Heartbound Part Two (Lovestruck Series)

Day 17.2 | E

#HeartboundWP

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Day 17.2 | E

"KAYA PALA LATE . . ." Ate says, shaking her head, clicking her tongue, and feigning disappointment when Elias walks in the house. He merely laughs, running a hand over his hair that his sister is eyeing. "Dami-dami namang araw for that, bakit ngayon pa? Kanina ka pa hinahanap n'ong bata."

"I rushed here as fast as I could," he explains himself, placing a box wrapped in a shimmery pink wrapper on top of the table along with the other gifts for the birthday girl.

He checks his wristwatch. He's not that late. He made it here less than an hour after his last class, didn't he? Naunahan lang talaga siya nina Z, Ky, and Migs who's sitting on one corner and talking with a few of Zoa's friends who haven't gone home yet and with the birthday girl herself who's probably the one who placed that cheap tiara atop his head.

"Kumain ka na outside?" Ate asks.

Elias decides to follow her to the kitchen instead of walking up to Zoa, snatching that princess crown from Migs, and reclaiming his position as the best uncle. Nagmamadali talaga siya papunta rito pagkatapos magpagupit at hindi na kumain kahit kanina pa siya gutom. Besides, he knows that the house is going to be overflowing with food.

And he's right. He grabs a plate and the first food within his reach—which is whatever's left of the spaghetti after the kids from earlier almost wiped the tray clean. He takes a mouthful of the pasta before he pulls a chair to sit on while he eats at the kitchen counter.

Iiling-iling ang kapatid niya sa gilid niya habang pinagsasalin siya ng juice sa isang baso. "Ba't ngayon ka pa nagpagupit?" she asks, grabbing the chair next to him and sitting after wiping the rest of the counter clean.

Elias shrugs. Ano'ng sasabihin niya? Remember that girl I lost because of my, sabi mo, awful decisions? She told me that I need a haircut.

That basically made it a matter of life and death. Of course, I had to get it done immediately.

Even in his head that sounded pathetic.

He doesn't want to talk to his sister about Nadi. Not yet, at least. Alam niyang masesermonan siya, and he's getting enough of that from himself. He doesn't need more.

Elias doesn't flinch when his sister reaches out to touch the end of his eyebrow slit, her fingers following the path that extends to the fade of his hair. "At ano ba 'tong linya-linyang 'yan? Uso pa ba 'yan?"

He pauses on chewing. He turns to look at his sister who is creasing her forehead so hard that her brows are almost meeting. "Are you seriously policing my hair? I'm not Zozo," he says with an arched brow and a chuckle. Zo told (but more like complained to) him yesterday on their way home about Ate being so strict about her having her hair styled neatly at all times.

Ate sighs. When she doesn't say anything, Elias goes back to his food. He glances at her before taking his last spoonful of his spaghetti, catching her with a vacant look on her face.

He downs his glass of juice before clearing his throat. That gets Ate's attention. "May problema, Ate?"

Ate merely lets out another sigh. She stares at him in silence, before creasing her forehead again the same way she did earlier. "Ano ba 'yang kilay mo? Dumulas kamay ng barbero?"

Elias gives her a deadpan stare. "This is obviously not about—" he gestures on his eyebrow slit and his clean haircut that is nothing out of the ordinary and his sister cannot possibly have complaints about, "—is it? So ano? Tell me."