Early the next morning, Bullet called Fresia to thank her for letting him sleep at her apartment. He sounded refreshed. He seems to be in a good mood too. That's why she wasn't as surprised when he told her how much the renovation cost.

As promised, it's half the original price. Binawasan pa nito dahil pinatulog niya ito roon kagabi.

"I can give you back your key this afternoon. Bibili pa kasi ako ng bagong kurtina. That's on you, by the way."

"What's wrong with my curtains?"

"They don't go with the new design."

She grunted. Hindi siya ang pumili ng kurtinang sinasabi nito. It was given by her aunt, her favorite aunt. The only relative she actually likes. May sentimental value iyon sa kanya kaya kahit hindi bagay sa disenyo ng apartment ay ginagamit pa rin niya. When they were redecorating the house last night, she brought those curtains out. He didn't complain so she thought he was okay with it.

Now he wants to change them.

"Fine. But don't buy something too expensive."

Tumawa ito. "All right. I'll try."

Pagkatapos ng tawag ay nag-ayos na siya ng sarili para pumasok. Bakasyon pa rin sana siya ngayong araw kaso ay parating sa boutique ang intrimidida niyang pinsan. She can't let her aunt deal with her cousin alone.

--

You cannot choose your relatives. If she could change any truth of the universe, she would definitely change that. It is so annoying that you're stuck with the people you don't like and you can't just disown them because they're family.

Fresia hates most of her relatives. In her opinion, they're stuck up and pretentious. Nakaka-pressure maging parte ng angkan nila. You have to keep a certain image.
It's either you become really successful or you marry someone who is.

Her family was once one of the most respected families among their clan. Doktor ang ama niya. Abogada naman ang ina. Fiona took up medicine in college... Siya lamang ang sumira sa magandang record na 'yon. She followed her dreams and became a fashion designer.

Her own family didn't support her. Nag-exam siya sa iba't ibang schools gamit ang sarili niyang pera at perang nautang niya sa mga kaibigan. Nag-apply din siya para sa scholarship. Ang kaso, dahil hindi kagandahan ang grades niya noong high school ay hindi siya natanggap.

Mabuti na lamang at nang malaman ng tiyahin niya ang gusto niyang kurso ay sinagot na nito ang tuition at allowance niya.

Her aunt Simone has a rebellious streak like her. Nakatapos ito ng psychology pero hindi iyon nagustuhan ng pamilya nito. They wanted her to become a real doctor. But her aunt wouldn't give them that satisfaction. Her real passion was designing bridal gowns.

Taliwas sa gusto ng pamilya nito, Simone pursued her dream. Eventually ay nagkaroon ito ng sarili nitong boutique. Pero dahil doon nito ibinuhos ang panahon at pagmamahal ay hindi na ito nakapag-asawa.

She's the closest to a daughter that her aunt could have. Kaya naman hindi ito nagdalawang-isip na ipamana sa kanya ang shop nito. Ito naman ay abala sa pagpunta sa iba't ibang fashion capitals para mag-aral, mag-disenyo at makipagkaibigan sa designers ng ibang bansa.

Kababalik lamang nito galing Paris noong isang linggo kaya nakapagbakasyon siya. Her aunt took care of the shop while she's gone. She was supposed to come in tomorrow, but she could not bear the thought of leaving her aunt alone with Izzy, her cousin bridezilla.

May appointment ito para i-check ang alterations na ginawa nila sa gown nito.
Izzy's just 21 and is already getting married. She could have gone somewhere else, even abroad, to get a dress. But she went to her shop instead, to rub the impending wedding in her face and also, to get a huge discount from her aunt.

The last appointment was disastrous to say the least. Lahat ng consultant niya sa shop ay nagreklamo sa kanya nang makaalis ang pinsan. But they had to endure another appointment with Izzy. She hopes that this will be the last. Baka hindi niya kayanin kung may pangatlong beses pa.

Sinalubong siya ng yakap ng tiyahin pagkakitang-pagkakita sa kanya. Her aunt has been aging gracefully. Wala pa rin itong masyadong wrinkles sa mukha. Hindi pa namumuti ang buhok nito hindi kagaya ng mommy niya na halos buwan-buwan nagpapakulay ng buhok. Probably, dahil sa kunsumisyon sa kanya.

"What are you doing here? Bukas pa ang balik mo, di ba?"

"Izzy's coming, Tita. I had to help you reign her in," sagot niya.

Ngumiti ito at hinalikan siya sa pisngi. "I told you, I can handle her."

She checked with her consultants and gave them a prep talk. She does that every day. Humihingi na rin siya ng pasensya in advance sa topak niyang maaaring maranasan ng mga ito sa maghapon.

She also apologized for having Izzy back at the shop. They probably need to hear that.

"I know that she's difficult. Trust me, guys, it's worse for me since I'm her cousin. But after today, I promise that you won't have to deal with her again."

Ilang beses na rin niyang napaiyak ang mga consultant niya. She knew she's difficult to deal with. But Izzy? Izzy's worse. She once made Mona cry.

Nagpagawa ito ng cake kay Mona just two months ago for her birthday. The day before her birthday, Izzy went to Mona's cake shop to see her cake. Balita ng kaibigan niya, hindi raw ni Izzy nagustuhan ang ginawa nitong cake kaya ginupit-gupit nito ang ginawa ni Mona na sugar flowers at binugbog nito ng rolling pin ang cake nito. And then, she told Mona to make her a new one for the next day's big event.

Iniyakan siya ni Mona ng isang buong oras bago niya ito nakumbinsing gumawa ng panibago. Meanwhile, she talked to Izzy's mom and told her what her daughter did. Nangako naman ito na babayaran nito ang dalawang cakes.

She helped Mona do another cake. Dahil sa crash course nito sa pagbi-bake at pagdi-decorate ay gumaan-gaan ang pakiramdam nito. She delivered the cake with her friend. If Izzy was impressed with the new cake, she didn't show it.

Izzy arrived exactly on time. Kasama nito ang dalawa nitong kaibigan, who are as equally vile. Thankfully, Izzy's mom was also there. She personally led the four to the basement, where they have three separate rooms dedicated for fitting the altered gowns.

"Here's your dress."

It was a princess ball gown with a lot of sparkles and a corseted back. The whole bodice was bedazzled. It looks more like a sparkling armor than a wedding gown, if Izzy would ask her opinion. But her cousin always gets what she wants, no matter how crappy it might seem to some.

She and her aunt helped Izzy into the dress. It's two sizes small.

"I can't breathe in this dress!" reklamo nito.

"I told you it's not the right size."

Matalim ang tinging ibinigay nito sa kanya. "I know my own body!"

"Then stop..." She pulled the ribbons tighter. "...complaining."

She must have crushed a rib or two when she was done with the corset. When they revealed the dress to Izzy's entourage, her cousin almost broke into tears.

"It's not the right dress." Inilagay nito ang mga kamay sa bewang. "It's supposed to be a drop waist. This is too high. And the skirt has no sparkle at all!"

"Well, we can scatter some crystals all over it," nakangiting sabi ng tiyahin niya. "And we can lower the waistline. Di ba, Fresia?"

Nagbilang siya sa isip para pakalmahin ang sarili. Pilit na ngiti ang ibinigay niya sa pinsan.

"Sure! How sparkly do you want to be on your wedding day: a chandelier or a disco ball?"

There's a hint of laughter in her aunt's eyes, but she didn't voice it out.

"She's kidding, Izzy."

"And while we're at it," dagdag niya. "Pwede rin natin 'tong luwagan nang konti para makahinga ka naman. We wouldn't want you passing out before you can say 'I do'."

"She's right, Izz," pag-sang-ayon ng mommy nito.

"No!" pagmamatigas ng pinsan niya. "I will fit in my dress!"

She really hopes that Izzy would just pass out until her wedding day. Ilang buwan din itong naging sakit ng ulo sa lahat ng nakapaligid dito.

"If you don't want to change the size, then maybe you should stop eating. You still have three weeks to starve yourself enough to fit in your dress," pabulong niyang sabi. Saka niya nginitian ang mga kasama nito. "We'll make the necessary adjustments."

--

There was a long discussion after that. Izzy gave her an earful. Kung wala nga lamang ang ina nito at ang tita Simone niya, baka nasuntok na niya ito sa mukha. But she endured. Smiled. Calmed herself down. Then finally, the nightmare's over.

Nang umalis si Izzy ay para siyang nabunutan ng malalim na malalim na tinik sa lalamunan.

"I'm gonna get some air, Tita. I'll come back later," paalam niya sa tiyahin.

She sent Bullet another message asking him to meet her at lunch instead. So they met at a place that serves Bullet's second favorite food: burgers.

Once they're settled and their orders finally came, he gave her the key to her apartment.

"So... how's your day? You look like you're about to explode."

She must be wolfing down the burgers faster than usual. That's just how she is when she's angry. He must have noticed that.

"My bitch cousin came in for her fitting today," she told him.

"That bad?"

She nodded. "She hates me and she knows I feel the same way so she's torturing me. Wala naman akong magawa kasi 'yong tita ko na ang nakiusap na kami na ang bahala sa gown ng pinsan ko."

"When's she getting married?"

"Three weeks from now."

He took a sip of his iced tea. "Maybe she's just stressed."

"If she's just stressed, then maybe she's stressed her entire life." She munched on the burger and continued, "Maiintindihan ko pa kung gano'n lang, e. Kaso simula pagkabata, ganyan na sya. She's been a brat ever since she was born. Ini-spoil kasi ng tita ko. Kapag may gusto, bigay agad. Now, she wants to get married to a 42 year old rich guy and no one's stopping her."

Hindi katalinuhan si Izzy at tamad pa itong mag-aral kaya alam nilang hindi nito kakayanin ang kursong abogasya. So, when Izzy met a rich guy who can give her everything, hindi na ito nagdalawang isip pa. They got engaged after a few months. And now, they're getting married.

She knew that that will end up in a bad heartbreak, but she doesn't really care. She hates Izzy.

"Well, she's old enough to make her own decisions. Maybe she'll learn the hard way," he commented.

She hopes so. She really hopes so.

--

Fresia headed back to the boutique after lunch and helped with the rest of the appointments. Nang dumating ang mga kaibigan niya galing Boracay ay nakipagkita siya sa mga ito sa bahay ni Mona para manalubong.

They wanted to check her apartment, so they ordered some takeouts and went there to eat. They were pretty impressed with its new look.

"He's great! Parang gusto ko tuloy ipaayos ang interior ng bahay ko!"

"And he's good-looking, too," nakangising dagdag ni Brandi. "Are you sure he's not gay?"

"Yeah. He could be gay. Gano'n kasi madalas. 'Yong sobrang perfect na boyfriend material tapos bakla pala."

"He might be," she told her friends. Truth is, she's not sure. He doesn't seem gay, though.

"We need to meet him to know for sure."

"Does he strip? Can we pay him to strip?"

Nailing na lamang siya sa pinagsasasabi ng mga ito.

Pagkatapos nilang maghapunan ay umuwi na ang mga ito sa kanya-kanyang bahay. Siya naman ay maagang natulog. Meeting Izzy that day stressed her out. Kailangan niyang makabawi para ma-refresh.

--

She didn't know what woke her. Bigla na lamang siyang nagising nang madaling-araw. May masama siyang nararamdaman. Like, something bad's going to happen. She just has this feeling in her gut.

Nanghina ang mga tuhod niya nang marinig ang dahan-dahang pagbukas ng pinto. Shit! She just had her apartment renovated! Mananawakan ba siya kaagad?

Huminga siya nang malalim. No! She will defend her place. This is her home!

Nangapa siya ng pwedeng ipanghampas sa tampalasang namasok sa bahay niya. Then she waited by her bedroom door and listened.

Kumunot ang noo niya nang wala siyang marinig. It's too quiet! She waited for five minutes just to be sure that no one's moving in the living room. Baka naman daga lang?

Mustering up all her courage, she gripped her umbrella tightly and opened the door as silently as she could. Madilim ang paligid. Patay ang lahat ng ilaw. But she was able to make her way to the living room without tripping on the new furniture.

Tumigil siya sa tabi ng pader at pinakiramdaman kung may tao. That's when she heard it, the soft snoring on her couch.

Lumapit siya roon, itinaas ang payong at buong lakas na inihampas sa nakahiga.

The man groaned and yelled. Lumayo siya at kinapa ang switch ng ilaw.

"What the fuck?!" bulyaw nito. " Are you insane?!"