Dear Mr. Otaku (Completed)

Tres

I'd like to ask him if he'd ever really felt alive, but I know how cruel that will sound.

A dying man's wishes.

I opened my eyes and gazed at the distorted images of the water around me. Small bubbles rose from the bottom of the pool. Tulad ng dati, nakasanayan ko nang sumisid sa pool kung gusto kong mag-isip. I don't know how long I've been below. Time seems to slow down in this watery world.

I remember a time when I was small. It was Dad's funeral and Lolo was just this stoic figure standing over his grave. Hindi ko pa siya masyadong kilala noon. My family lived in London and my Dad took care of the European arm of the Monte Arevalo Group of Companies. We rarely see him when Dad was still alive because he didn't like my mother. Ayaw niya dito kasi biyuda ito at may isa ng anak ng makilala ni Daddy. I guess he never went past the thought that mom was only looking for someone na aako sa responsibilidad sa kaniya. My Mom refused to give up Kuya Andrew to his Dad's parents and my Dad wanted to legally adopt him pero tumanggi si mommy. It would have been the ultimate seal sa pagtingin ng iba na isa siyang opurtunista at gold-digger.

Bata pa kami ay sadya na kaming pinagkukumpara ni kuya. The old man always made it a point to pick out his flaws pero wala akong pakialam d'on. I love my Kuya and even when mom left us, I begged to let him stay. Maayos naman kami ng kapatid ko except during those weird moments na pinaparamdam ni Lolo na sampid lang siya sa mga Monte Arevalo. Angela was too young to understand. Heck, I was just a boy too. Back then, I never realized how much it cost him to stay.

"Adrian?" I could hear Dianne's voice. I slowly unwound myself from my sitting position and rose to the surface. Dahan-dahan kong naaaninaw ang mukha niya.

"Hi koi," humihingal kong bati sa kaniya. She pouted at me.

"Uuwi na ako kung hindi ka pa tapos." Bakas ang tampo sa boses niya. It's Saturday and she came over to spend the day with me pero hindi pa ako nakaka-recover sa usapan namin ni Lolo kahapon.

Umangat na ako sa tubig. "Sorry, don't go yet koi." Inabot ko ang kaniyang braso para pigilan siya. Mukhang nagtatampo talaga siya. These days miminsan na lang kami nagkikita since busy ako sa trabaho at school at siya rin naman sa studies niya. Minsan nagkakasya na lang kami sa text or skype.

I miss her too. It's ironic to be missing her when she's just an arm's length away. Hindi ko maintindihan kung paano ko nakayang malayo sa kaniya ng isang taon.

I shouldn't treat her like this. I can't let my koi feel neglected. I took her hand and twined it with mine.

"Adrian basa ka," she whined and tried to pull her hand away. I grinned up at her and hugged her.

"Adrian!" She shrieked as she got soaked. "Adrian wala akong dalang damit!" Bigla niyang tinakpan ang kaniyang bibig at namumulang napatingin sa paligid. There were several onlookers, mga kapitbahay ko.

"Woooh!" Somebody whistled.

"C'mon." I pulled her with me. Kinuha ko yung crate ko ng mga gamit. She's still red and refused to look at me. "C'mon koi," I gently coaxed her. I quickly dried myself on a towel bago siya iginiya papunta sa elevators. Nakanguso pa rin siya nang pumasok kami sa aking unit. I can't stop myself from dropping a kiss on her lips. She made a face.

"Lasang chlorine!" She protested.

"Wait for me koi. You can get a shirt from my cabinet." Pumunta na ako sa CR para makapag-shower. Binilisan ko na dahil alam kong kanina pa siya naiinip.

When I got out of the bath I saw her lying down on my bed fast asleep. Suot niya ang isa sa mga t-shirt ko and I admired how the loose fabric fell down to expose one shoulder. She looked really tempting but I have to remind myself that we're too young to engage in anything more intimate than kissing and cuddling. Isa pa, nangako ako sa papa niya na igagalang ang kaniyang unica hija.