Almost Feels Like Always (COMPLETED)

HUDSON (THIRTY ONE)

SomeoneYouKnow_53 here it is!!! Thank you Tita for reading!!! Love you!

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I OPENED my arms to welcome Zabriel, my very cute little nephew who just turned two today! I hugged him tight as I feel him in my chest. He's my stress reliever. Kapag bumubuhos sa'kin ang bigat ng mundo, marinig ko lang ang boses niya sa phone ay okay na ako. Hinigpitan ko ang yakap sa kanya.

"I missed you, little guy..."

He was beaming when I pulled away from him. "Mishu chu, Ningnong..."

I chuckled. Ah...laughing because of this cutie was so comforting. It's so adorable and funny whenever he mixed words or syllables. Ginulo ko ang buhok niya. He puckered his lips because of it. Like a brat that was Ate Miranda.

"Hair! Hair!" He exclaimed, complaining about his now messy 'do.

Imbis na ma-guilty ay natawa pa ako. I squished his reddish chipmunk cheeks. Pinanggigilan ko siya na lalo niyang kinainis.

"Happy birthday!" I yelled before giving him one last kiss. "Ninong has a gift for you that I'm sure you'll love!"

His pout was replaced by a grin. He clapped his hands. "Yay! Car! Vroom!"

"No, it's not a car. Mas maganda pa sa car!"

"Car! Want!"

"Tito Neal bought you a car already. And Tito Leon. You have two cars na. You need a babe."

"Hudson!"

I grinned at Ate Zi who was now squinting at me with hands on her hips. She was glowing despite her frowned face. Pregnancy was doing a good job on her.

"Hey, Ate..." Bati ko sa kanya saka tumayo at humalik sa pisngi niya.

Zabriel ran to her and held up his two arms, nagpapakarga. I watched Ate Zi as he cradled the little man in her arms.

Familiar scenes were clouding my mind again. Mabuti na lang nagsalita agad si Ate Zi kaya na-interrupt ang muling paglipad na naman ng imahinasyon ko sa kung saan.

"Where's Penelope?"

"She's outside with Ate Pru and Ate Ava." I answered casually. Dumampot ako ng buffalo wing at pinapak 'yun. Sinusundan lang ako ng tingin ni Ate Zi. Tila ba tinatantiya ako. Nang hindi ako makatiis ay nagtaas na ako ng kilay sa kanya. "What?"

"Sinundo ng Kuya Gibbs mo si Autumn. He wants to make sure that she'll attend Zab's party."

Nabitin sa tapat ng bibig ko ang pakpak ng manok. I swallowed what I chewed. My chest clenched. And it wasn't in a good way anymore. Dahan-dahan kong ibinaba ang buffalo wing na hawak ko. I wanted to be casual and cool about it. I wanted Ate Zi to think that it was okay if she come. I wanted to say a lot of words to comfort myself and to make Ate Zi believe that I'm not affected but 'oh' was the only thing that came out of my mouth.

"Is it okay? I hope it's okay. Matagal naman na kayong wala."

Tumalikod ako sa kanya. I got a bottle of Budweiser from the fridge. "Of course, it's okay. This is not my party in the first place. And you're right." I swallowed again before clearing my throat. "Matagal na kaming wala."

"Okay. Cool."

"I just don't understand why you still have to invite her. Gaya ng sinabi mo, Ate, matagal na kaming wala. She's not part of the family anymore."

"H, Autumn had been our friend, too. Kung anuman ang nangyari sa relasyon niyo, labas ang relasyon ng ibang member ng pamilya doon."

Bullshit. I gave her a glance. "Yeah, whatever."