Chapter 2

Friendship

I didn't see anything wrong with marrying Javi. We grew up together. Close ang parents namin sa isa't isa, and even my grandparents like Javi too. Mabait din sa akin si Tita Emerald, and I would like her to be my mother-in-law.

Nakilala ko rin si Javi bilang mabait naman sa akin. Never siyang nagpakita ng masamang ugali. He was always there, looking after me, just like his mom would usually tell him to do. He might act formal sometimes, but he's polite. At gwapo rin siya.

Javi is tall, fair, and his dark hair and eyes add a mysterious quality to his personality, one you can't quite read. Inaamin ko na maging sa akin man ay misteryo pa rin siya hanggang ngayon. Hindi kasi siya madalas magsalita, pero sumasagot naman kapag tinatanong mo.

He was never rude and always acted fairly.

Iyon ang pagkakakilala ko sa kaniya.

I picked up my phone from my bag when I heard it ring. Kakatapos lang ng last class namin for today. After this, pwede na akong umuwi.

"Javi?"

"Reese, are you done?"

"With class? Uh, yeah. Why?"

"I'll pick you up. I'm done early with work at the office today," he said from the other line.

"Oh. Okay." I smiled.

Hindi naman ako bulag sa mga pinapakita sa akin ni Javi. I know he's also putting in effort for us.

He's really busy right now—nag-MBA pa siya at nagtatrabaho rin sa company ng daddy niya. Pero ginagawan niya ng paraan para magkita kami, so we can spend time together.

We haven't even said that we like each other. Wala pa kaming nasasabi na ganoon sa isa't isa. Ang alam lang namin ay magpapakasal kami dahil iyon ang gusto at napagkasunduan ng mga pamilya namin.

I'm not against it, and ganoon din si Javi. Siguro kasi pareho kaming single at wala namang ibang nagugustuhan, kaya tingin namin ay ayos lang.

"Is that Javi?"

I nodded at Alaine. Kasabay ko siyang naglalakad paalis na ng college building namin. Pagabi na rin.

"Yes, susunduin daw niya ulit ako ngayon. Maaga kasi siyang natapos sa work niya sa company ng daddy niya."

"Is that so?"

I nodded.

"Okay... Mukhang nandito na rin ang sundo ko, kaya mauna na rin akong umuwi."

I just nodded at Alaine. Nakita na namin ang sasakyan nila at ang driver niya. Bineso na namin ang isa't isa, and she left.

While I was waiting alone at the university for Javi to pick me up, I saw Quinn.

"Quinn!"

"Reese, are you alone?" Bahagyang kumunot ang noo niya nang makita akong nag-iisa roon.

"Uh, yeah. Kakaalis lang ni Alaine."

"Bakit hindi ka na lang sumabay?"

Umiling ako. "Susunduin ako ni Javi."

"Oh. Alright."

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa.

"Then, will you mind if I wait here with you? Aalis din ako kapag nand'yan na ang sundo mo."

I nodded happily at Quinn. To be honest, I feel like I've missed him. Since we came to college, we've both been so busy. Dati noong mga bata pa lang kami, halos hindi kami mapaghiwalay. Palagi kaming magkaklase since kindergarten and elementary. Kaya lang noong high school, si Alaine naman ang palagi kong nagiging classmate, and we became close.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and sat beside me on one of the benches in our university.

I smiled. "Thank you, then."

Tumango lang siya muli.

"How have you been, Quinn?" I asked, realizing it's been a while since we last talked.

"I'm fine, Reese. How about you?" Bumaling siya ng tingin sa akin.

Nakatingin din ako sa kaniya. "I'm okay, Quinn. Kumusta na nga pala si Tita?" I asked about his mom, who is also my closest godmother and my mom's best friend.

"She's doing fine. As usual, just busy with her work," he answered.

Isang designer ang Mommy ni Quinn, and she usually designs wedding gowns. Si Ninang nga rin ang gagawa ng gown ko para sa kasal namin ni Javi, the same way she made my mom's wedding gown for my dad.

She's also a single mom. Pero kilala at nag-uusap naman si Quinn at ang Daddy niya. Quinn's dad supports him financially, but his parents' past relationship didn't work out, and they never married. Now, they co-parent Quinn, and he understands their situation well. He's an understanding son and person—madalas inuuna pa niya ang iba kaysa sa sarili niya.

"I asked Dad to watch my next game," he said.

"And?"

He shook his head. "Tumanggi siyang pumunta. He said may game din daw ang kapatid ko. At kasabay ng akin kaya iyon ang uunahin niyang puntahan."

Quinn has a younger half-brother after his dad got married. While Ninang remained single, si Quinn ay nanirahan sa bahay ng mommy niya simula noon.

"Uh... Don't worry! I'll watch your game then. Kailan ba?"

He looked at me, and I smiled at him. Alam kong sanay na siya sa akin. Minsan, makulit din ako. Hindi ganoon ka-present ang Daddy ni Quinn sa buhay niya, lalo na noong nagkapamilya na ito. Si Ninang naman ay abala palagi sa shop niya. Kaya kahit noong bata pa kami, palagi ko nang sinasamahan si Quinn.

I also used to hold his hand when we were young, whenever he cried because he got scared of something. I've always felt like I was acting as his big sister back then—hanggang sa magkaroon ako ng sarili kong nakababatang kapatid, si Reo.

Quinn told me when his game will be. I think he'll probably become a professional basketball player with his long-standing interest in the sport, kahit noong mga bata pa lang kami. He also has a lot of potential, kaya paborito nga rin siya ng coach nila. Ibang sports naman ang nilalaro ng half-brother niya, na senior pa lang sa high school ngayon. Their dad kasi was also a former athlete and champion in sports.

We heard a car horn, which immediately caught our attention. Pagbaling ko, nakita kong nandoon na pala ang sasakyan ni Javi. Tumayo na ako para makalapit doon. Quinn also offered to help me with my other things. He carried some of my projects to Javi's car.

"Thank you," I said to my friend.

Nakita kong lumabas na rin si Javi sa sasakyan niya. "What is it?"

Bumaling ako sa kaniya. "Uh, Quinn can put my projects at the back of your car?"

Javi nodded quickly. "Yeah, sure. Ako na." Kinuha niya rin kay Quinn ang mga gamit ko.

Walang nagawa si Quinn at binigay na lang niya kay Javi ang mga iyon.

"Let's go, Reese," Javi said.

"Uh, yes. Bye, Quinn. We'll go now."

Tumango lang naman si Quinn sa akin.

I smiled at him one last time before getting into Javi's car.

Habang nasa biyahe kami papunta sa restaurant kung saan kami magdidinner bago niya ako ihatid pauwi, Javi asked me about Quinn.

"He's your friend, right?"

"Quinn? Yes. You've already met him before," I said.

"Yup. He's your childhood friend."

"Oo. Anak din siya ng best friend ni Mommy. Si Ninang, siya ang gagawa ng wedding gown ko para sa kasal natin." I smiled at him.

Bahagya na rin siyang napangiti sa akin pagkatapos kong magsalita. Sinulyapan niya ako habang nagmamaneho.

Quinn and Javi met back when we were still young. Same as how Javi met Alaine when we were in high school. But they never got close. Siguro kasi mas bata kay Javi si Quinn, and Alaine and I are the same age. Javi has his own circle of friends na mas matanda rin sa akin.

I have only a few friends, and the closest to me are Quinn and Alaine.

While Javi has about three to four close friends, all of whom are boys. Lapitin din siya ng mga girls kasi nga gwapo, matalino, at mayaman pa. But I've never seen him pay attention to any of the girls crushing on him. Medyo cold nga siya sa kanila, and he's just focused on studying or work.

Si Quinn naman, halos ganoon din. Kahit maraming nagkakagusto sa kaniya simula pa noon, halos wala rin siyang napapansin dahil busy siya sa basketball.

While Alaine has dated before. Madalas siyang may boyfriend pero madalas din na single kasi hindi rin nagtatagal ang mga relationships niya. Alaine Lopez is actually very pretty. She's into modeling and might even enter showbiz dahil marami ang gustong kumuha sa kaniya. She's beautiful, tall, and has a model-like body. She's perfect.

Habang ako, I often feel awkward. My mom was very pretty, pero kay Daddy naman ako nagmana. Gwapo rin naman si Daddy. Tita Emerald always tells me I look a lot like my dad, kaya sigurado raw silang anak talaga ako ni Daddy. My brother Reo, on the other hand, took after our mom. Even as a boy, minsan din siyang napagkakamalang babae.

I remember Quinn being mistaken as a girl too when we were young because he took after Ninang, who's also very attractive.

We had dinner, and afterward, Javi drove me home. When we're together, we usually just talk about our day.

That week, after I watched Quinn's game, we visited his mom at her shop.

"Therese! I've missed you, hija! How have you been?" Niyakap ako ni Ninang, obviously happy to see me.

Masaya rin akong makita siya. Quinn just smiled at us.

"I've missed you too, Ninang."

We spent time catching up and having meryenda at her shop. Ninang seemed happy that Quinn and I visited her.

"Kuya Javi liked your post with Kuya Quinn, Ate," Reo said casually while borrowing my iPad.

Reo and I are close despite our age gap. He's still in elementary, and I helped take care of him when he was a baby. Kaya sobrang lapit ko sa kaniya.

Tiningnan ko ang sinasabi niya. I checked my Facebook notifications and saw that Javi indeed liked the picture I posted of me and Quinn at the game earlier.

"Is Kuya Javi jealous of Kuya Quinn?" Reo suddenly asked.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. Umiling ako. "No, Reo. Why would he be?"

Reo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You and Kuya Quinn are super close. I thought you'd marry him instead, Ate."

Nanlaki lalo ang mga mata ko sa sinabi ng kapatid ko. "What are you saying, Reo? We're just close because we're friends..." My lips parted in disbelief.

Reo shrugged again, dropping the topic.

That night, after dinner with my family, pumanhik na ako sa kwarto ko. I couldn't help but replay what Reo said earlier.

I never thought of marrying Quinn. Parang halos kapatid na nga rin ang turing ko sa kaniya. We're just really close because of our friendship.

Pero naalala ko rin ang naging usapan namin kanina ni Ninang habang nandoon kami ni Quinn sa shop niya. Inutusan din niya si Quinn na bumili ng pagkain sa labas, kaya naiwan kaming dalawa roon at nakapagkwentuhan na rin.

"His dad didn't come to his game again. At hindi rin ako makapunta because I'm still really busy here at the shop. Kaya thank you sa pagsama mo uli kay Quinn, Reese," Ninang said.

"It's okay lang po, Ninang," sagot ko naman.

Hanggang sa mapunta ang usapan namin sa tanong ko kung bakit hindi na lang niya pinakasalan noon ang daddy ni Quinn. "Mommy told me na niyaya rin daw po kayo dati na magpakasal..."

Ninang let out a small smile and sighed softly. "I didn't want to marry just because the father of my child was taking responsibility, hija. I know I was in the wrong, too, when I got pregnant unexpectedly, lalo na't pareho kaming hindi pa handa. Tuloy, it's Quinn now suffering from not having a complete family. Kasalanan namin iyon ng dad niya. But I'm happy na tinuloy ko noon ang pagbubuntis ko kay Quinn because I'm now proud to be his mom. At kahit may mga mali akong nagawa sa buhay ko, he's none of that. I love my son very much."

Napangiti ako sa sinabi ni Ninang.

"It's just that mas lalo lang kaming magkakasala, at mas lalo lang mahihirapan at masasaktan si Quinn kung nagpakasal nga kami noon ng daddy niya, knowing we were still unsure of each other. Para sa akin, tama lang ang naging desisyon ko na hindi namin pinilit. Kasi paano kung pinilit namin, tapos lalaki lang si Quinn na palagi kaming nakikitang nag-aaway ng dad niya?"

I think I understood a little of what Ninang was saying. She had a point. But what if she still risked it and tried? Just like what my mom did—to protect our family and to give me and my brother a complete home...

Pero siguro iba-iba lang talaga ang pananaw ng mga tao sa buhay. It still depends on one's situation and choices.

"Kaya ikaw, Reese, bata ka pa. Sigurado ka ba na magpapakasal ka na agad as soon as you graduate?"

I nodded at Ninang's question. "Yes, Ninang. Tutulong din po ako sa business namin even after I get married," sagot ko. Masyado pa kasing bata si Reo, kaya gusto ko siyang tulungan with our family business habang bata pa siya para magtagumpay ito. Isa pa, ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit Business Administration ang kinuha kong course sa college.

"Okay... Pero sinasabi ko lang, bata ka pa kasi, hija. You can still explore a little bit more. Nag-aalala lang ako... just like what happened to your mom," Ninang sighed.

"And there are other things as important as getting married or having a family of your own, like friendship. Don't you want to spend some more time with your friends?"

I smiled at her. "It's okay, Ninang. Javi is not that strict. Even when we become husband and wife, I can still spend time with my friends."

"That's good then. Pero alam mo, hija, some things change after marriage."

Nagkatinginan kami ni Ninang. Pero nakabalik na rin si Quinn at sinimulan na naming kainin ang mga snacks na binili niya mula sa isang cafe malapit doon.

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