Catch Me ✔

XIII - Eleanor

"Never have I ever drank alcohol." His right ring finger went down, boom! Think I'm going to beat him in this!

Andrew started school again just 2 days ago. He just came by here to let the time pass since he said he has a three-hour vacant time, then at 2pm he'll go, his class will start at 3 and will end at 4:30.
He showed me his schedule so I'll know when he'll come by.

"For real? Well, I occasionally drink wine. Of course, it does have a little alcohol in it." His middle finger down!!

"Yep. Never. So I think my alcohol tolerance is below the normal..?" I laughed.

"But you do have a mini wine cellar here? You never tasted any?"

"Nope. Just.. not my thing. It smells awful, I want to throw up.. and papa used to collect alcoholic beverages. He's a beverage enthusiast too, so he can make cocktails though he used to work in a ship."

"Oh.. seaman ang papa mo?"

"Yes. For almost half of his life." I smiled.

"I see.. okay, my turn," He grinned. "Never have I ever ate crab.. or whatever dish with crab."

I pursed my lips and my left pinky folded. Andrew laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Akala mo ha!"

I jokingly punched his arm and he's still laughing. He definitely knows my favorite foods! I even forgot I mentioned him that I once got indigestion when I ate too much crabs. Buttered, marinated, in soup.. just anything delicious!

"Never have I ever kissed anyone except family members!" I bit my lower lip.. kind of anticipating he won't fold any of his finger and I felt slightly relieved when he didn't.. even after a whole fifteen seconds.

My mouth formed an O, teasingly looking at him. "Reeeallly??"

"Yup. For real. I just don't easily give away my kisses! They're golden!" He laughed. I rolled my eyes but.. I felt relieved.
"Okayyy.. Hmm.. Never have I ever seen a ghost."

After a few seconds, no one's putting a finger down.. when Andrew did with his left index finger.
My heartbeat went fast. Insanely fast.
Then I too, folded my left ring finger.

"This is interesting. You saw one already?" He asked. I bit my lip and nodded. "What does it look like?"

"My parents when they died.. and a little boy. When mama and papa died of tuberculosis, there are only a handful of people who came to the wake. None's a relative, all their friends. I remembered, I was looking at our pictures silently crying, the sofa I'm sitting at moved a bit. And they're there. Sitting beside me. I wept harder until I fall asleep." I reminisced.

"I'm sorry.." He apologized.

"No, I'm okay now.. then a little boy. A little boy that is so smart and seems like he knows everything. He always smiles when I see him." And that is your brother, Angelo.

"Really? The first time I saw one was.. well, just lately. Two months ago, our older brother. He was the one who told me to get help from this house then thankfully you appeared. Natakot pa ako sayo kasi mukha kang masungit," Andrew laughed and I squinted at him.

"But I was dying.. I remembered you said that it's not good to die young? Hahaha!"

"Did I say that? Can't remember."

"No, I can't say that he's a ghost but.. mommy said our brother's an angel. Like, literally an angel. When I saw him for the first time, his aura is so calm and peaceful like I just want to be with him all the time, you know what I'm saying." Andrew explained.

Yeah, when I first saw him Angelo, he just made me calm like no one can. He actually looks like an angel. Innocent, pure, and cute but when he talks, it just feels like he's older than me.

"You really long for him, don't you? You still have anything to share?" I smiled.

"I really do.. Wala, wala na akong sasabihin pa, so let's move on to another round?" He smiled then I nodded.

"Never have I ever slept without any piece of clothing."

I snorted and my eyes got bigger when Andrew folded his left thumb!

I laughed so loud, and it was the loudest I did in my entire life. "A cheeky, disgusting boy you are!"

"I admit to doing it." He softly laughed and looked down the floor.
"But I only do it when it's really really humid. Alam mo naman dito sa bansa natin."

"You haven't got caught?" I curiously asked.

"I haven't, but I always lock my door of course. How if mommy or my twin sister walked in on me? That would be so embarrassing. It would be fine if it's daddy. Pero pag yung mga babae sa amin.. no. They sometimes tend to be loud even in the morning. Asking me to do some things or wake me up beyond my waking time which is 10AM." He chuckled.

"And you wake up pretty late!"

"That isn't late for me. 8AM is too early for me, and mostly, that's the time when they just walk in on my room and nag about something. I'm used to being with women so it's fine. Even if I find them sometimes scary." Then he shot a glance at me then looked away.

"What is with that look, mister? Want to get punched?" I jokingly prepared my fist to land on his face.

"Hehe, no."

"And you lost the game! How can you make up for that? How about we play hide and seek?" My eyebrows wiggled.