CLINGY si Kuya Migo.
Alam ni Maureen 'to. Napaka-clingy niya kay Ate Jiya, nagkaka-demonic episode siya kapag 'di sila nagkaka-alone time kasi busy sila pareho—si ate niya sa trabaho, si kuya niya sa med school.
Feeling ni Maureen malapit na rin siya magka-demonic episode.
Shared genetic trait ba 'to ng mga Salas? Curious lang siya.
Hindi kasi talaga active si Kuya Inggo sa social media. His IG is empty except for the occasional stories na pang-close friends lang kasi marami siyang followers. Wala siyang Twitter, and his Facebook has a bunch of flies from the way it's rotting. Alam niyang may GC siya with his college barkada, pero wala na siyang ibang kinakausap do'n unless kailangan raw sa school.
Sa text lang talaga and FaceTime, and Maureen is lucky he's giving her both as much as he can kahit ga'no siya ka-busy. Buti nga at hindi niya pinapansin yung message at friend requests niya na puno.
Kailangan lang ni Maureen i-remind ang sarili niya that he can't drive to Blue and back all the time. Mahal ang gasolina, ang tindi ng traffic, and the time it takes to get there and back to his condo are already three hours spent away from studying. Kaya nga pagdating niya sa Blue, he just lays beside Maureen or gathers her in his lap while he studies.
Nakakapagod ang setup para kay Kuya Inggo, but he's doing his best to make the effort without complaints because he wants to see her and she wants to see him.
Wala sa plano o schedule nila na magkita tonight kasi may study session daw siya for his finals. He can't afford the exhaustion and the trip, so si Maureen na lang ang bibisita sa kanya.
Alam niyang nakikitira minsan si Kuya Inggo kila Ate Jiya and Kuya Migo because it's lonely raw sa condo niya. When they went to Tagaytay for their anniversary, si Kuya Inggo ang nag-stay sa bahay nila at nag-welcome pa sa kanila pabalik.
'Tsaka Maureen hasn't been inside his condo yet.
'Di naman siya kinakabahan because she's pretty sure no one else has been in there, either. Sa mga calls nila, parang memorize na nga ni Maureen ang interior.
"Kuya!" Maureen screeches when he opens the door, hugging him. "I have dinner!"
"Mau!" He hugs her back. "Thank fuck. Pasok ka."
Ate Jiya runs to the front door, brushing past a frozen Kuya Inggo. "Hi, Mau!"
"Ate Ji—" Her breath catches when she steps inside their home.
Maureen will never get used to how Kuya Inggo manages to make all her organs shuffle and her knees crumble with just one look.
Para bang bumubukas-sara ang pinto ng puso niya, welcoming him home. Parang nagtatanggal na ng sapatos si Kuya Inggo sa labas.
Too long! reklamo ng puso niya. Too long without him.
A weekend ago pa sila nagkita, when he cooked French toast in nothing but his jeans and she hugged him around the waist from behind while they sang to Love Story and Back to December.
Two nights ago pa yung last FaceTime nila, tapos nakatulog pa si Kuya Inggo in the middle of Iron Man 2.
"You're so pretty," he mouths from behind Kuya Migo and Ate Jiya.
Bawal siyang mag-breakdown sa kilig dito. Maureen smiles again at her Ate Jiya. "Ate! I had time after class so naisip ko kayong dalawin. I have dinner. Hi, Kuya Inggo."
He clears his throat and waves. "Hi."
Ate Jiya hugs her tight and brings her to the kitchen. "How's school?"
BINABASA MO ANG
And Then You
RomantikInggo de Paz has a long line of girls waiting outside his door. He never thought Maureen Salas, his best friend's little sister, would be one of them. DISCLAIMER: This story is written in Taglish.
