Cyrus's happiness over being called 'son' by Lena's dad was short-lived. After the picture-taking, Cyrus dared to call her dad 'dad', for which he got this reply: "Anak ba kita? Call me Sir." She wanted to scold her dad for saying that. Fortunately, her mom and grandma did the scolding for her.

"He was just kidding," her mother told Cyrus.

When they dispersed and they got to have drinks with Lacey and Martin, she took the chance to apologize to him.

"I don't get it. He gets to call me son but I can't call him dad?" reklamo nito.

"Advanced ka kasi, pare," kumento ni Martin. "Ako nga, e. I've known him all my life but I still call him Sir."

"Akala ko naman kasi, approved na 'ko."

"You are," singit ni Lacey. "Trust me, you already are."

"Yeah, for like 30 seconds."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Cy. Lena's dad is just a bit of a grump when it comes to his kids, especially his girls. Alam mo na, protective. He doesn't want anyone to take his little Lena away."

She was about to comment on that when her dad appeared and told Cyrus to follow him in his study room upstairs. She looked at her dad incredulously. Hindi siya makapaniwalang umabot sa ganoon. Ayaw niyang papuntahin si Cyrus. The study room was a very scary place. Their father only talks to people there when the topic was delicate or grave, and when he's really serious about something.

She had been there once, noong nagsabi siyang gusto niyang bumukod. Mahigit isang oras din silang nagkausap ng daddy niya noon. She was crying when she got out because she felt really guilty about her decision. But her father assured her that it was okay, and that he only wanted to know from her directly that she can be responsible for herself.

--

When Cyrus went back, he was not smiling, which she took as a bad sign. Tinanong niya kung ano ang napag-usapan ng dalawa pero ayaw nitong sabihin.

Nang makauwi ito ay daddy naman niya ang kinulit niya. But he didn't tell her anything. Guy stuff daw. Man things. He told her it's about her so she shouldn't ask.

--

Since she stayed at her parents' house for Christmas vacation, she only got to spend very little time with Cyrus. Palagi kasi itong nasa pamilya nito, also enjoying his vacation with them. So they planned on spending their New Year's Eve together, para makabawi.

Sinundo siya ni Cyrus nang gabi ng December 31. She can't help but notice the sparkle in his eyes when he saw her. Lacey and Kenna made her look beautiful that night. Mabuti na lamang talaga at may mga kikay siyang kapatid. God knows what she'll do if they're not there to help her prepare.

Sa hotel ng pamilya ni Julie gaganapin ang nasabing party. Cadence and Clem were already there when they arrived. It was only 3 hours to midnight, but she brought several gadgets to keep herself entertained until then. Hindi naman kasi siya sumasayaw. Cyrus never left her side, kahit may mga pinsang nag-aaya rito para sumayaw.

"Someone might steal you away," dahilan nito sa kanya.

"Trust me, no one would be interested," she told him.

"Have you looked in the mirror?"

She blushed at the question. Yes, she did look. She couldn't stop looking, actually. That's why she's not worried even with Alexa around. She knew Cyrus will only be looking at her.

"Ang tagal namang mag-12," sabi pa nito. He bit his lower lip and smiled teasingly. They haven't kissed in a while. The last time was probably the day after Christmas. That's why she's looking forward to New Year. This will be her first New Year kiss. She knew it would be special.

But since it's still a few hours away, they contented themselves with indirect kisses. Share kasi sila sa alak na iniinom. She didn't want to get drunk, though, kaya paunti-unti lamang ang inom niya.

--

Ten minutes to midnight, Lena felt the need to pee.

"Do you want me to come with you?" tanong ni Cyrus nang magpaalam siya.

"Huwag na, ano ka ba."

"All right. But make it quick. It's almost midnight."

She nodded and headed to the bathroom right away. To her dismay, the bathroom was packed. Nagpasama pa siya kay Cadence sa ibang floor para lang makaihi.

When they finally got back, people were already counting down. Agad niyang hinanap si Cyrus. Halos mangadapa pa siya sa kamamadali. She found him at last during the last 3 seconds. She smiled and waved, but he was distracted by Alexa. As the clock ticked down, she saw her put her arms on his nape and pulled his head down for a kiss.

It felt like someone snatched her heart away and squeezed it with a C-clamp. Her eyes started to blur. She knew she was about to cry. Ayaw naman niyang umiyak sa gitna ng mga taong naghahalikan kaya napagpasyahan niyang umalis na lang.

"Ate Lena!"

She ignored Cadence and immediately headed to the door. Hindi niya akalaing magiging ganito ang end ng taon niya. Her year definitely ended with a bang, a shot through her heart.

But she didn't get to the elevator. A set of powerful hands stopped her from entering and pulled her back.

"Lena..."

She flinched at the sound of his voice. Pilit niyang inaalis ang pagkakakapit nito sa kamay niya pero mas lalo pa nitong hinihigpitan iyon.

"Just hear me out, please," he pleaded.

"Go back to Alexa!" she spat.

He cupped her face and wiped her tears away. "Let me explain, please."

But she didn't want to hear his excuses. She just wanted to be alone. Gusto niyang umiyak nang umiyak. That was very painful to watch. She had felt this way before with Martin, but not this intense. Right now, she wants to pull Alexa by the hair and push her off of the building. She had never felt so angry.

Cyrus pulled her in his arms when she tried to resist. He didn't let go until she calmed down. She was still so upset, but she already stopped crying after a while. When she did, Cyrus looked for Julie, with her in tow. Ayaw nitong bitiwan ang kamay niya dahil baka kung saan siya pumunta.

Julie called someone, a staff maybe. Then, somebody led them to the floor below and gave them access to a room. Once inside, Cyrus made her sit on the edge of the bed and then he crouched down to remove her heels.

"Will you let me explain now?" he asked.

She didn't respond. But he took it as a yes.

"I didn't kiss Alexa. She kissed me. She was very drunk, Lena. She didn't know what she was doing."

The drunken part was believable, but she doubts that Alexa didn't know what she did. Kahit noong kasal ni Julie ay masama na ang kutob niya rito.

Still crouched, Cyrus held her hands and looked at her intently. "Lena, you know that I will never do anything to hurt you. I love you, remember?"

She sniffed. "But the kiss—"

"—was nothing to me. I didn't even let it linger."

Sumimangot siya. She believed him, all right, but it doesn't change the fact that he was kissed by someone else. Her special moment was stolen by Alexa.

"She was your first kiss this year," she pointed out. That was very upsetting.

"But you'll have the rest for this year. And the rest for next year and the next..."

He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"And technically, it's still New Year, so you're still my first kiss," he told her after.

"No, I wasn't."

He caressed her cheek. "Of course, you are. What doesn't matter to me doesn't count."

Nagyuko siya ng ulo. "I'm overreacting, aren't I? Sorry."

"It only goes to show that you care, that you're afraid to lose me and that you love me. As long as you let me explain and don't suggest that we break up, then you can overreact all you want." He sat next to her. "Are you okay now?"

"No," simangot niyang sagot. "But I might feel better after another kiss."

He laughed and kissed her nose. "I think I've created a monster."