There, Somewhere

Chapter IX

"What did your driver do?"

He stole me a glance before he continued to blow dry my clothes because he insisted again that he will do it. I didn't argue this time and let him. I am wearing one of his shirts now, which looked oversized in me. I was also wearing his drawstring pyjamas.

"He pranked me." Was his vague reply. I chose not to comment and the comfortable silence reigned between us. I didn't press because like what he said, mabilis akong kausap. His answer was vague that means he didn't really want others to know so he gets away with it by answering incomprehensibly. Gawain ko 'yon. I stared at the books on the shelf, instead. There are exactly six shelf aligned and all of them contained books. Different books. My gaze landed on the eights of Harry Potter before I brought it back to him because he suddenly spoke.

"My Mom is in a delicate state." I blinked the surprise that he evoked from me. He turned the hair blower off and settled on the couch beside where I was sitting and put the blower down the table.

"While dealing with PCOS. It was her third time conceiving after me." He added, his voice in a different level of seriousness. But it also sounded gentle.

"Kuya Edgar pranked me by telling me that Mom was crying in pain and calling for an emergency when I was in my room preparing for tonight's celebration. At the back of my mind I already knew it was only a jest but I was still alarmed and had to check on her." He took a pause.

"She was fine when I saw her with Dad talking to the guests. It was a relief, really kahit na alam kong binibiro lang ako ni Kuya." He turned his head in my direction and our eyes met. I did not speak for I simply don't know what to say. And then a smile slowly appeared on his face as if what he was going to say next is humoristic.

"That's when I planned for revenge." And as if the word revenge told him his vengeance was a fail, his smile fleetingly disappear faster than how it appeared and avoided my eyes.

"Hinanap ko siya sa baba and told him he is needed by our helpers. After the room you entered earlier was where the helpers are. There, I prepared my scheme. Hinintay ko siyang pumasok sa loob." He paused. "But then the door revealed another face." He continued regardless and looked at me.

"I'm sorry." He mouthed guiltily. I refused to talk.

"And you probably think Kuya Edgar was insensitive for using my Mom as his way to get under my skin. Well, that is right but that's how we do our games." Pagsingit niya instead of mumbling his apologies that only make me irk.

"I see you're really close." I merely mumbled.

"Yeah." He stole me another glance again. Then he gulped. Parang may sasabihin pa siya kaya hindi na muna ako nagsalita trying to tell him he can talk.

"That is why I am so afraid you'll tell them. First the accident and this." He took another pause, his eyes getting distant again as he finally explains to me the reason of his anxiety. Kahit na siya naman mismo ang dahilan. And I realized we're back on her Mom.

"Mommy is very sensitive to stress. I don't want to give her that but I always fail. I grew up attracting stressors, you're probably already aware of that." He glanced at me before he resumed not needing the agreement from me.

"And when she's stressed she tends to consume a lot of sweets. I don't understand what PCOS does to women but I heard in order to control it, they should balance their glucose intake so that the symptoms wouldn't interfere"

I slowly nooded, able to understand it now.

"You surely know now the reason why I am so adamant on persuading you and Ate Richelle not to mention it to Mom, pleaded you not to file a case against me when I hit you and why I insisted you of staying here."