What Might Have Been

Why him? Why her?

"Tell me everything!" Jade demanded as soon as we were alone in the confinement of her room. "What was that scene I walked on? You with Kuya Xi and that girl Shirley?"

 I sighed before joining Jade on her bed. "Well, I finally get to meet the girl your Kuya Xian love." I said glumly.

 "Love? Excuse me! I don't think Kuya love that girl, maybe he's attracted to her, or cared for her, but love? I don't think so!"

I gave Jade the look before answering. "How long have they've been together?"

"2? 3 years?" Jade answered unsure.

"See? 2 or 3 years? If that's not love then what is that?" I asked.

"Kahit na! It's not about how long you've been together, that's not the measurement of love." Jade said wisely.

 "Jade!" I said exasperated by her reasoning.

"Kim!" she retorted equally exasperated. "C'mmon tell me what was that I walked in to, ano ba kasi yun?"

 "Wala we were just talking, Xian and me nang dumating yung girlfriend nya, so yun pinakilala nya sa kin." I explained curtly.

 "Hmm.. I still don't get it. So you were just talking eh bakit parang gusto kang sabunutan nung girl when I saw the three of you?" Jade lay down on her bed, not satisfied with my explanation.

I sighed before I answered, "Eh kasi, she saw us hugging before that." I admitted biting my lower lip.

 "What?" Jade jump up from the bed, her eyes huge with surprise. "You were hugging? You and Kuya Xi?"

I nodded and continued chewing on my lower lip, a picture of a child caught red handed. Guilty.

"Why? Why on earth were you hugging?" Jade asked still confused and shocked with what I admitted. "As far as I know you weren't even on speaking terms with Kuya and now all of a sudden you're hugging buddies?"

"Jade!"

 "Kim! Make me understand!" Jade demanded.

 I let out a deep breath before launching on what happened on my Kuya William's wedding the week before. Jade was on HK trip given to her as birthday gift by her parents during the wedding that's why she missed it. She actually just returned 2 days before her party.

"So JR stood you up, you got drunk, got friendly with Kuya Xi, had coffee with him and made out with him on your doorstep?" Jade recapped once I'm done with my story.

"Jade! We did not make out!" I protested. "It was just a kiss! Besides we're both drunk that time."

"Okay, I stand corrected, you did not make out, just kissed." Jade said nodding. "And you're both drunk when it happened."

"Right!" I agreed earnestly, only to be stunned by her next statement.

"But didn't you both had coffee before the kiss? By theory, if you already had coffee, wala na kayo dapat tama. I mean dapat hindi na kayo masyadong lasing, if not hindi na talaga lasing diba? What do you think?" Jade said rather too innocently, the implication of her statement hanging thick between us.

I opened my mouth to defend myself (and Xian) but nothing came out if it. Because truth be told, Jade do have a point.

 "And you're implying?" I asked when I finally found my voice.

 "Nothing." Jade shrugged. "Maybe something for you to think about, I don't know about you and Kuya but for me pag nakapag kape na ko and pahinga for a while nababa ang tama ko." She added.