Blur into You

Chapter 3

"Sean!"

Pagbukas ng pinto ay agad sumalubong kina Yuriel at Elijah ang isang masiglang boses.

Yuriel almost jumped at the unexpected greeting, his eyes widening in surprise.

The voice came from none other than Elijah's older brother—Elian.

"Kuya Lian? Anong ginagawa mo rito?" Yuriel asked.

He had assumed Elian would be at his dorm since he's now a sophomore.

But before Yuriel could fully process the sight of him, Elian was already moving forward, a broad grin on his face, and in true Elian fashion, he immediately threw an arm around Yuriel’s shoulders.

"Bahay ko ‘to, bakit?" biro nito. "Surprise! Missed me? Oh, bakit gan’yan ang tingin mo?"

Tumawa si Yuriel dito sabay iling. "Wala... akala ko kasi nasa dorm ka."

Elian gave a mock offended look. "Ouch. You mean you weren’t eagerly awaiting my return? Grabe ka naman! I’m back for the weekend. Babalik din ako sa dorm next week. Bakit, nagtatago ka na naman ba sa akin?"

"Ang oa. Napaka-oa."

Elijah, who had been closing the door behind them, felt a slight feeling of annoyance.

Or was it something else?

He had been looking forward to some quiet time with Yuriel, but now that his brother was here, he knew Elian would be vying for Yuriel’s attention too.

Habang naglalakad sila papasok ng bahay, nakaakbay pa rin si Elian kay Yuriel. It was clear they were close. Para na rin silang magkapatid. Si Elijah naman ay sumunod sa likod nila. He loved that Yuriel was so comfortable with his family, but at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his plans for the day were slipping away.

When they reached the living room, Yuriel’s attention shifted again as they entered.

"Hi, Sean!" Si Elissa, ang kapatid na babae ni Elijah. She greeted them with a bright smile from where she was seated on the couch.

Yuriel waved at her, feeling the warmth of the Vasquez household wash over him. "Ate Lis! Good to see you!"

"Parang ilang weeks kitang di nakita, ah? Kumain ka na ba? Have lunch with us if you haven't."

"He hasn't eaten yet," sabad ni Elijah.

Nang marinig ni Elissa na hindi pa kumakain si Yuriel, agad niya itong nilapitan at inagaw sa pagkakaakbay ni Elian. She quickly linked arms with Yuriel and went to the kitchen first.

Si Yuriel at ang ate ni Elijah ay close rin. The closeness of the two of them was as comfortable as Elian's.

Naiwan sina Elijah at Elian na nakatayo sa sala.

Elijah gave a quick smile and joined them, though his mind was elsewhere. He couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly Yuriel fit into his family, and while he was happy about it, he also couldn’t deny the tiny bit of jealousy creeping up.

His siblings adored Yuriel, and now that they were here, he realized that his own time with Yuriel was once again divided.

He had invited Yuriel over to spend some one-on-one time together, but now, with Elian and Elissa in the mix, he could already see where the rest of the day was headed.

Paniguradong aayain ng dalawang kapatid niya si Yuriel.

Elijah sighed inwardly, trying to push down his frustration. He knew it was irrational to feel this way