Busy as I can be.
We're finalizing the charity event for Gawad Kalinga, and I didn't notice Thirdy seating in front of me.
"Thirds, 'wag mo ng guluhin 'yan. Naiayos ko na yan..."
"Manong, chill. Ibabalik ko 'to sa tamang..."
I pulled the papers away from him. It's not that I don't trust my brother, but I just don't like people messing on my paperworks, like it's mentally messing my natural order of things.
Thirdy knows me, so he just stretched and lounged on the chair.
"Do you have a date or something?" I asked him in an absent-minded manner.
"Nope. Done with my task for your event, and I'm bored," he said, emphasizing his large frame by stretching on the chair. He started tinkering on his phone when he suddenly asked, "Manong, sure kang pupunta si Ate Alyssa? May laro sila the day before, baka pagod."
"Yeah, nagconfirm na siya. Siya pa? Sobrang hilig nun sa kids. Basta may bata, expect her to be there," I explained.
Thirdy started playing with his phone, spinning it on the table, which kinda annoys me. I just took a deep breath and...
"Manong, ba't di mo pa ligawan si Ate Aly?"
Good thing I have just finished the last task on my list. That question has had me thrown off course.
I slowly gathered all the documents in front of me, and shoved them inside the envelope. "Gusto ko, pero 'di pa handa si Ate Aly mo."
"E 'di ba, ligawan is the stage when you want to get to know each other? Kung ayaw magpaligaw ni Ate Ly sa 'yo, hindi kaya di ka niya gusto?"
"Tado. Kung hindi niya ako gusto, e bakit ini-entertain niya ako? Nakikipagkita siya sa akin? Kumakain kami sa labas?" I'm starting to get pissed with Thirdy.
"Manong, si Ate Aly, walang tinatanggihan na kaibigan. Lahat ng tao mahal niya."
Now I'm really pissed, "Ano gusto mong palabasin?"
Thirdy laughed and said, "Wala. Gusto lang kitang tulungan. Baka kelangan mo ng extra bakod, or something."
Just then, our merienda arrived, with Dani on tow. Before I dug my fork on the slice of cake, "Ano bang meron at kami ni Alyssa ang topic mo?"
Dani and Thirdy exchanged looks, and Dani looked at me with her angelic smile. "Kuya, alam naman namin na may gusto ka kay Ate Aly...," and she took another glance at Thirdy, " Pero nagtataka kami bakit 'di mo pa siya nililigawan. Anyare sa Ravena Charms?"
"Dani, unang-una: ano ang alam mo tungkol sa ligaw-ligaw? Pangalawa: paano mo nasabi na gusto ko si Ate Alyssa mo? Pangatlo: may dapat ba akong malaman?" I gave her my most stern look. My sister, nosy as ever.
"Kuya, una: kung ano lang nakikita ko sa inyo ni Kuya Thirdy, yun lang ang alam ko sa ligaw," she declared without blinking an eye. That earned a guffaw from Thirdy.
"Pangalawa: kahit hindi mo sabihin, pero nararamdaman namin na special na ang pagtingin mo kay Ate Ly. And you can't deny it, lalo na kung paano mo ini-include si Ate Ly sa mga schedule at lakad mo," she said, and worked her fork to take a bite on her cake.
"Pangatlo: wala naman kaming tinatago. Ewan ko, baka ikaw, meron," she said, wiggling her brows.
I leaned back on the chair, looking at them, searching for any clues that may lead me to believe that they are messing around. Dani was still smiling innocently while Thirdy is busy with his phone, trying to wipe the smile off his face.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Space Between
Fanfiction(A Kiefer Ravena and Alyssa Valdez Fanfiction) They have been friends for the longest time. And they wanted it that way, they have been comfortable with it that way. But sometimes, life has a funny way of making them realize that maybe, just maybe...
