Lena's so excited. Ramdam na ramdam iyon ni Cyrus dahil pahigpit nang pahigpit ang hawak nito sa braso niya habang papalapit sila sa sakayan. There's still one batch left before they get to board.

She was like a child that day. Malayong-malayo sa usual self nito na parang palaging reserved at detached sa mundo. There was so much maturity in Lena's art that he often forgets that she's just 22. He knew that being the eldest child sometimes requires a person to be ahead of their age. Lena must have sacrificed a big chunk of her childhood for her siblings, just like what he did for his. Dahil silang mga panganay ang katuwang ng mga magulang sa pagpapalaki ng mga nakababata nilang kapatid.

Now here in Hong Kong, Lena only has herself to take care of. She can do whatever she wants.

"It's our turn!" she exclaimed excitedly.

She pulled him towards the entrance. Sa may unahan sila naupo. When boarded, he noticed that her hands were shaking.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little scared."

"Do you want to get off?"

She shook her head vigorously. "No. It'll pass. Anticipation lang 'to. I get this all the time. Don't worry."

He held her hand tightly. "It's going to be fun," he promised.

--

A few minutes later, pagkababa nila, Lena told him that she wanted to go again. She was so excited that he couldn't tell her no. Pagkatapos ng pangalawa nilang sakay ay pumayag na itong pumunta sa ibang parte ng amusement park.

They headed to Toy Story Land, where there are more rides. A couple of them made Lena scared because they're too high. But she didn't back down. She let out all her fears by screaming her lungs out. Halos paos na ito nang matapos sila. They decided to rest for a while after that.

"Why do you like rides so much? I thought you're afraid of heights."

"I don't know. Maybe the thrill gives me adrenaline rush and overrides my fear of heights?" she answered. "It's different from standing on a really high, unmoving place. Once na malaglag ka kasi sa gano'n, alam mong 'yon na 'yon."

"Fair point."

"I don't like the Ferris Wheel though. It's too slow."

"Kabaliktaran mo naman si Julie. She wouldn't ride anything except the Ferris Wheel."

After taking a rest, pumunta naman sila sa FantasyLand. The Mad Hatter's tea cups made him so dizzy that he wasn't able to join Lena on the other two rides. Naging taga-picture siya pansamantala.

Lena, on the other hand, was still so full of energy after all those rides. It must be the inner kid in her. They did one quick stop at Tomorrowland before heading back to the main street to rendezvous with Julie and Blake.

It was already afternoon by then. Wala pa silang tanghalian. Lena was still munching on a huge cotton candy they bought earlier. They decided to find some place to eat and then go back there to watch the parade.

When Blake returned the camera, it was almost full with pictures. Lena got busy with deleting some of them, with Julie's approval of course. Because her hands were full, he decided to feed her.

"Aww, daddy's feeding his little girl again," Julie teased.

"Shut up," he told his cousin.

He has a caring nature. Everyone in his family does. Siguro ay dahil na rin sa lumaki silang nakikita ang pagiging maalaga ng ina. Maybe that's also why he fell for Joanna before. Mabilis syang ma-attach sa mga taong kailangan ang kalinga niya. Lena may appear to be independent to some, but in reality, she needs to be taken care of. Mas gusto nitong mag-isa para wala itong alalahanin, pero hindi naman nito inaalagaan ng mabuti ang sarili.

If his mother could see her right now, paniguradong palagi nitong pakakainin si Lena hanggang sa tumaba-taba ito ng kaunti. And those scars would upset her for sure. If Lena's looking for thrill and excitement to feel alive, then he'd gladly take her to amusement parks every day, if that would prevent her from feeling empty. Sana nga lamang ay walang kinalaman si Martin sa problemang iyon ni Lena.

"Ang weird, 'no? Kapag lalaki 'yong nagpapakain sa babae, para silang mag-tatay. Pero kapag babae naman ang gumagawa, sweet tingnan," kumento ni Julie.

"Blake, pakainin mo nga 'yan nang matahimik," he told Blake.

Julie stuck her tongue out. Si Lena naman ay pangiti-ngiti lang.

"Nga pala, sa'n tayo bukas?" tanong niya maya-maya.

"Kowloon Park?" Julie answered, unsure. "We can go there by morning tapos Singapore na tayo sa hapon."

"Can you guys help me find a Hello Kitty store here?" Lena asked. "Nagpapabili kasi si Nikola. Pang-regalo raw."

Julie rolled her eyes at the mention of Hello Kitty. Her mom loves Hello Kitty so much, Julie grew up surrounded by Hello Kitty stuff. Punong-puno ang kwarto nito noon ng mga stuffed toys na Hello Kitty. Palagi rin itong pinagsusuot ng damit na ganoon ang design. But his cousin didn't inherit his aunt's love for the famous cartoon character. When Julie was old enough, she gave her mom all the Hello Kitty stuff and insisted on letting her have her own style.

"Sana sinabi mo. Napakaraming gano'n sa bahay namin," she told Lena. "I'll even give one to you for free."

"Talaga? Okay lang ba?"

Julie nodded. "Sure!"

"Julie hates Hello Kitty," he told Lena.

--

Bumalik sila kaagad sa main street pagkatapos nilang kumain. The parade started minutes later. Kagaya ng dati, nanguna na naman si Julie sa pagpapa-picture sa mga Disney characters. Hindi makapagpa-picture si Lena dahil ito ang may hawak ng camera kaya siya na lamang ang kumukuha ng litrato nito. Puro candid nga lamang ang kuha niya. But he figured that she'll like them since she likes taking candid shots.

They stayed at Disneyland until evening to watch the fireworks. Thankfully, Julie didn't ask Lena for more pictures so she was able to enjoy watching the show.

Pare-pareho silang nakamaang panunuod nang bigla siyang sikuhin ng pinsan.

"What?" he snapped.

Itinuro nito si Lena. "Make your move."

"Huh?"

"Kiss her!" she hissed. "Dali, bago matapos ang fireworks display!"

"Sira ka ba?!"

Julie gave her a bland look. "Come on. It's not like you're not thinking about it. Gawin mo na lang kasi!"

"Mind your own business, Julie."

He scooted away from her. Bumaling naman si Lena dahil gumalaw siya. He could clearly see the fireworks reflecting in her eyes. She looks breathtaking. Julie's right. He wanted to kiss her. Gawin kaya niya?

He almost lost it when Lena smiled. She looks like an exquisite piece of art, beautiful but fragile. He was just about to lean forward when she looked up again, her face filled with awe. Nailing na lamang siya. Maybe it's not the right time yet. Maybe he'll just let her watch the show in peace.

Julie nudged him again. 'What are you waiting for?' she mouthed.

Umiling siya. "Not now," he muttered.

When the show ended, Julie pulled him aside to reprimand him for not making a move. Nainis tuloy siya. Julie can be really pushy sometimes.

--

They had a light dinner first before heading back to the hotel. All the while, he was wondering if Lena would sleep next to him again. He even showered that night para mabango siya. Lena wore the onesie again.

May space na siyang inilaan dito nang mahiga naman ito sa sarili nitong kama.

"Good night," she murmured. Niyakap nito ang isa nitong unan at tumalikod sa kanya. Wala na siyang nagawa kundi patayin ang ilaw. Napaisip tuloy siya bigla kung narinig pa nito ang pinag-usapan nila ni Julie kanina. If she did, she'd feel awkward for sure. Maybe it'd be less awkward if he kissed her earlier. But he didn't have enough courage to go through with it.

Tinalikuran niya ito at saka siya pumikit. Hindi tama sa pakiramdam niya na wala siyang yakap-yakap. After last night, he'd rather have aching arms in the morning than not have them wrapped around Lena while she sleeps.

But he did fall asleep. Naalimpungatan nga lamang siya makalipas ang ilang oras. Naramdaman kasi niyang may nakadantay sa binti niya. When he turned around, there was someone else in bed with him.

"Sorry," he heard Lena say. "Did I wake you? Hindi na naman kasi ako makatulog."

"It's okay," he told her. Umurong siya ng kaunti to accommodate her. Para siyang tangang hindi mawala ang ngiti nang yumakap ito sa kanya. His arm will probably feel like hell again tomorrow, but who cares?