"W-what--"
"I also don't know why suddenly, but that is better, right?" He said hopefully.
Wow. Kung kailan ay napakaokay na namin ni Liv ay sya namang sumulpot ulit si Avy. This is not good, I know. Liv's greatest love is back. Pa'no na ako nito? Saan na ako lulugar sa buhay ni Liv na bumaalik na si Avy?
"She's going to visit us first when she arrives--" he was cut by the phone that rang inside my bag so I need to answer this first.
It was mom. [Everly, dear.] Mom said using her sweet voice.
"Hello, mom." I answered and I looked at Liv first before I went to my room.
[I have a good news!] She said excitedly but I stayed quietly to hear what's her 'good news'.
[Okay. Your father,] she paused. [... sent Avery back there.. she has a heart disease, dear.]
"What?!" Napataas ang boses ko dahil sa gulat.
What the.. Avy has a heart problem!
I don't know but it feels like it's so wrong.
[Yes darling. And this will be our chance to convince your father that you inherit his businesses, since you are not sick.]
Since I'm not sick...
Not sick huh. My condition is even worse than Avy's. She can perform a surgery anytime if there is a heart donor. She can still find ways to live and she 'can' live dahil may pag-asa siya. Habang ako? There's no cure. May taning na ang buhay. There's no surgery dahil masyadong malaki na ang tumor sa utak ko para kunin pa. And the only cure, is to die.
"A-ahm.. I need to do something, mom." After I said that ay binaba ko kaagad ang tawag. Not waiting for her reply dahil alam ko namang kokumbinsihin niya ako sa mga plano niya. She's always after money.
"What did your mother say?" Liv asked me in a serious face.
"A-ah. She just said I-I should take care of Avy."
I lied. I know. Pero alam kong mas mawawalan ng oras sa'kin si Liv kapag nalaman niya ang kondisyon ni Avy.
Tawagin na akong desperada at makasarili pero wala akong pake hanggang maging akon si Liv ng buo. He's the only thing I want in my life at hindi ko pa makuha.
"Sa'n mags-stay si Avy?" Tanong ko sa kanya habang patungo sa sofa.
"In your mansion." Maikling aniya.
Napatango lang ako at saka napagdesisyonan na umakyat na sa kuwarto at natulog.
Nang magising naman ako ay madilim na ang paligid. Nang bumaba rin ako ay tahimik ang bahay. Wala rin ang sapatos niya sa shoe rack nang tignan ko.
He left.
I looked at my phone kung may message ba from him pero wala.
Napagdesisyonan ko nalang na kumain ng dinner mag-isa at saka umupo sa sofa para manood ng palabas habang naghihintay kay Liv. Uuwi naman siguro yon agad.
Pero nakatulog nalang ako at nag-umaga ay wala paring Liv na umuwi. It was 9am when he sent me a message.
From: my fiancé
I visited Avy. Won't you come?
Wow. Ngayon lang siya nagsabi sa'kin habang ako ay magdamag na naghintay sa kanya hoping na umuwi siya pero malalaman ko lang na nasa mansyon siya nagstay at binisita si Avy? Just wow!
Sana sinabi nalang niya na doon siya nagstay kasama si Avy para hindi na ako nag-abala pang maghintay sa kanya! I'm fucking mad.
But I still decided to visit Avy.
I wonder if Avy has already told Liv about her condition last night? Kung nasabi niya na, then congrats to her. Makukuha niya na ng tuluyan ang atensyon ni Liv na buong buhay kong hinangad.
"Hi, Ely! Oh my god! I miss you so much!" Iyon agad ang bungad sa'kin ni Avy nang pumasok ako sa mansyon at saka ako niyakap.
I saw myself in her a little dahil pareho kaming nagmana sa features ni dad. And that's what I'm confused about. Magkamukha naman kami pero bakit hindi magawa ni Liv na mahalin ako?
Nagising ako sa diwa ko nang bumitaw si Avy sa pagkakayakap sa'kin. "How are you?"
I'm not fine! "I'm just fine. Doing great in my studies. Ikaw? Komusta?" Tanong ko pabalik sa kanya.
We headed to the couch para doon na mag-usap at sakto naman na lumabas si Liv galing sa kusina na may dalang tasa ng kape and I looked at him.
"I'm also... fine." Sagot naman ni Avy kaya napatingin ako sa kanya ulit saka pabalik naman kay Liv para magtanong.
"Why didn't you came home last night?" I asked him.
"I already told you kanina. I visited Avy at dito na natulog sa mansyon niyo." Sagot naman niya at tumungo sa kabilang single couch na nasa gilid ng couch na inuupuan namin ni Avy.
"Why didn't you texted me then?"
Dahil sa tanong ko ay napakunot ang noo ni Liv matapos humigop sa kape niya at ilagay ito sa lamesa sa harap namin before looking at me.
"My phone ran out of battery kaya hindi na kita nasabihan. Natutulog ka rin nang napagdesisyonan kong umalis kaya hindi na kita inabala pa."
Gusto ko pa sana siyang sumbatan but I just didn't. Nakakainis! There's no wrong visiting our childhood friend! I'm fucking jealous!
"Anyway, Liv. I've heard what happened nung exam mo. Hindi ako nakakomusta, busy kasi ako sa pagtraining eh."
Busy sa pagt-training huh? She's probably lying. Alam kong na confine siya for two months dahil sa sakit niya.
"Yeah. It was horrible and humiliating. Gladly I recovered immediately." He said.
He didn't even mentioned that I was there when he was so down and I was there on the process of his recovery. Thanks to me.
"How's being engaged?"
I looked intently at Avy if she's jealous or something but there's nothing. Only a pure smile. How did I managed to secretly hate this this girl if she's this pure?
Kahit nung bata pa kami, hindi ko talaga alam kung gusto niya ba si Liv o ano ba?
I looked at Liv, hoping he'd answer but he didn't. He looked at me, instead. Hindi niya ba alam na nasasaktan ako kahit sa mga kaunting galaw niya?
"I-it's good... I mean... It's f-fine..." Pagak akong napatawa ng mahina.
We're fine naman talaga eh. Liv and I are usually just close and there's nothing wrong with our closeness. We're fine until the conversation became about Avy.
