Ethereal Haven

10

"good evening, Sir" bati ni Zach kay Papa tapos tumingin siya kay Kuya na naka-tayo sa tabi ni Papa "good evening po" he greeted Kuya while bowing a little. I saw Kuya playing with his lower lip, trying to hide his laughter. I glared at him when he scoffed.

"good evening, ang aga mo a?" tanong ni Papa

"ayaw ko po kasing nale-late, Sir" sagot ni Zach sabay abot ng paper bag na hawak niya kay Papa, inabot naman ni Papa yun at binigay kay Kuya

"let's eat" sabi ni Papa as he lead Zach to the kitchen. Pinauna kong maglakad si Zach tapos nilingon ko si Kuya sa likod ko. He opened the paper bag and his lips formed an 'o' when he saw what's inside then he looked at me as he wriggle his eyebrows. Inambahan ko siya ng suntok tapos sumunod na rin sa kitchen

magkatabi kami ni Zach ngayon at kaharap namin sila Papa at Kuya. Nakakainis lang kasi nasa tapat ko si Kuya at nakakairita ang pagmumukha niya ngayon, he's obviously enjoying this! we started eating when Papa suddenly talked.

"Mirielle said that your his 'new found friend' that's why i wanna meet you" Papa said as he look at Zach, lahat kasi ng friends ko nakilatis na ni Papa. "But i don't believe her" he added as he looked at me sideways "when did you guys met" tanong pa ni Papa kay Zach

Kuya sips on his wine trying to hide his smile so i glared at him, napaka-immoral talaga. Zach drinks his water before he speak

"we met last October, during their Skills Olympics, Sir" he looked so calm and composed while answering Papa's questions. No hint of nervousness.

"what do you think about my daughter?" biglang tanong ni Papa so i suddenly looked at him. Zach puts down his utensils and wipe the side of his lips with the table napkin, he cleared his throat before speaking

"i think she's perfect for me, Sir" muntik kong nadura ang kinakain ko because of his answer. Kuya suddenly coughed, he got choked by his wine then he wipes his mouth with the napkin. Napangiti naman ng nakakaloko si Papa.

"Actually, i have another reason for coming here tonight, Sir" he added, lahat kami ay napatingin sa kanya, he looked at me before he starts talking again

"can i have a permission to court your daughter, Sir?" he said, nanlaki ang mata ko sa sinabi niya. Is this really happening? legit? di siya nagjo-joke? i scratched the area between my nose and upper lip, trying to hide my smile.

"nope" sabi bigla ni Kuya, he suddenly looked serious, di ako sanay. Sinilip ko si Zach, nakikipagtitigan na siya kay Kuya ngayon

"if you're planning to break my sister's heart, i'll chase after you and break your neck" he said. I suddenly felt like crying. I know that he's just afraid that i might have another breakdown from a heartbreak. He saw how i cried when my ex cheated on me. Kulang nalang ay lumipad siya papuntang Australia to kill that jerk who broke my heart.

"breaking her heart is not part of the plan, i got this feeling that she'll be the one who's gonna break my heart tho." he said then he looked at me, i looked at him and frowned my brows. Pinagsasasabi neto? i'm not a heart breaker. Ako nga laging talo sa huli e.

"i can't promise that i won't make her cry, rest assured i'll make her cry out of happiness and not the opposite of it." he confidently said and showed his most sincere smile. Nakita kong ngumiti si Papa then i checked on Kuya's reaction. He's just looking at Zach as if he's not buying what Zach has said.

nagtanong-tanong sila about Zach, sinasagot naman niya 'to and i'm starting to see him in a new light. He's a brave guy, nakayanan niya ang interview stage ni Papa at Kuya without showing his nervousness.