Theodore

AINE 21

"Are you really sure you're okay?" 

"Pang ilang tanong mo na yan kuya." I rolled my eyes and chuckled, ignoring completely the worried look on my brother's face.

"I won't leave you until I make sure that you're completely okay. I can still see your panda eyes."

"Panda what?" I exclaimed. 

"Yes. Panda eyes. You're eye bags are obvious." Sabi niya habang prenteng nakaupo sa sofa.

I immediately ran to my room to check how I look. 

"Okay naman ah. I am still pretty." It was almost a whisper.

"Ofcourse you are always pretty." 

Dahil sa gulat ko naitapon ko ang salamin na hawak hawak ko. 

"Theo!" I said, not sure if I am excited or scared by how he looks. He looks furious but still that gentleness in his voice is evident. 

"You have  a lot of explaining to do." He talks so seriously that my hairs on my nape automatically stood up. 

Bigla siyang tumalikod at iniwan akong mag-isa sa kwarto. I stared at the door not sure what just happened. I sighed.

I slowly sat at the edge of my bed. Pero biglang nagbalik sakin ang realization na my boyfriend and my brother is breathing the same air, in the same house and exactly the same room.

"Damn!" Dali-dali akong lumabas ng kwarto ko silently praying na sana walang mangyari sa kanilang dalawa. 

"Kuya!" I said the very moment I saw my kuya looking at my boyfriend na parang anytime ay masasapak na niya ito. "Kuya, let me explain." I tried to get his attention pero hindi siya nakikinig sakin. He's just staring at my boyfriend who now looked very guilty and uneasy.

"Theo, sorry hindi ko alam na pupunta ka dito." I touched his shoulder and slowly made him face me. He now looked so fragile na para bang anytime ay mang-aaway sa kanya. 

"Huh. Really now, Olivia?" My brother interrupted the now very silent and nerve wrecking moment. 

"Kuya, I was not able to tell you-"

"Damn it!" He shouted. Muntik pa niyang maitapon ang basong ginamit niya kanina.

"Kuya please I just-" I almost pleaded. Alam ko kung ano ang posibleng mangyari sa dalawa kung wala ako dito o kung nahuli ako ng ilang segundo. 

I am sure my brother will not just punch Theo. God knows what he would do. My brother was so furious the moment he knew everything Theo had done to me in the past. He was there when I broke down and cried for hours dahil hindi ko na kaya ang mag-isa so I went out of the country, visited him with the hope of forgetting kahit ilang araw lang. But he saw me crying my heart out dahil sobrang tanga ko at naging sobrang emotional ko.