung namatay yung mommy nila. Kaya nga daw pinauwi sila sa Pilipinas dati at pinaalaga muna sa pamilya nila dito kasi di sila kayang alagaan ng daddy nila nung grieving days niya. Though kahit ganun yung nangyari, loyal pa din si Jana sa daddy niya.

"Its nothing, baka siguro parating na yung monthly ko kaya medyo iba yung mood ko. But I'm happy, naaalala pa pala ako ng daddy ko" pabirong sabi ni Jana. Sobrang halata naman na merong problema ayaw niya lang talaga sabihin sakin. Hindi ko nanaman siya pinipilit pag ganito kasi eventually mag sasalita din siya. Ayaw ko lang yung na bobother siya tapos hindi ko man siya matulungan.

"Pwede naman kita samahan doon kung gusto mo?" I offered but she shakes her head.

"You don't need to do that love, but thank you for asking. Alam mo naman na ayaw ko na nag aadjust ka ng plans mo for me. Tsaka if magka problem man I always tell you naman kaya don't worry" she assures me with a smile "Now eat" she gives me another piece of the pancake, cutting all conversation about her reaction sa tatay niya. Hindi ko na din siya pinilit kasi sasabihin niya din naman if may problema man, I trust her enough to know na alam niya din naman yung gagawin niya if magkaroon man ng problema.

"By the way hindi kita natanong kahapon if kamusta naman yung meet up mo with the girls? I haven't seen them in awhile" She smiles after hearing me asking about her friends then she went on and talk about them.

Lannie and Vicky were her college saviors and if you ask me kung bakit ko nasabi yun, its because nung high school wala masyadong kaibigan si Jana. Kahit pa messed up din ako nung mga araw na dumating siya, napansin ko din namang aloof siyang tao. And yung fact na kapalit siya ni Allyza noon made a lot of dfficulty sa iba, lalo na sa akin. Yung pagdating niya kasi yung confirmation na wala na nga si Ally at pinalitan niya na. May ibang tinanggap naman siya pero meron pa ding iba na hindi. She was part of the reason bakit nag worry halos ng kaklase namin before. They think na baka mas lalo akong malungkot or magloko sa pagkawala ni Ally. Hindi rin nakatulong na yung mga mismong kaibigan ni Ally kulang nalang itapon ang sarili sakin para lang sumaya nako ulit.

I honestly appreciate the efforts of my classmates and friends back then, they really cared and helped me get through that phase of my life, though there are some na medyo ewan yung mga ginawa still they did something. Jana didn't know anything about what our classmates think of her but she was too honest and naive for her own good. Sa lahat ng pwede niya pakialaman that time, ako talaga yung ginulo niya pero dahil doon she made sense inside me, she did her best to make me realize what kind of a mess I was in, made me see what I needed to see and for short, naging wake up call ko siya. Naging magkaibigan kami during high school and everyone thought na nag dedate kami noon pero hindi ko pa siya talaga gusto noon, naging protective lang ako sakanya kasi nga tinulungan niya ko nunb down days ko so I treated her like someone I needed to protect.

When we graduated in High School, hindi namin pinag usapan kung saan kami mag aaral ng college, basta ang alam namin is tropa pa din kami kahit saan man mapunta. Nagulat nalang ako na we would end up going to the same university, though different in major pero same building kami. Doon na pumasok sila Lannie at Vicky, during those times, merong mga nabago kay Jana and unti-unti din siyang lumalahyo sa mga tao. Wala na siya ibang ginawa noon kundi mag aral tsaka mag stay sa dorm niya. Though noong una hindi ko naman napapansin pero nung tumagal na, naging noticable na yung changes. Nang dumating si Lannie, pinakilala siya sakin ni Jana tapos after awhile pumasok na din sa picture si Vicky, at some point, unti unti din nilang inopen si Jana sa mga bagay na dapat niyang malaman, May timed na same subject kami ng kinuha kaya nagiging magkaklase din kami pero most of the time si Vicky yung nakakasama niya sa classes.

Basta's naalala ko nalang din na unti unti ang daming nakakapansin na sakanya, shes the hidden beauty within the Business Department, tinawag siya ng one of the Campus Belles and halos ng mga kaibigan ko sa classes ko, napapansin na siya. Paunti-unti, tumatawa na siya at paunti unti, mas gumaganda siya. The protective side of me woke up when Vicky one day told me na mayroon silang plan na iset up si Jana to a random mixed date from someone in the Engineering department. Lannie was going to be with them and kahit ganun, hindi ko pa din nagustuhan yung idea pero kahit ganun tumuloy pa din sila sa random date nila. They ended up having a great time habang ako nagaalala para sa kanila. Then everything ticks me off basta pagdating kay Jana, pag pinaguusapan siya or kahit purihin siya ng iba naiinis ako. Doon na pinoint out sakin ng mga tropa ko na gusto ko si Jana at dinedeny ko lang. After noon unti unti ko siyang napapansin lalo, her friends turns out na alam din nila and they were trying to make me come out and be honest with myself. Kaya after ilang suyuan at paramdaman we finally ended up together.

Nung una, aaminin ko natakot ako. I was scared na baka maulit nanaman yung nangyari sakin nung time na kami ni Allyza. I didn't want the idea of being broken again after being so serious for a long time. But with continuous talk and syempre yung thought na baka mapunta nga sa iba si Jana, in the end I took the risk again and bet every love I can give kay Jana. Thanks to God, hanggang ngayon kami pa din and we are happy.

Jana sees me zone out on her kaya nanahimik muna siya bago ako pahapyak na pinitik sa noo.

"Nagzone out ka nanaman, ano nanaman iniisip mo?" She asks after niya makuha yung attention ko. Napailing akong tsaka ko kinurut yung cheeks niya.

"Bilisan mo na diyan, if wala tayong gagawin ngayon lets visit mom and dad, baka sa ilang day na vacay mode na yung tatay ko nakabuo na sila ng bunso naming kapatid" pabiro kong sabi na tinawanan din naman ni Jana. Gaya ng sabi ko before, hanggang ngayon meron pa ding spark sa mga magulang ko at uindi ako mag dududa kung meron na silang nagawa this pass two days na wala ng work si dad.

Hindi na sumagot sakin si Jana nun at natawa nalang sa mga banat ko. The whole time na kumakain kami pinaguusapan lang namin yung any random thought na pwede naming mapagusapan. Wala din masyadong nag hahanap samin since its saturday and I usually go on breaks pag weekends though may times pa din na nag wowork kami pag saturday lalo na pag lumalapit na ang deadlines. Some of my employees are working during this days, lalo na ang nasa engineering department tsaka yung mga infotechs ng compay kasi anytime may tatawag na client regarding sa system nila so we have to be ready twenty-four seven for that.

Nung matapos na kaming kumain bigla nalang nag ring yung doorbell ko nagtinginan kami ni Jana kasi isa lang yung ibig sabihin kapag bukod sakanya meron pang nakakaakyat sa floor ko without the guard or the receptionist informing me. Pumunta ako sa monitor ko para matingnan kung tama nga ang naiisip ko at just as I thought, it was my sister walking back and fort in front of my door.

"COME ON LOVE BIRDS. TIME TO GET UP!!!!" Ni ring ulit ni Lauren yung doorbell ko thinkin na bak tulog pa kami kaya hindi ko pa siya pinagbubuksan ng pinto. I sighed knowing na wala naman akong choice kung hindi ang papasukin siya sa or else baka mag reklamo yung mga kapitbahay ko sa ingay ng kapatid ko. I opened the door and hindi pa man nakakalahati yung pagbukas ko, tinulok na ng kapatid ko yung pintuan at dali daling tumakbo sa banyo ng hindi man lang kami ako pinansin or si Jana. Jana shakes her head, pero hindi niya maitago yung amusement niya sa ginawa nanaman ng kapatid ko. Obviously, napadaan nanaman siya dito para manggulo at makibanyo. Minsan nga feeling ko masyado ko na siyang pinagbibigyan sa pagrarandom visit niya na ginagawa niya ng libangan ang panggugulo sakin.

Two lang halos ang tanda ko kay Lauren but unlike me, mas maaga siyang natapos ng pagaaral kasi meron siyang natatanging katalinuhan. Five years old si Lauren ng na discover ng magulang namin na merong pagka genius tong kapatid ko kaya nung high school kami, agad na siyang dinala nila mommy sa states para doon magpatuloy ng pagaaral niya. Siyempre hindi naman lahat ng maganda eh wala kapalit, malaki yung effect ng pagiging genius ni Lauren sa katawan niya, lalong lalo na sa mood swings niya. Nung bata kami, muntik na siyang ma diagnose ng pagiging autistic dahil sa mga paiba iba ng mood niya at yung pagiging highly intellectual niya, pero nung pinacheck siya sa mga experto, wala naman daw silang makitang mali sa kapatid ko only that, highly driven and active siya, in short may pag ka semi ADHD kid yung kapatid ko and. I honestly think na wala namang mali doon kaya instead of making a big deal out of it, we treated Lauren the same and somehow habang lumalaki siya, she was able to managed her mood swings. Kaso pag sobrang aggravated na siya at pinipigilan niya minsan napapaihi nalang siya or kaya naman napapatae. Hindi na rin bago samin to and we often tell her to divert her attention whenever she gets stress out by something or else baka iba nanaman mangyayari saknaya.

"Lauren" I knock on the bathroom door and I can only hear her groaning, obviously irritated about something. "What happened?" I calmly say because I learned that if I want to get things done with her, i'll have to watch my tone and be as calm as I can be. Sumenyas si Jana na maliligo na muna siya sa banyo ko and I just nod, she leaved me with my sister still inside my other bathroom doing God knows what. I heard the flush of the toilet then sumunod yung bidet and then the faucet. After ilang segundo

"The guy I like started dating a famous actress" she slides my bathroom door open then pouts in front of me "Could you please do something about it?" I rolled my eyes knowing kung saan nanamang papunta yung usapan na to.

"I can't make people fall for you Lauren, you have to use your charm for that" I went back to my kitchen to grab some water. Laurens sit on my bar stool and grabs a random fork to fill herself with the remaining pancakes. "Of course you already know that and you are just here to whine" She grins at my statement, and still, sumusubo pa din siya ng pancake na ginawa ni Jana.

"Jana' here right?" She changes the subject then turns around to look for her "I'm pretty sure you didn't make all this food just for yourself, where is she now?"

"Bathroom taking a bath" sagot ko sabay kuha ng mga pinagkainan namin ni Jana at syempre kinuha ko na din yung tinidor na ginamit ng kapatid ko para mahugasan na kesa sa matambak sa sink.

"Ohh so she did sleep here last night, tell me bro" She comes to my side to poke me at my waist "Did you two finally do it?" She wiggles her eyebrows after getting my attention but she didn't get any answer from me because I just ignored her "Oh come on, don't be so shy to tell your pretty little sister of all the love making that you did, was it intense?" She keeps teasing me and yes she is that kind of a sister. Merong iba na ayaw na ayaw nilang nalalaman yung sex life ng kapatid nila samantalang yung kapatid ko ganun nalang ka excited para malaman yung sex life ko. Ayaw niya kasing maniwal na never pa kaming humantong sa ganung situation ni Jana, she thinks that matagal na kaming gumagawa ng himala at ayaw lang namin aminin. And aside from that, yes she is sexually active, its her another way to ease up and we all know it kasi high school palang ata siya kinwento niya na samin yung little adventures niya to the point na muntik na kaming pumunta na dad sa states para lang ipagulpi yung mga lalaking nakatabi niya na at naging boyfriend. Since noon, hinayaan nalang siya ni Dad na gawin yung gusto niya basta wag lang siya umuwing buntis or nabugbug. It took me way too long to accept na ganun na siya but eventually pinabayaan ko nalang din siya.

"Just shut up and go. We are not like you, we just enjoy the company of each other" it was her turn to roll her.

"Okay so sabihin na natin na hindi pa kayo ready na gawin yung ganung bagay sa isat-isa, so then, kailang kayo magiging ready? Pag end of the world na?" She sarcastically asks me at alam niya din naman na kahit ganunin niya ko same pa din ang sagot ko, talagang sinasadya niya lang akong inisin.

"Talaga bang hindi ka titigil? Or gusto mo bang sabihin ko kay dad yung totoong nangyari sa recent adventure mo? Baka naman gusto mong inenlighten natin si dad kung bakit biglang hindi natin tinuloy yung business deal sa...?" Bago pa man ako tumuloy sa sasabihin ko, patakbong tinakpan ni Lauren yg bunganga ko sabay masid sa paligid ng condo ko. Of course she knows that everything inside this place is recorded and she knows my father can easily extract that recordiing.

Two months ago we had this ongoing plan with a certain company and everything was going smoothly when suddenly my sister decided to date the owners son and mess things up. Turns put that the son was a pathological liar and a very good cheat so both of them got into a huge fight and my sister being in charge with the proposal decided to stop everything. She eventually told my father na malaking liability yung kompanya na yun kaya hindi na rin siya tinanong ni Dad kasi malaki na din ang tiwala ni Dad sakanya pagdating sa pagpapatakbo ng business namin. She was originally located sa sa branch namin sa UK but since she is needed here para sa position na iiwan ko, she'll be staying here for awhile and up until now, my dad doesn't know about this tiny fact.

"We made a pact as siblings remember, we don't tell anyone else about out secrets" she whispers eyeing my bedroom door in the process. She is obviously worried that Jana might hear something about this but what she doesn't know is that, Jana already knows about this secret not because i told her but because Vicky learned about it and told Jana. Jana asked me about it but I didn't say anything. Ngayon na medyo sigurado na siyang wala si Jana at still nasa banyo pa din, she releases me from her grip.

"Stop teasing me or iswear ibubuko kita kay dad" I warned and she rolled her eyes from my warning. she then goes to the living room, throws herself at my couch then turns on my television like she actually owns the place. Instead of stopping her, I just let her do whatever she wants went went inside my room to see Jana coming out of my bathroom with only a piece of towel to cover herself from me. Sa gulat namin pareho, pareho din kaming napatalikod at natahimik sa pangyayari. Hindi naman din ito yung unang beses na nakita ko siyang ganun, I mean we did things before pero kahit ganun ayaw ko naman din siyang bastusin. Lalabas na sana ako kaso bigla siyang nagsalita.

"It's fine you can stay, I can change inside the bathroom" I heard her say gently, katapos neto ay agad ko din narinig yung pag sara ng pintuan ng banyo ko.

"Hey babe, I don't think madadalaw natin sila mom and dad ngayon. Nasa labas pa din si Lauren at ininfiltrate na niya ang living room" Pabulong kong sabi sakanya habang nasa loob siya ng banyo at nag aayus. Buti nalang at naka soundproof and condo ko kaya kahit pagusapan namin si Lauren hindi niya maririning yung sinasabi namen. I didn't want her to think na kinukwento ko nanaman yung mga sekreto niya.

Kalabas ni Jana sa banyo, she had a smile plastered to her face and a towel wrapped to her still wet hair.

"I guess you'll have to stay with her until she decides to go and leave" she laughs but I didn't miss her saying that I'm going to be stuck here on my own.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Nope pero baka umuwi nako if wala naman tayo gagawin para makapaglinis na din ako sa apartment" she tells me. I lay down on my bed and she sat beside me smiling. "You okay?"

"Yes, but I wanted to spend more time with you. Some days hindi talaga tayo tinutulungan ng mundo" I whined but she just laughs at my own dismay.

"Di mo naman kailangan malungkot, madali lang naman ako kausap, if you want me to stay I can stay but we have to do something, we can't just be stuck here you know" at syempre nung sinabi niya yun, ako itong sobrang saya dahil may chance pa din kaming mag enjoy today, I just need to find a way para umalis na si Lauren sa condo at makaalis na din kami ni Jana. "Bakit hindi ka muna maligo, I'll go and hang out with your sister first then maybe we can come up with something to do mamaya katapos mo" eto yung sinuggest ni Jana na agad ko din naman tinanguan kasi wala pang pumapasok sa utak ko na ways para umalis na yung kapatid ko.

Its not that ayaw kong kasama yung kapatid ko, pero na mind set ko na kasi na may chance kaming mag spend ng isang buong araw ni Jana without interruptions kaso dumating siya and now mukha pang gusto niya na din sumama samin sa kung saan man kami pumunta mamaya. Trust me, ayaw mo siya thirdwheel, makakawawa ka at masisira lang ang date. Mas magandang sinasama si Lauren pag talagang lakad ng barkada at hindi pag-lakad ng barkada.

Jana and I decided na gawin muna yung sinabi niya, she went out and entertained my sister while I take a bath and come up with an idea of what we are going to do today. By the time na tapos nakong maligo at magbihis, kalabas ko ng kwarto si Jana nalang ang naabutan kong nanunuod ng tv.

"Where Lauren?" I asked looking from side to side thinking na baka tinataguan niya lang ako.

"Kakaalis niya lang, meron daw siyang random person naimemeet, but I saw who the random person was and its Will" pakantang sabi ni Jana sabay hintay sa magiging reaction ko. You see, I don't like my sister going out with my friends and same goes to my friends. Walang exception doon, lalo na alam ko yung ugali ng mga kaibigan ko at ng mismong kapatid ko. For some reason talagang matigas lang ang ulo ni Will at Lauren, though bata palang kami sinasabi na ng matatanda na merong chance na magkatuluyan si Will at Jana dahil sa pagiging close nila, akala ko din ganun yung mangyayari. Kaso nung isang summer na galing kaming states at ganun din si Will, bigla nalang siyang may pinakilalang girlfriend. After noon, tuloy tuloy ng nagdadala ng ibat ibang babae si Will sa bahay and naging magkaibigan nalang sila ng kapatid ko. Well, sort of. For the past few years kasi na halos on and off din yung mga dinedate ni Will mas madalas niyang kasama yung kapatid ko at mas marami pa siyang alam kesa sakin. At first wala lang sakin kaso there were time na nakikita ko na silang nagiging too intimate kaya as a brother and as a friend na din kay Will, I drew the line. Kaso parang napaka invisible ng linya na yun para sa kapatid ko at sa bestfriend ko.

"Why didn't you stop her?" She smiles at my response as if she was betting na eto yung magiging reaction ko pag nalaman ko. "Don't tell me boto ka na sakanilang dalawa?"

"Love, Una sa lahat, I am the last person who would wish for the both of them to end up together and second of all, kelan pa ba nakinig si Lauren sakin pagdating sa ganitong bagay. And lastly, its Will, kahit papaano I still think na hindi niya pa din pinapatulan si Lauren hanggang ngayon kahit anong pag pupush ni Lauren sakanya" She points out knowing na alam na din ng halos na si Lauren talaga yung humahabol din minsan kay Will tapos eto namang kaibigan ko nag eenjoy din na hinahabol siya ng kapatid ko.

Now I don't really know if meron ng nangyari sakanila and wala din akong planong alamin, yun pa nga lang nakita ko silang nagyayakapan kulang nalang hilahin ko sila palayo sa isat isa. Its better na wala akong alam kesa sa alam ko at baka makalimutan kong kapatid ko si Lauren at kaibigan ko si Will. Alam din naman nilang dalawa yung nararamdaman ko everytime na ginagawa nila to, they will just tell me na kumain lang naman daw sila or kaya hang out hang out lang. Kahit pa totoo yun, ayaw ko na silang dalawa lang at without adult supervision kahit pa matatanda na sila, they still need one in their lives or else palagi ko nalang sila sasaluhin sa messed up days nila.

"Look alam ko nag aalala ka lalo na babae yung kapatid mo, but at this point , sila pa rin ang mag dedecide. You just have to trust them" Jana tries to tell me kasi alam niya din yung stand ko and kahit pa siya na ang nag sabi and most of the time to, hindi parin ako natutuwa.

"Alam, umalis nalang din tayo. Lets not waste the day. Umaga pa naman we still have time kaya wag ka nang magalit diyan wala din namang maiidudulot na maganda yan saatin" pagpupumilit ni Jana na may kasabay na pagpapacute. Syempre sino ba naman ako para iresist yung paglalambing ng girlfriend ko kaya eventually bumigay na din ako.