For some reason I thought babysitting Pablo was going to be the easiest task. When the 5th day of Operation-Pablo-Needs-Real-Babysitting program arrives, I find out that he gets bratty at times. He wants to eat certain foods. At times, he wants to play certain toys. Most of the time, he wants Batman on the TV, and I'm not just sure which channel I should switch it to considering–I searched, like, a few minutes ago–that Cartoon Network is not available in Spain.

Jorge has visited thrice already, and Pablo really likes having him around. And two days ago, my tita met him officially. My tita likes him, too. In fact, Pablo likes him so much that he started calling him kuya, a one Filipino term that, apparently, means older brother.

Jorge likes the term.

Pablo, his mom having left him just moments ago, is asking about Jorge. I take a deep breath, and his little fingers wrap around my arm and wiggle it.

"¿Dónde está Jorge? ¿Dónde está Jorge?­­" He asks me. Where is Jorge? Where is Jorge? "Quiero jugar con él." He pouts his little lips at me, batting his eyelashes.

The truth is, I'm getting used to the way Pablo speaks and I'm starting to understand him bit by bit. His constant nagging about food, cartoon, toys, and Jorge really seep into my head that whenever he opens his mouth, I immediately understand him. I'm not sure if that's because he's been uttering the same words to me, but it's definitely working.

Another truth: Jorge can't come today. Isabella needs help with her restaurant. Her waiters are out sick today, and Jorge needs to save the day and become the substitute employee for the day. He told me through Instagram that he couldn't come today, that I would need to handle Pablo on my own, because of the Isabella-crisis. He sent me three sad emojis that made me laugh.

"Pablo, no puede." I tell my cousin who crosses his arms across his chest. He stops nagging me and just stares at the television with a sad face. The more I stay with Pablo, the more my Spanish gets sharpened. "He can't come today because he needs to work. Um, tiene... uh, tiene que trabajar."

"Pero ¿por qué?"

"Porque... I don't know. ¿No sé? Necesitas dinero." Well, everyone needs money. I guess.

Pablo looks like he's going to cry. He remains silent, arms still crossed, and he's staring real hard at the television. I groan and message tita through Messenger, asking her if I could take Pablo out, that we'd only stay in CAFÉ AZUL. She tells me something about Pablo having asthma, which I already know thanks to Mikel, and I tell her that we're not going to play outside and that Pablo just wants to see Jorge.

After a minute or so of convincing my tita to let us, she says yes finally. But she says I have to take extra care of Pablo. I say yes. I turn to Pablo, who is still sulking and not giving me attention, and poke his cheek. He puffs.

I go on Google Translate app and search for the verb for shower (ducharse) and tell him. "Dúchate. Vamos a visitar Jorge." Which means shower, we're going to visit Jorge.

Pablo's face immediately lights up and nearly trips himself as he gets off the couch. He squeals and heads upstairs to shower himself.

A little later, I hear him saying, "¡Necesito ayuda!" Great. He needs help.

I head straight to the bathroom and find him already in his birthday suit, and the shower is on already. He can't reach the soap and shampoo, which he's trying to get, so I give it to him and he happily washes himself. I prepare the toothbrush and toothpaste for him, and once he rinses himself off, he grabs it and sloppily puts the toothpaste in his mouth and begins brushing his teeth. I'm pretty sure that's not how you brush your teeth.

Still, he wiggles around and laughs, then spits in the bathtub since he can't reach the sink. I grab his blue towel and dry him up, and Pablo is a bit chaotic as he keeps spinning around, and he's murmuring. Once done, he runs straight to his room and I yell that he be careful, then I remember that he doesn't understand English. I run after him.

He's already choosing his clothes, and his drawers are... well, like how you expect boys' drawers to be–chaotic, full of unfolded clothes, and some toys. I point to his Batman shirt, and he immediately nods his head and grabs it. He also picks up a white undies and shorts, and wear it. I comb his hair and he groans, then grabs the comb from my hand and does it himself.

"Vamos, vamos." He tugs on my arms.

"Pablo, I still need to shower. Necesito... um, ducharme." I tell him and whines. "Wait for me, okay? Hmm... espérame."

"Okay, pero ¡más rápido!"

"Okay, okay. Stay here."

I hop on a shower quickly, constantly checking the clock to make sure that I don't take too much time. Pablo is probably down there sulking as he waits for me. I wear a white tee, black pants (that I purchased 2 years ago), and just my plain old sneakers that my mom bought me on my 19th birthday.

Pablo, as I suspect, is becoming impatient. When he sees me, he gets off the sofa and holds my hand, and he practically drags me. I laugh and take my hand off his clutch, and make sure that everything in the house is turned off. Lights, extension outlets, and the gas. I make a mental note again and check what I have to turn off one by one, and once I'm confident that everything is indeed off, I lock the house and grab Pablo's hand, which he happily takes.

As we're walking in a pace I'm not used to, we arrive faster at CAFÉ AZUL in a matter of five minutes. Pablo, never a trace of sweat on his face, reaches for the door handle by jumping, and once he grabs it, he blinks. He realizes that his feet are not on the ground, which means he can't pull the door open, and I laugh at him. I open the door for him and he immediately runs inside. I shake my head in amusement.

"Oi," Jorge says as he watches Pablo in surprise. His eyes meet mine and I just shrug at him, offering a small smile, which he returns. "¿Qué tal tú?"

"Andres me dijo que no puedas venir."

"¿Es esa la razón por la que estás aquí?"

"Sííí." Pablo giggles. "Y te echo de menos."

"The little guy missed me," Jorge mouths to me and I laugh. He turns to Pablo. "

"The little guy missed me," Jorge mouths to me and I laugh. He turns to Pablo. "Mira, necesito trabajar porque Isabella, mi mejor amigo, necesitas mi ayuda. Pero tengo una pausa en quince minutos." Pablo nods his head, his black hair flopping up and down his head. Jorge turns to me. "I will go on break in 15 minutes. Suit yourselves. What do you want?"

"I'm actually full, but... zumos naturales. Oh, I like this one, pomelo, melón y miel." I turn to him. Jorge nods his head and says something in Pablo's ear. Pablo grins. "What's that?"

"Nadaaaa," Jorge says. Pablo joins him. "I just asked him if he wants the same."

"Fine," I roll my eyes playfully.

Ten minutes later, Jorge comes back with 2 glasses of what I ordered. He hands Pablo his glass and I grab mine. Isabella, coming out of the kitchen, sees me and she immediately squeals. Jorge sighs and turns to face his best friend. I shyly wave at her and Isabella hugs me and gives me kisses on the cheeks.

"Isa..." Jorge says, arching a brow at his best friend.

"¿Qué? ¿Por qué estás celoso?"

"Vete. Ahora. Necesitas estar en la cocina."

"Bueno. A veces te odio."

"Me siento lo mismo." Isabella huffs and sticks her tongue out, and Jorge mimics her. Pablo laughs and Jorge gives him a thumbs up. "Sorry about that. Isabella can be overwhelming sometimes, and most of the time, she's embarrassing me."

"I'm fine. She's just... she's the type of friend everyone would like to have."

"I agree." Jorge takes a seat beside me. "I have 30 minutes break, and Isabella will run around and I'm going to enjoy watching her suffer. Pablo, ¿quieres caramelos? Is he allowed to eat candies? Isabella has chocolates in the fridge, and she never eats them."

"Why?"

"Because she's an idiot. She's all about dieting and eating healthy stuff, but she buys unhealthy stuff, too. Like chocolates. She's wasting her money."

"I hear that!" Isabella's voice roars through the wall. I stifle a laugh.

"Good! You deserved to hear it!" Jorge laughs. "Wait here. I'll just get some chocolates."

5 minutes pass and he's back. In his hands are chocolates that I haven't seen until now. I only know Hershey, Ferrero and some Filipino chocolates (like ChocNut!!!). He hands me some and Pablo, who immediately removes the wrapping and take a bite on the dark chocolate. Pablo ruffles his hair.

"So have you asked your aunt?" Jorge asks me.

"About what?"

He laughs. "About bringing Pablo next week. You forgot." He flicks my forehead and I let out a small oof, and he laughs at me again.

"I'm sorry. I haven't asked my aunt yet." I tell him honestly, giving him an awkward smile. He chuckles and just shakes his head. He touches my shoulder. "I promise I'm going to ask her later once she comes home."

"All right. Just let me know."

"What are we going to do anyway?"

"One, we're going to eat a lot. We're going to stuff ourselves with so much Spanish food." He tells me. Pablo unwraps another chocolate bar and swings his feet happily. He grabs another bite and dances. I laugh. "I hope you haven't tasted much of food around here because I'm bringing you everywhere, and I mean, everywhere. Second, I'm thinking of maybe... surfing? I don't actually know how to do that. But we can just stroll across the beach and enjoy the sun. Pablo might like it. ¿Te gusta ir a la playa?"

"Weee, sííí." Pablo says with a full mouth, nodding his head frantically. "Quiero. Quiero."

"Pablito has spoken. You must convince your aunt."

"You put me in a tough position!" I laugh and point my index finger at him. "Now, he's going to bug his mom about the beach and she'll blame me."

"That's all right. You can handle it. You're tough. Must be running in the family."

"I'm adopted." I tell him, and he blinks. He opens his mouth, then closes it. I watch his expression change from shocked to confused. I burst out laughing. "It's a joke. Your face! I'm sorry. Your expression was just too funny."

"You're mean. You have to make it up to me."

"All right, all right."

"You must come with me next Saturday and you have to bring Pablo. Otherwise, we'll hate you together." Jorge turns to Pablo. "¿De acuerdo, Pablo? Si no nos vayamos a la playa la semana que viene, vamos a odiar a tu primo juntos."

"De acuerdo, sí, sí."

"What's that all about?" I ask Jorge, who wiggles his brows at me. I push him playfully and he laughs.

"I just told him that if we don't go to the beach next week, we'll hate you together."

"Now, you're being mean! You're turning my cousin against me!"

"I'm not!"

After his 30-minute break, Jorge comes back to working. Truth enough, Isabella was running around trying to cater all the guests that were coming in, and Jorge did enjoy seeing Isabella suffer. Isabella gives him a side-eye and Jorge laughs, sticking his tongue out. Isabella flips him off, and Pablo sees it and does the same.

I grab his hand and pull it down, laughing. I shake my head, but he nods his head. I laugh harder. Jorge sees this and smacks Isabella's head. Isabella looks offended, but when she sees Pablo mimicking her, she bursts out laughing. She turns around and hides behind Jorge.

Every now and then, Jorge would just stay a few minutes when there are no customers, or when his service is not needed. Pablo seems fine with it and doesn't go running around. And honestly, he's being spoiled here. Isabella gives him sugared drinks, which really spikes him up, and he's more talkative than ever.

Isabella likes having him around because, according to her, Pablo reminds her of his little brother and I tell her that he reminds me of my little brother, too. We talk about Alex and my parents, and when she finds out my parents have died, she feels sick and tells me she's sorry. I tell her that it's okay.

There would have been a time where I'd be really sad if there's even a slight mention of mom and dad. But I've moved on, and so has Alex. I'm sure my parents would like us to move forward and not dwell on anything that may hinder our future. They wouldn't like that, especially mom.

Isabella gives Pablo more chocolates, but she tells him that he's not allowed to eat more than two as snacking on it is not really healthy. Pablo seems to listen to her and gladly takes the chocolates from Isabella's hands. Meanwhile, Jorge is glaring daggers at his friend. He mentions about eating too much sugared snacks is not healthy, and that Pablo's teeth will fall off. Isabella just rolls her eyes at her best friend for being too dramatic, and I just watch them banter with each other.

Watching the two of them makes me miss my friends, who I haven't been speaking with much.

When it's time to go (and Pablo seems reluctant), I realize that we've been staying here for about 4 hours. We've had lunch here, and it was Isabella's treat. She said that it's because of Pablo and how cute he is. Pablo beamed at that, as if he understood what Isabella said about him.

I thank them for keeping us company and the food, and Isabella says that we can go back. I nod my head and we head home.

Once we're home, Pablo immediately turns on the television and switch it to cartoon channel. I swear Pablo is really like Alex. It speaks on so many volumes. I stay by the door, enjoying the breeze when Mikel comes into view. He's standing by the gate with a confused look on his face.

"Hey," I say to him.

Mikel looks up immediately and our eyes meet. "Oh, hey."

"I haven't heard from you." I tell him honestly. I haven't seen him in a while, and he seems that he's too preoccupied to even say hi to me. He gives me an awkward smile.

"Lo siento." Mikel scratches the back of his neck, and his toned arm constricts and I suddenly become uncomfortable for some reason. I take a deep breath, shutting my eyes for a bit before opening them. His eyes meet mine. "I was sick for two days. My stomach was hurting, and... it wasn't really a good idea to come say hi when I was sick."

"And on those days you weren't sick?"

"Oh, I was just in the house." I could tell that he's lying. For some reason, I'm disappointed. Because of what? I have no idea. "No, not the truth, I was actually just thinking and I was away. I wasn't lying about the sick part though. For two days, my stomach hurt all day and I had no idea why."

"Why are you standing there, though?"

"I was just thinking..." Mikel's eyes sparkle, and I have to look away because it's beginning to be a bit intense. "I'm thinking a lot. He pensado muncho en... I... I can't explain. And I don't want to explain now. I'm... I'm still thinking about it."

"Do you want to come in?" I offer. He nods. I make my way towards the gate and open it for him, and he enters through.

Mikel makes his ways to the house and when Pablo seems him, he literally shouts his name and comes running towards him. Mikel picks him up and swings him around, and Pablo starts laughing. Mikel turns to look at me as he places Pablo down, and he suddenly grabs my arms and I blush. Our eyes lock and it seems that there's suddenly a lump in my throat, and I can't speak.

"He estado pensando en ti." He whispers.

"What did you say?"

"That's another assignment for you." He murmurs and lets go of my house. He takes a deep breath and gives me a small smile. Though you can clearly see the fear in his eyes, and I have no idea what's making him feel scared. "I shouldn't take long here. I was just dropping by to let you know why I wasn't around much."

"That's all right. Thank you for telling me."

"Mikel, ¿ya te vas?" Pablo says sadly. Mikel nods. "Quédate."

"Otro momento, ¿sí?" Mikel ruffles his hair. "Te prometo que voy a quedarme y vamos a jugar todo el día como solíamos. ¿Vale?"

"Vale," Pablo turns to watch his cartoon.

Mikel, on the other hand, focuses his attention to me. He gives me a small smile as he walks past by me, and once he's in front of the gate again, he turns around and says, "Te eché de menos. Mucho. No puedo explicar." And then he leaves.

If there's one verb that has stuck with me throughout my learning journey, it's echar de menos, which means to miss. And he said he missed me.