It Was Always You

XXV

Kiefer Ravena

"Kuya, how did you know that it's Mika?" Thirdy asked me while we were hitting the gym. A smile curved in my lips because of all the thoughts about Mika. I think I fell in love with her since day one. I can still remember how we first met, how I got her number without any blood shed, how we dated, and so on.

"Hey! You were smiling by yourself, mukha kang tanga!" He snapped out of me.

"Okay. I knew it was Mika when I went out of my comfort zone, put down all my defenses, amd finally admitted to myself that I love her." I said, Thirdy was still carefully listening to me.

"We were in that phase right? We were pretending as married couples. But, I had several what ifs in my mind. One thing is what I was sure of, I love her." I added.

"You'll settle for that?" Thirdy asked that made me give him a 'what-do-you mean' glare.

"That. I mean, you and Mika in a fake marriage!" Shoot! We were still not married (technically) because that was fake.

"You know what's running inside my mind right now?" I gave Thirdy a meaningful look.

"Kuya, don't tell me..." I did not let him finish his sentence and I just nodded. Thirdy seemed to got the message and so he said, "Count me in!"

***

Mika Reyes

I was staying in our home with Ate Karina and Ate Lorina. The twins are already eight months old and if I may just add, napakalikot nila. Especially Kenzo who will always run around the moment he stepped on the floor! Katie, on the other hand, knows how to stand on her own.

"Kenzo, no! That's dirty, okay? Dirty!" I ran after Kenzo who is now crawling in our living room. He was trying to get a cookie crumb that was already on the floor.

"Darling, si Katie ang taas taas pa rin ng lagnat simula kagabi!" Ate Karina told me.

"Ha? Pinainom ko na yun ng gamot ah?" I carried Kenzo and made my way to their room. Katie was crying in her crib so I put Kenzo on the couch first.

"Shhh! Katie, mom is here." I hushed Katie to sleep. Her body was flaming hot because of fever. Katie kept on crying so I sang her a lullaby. Her favorite was Let It Go in Frozen.

Minutes later, she fell asleep on my arms. Katie looks like an angel from above. I continued rocking her to sleep only until I saw Kenzo biting the remote control of the TV.

"This is not food, Kenzo. Are you hungry?" I asked him. Kenzo simply smiled at me while showing off his dimples which he got from Kiefer. I gently put down Katie to her crib and prepared Kenzo's milk.

"Say 'mommy' first before I give you your milk!" I waited for Kenzo's respond but his focus was not on me.

"Kenzo, look at mommy." Kenzo faced me and I can't resist his fluffy cheeks. "Say 'mommy'."

I waited for Kenzo to speak. My eyes and ears were all in him.

"M-mommy." He spoke. Wait what? Kenzo called me mommy?

"Ulitin mo nga yun, baby? Please for mommy." I immediately took my phone and immediately recorded a video of it.

"Sabihin mo nga Kenzo, 'mommy'." Kenzo was looking at the camera. I was waiting for another heart stopping moment of my life.

"Mommy!" This time, he even clapped his hands while saying 'mommy'. One for the books.

I screamed and hugged my child because of the sudden excitement and happiness I felt. Because of that, I did not notice that Kiefer was also there inside the room.