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Episode 31:

"Pre, shot na, aba!" ang pamungad na bati ni Lolo Alvin sa amin.

Kakarating pa lang namin dito sa isang bahay ng kamag-anak namin, yung isang street ang layo pero kayang i-walking distance kung sa cemetery ang daan. Unlike sa nauna, mas malaki ang bahay dito pero bungalow style at may gate. We're inside a subdivision but this one was more lenient.

Papa took that small shot glass and drank its content. Uminom siya ng tubig pagkatapos. Ang aga-aga talaga, laging may painom. Nagkatinginan kami ni Rosendale, nagkibit lang ako ng balikat.

"Dalaga na pala 'tong apo ko, eh." sabi pa ni Lolo Alvin. Kainuman niya yung mga Tito ko at ilang pinsan na mas matanda sa akin. Yung mga pinsang iyon ay kay Rosendale naman ang tingin. Oh, damn, why did she need to be so pretty. "Kamusta naman, Echo?"

"Okay naman po," Ngumiti ako.

"Sinong kasama mo, Echs?" Nangiwi ako sa tinawag sa akin ng isa sa pinsan ko. Ang pangit pakinggan, tunog X.

"Si Rosendale." I said. I have this feeling na buong araw ko siyang ipapakilala sa mga relatives ko. "Rosendale, sina Anton, Akim, at Anjo, mga pinsan ko. Magkapatid sila."

"Ang ganda naman ng pangalan mo, Rosendale." I can sense the amazement in Anton's voice. Mukhang tinamaan. "Anton nga pala."

Rosendale, as usual, just stared. She's not averting her gaze elsewhere to the point that my cousin started getting awkward. I lightly scratched my temple. Gusto kong matawa na ewan. She's not scared to show what she is and I think that's what made her mysterious.

"Type ninyo ba?" Natatawang tanong ni Papa sa kanila. Nahihiya namang napakamot sa ulo yung tatlo. Halatang type nga itong kasama kong ayaw mamansin. "Nako, naunahan na kayo."

"Eh, 'To, sa ganda ho niyan, tiyak talagang may boyfriend siya." sabi ni Anjo.

"Wala 'tong boyfriend." Napahagalkpak si Papa. Para bang aliw na aliw siya sa nangyayari. He found it amusing, I see. Mukhang alam ko na ang sunod na mangyayari. The boys suddenly looked hopeful. "Girlfriend, meron. Ayan, oh, itong pinsan ninyong si Echo ang nakabingwit."

Bagsak ang balikat ng tatlo. Halatang hinayang na hinayang. The guys stared at me, as if they're envious. I raised an eyebrow.

Lolo and the others looked just normal, they're fine with it. A few of the girls on my relative are not straight. Karamihan pa sa kanila, hindi yung butch type, tipong babae manamit at kumilos pero babae rin ang hanap. Come to think of it, maybe that's the reason why everyone seemed so accepting about us.

I still think that I'm straight, it's just that Rosendale managed to get me. Nakakainis mang isipin pero natanggap ko na yung part na 'yon ng sarili ko.

"Baligtad na talaga ang mundo ngayon." Bumuntong-hininga si Akim. "Rosendale, pakiingatan na lang 'yang si Echo."

"Sure," sagot ni Rosendale sa mababang tinig. She stared at me, her eyes looked amuse now unlike kanina na hindi talaga mabasa ang nasa isip niya. "Of course."

Napailing na lang ako. Bahala siya diyan.

"At ikaw, Echo, kapag pinakawalan mo 'yan, popormahan ko 'yan!"

"Aba, ako ang poporma, Kuya Anton!"

"Ako, mga baliw!"

"Asa kayong tatlo." Inirapan ko sila. "Good luck."

Knowing Rosendale, she won't even lay an inch of interest to anyone. Sa school pa nga lang, marami nang humahanga at nagtangka pero wala silang napala, ito pang mga pinsan ko? They may be a Jonquill but never me. Now I didn't know if that's a curse or a blessing.

"Possessive naman pala si Echo." Nagtawanan sila sa sinabi ni Anton. "Inlab talaga, nakow!"

"Ewan ko sa inyo." Hinawakan ko sa braso si Rosendale at hinila siya palayo sa mga nag-iinuman na 'yon. "Pa, sa loob lang muna kami."

"Sure, the twin's there."

"Okay po."

"They're annoying." Rosendale whispered on my ear. I didn't say anything but I agreed.

We went inside the house, eksaktong nandoon ang Lola Tess kasama yung batang kambal na halatang bagong gising. They're wearing identical pajamas na color blue and they looked so cute.

"Hello po." I greeted. Ngiti naman kaagad ang isinagot niya sa akin. Walang reaction yung kambal. "Si Rosendale po pala."

Tumango siya at iginiya kami g maupo. Katapat namin yung kambal. "Kumain na ba kayo?"

"Busog pa ho."

"May macaroni soup diyan, kuha na lang kayo kung magutom, ah?"

"Sige po."

Umalis siya at nagpunta ng kusina na natatanaw dito ng slight mula sa sala. Pagbalik niya ay inabot ni Lola ang dalang soup dito sa dalawang bata. Nakatulala pa rin sila, halatang wala pa sa mood para kumibo. I was pretty much sure na magiging magaslaw din sila later.

"Ayos lang ba pakibantayan muna itong dalawa?" Lola asked. "May work kasi yung Mama at Papa nila. Mamamalengke lang ako. Marami pang darating na kamag-anak."

I nodded my head. She smiled and gathered her stuffs before going out. Kami na lang ang naiwan. Binuksan ko yung tv para hindi masyadong tahimik. Rosendale was just staring at the kids who finally started eating.

"Do twins run in your family?" she asked. Isinandal niya na ang likuran sa sofa habang hindi pinuputol ang tingin sa mga bata.

"I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. "There are few twins I know on our family pero hindi naman ganoon karami. Hindi ko lang sure sa ibang malalayong kamag-anak na hindi namin nakakasama."

"I might want to have some kids from you someday."

I frowned my forehead out of surprise and the sudden embarrassment. She said it out loud and so nonchalantly like it's not a big deal. "Siraulo ka ba?"

"What?" She raised a brow. Seconds later ay inirapan niya ako. Pinanlisikan ko siya ng mata. Bigla akong nainis. "Isn't it normal to talk about those things?"

"You're not normal." I told her which she had no reaction with. "We're only together for just weeks tapos anak talaga kaagad nasa isip mo? You're jumping too big in imagining things."

Umusod siya palapit sa akin. Hinapit niya ako sa baywang at inilapit niya ang mukha sa akin. I looked around if there's anyone here, wala naman. The kids were busy eating and they're not even minding us.

"Rosendale, layo." I tried to take away her hands pero ibinabalik niya lang. I started glaring at her. "Isa."

"I've already touched you, why can't I talk about kids?"

"H-hoy!" Pinalo ko siya sa balikat. I can't help but feel the warmth on my cheeks, an indication that I was blushing, and the drumming of my pulse. "Stop saying that. People will misunderstand if they hear you, stupid."

"There's no one around but the kids. They won't understand, they're just what, four, three?"

"Four."

"See." She grinned, which annoyed me more. Dumiin ang daliri niya sa baywang ko na ikinatigil ko. She leaned her lips closer to my left ear. "I want to do it again."

Nakaramdam ako ng kilabot sa pagbulong na ginawa niya. Hindi ko na lang masyadong pinansin. "No. Pinagbigyan lang kita kanina, last na 'yon."

"Let's see." She smiled, which she rarely does. Napalunok ako at napaiwas ng tingin. For some reason, what she did sent shivers on my entire being. Gusto ko siyang upakan. "They fit perfectly, you know?"

"You're a pervert." I hissed under my breath. She just chuckled.

"But seriously, if there's someone I want to settled with, of course that will be you." she told me. I felt like I was holding my breath for a while. For some reason, it made me...happy. "Whether you like it or not."

"Pilitan, gano'n?"

"Kind of. I'll probably kidnap you and own you somewhere, lock you up until I can be the only one who you can think of. So don't try harboring feelings to anyone, I'll kill him. Or her."

"Ewan ko sa'yo, kung anu-anong iniisip mo."

"Echo, people, no matter who, will surely take an interest to you." she said. She played with my hair, occasionally twirling it around her fingers, her other hand caressing my waist. She should tell that to herself, siya itong laging napapansin ng tao.

Hindi na lang ako kumibo at hinayaan siya sa mga iniisip niya. I think she's being possessive, ganoon naman talaga siya. She was thinking too much and I think that won't happen. Whether people will like me, it's not like I'll reciprocate it the same. She's the only one who got to broke my own rule about not wanting to be stabbed by a freaking, annoying arrow.

"Someday, having kids will be nice." Bumalik siya sa naunang topic namin. "As much as I want you to carry my genes, I can't. But we'll somehow find a way. Twins is okay, too."

"Ayokong manganak, tigilan mo ako. Bakit ako?" tanong ko sa kanya. "Bakit hindi ikaw ang magdala? Tutal, gusto mo."

"I don't really mind."

"Nakakainis ka." ang nasabi ko na lang. I wasn't used with this, talking about relationships and its future.

"That will probably happen after a few years, such a long time to wait. For now, I need to keep you mine to get that future."

I still don't know what awaits us. We're still too young to plan that kind of life but too old to choose our own path. I was at that stage. Rosendale can do both.

She still have her own issues to deal with, though, and I still have to wait until she's finally okay. Thinking about the future, honestly, is a complicated thing.

"Is it awkward for you?" she asked, "Talking about the future."

Tumango ako. "Things are still complex for you, you know that?"

Tumitig siya sa akin. I can't help but feels like I'm drowning on those brown eyes. It looked so deep. "It keeps me from moving forward. It feels nice to know that I can still do something else."

"That, I know as well."

_____