"narahuyo" | YJW

Ten

Cold sniffs of 4am, warm smell of rice cakes and coffee, a familiar filipino song from 2009 booming in transition as the church bell fade in the background. It has rung twice since Jace, the elders, Miggy and Sophia as well as their parents, arrived and secured a spot on the third row from the front.

Her hands leave the comforts of her buttoned denim jacket to wave at Jungwon somewhere far. Amidst all the people passing to and fro for the year's first simbang gabi, both their eyes are unwavering and only ever looking over each other.

Tiya Loli turns to the direction. It does not take long for her to notice it's that boy.

Slowly, all the three are becoming familiar of their eldest grandchild's newly introduced friend with a very beautiful smile. Not to mention the beauty mark on the lower of his cheeks that just completes everything.

Jace wasn't planning on introducing him to anyone from their household. It just so happens that they saw her climbing off his passenger seat.

Had it been another boy, for sure that would be the last.

But oddly, Jungwon and his dimples, passed Jace's guardians' standards. Especially the youngest's.

Jace pretends to be oblivious of Loli's little head shake and the teasing smile on her face, smiling at Jungwon's parents before finally turning around.

Jace just happened to buy matcha from the newly opened café exactly two weeks today, the same time Jungwon stopped by to help for a while, and decided he'd introduce her to his mom. It wasn't really that surprising as beauty obviously passes down the family tree.

Jace looks back once more to Jungwon still looking.

"Lingon na sa harap. Hindi naman yan mawawala.." Loli whispers. Good thing Jace is on the left end and Loli is beside that the rest remain unincluded in the conversation.

But well, even if one of them hears it, or all of them does, no one would tell Jace and Jungwon off. Suddenly, relationships are fine as long as it happens on their watch, in the house. The first time Jace opened up about him, they had that conversation over dinner.

Jace hates it. The way many eyes are on them already seeing ahead.

At the same time, she's grateful.

Perhaps this is what she's compensated for all the friends she wasn't allowed to have. Sucks on their part but to Jace, Jace whose heart still secretly looks forward to her mother's homecoming, the same heart that's been constantly turned down by the same person a couple of times, she'd take none of them back for this.

Later that morning, something between day and dawn, Jungwon drags her for a polaroid picture on one of the church's benches rained with warm christmas lights.