The Last Rule

Chapter 42 - Dancing Queen

"Ang pretty mo talaga, girl!" Teby said, finally stepping back as if she had just completed a masterpiece.

I looked at my reflection. My hair was perfect, not too stiff, not too soft. My makeup was subtle but sharp, the kind that didn't scream but still demanded attention. I looked like myself, just... elevated. 

"Thanks, babe," I replied lightly, giving her a small wink. I liked how confident I sounded, even if inside I was buzzing with excitement.

"Mirror-shot!" Raela suddenly yelled, and before I could protest, my friends were already behind me, phone raised, flashes going off. I stayed seated, chin slightly lifted, letting them do their thing. I didn't even pretend to be shy. If there was one day I was allowed to enjoy being looked at, it was today.

The door opened quietly and bumungad ang kapatid ko.

"Where's the bride?" Astro joked as he leaned against the doorframe.

I stood up and faced him and that's when I noticed it. No teasing grin. No exaggerated reaction. Just a smile. Soft. Proud. The kind that I rarely see from him.

"She's ready," Teby said as I walk toward him.

"For the hundredth time today," he said as he handed me a bouquet, "happy birthday, Queenie."

I glanced down and laughed when I realized it wasn't flowers but makeup. We hugged, and immediately my friends reacted like they had just witnessed something they never imagined to happen, ever.

"You have no idea how much joy it gives me every time I see that pouty face of yours," Astro muttered.

I pulled away and hit his arm. "Kainis!" Kaya gustong-gusto niya akong pinipikon! Just like Dos.

And yet, I smiled. Because that's how he loved me, loudly, teasingly, constantly. He was my brother before he was anything else. Protective. Present. Unapologetically annoying.

After that semi-sweet scene with my Kuya, lumabas na kami ng bahay and we got into the car, and only then did I realize it wasn't his Jeep Wrangler. He used Papa's Cadillac Escalade for some reason.

Everyone was already at Mama's resto, kami na lang ng friends ko ang hinihintay.

When we arrived, I barely had time to look around before someone stepped into my line of sight. Standing by the main door was one of the most important men in my life, my eldest brother holding another pink bouquet. Of course he was. This one wasn't flowers, though. It was a bouquet of books. 

"Happiest birthday, my princess," he said, smiling softly as he handed it to me.

I smiled instantly and hugged him, inhaling that familiar sense of security only my brothers could give. My friends quietly moved ahead, giving us space. Inside, I could already hear the MC starting the program, stretching the suspense like I wasn't already standing there in heels.

Every year, it was like this.

Every birthday felt like a debut. Like my family insisted on reminding the world and me that I was cherished.

"Let us all welcome the birthday girl, Ms. Reina Solana Martin!"

That was our cue.

I walked between my brothers, lights warm against my skin, Mama and Papa smiling from the stage. I didn't feel nervous. I felt... held. Like no matter how loud the world got, I had them on both sides.

Before we started eating, Papa gave a short speech. Nothing too emotional, very him. I'm pretty sure it was the same script he's been using from my past birthdays.