Escaping Strings

Chapter 48: The Siblings

Martina's POV

“Hey, little sis,” my brother called and I look at him with a questioning eyes.

He grunts before walking towards me. He sit beside me. Tumingin siya sa mga mata ko nang para bang may gusto siyang sabihin ngunit parang natatakot siyang bigkasin ang mga salitang ito sa hindi ko malamang dahilan.

“Hey, big brother,” natatawang balik ko sa kaniya nang hindi siya magsalita at tiningnan lang ako.

“Tsk, forget it. I don't wanna get you pissed off,” sabi nito at tatayo na sanang muli nang pigilan ko siya.

“Ano ka ba, hindi naman ako magagalit. Bakit ba parang takot na takot ka? What is it about?” I asked. “Is it about what I am doing in my life?”

Hindi naman siya agad sumagot. Alam ko namang tungkol ito roon. Wala naman kasing ibang dahilan pa para maging seryoso siya nang ganito. Well, except for whether he'll tell me that he wants to get married or something else like that serious or whatever.

“You know,” pag-uumpisa niya. “It's been a month.”

Napabuntong-hininga naman ako at nag-iwas ng tingin. Kahit na nasa television ang mga mata ko, nasa sinabi naman niya ang isipan ko.

“Hey, hey.” Pinalingon niya ako sa kaniya kasabay ng paghawak niya sa isang kamay ko. “You can't hide here forever, you know that. As well as my conscience can handle lying to your twin. I can't keep my lies to Iris, she's my sister too.”

“You don't have to say much to her. Just simply tell her that I never came here,” sabi ko naman.

“She's worried, Martina. Day after day, she's been calling and all I can say to her is that I have never seen you for years. She's asking me to talk to you even just through the phone. Just please, please, Martina, call your twin,” he begged.

I heaved a sigh before giving him a nod. Nginitian naman niya ako bago lumapit para halikan ako sa ulo at akbayan ako.

“Now, what do you want to eat?”

I laughed, “What, is that a bribe?”

Napalayo naman agad siya sa akin at sinamaan ako ng tingin. I giggled to his reaction. You know what, my brother is so cute that I wanna pinch his cheeks and wring his face with my bare hands.

“Now, I am certain that my niece or nephew would be as delectable as their uncle,” he said, letting me do whatever I wanted to do to his face.

“You are just so cute, argh!” I said before pulling his hair with both of my hands.

“Ahhh!” sigaw naman nito na siyang nagpalabas kay Jazmin mula sa kung saang sulok ng bahay. “Vixen, help me!”

Wala naman itong ginawa at tinawanan lang kami. Binitawan ko naman ang buhok niya nang may pagkairita pero hindi pa rin ako satisfied so I pinch his leg.

“Ouch!”

“That's what you get for being ugly,” I rolled my eyes before hitting his leg again.

“Hey, that ain't funny,” he uttered before facing Jazmin from behind where we're sitting, “Vixen, please tell this woman to stop abusing her big brother or I'll tell her twin about—”

“Kuya!”

“What? I am just kidding,” he said while laughing.

But I am not. He's annoying me, really. Ugh, if only I could send him to the dumpster, I would, but no, he's my brother and he is such a gorgeous man. Sayang ang lahi, magpaparami pa siya, ikakalat pa niya ang magandang lahi ng mga Fortalejo.