"What do you mean by that, Ackley?"

He looked at me with a questioning look, but parang naramdaman kong kinakabahan din siya. "Let's eat," Mom called us before she and Tita went to the table. 

"Never mind that," I smiled at para naman siyang naka-hinga ng maluwag. Seriously, what's wrong with him again?

Dad fixed the table and placed our foods. Tinignan ko naman si Dalton na may maka-hulugang tingin kay Dad, and it looks like he has something going on inside his mind. Because like Ackley and Kaid, he's also unpredictable and somehow a mystery kahit kapatid ko siya. 

Well, I guess, that is what they have in common.

Dad called Dalton at parang zombie na sumunod naman ang kapatid ko habang hindi pa rin ina-alis ang tingin kay Dad. He sat beside me, so I nudged him on his elbow. "What?" he asked, irritated.

"Why are you looking like that to Dad? Papatawarin mo na ba siya?" I somehow felt excited dahil sa sinabi ko. Pero nawala iyon when he winced.

"Of course not, Dariantha. Hinding-hindi ko kailanman papatawarin 'yang hayop na 'yan." Is it just me or there really is a fire na nasa mga mata ni Dalton?

"What do you want, Dariantha?" Halos mapatalon ako sa gulat when I heard Ackley asked me, whispering a bit.

I looked at the foods on the table. "They all look good, para tuloy gusto kong tikman lahat. But it's my diet."  Suddenly, parang may ilaw na nag-pop up sa tabi ng forehead ko. "This day will be my cheat day for this week."  I chuckled with that thought.

"Hey?" 

Nag-spaced out yata ako. "I just want the steak, Ackley." Naglagay naman siya ng stak sa plato ko. "Thanks," I smiled. Later, I will taste all of them if I can.

We started eating quietly until Tita broke the silence. "So, saan niyo gustong pumunta pagkatapos kumain? Kids?"

"Hindi na kami kids," I heard Dalton whispered, eating. It looks like narinig din 'yun ni Mom because binatukan niya si Dalton. Yup, kay Mom kami nagmana when it comes sa pagbatok ng tao.

When they noticed that no one among us three want to suggest, si Mom na lang ang sumagot. Kaya lang naman ayoko mag-suggest because I don't know this place, it's my first time here. "What are the other places here, Acaleigh? Sorry, first time lang kasi namin dito, e," Mom chuckled a bit.

"Aside sa park at sa mga hut, mayroon ding mga rides dito. May gubat din pero safe naman daw 'yon based on the person na naka-usap ko kanina bago tayo pumasok."

I suddenly got excited upon hearing 'yung sinabi ni Tita na gubat. Para kasi sa akin, puwedeng maging adventure 'yon kapag pumunta kami, e. And yup, I love adventures as much as I love flowers!

"Saan niyo gustong pumunta sa mga nabanggit ko?" Tita asked us again.

"Anywhere," Ackley answered.

She turned to Dad. "Ikaw, Honey? Saan mo gusto?" 

Even if Mom hid it, I still saw a bitter smile formed on his lips. Napa-buntong hininga na lamang ako. Also, alam ko namang walang balak manira ng pamilya si Mom, so I trust her. I trust her that she won't ruin Ackley's family, even if we were the first family of Dad. Kasal na si Dad at Tita Acaleigh, e. Kaya nga, Ackley's surname is Fernsby now, instead of Belvoir.

"Let's ask Dari and Dalton first, Hon." Dad then turned to me and asked where do I want to go.

I was about to answer when Dalton forestalled. "Hindi siya pupunta kahit saan. She will stay here."

I looked at him with a questioning look. "Anong I will stay here, Dalton? If I will stay here, paano na ako mage-enjoy? Besides, I came here to enjoy, not to stay with my brother," I whispered to him. Pinandilatan naman niya ako ng mga mata kaya I sighed again. "Fine."

But I will still sneak out later. Medyo boring din naman kasi rito sa loob ng hut. 

"Sige, kung gusto niyo talaga mag-stay, you can stay. Kami na lang ang lalabas, nasa malapit lang naman kami kapag kailangan niyo kami," Tita told us before she pulled Dad outside.

"How about you, Mom? You can go with them, okay lang naman kami rito," I told Mom, making her to turn her head to me.

"You sure, Dari?" I nodded, so she smiled before siya lumabas ng hut.

Naiwan naman kaming tatlo rito nina Ackley at Dalton. And if I were to explain the feeling of being left with these two, it's really awkward. Hindi na lang kasi sila magbati para naman hindi na awkward. Ay, oo nga pala, Dalton's the only one who hates Ackley, and it's not mutual. 

Well, it will be mutual once nagsalita pa ng masama si Dalton about his Mom. Na-alala niyo naman yata 'yung nangyari between them sa press conference, right?

"Do you want to eat more, Dariantha? Ano pang gusto mong kainin?" asked by Ackley.

"Uh, can you pass the bulalo?" Pinasa naman niya sa akin 'yung bulalo kaya kumuha na ako. This was cooked by Tita Acaleigh, and it's also one of my favorites sa mga luto niya. I noticed that I was the only one who's eating, so I looked at them. "Ayaw niyo na?"

Natatawang ginulo naman ulit ni Ackley ang buhok ko. "Go ahead and eat, Dariantha. Just think that we weren't here para hindi ka masiyadong ma-conscious," he laughed.

And so I did what he suggested. Halos matikman ko na nga lahat ng putahe na niluto ni Mom at Tita. And they were all so delicious! "Dariantha, tama na nga. You're on a diet, hindi mo ba na-alala? Sabihin ko kaya 'to kay Allairy, gusto mo?" banta ng kapatid ko.

I pouted. "This will be my cheat for this week. And please, 'wag mo sabihin sa manager ko, Dalton. Please?" I made a cute face that made him winced.

"Tigilan mo nga ako, Dariantha. Hindi ka cute, okay? So stop what you're doing," nai-iritang wika niya as he stood up and went sa parang verandan nitong hut.

I turned my head to Ackley when I can still hear him laughing. "Don't worry, Dariantha, you're cute." Like he always do, ginulo na naman niya 'yung buhok ko, but now, with matching kurot pa sa pisngi ko.

I winced in pain. "Aww, that hurts, Ackley," I reasoned out kaya tinigilan naman na niya. "Why are you looking at me like that?" kunot-noong tanong ko sa kaniya. Paano ba naman kasi, he's looking at me, smiling. And I don't know why, but I suddenly felt my cheeks burning whenever I see him smiling.

Wait, this is wrong. Half-brother ko siya kahit hindi kami magka-dugo. Also, Kaid's my boyfriend now at ayokong magtaksil.

"Nothing, Dariantha. I'm just thinking, sinagot mo si Kaiden, 'di ba?" I nodded as my response. "Do you love him?"

I was stunned by his question. "Do I really love him now?"  I asked my self. Because the last time I checked my feelings towards him, it's still a like. But what really are the differences sa pagitan ng love at like? Well, ito lang naman ang mga alam ko...

Love is an unconditional emotion, while like is a more watered-down version of love. Loving someone means that he or she means everything to you, while liking someone means that you are simply happy being with that person. Love involves deeper, stronger emotions, while like is more of a tender feeling towards that special someone. Love is another person becoming an integral part of your life, while like is being comfortable in the company of a person.  

Like is when you know the best side of someone and like them, while love is when you know the worst side that someone could ever have, and you still love that person with all your heart.

Love is an unidentified addiction, while like is an infinite affection. Like never harms even if one-sided, while love hurts more if one-sided. Love is always either jealous or possessive, while like is neither jealous nor possessive. Like never changes, it stays constant, while love changes with the situation.

Like is free, while love wants control. Like is non-demanding, while love demands customization. Like is no caption needed, while love captions only mine. Like is liberal, while love is an extremist.

As cliche as it may seem, liking gives you the proverbial butterflies in the stomach, but loving someone involves something deeper than that. 

Just like in flower, if you like a flower, you will just pluck it. But if you love a flower, you will water it everyday, and you will not let it die. That's the reason why I don't let the flowers given by the anonymous man to die, it's because I love those flowers.

All in all, the difference between love and like has something to do with the depth of your emotion towards somebody. Liking may give you that warm, fluttery feeling inside, but it's mostly superficial. Love, on the other hand, involves much deeper, complex emotions, making it one of the greatest feelings that you will ever have in your lifetime.  

I shook my head slowly. "No, I just like him, I still don't love him," I answered that made his smile wider.

Because I believe that if Kaid and I are really meant to be, my like will become a love. Besides, you can't force a love, in fact you can't even find a love; because it happens subconsciously, and when it's mean to, then love comes and finds you.

~💐To be continued💐~