My Dearest Adrienne,

I'm writing this to you because I could never sum up the courage to tell you all these things during the school year. You see, the thing is that I may or may not have a major crush on you. Well, I might be a little in love with you. I didn't know how or when it happened but it was too late to climb out of this deep abyss I've fallen into when I realized I was even in it. Yes, I know you'll laugh and say "Ah, sweet words from the great Mr. Madrid," but I want you to know I'm serious. I do love you. I don't know if it's the way you giggle at my corniest jokes or the way your eyes sparkle when you dominate my entire existence or maybe it's your driven passion for everything you do but I've found myself dumb stricken for the one girl I swore I was gonna wingman for. I'm sorry, Adi. I-

"Hey, kiddo. Time for dinner. Mama made adobo," Ruru opens the door slightly to his oldest son's dismay.

"Dad, what did we discuss about knocking?" Amir groaned as he dropped his pen loudly against the wooden surface of his study table. The noise accumulating the entirety of his father's attention.

"What's that? Another poem? Lemme have a read," he walked towards it.

"No, Dad, don't!" he shrieked and tried to stop him but he was a second too late and the sheet of  scented paper was already being read. Amir yanked the paper out of Ruru's hand at crumpled it as quick as he could.

"You like Adrienne?"

Amir started shifting on his feet and looked down.

"Kid, you like Adrienne? Amir, are you sure? You've been best friends for eight years," Ruru stared in shock.

"Why are you mad? I'm sorry, geez!"

"Kid, you're 16. That's- wow! This is happening-wait, I'm not mad!" he laughed, "Get your butt down and get dinner first. Mama, you and I-"

"Mama doesn't get to know! No!" he whines.

"Mama has to know. We'll talk after dinner, just the three of us without your siblings."

Awkward was not enough of a word to describe dinner in the Madrid table. Well, for Amir at least. He took every bite as slowly as possible, even being teased by Silas that he looked like a cow. Every movement was retarded in utmost exaggeration almost like he was turning a family dinner into a five course meal, which of course was what he was trying to do. He had to thank his lucky stars when his mother announced she made dessert.

"Can I have another slice?" Amir asks, pointing his plate to the chocolate cake his mother and sister baked.

"Oh, me too!" Silas chides.

"No and no," Kylie eyes her two sons and grabbed both plates from their hands. " Kikay, no cake for you?"

"No, thank you! I have rehearsals tomorrow," she politely refuses and kept her eyes away from the confectionery.

"Ooh, look at me. I'm Ate Noelle, I'm a theatre kid," Silas mocks, raising his voice into a higher pitch which earned him an eye roll from his sister and a few laughs from the rest of the family.

"Haha real funny! At least I actually have something progressive to do over the summer, stagnant swine!" Noelle snaps as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Okay, girl, take a chill pill!" Ruru hollers after her and laughs.

"You think I should go apologize?" Silas snickers slyly but still starts toward the stairs assuming his sister was upstairs.

"Definitely," Kylie shakes her head.

The room was filled with a pregnant silence. It was eerie and awkward, far from the cozy stillness that it usually was. There were stares exchanged between the father-son duo which the son quickly withdrew when hit by the fact that his mother was present.

"Okay, cut it out, the both of you!" Kylie bursts and slams her utensils against the smooth wooden table.

"Cut what out? There's nothing going on," Amir lies lamely.

"Amir, darling boy, you never were a good liar. I'm proud we raised you that way. Now, what is the matter really?"

"No-n-nothing!" he squeaks.

"Kid, I think you should probably tell your mom. She's been preparing her whole life for this day," Ruru nudged and chortled at his last sentence.

"Guys, I don't like being in the dark about this," Kylie crosses her arms and leans back against her chair.

"Amir and Adi-"

"No, Dad! Don't tell her anything!" he begs.

"Are you and Adrienne together?" she gasps.

"No! No, we aren't!" Amir yelps.

"But you sure wish you were," Ruru teases.

"Dad, I don't mean to sound so rude but please shut up!"

"Hey! Hey! HEY! I want a clear explanation on what's going on," Kylie sighs and glares at Ruru, "From Amir."

Amir looked down and started fidgeting. His palms started sweating and his legs were shaking.

"So...uhm...please don't get mad at me, but I kinda...well, not kinda...just...fuck-"

"Amir! I'll let that curse word go for now but you have to speak with words now, bubba, legitimate words that are in the dictionary," says the puzzled mother.

"I may or may not have fallen head over heels for Adi," he breathes it out faster than ever imagined but amazingly still audible and understandable.

"Adi? Like Adrienne?" her eyes were wide open and her mouth ajar.

"Yeah, and I honestly still don't get the relevance of me telling you that but, uhm, now you know."

"Aww, baby," Kylie chortles and takes her firstborn into an embrace, or maybe a headlock. No one knows for sure.

"This is the most embarrassing situation I've ever been in."

"It's okay, love. I won't tell anyone," Kylie grins. "So, when are you planning to make a move?"

"Actually," Amir's voice trails off.

"Actually what?" Ruru queries.

"I don't plan on making a move."

"What? Why?!" both parents chorus.

"Well, first and foremost, she kinda likes somebody else."

The couple stared at their eldest waiting for him to elaborate.

He sighs, "There's this guy named Julius. I've never met him, don't even know how that punk looks like but she's so into him. She talks about him like he's a god. I can't help but get insecure when she talks about how smart he is and how nice his voice is and the way she laughs when she compares him to Jose Rizal. I get it, you can't tell people who to like but-"

"Babe," Kylie breathes out a small laugh, "Julius sounds like you."

"Exactly! So why not me?"

"No, no. What your mother means is Julius sounds like a codename for you," Ruru stares.

"I've done that before, you know. Talk to the guy I like about the guy I like but with another name and a set of lies about his life," Kylie laughs as she reminisces.

"You really think she likes me back?"

"Well, you'll never know for sure if you don't ask her yourself," the sly father replies.

"I'm gonna go ask her out," Amir laughs and sprints to his room.

As their son's shadow disappears into the darkness of the corridor, Kylie sits on the chair next to her husband and leans her head on his shoulder. They sigh contently.

"I thought you'd go full-on momma bear on this one," Ruru breaks the silence.

"I'm surprised with myself too, honestly," Kylie laughs. "But you know, I realized long ago Amir's growing up and so are the other two. We just have to enjoy this phase of their lives instead of being stuck in the past."

"Guess who's finally on the truth train, you you!" 

Kylie laughed along.

"Wow, our firstborn's in love. I feel so old."

"We are old, dumbhead."

"Yes, but we're old together."