This Lifetime

Chapter 7

Yuan was not kidding when he said he'll help me find my peace. He's actually my kind of peace.

I really don't know pero there's something in him that makes my heart and soul so calm.

We didn't start right, he was the most annoying person I've ever met. Who would have thought na yung taong gumugulo sa buong pagkatao ko dati ay ang taong magbibigay sa akin ng kapayapaan.

With everything that's unfolding right before my eyes, he's the only one I can lean on.

I trusted him like how I trusted my parents and I am hoping he'll never let it be broken like my Mom did.

Like everyone else in our family did.

"So are you ready to see them?" He asked before he opened his laptop, ipapakita raw n'ya sa akin yung photos nila Lola Amethy at Lolo Yael. Seriously, I haven't seen any.

So I really have no idea what they looked like, besides the one they told us that me and Yuan looked like them, a lot.

I nodded, "Game na"

"Promise me you won't freak out"

"Like you did huh?" I teased, he told me when he was thirteen, he accidentally saw an old photo of Lola Amethy and Lolo Yael in his parents' room.

Then Tita Lana showed up, he immediately confronted her, that's when he started crying, habang kinukwento raw ni Tita Lana sa kanya mas lalong ayaw n'yang tanggapin na there's someone in the family who looked exactly like him, and the creepy part ay hindi naman namin sila inabutan then our parents telling us stories na hindi lang daw namin sila kamukha physically but we are them.

I say, we maybe looked like twins but we are different. Normal lang naman siguro na kamukha namin sila dahil kamag-anak namin.

"I forgot to tell you, I freaked out because Lola Amethy looks like you" he revealed

"What?"

"You were not bound by blood, no offense but don't you think it's a little weird?" Then that hit me so hard, di nga pala kami magka dugo.

"I want to see"

Then there it is, the truth.

She's... every angle, oh my God how is this possible... even our baby pictures.

Now, I want to freak out.

"What the hell?"

"Relax"

"How? Paano mo natanggap 'to, mukha tayong clones ng mga lolo at lola natin!"

"Who said I accepted it? I just learned how to deal with it."

"And you're cool with it, I see"

"What? Just because I accepted some facts doesn't mean I'm okay with it, it is called maturity" he retored

"So sinasabi mong immature ako kasi ayoko pa rin maniwala?" I fired back

"That's not the point, ang sinasabi ko lang, we can investigate ng hindi natin pinapairal yung ayaw natin"

I rolled my eyes.

"Don't that again"

"What?!"

"It's rude, wag mo akong irapan hahalikan kita dyan, I'm telling you" natahimik ako, he's the kind of person who means every word he said.

Come to think of it, ang laki ng pinagkaiba nila ni Lolo Yael.

Ayon sa mga nalalaman n'ya regarding our grandparents, Lolo Yael was a very very naughty boy, at noong nagbinata s'ya he became a playboy, pero ginawa lang daw nya yon para kontrahin ang parents nya.

But then when he met Lola Amethy everything changed.

He became so different, sobrang masiyahin daw, he's so malambing, gentleman at higit sa lahat si Lola lang daw talaga ang minahal n'ya ng sobra sobra that he waited six years just to win her back again!

And when she died, never na raw nila nakitang ngumiti si Lolo. As if his living but not living at all.

Kaya si Tita Lana, she grew up without a Mom and almost without a Dad, until she turned fifteen, that's when Lolo Yael tried to take his own life, but to no avail, hindi effective.

Until one unfortunate event happened, he got into a car accident too. Just like Lola Amethy.

Yuan on the other hand, masyadong misteryoso, topakin, ang sungit, ayaw sa tao, he's no where sweet, siguro pag tulog. But one thing is for sure, I can at least trust him.

Gusto kong patunayan sa kanilang lahat na ibang tao na kami. That they need to move on from the past.

Yuan grew up following what Lolo Yael was, hindi dapat ganon. Feeling nya lahat ng kilos at sabihin nya laging kinukumpara kay Lolo.

I understand where Tita Lana's coming from but Yuan is her son, she should've at least thought of that.

Her parents lived short but they were once happy. If Yuan wants me to have peace, I want him to be happy genuinely, without anyone telling him that he's some else's look a like.

"A penny for your thoughts?" I was brought back to my reverie

"Can I trust you?" I suddenly asked, he nodded. I smiled.

"Why'd you asked?"

"I... for assurance" I sighed and held his hand, "I trust you more than anyone in this family" I sincerely said.

"You don't have to worry about that, if there's one thing we inherit from our look-a-like grandparents, that is trust. They trusted each other so much"

"Well... I must say thank you to them huh?" He chuckled, ang cute lang. Come to think of it Yuan became more and more at ease, hindi na s'ya weird hindi na s'ya poker face. He has emotions and I kinda like it.

"And there's one thing I think we inherited from them" he continued

"Yeah?"

"Love"

"Could you be more specific?"

"The love they had" he looked at me like I'm the only person he sees, like I'm the only one he wants, it felt different. It felt a little weird and good at the same time, "is telling me that we should, continue where they left off"

Nanlaki ang mata ko, is he, is he serious?

"Yuan..."

"I'm just saying, I am not forcing you though"

"I'm sorry" nabigla ako, hindi ko alam kung anong isasagot ko sa kanya.

"No worries Ky, wala akong balak i-push through ito kung ayaw mo, I just wanted you to know"

"I don't want to hurt you, Yuan"

"You're not hurting me... If Lolo waited six years just to have Lola again, I can wait another lifetime to have you"