It all started when we were still kids.
I was eight years old, when I met this guy. I still remember, how he looked at me coldly when my sister Avery in a different mother, who is months older than me, introduced him to me.
"Everly! This is him! The one I was talking about!" Masiglang ani ni Avery.
Yeah. Avery told me how this guy saved her from those bullies.
We are living in a mansion and our parents prohibited us to go out because of the danger outside. But we chose to escape and explore more outside and those bullies are the one's who welcomed Avery when we separated ways.
"Hi, I'm Everly. It's nice meeting you." Pormal kong saad at iniabot ang maliit kong kamay which he stared for a not so long time.
Sa aming dalawa ni Avery, I'm the formal one, I am an ambivert, neither introvert or extrovert while Avery is the extrovert one.
"Lance Ivor." Maikling aniya at sa wakas ay iniabot ang kamay ko. "Call me Liv."
I felt voltage of current when he touched my small hand and I can feel the warmth of his hands. Nang bumitaw na siya ay medyo nadismaya pa ako pero hindi ko ito ipinahalata.
There's also something on his voice that I found... soothing. It gives me goosebumps but also comfort.
Liv comes from a family of doctors. He is two years older than us. And let's say, he's not in good terms with his family.
Months passed and Avery and I always sneaked out of the mansion to play with Liv and I can say that we got closer and closer each days, weeks, and months that passed. Mom and Dad fortunately found out about us escaping and playing with Liv so what they did is invite Liv in the mansion dahil araw-araw rin naman silang wala. Mom was against it at first, of course, but she surrendered anyway.
But as time passes by, even in a young age, with a young heart and a young mind, I started to like Liv. Not in a friendly way but more like a lady-like.
But when there's a time that I was about to enter Avery's room, that was the time I acted distant. I heard Avery and Liv talking that broke my young and innocent heart.
"I like you, Avery." That broke my heart.
I imprisoned myself inside the room and cried. Liv and Avery knocked on my door many times because they are worried of me but they never heard any answer kaya sumuko rin sila.
But I didn't hold grudges kaya binalewala ko nalang since bata pa ako at hindi ko pa alam ang ibig sabihin ng salitang 'pag-ibig' and continued our friendship.
But the thought that I'll definitely forget about my feelings for Liv when years pass, is definitely very wrong. Dahil sa mga nagdaang taon na magkakasama kami ay mas lalo pang lumala ang nararamdaman ko para kay Liv at lagi rin akong nasasaktan.
Hindi man sabihin ni Liv ay alam kong gusto niya si Avery pero lingid iyon sa kaalaman ni Avery. She's very blessed that someone like Liv likes her while me? Just watching them at the other edge of the sofa having their own world while I'm just looking at the TV screen, not even processing the flow of the movie.
I just can't get rid of this feeling so I did the most selfish way, the first thing I let selfishness overcome me. I asked dad to arrange a marriage for me and Liv which he basically approved.
And here we are now, celebrating our engagement.
• • •
VILEVEIL
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental.
