I Could Fall

After I Could Fall

Malayo pa lang ay nakita ko na agad si Ali sa spot na sinabi niya sa akin sa text. I would have ran to his way if it wasn't for the airport's luggage cart that I had with me. I was always excited about our annual family vacation, but this Christmas vacation was even more special because apart from Kuya Silas and Kuya X's family, Ali also joined us.

He was wearing a white sweatshirt and black pants. He completed the casual look with his white rubber shoes and black wayfarer. Even with the simple get up, he stood out. Nakaupo lang siya roon at nakatingin sa phone. Walang espesyal sa ginagawa pero ang lakas pa rin ng dating para sa akin. I think the people who passed by him had the same opinion because I noticed how their looks stayed on him. Nahuli ko pa ang isa babae na halos mabali ang leeg dahil nakatingin pa rin kay Ali kahit na nakalampas na. 

It irked me. I didn't want anyone looking at what is mine. I know that I was being irrational but being possessive was a Serrano trait. It was in my blood and extremely hard to get rid of. The only consolation is that I wasn't the vicious type like my Ate Laurene. I can still remember the time she got called to the discipline's office for getting in a cat fight because of Kuya Silas, her now husband.

"Ali!" I called when I was only a few steps away. His eyes found mine. He smiled. Tumayo siya sa kinauupuan at sinalubong ako ng yakap at humalik sa ibabaw ng aking ulo. I scrunched my nose.

"Hey, baby," he softly greeted.

I heavily sighed and returned the hug. I buried my face on his chest and inhaled his succulent scent before raising my head to look at him. "Ang bango mo."

Humalakhak si Ali. He gently squeezed my body before releasing me from the hug. His arm remained on my lower back though.

"Good afternoon po, Tito and Tita," he politely greeted. "Thank you again for inviting me po."

"You're already a part of our family, Alister. No need to thank us," sagot ni Mommy. That made me smile.

"Tito Ali!" Little Dionne exclaimed. She broke free from her mother's grip and ran towards us. Ali had to remove his hold on me to pick up Dionne from the floor. 

"Hey, there. How's your sibling?" Ali asked. His entire attention was on my niece.

"Still inside Mommy's tummy!" Ali grinned at Dionne before turning his attention to my siblings' direction and greeted them. Lumapit si Kuya X sa amin ni Ali para kunin si Dionne.

"May naghatid sa'yo?" tanong ni Kuya. "Yeah. Si Atlas."

My brother nodded and glanced at Ate Lavie. "Let's go check- in?"
Nauna sila sa paglakad patungo sa check-in counter. Our family followed them. I remained standing beside Ali.
He raised a brow. "Let's go?" 
I pouted. I wanted something from him but I was too shy to tell him. It didn't take him long to find out what I was thinking. Without a word, he cupped my cheeks and leaned down to place a soft and brief kiss on my lips.
"There," he lowly murmured. "Happy?"
I shyly smiled and nodded. Very.

♡ ♡ ♡

Instead of heading straight to Netherlands like our usual Christmas vacation, we went to Paris first since Kuya Silas and Ali were joining our family trip for the first time. 

Nagpahinga muna kami sa kanya-kanyang kwarto sa unang araw naming dahil pare-parehong pagod sa byahe. For our dinner, Kuya X and Ate Lavie reserved a table for us in a rooftop restaurant.

It had a nice view of the Eiffel Tower from a far. The beauty of the city of light never ceased to take my breathaway. Being with my family and Ali made it more beautiful.

"Baby." Ali's voice had me avert my eyes from the view. His fork was raised near my face. It had a shrimp stuck on it. I immediately knew what he wanted.

I leaned closer to take the shrimp in my mouth. He looked pleased when I did it.

Kuya Hadeon grunted. "Should Zeno and I transfer to a different table? You guys are making me nauseous."

My face heated in embarrassment. Nang tumingin ako sa kanya ay hindi lang naman siya sa akin nakatingin. He was eyeing the other couples in our table, too; my parents, Kuya Xavi and Ate Lavie, Ate Laurene and Silas. Sila lang ni Kuya Zeno ang walang ka-pares.

"Kung isinama niyo girlfriend mo, hindi ka sana naiinggit ngayon," tukso ni Ate L.

"She's busy with work and school." Kuya Hades glanced at Kuya Zeno. "And besides, ano na lang ang mararamdaman ni Zeno kapag napamukha sa kanya na siya na lang ang single sa atin?"

Kuya Zeno rolled his eyes. "I'm not petty like you."

"My, o! Petty daw ako! Walang respeto sa nakakatanda!" sumbong ni Kuya Hades.

"Hadeon Davis, ang tanda-tanda mo na pero ang isip bata mo pa rin," sabi ni Mommy.

"Kanino pa ba ako magmamana?" Kuya Hades playfully clapbacked, unaffected by Mommy's comment.

"Sa Daddy mo siguro," hagikgik ni Mommy.

"Nanahimik ako rito," matabang na sagot ni Daddy. That caused everyone to laugh.

I bit my lip and silently watched my family. When I was younger, I was terrified of change. I loved my family so much that I wanted us to stay the same. I wanted to remain their little Hyon.

Obviously, that didn't happen, because I ended up changing, too. One thing I realized is that change is inevitable and that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes change means growing and changing for the better. 

I looked at my siblings one by one. Ate Laurene was whispering something to Kuya Silas. She was glowing. Pregnancy suits her. Kuya Xavi adoringly watched Ate Lavie who was feeding Dionne. I can't wait for their wedding next year and I also can't wait for their second child. I next watched Kuya Hadeon. He was fiddling with his phone. He had a smile on his lips and I knew the reason behind it.

Huli kong tiningnan si Kuya Zeno na tahimik na kumakain. His eyes met mine. He raised a brow at me. I smiled and shook my head before looking away. I know he's got someone in his life, too.

We've all been through so many things and individually faced a lot of hurdles along the way; challenges that taught us things and made us who we are now. Time led us all to change but I know that there's one thing that will remain the same; we will always be a family. Forever.