"Jaron!" I glared at my fiancé, who just turned up at my place this morning to announce that he was taking me somewhere to introduce me to his cousins, who just arrived from Catalona. They were among his relatives whom I never met before, since they live in the province. "Bakit naman ngayon mo lang sinabi sa akin na ipapakilala mo ako sa kanila? Anong isusuot ko? Ni hindi man lang ako nakabili ng maayos na damit! Ano na lang ang magiging impression nila sa akin?"

He only laughed at my panicked state. "Calm down, babe. Bakit naman kailangan mo ng bagong damit? Any old dress of yours will do. 'Wag kang mag-alala – sigurado namang magugustuhan ka nila."

After fussing over my appearance for more than an hour, I managed to come up with a get-up that made me confident enough to face Jaron's cousins – including, apparently, his best man Sebastian. I tied my hair up into a ponytail, leaving a few tendrils hanging loose to frame my face. I opted to wear my favorite chiffon dress and matching strappy sandals.

"You look gorgeous, Sig." Jaron smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Let's get going, shall we? I just received a text from Seb that they're on their way to the restaurant."

****

Jaron and I made it to the meeting place just a few minutes before his cousins did. The moment the door of the restaurant opened and four guys made their way in, alam ko na kaagad na sila ang mga pinsan ng fiancé ko. They all looked the way I expected a Silvera would – piercing eyes, strong jawlines with hints of stubble, clean haircuts and towering heights. In other words, qualities that make a lot of women lose their minds over men the likes of Jaron.

One of them looked over to where Jaron and I were seated, grinned, and pointed out our table to the rest. The four Silvera cousins made their way towards us, and I felt a flutter of nerves. Napansin kong hindi lang ako ang babaeng sinusundan ng tingin ang paglalakad nila palapit sa amin.

"Jaron." The same guy who saw us first clapped my fiancé on the shoulder. "What's up?"

"Hey." Jaron grinned at his cousin. "Did you guys have a hard time finding our meeting place?"

"Hindi naman." The guy tilted his head ever so slightly. Then he turned to me, smiled, and said, "So, this is the soon-to-be Mrs. Silvera. Hello, Sigourney."

"Hi." I smiled back at him, thanking the heavens that my voice didn't come out as squeaky, when I half-expected it to be. "Nice to meet you."

"Babe, this is Kaden," Jaron said, taking over, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The cousin who was first to greet me winked roguishly. I have a feeling that among the five of them, si Kaden ang pinakamakulit. He looked like the type of guy who enjoys late-night parties.

"And this is Gael." The guy right beside Kaden grinned at me. Gael wasn't as playful as Kaden, but he seemed to have a wild streak in him as well.

"That's Erisson," my fiancé continued with the introduction. Erisson waved good-naturedly. If I were to guess, tingin ko ay siya ang pinakabata sa magpipinsan. He was the only one wearing glasses – but to him it looked appealing, not nerdy.

"And finally, this is Sebastian."

Ah, so this is the best man. Sebastian was the tallest of the lot, even surpassing Jaron – who is already towering – by a few inches. Sa magpipinsan, mukhang siya naman ang pinakaseryoso. He gave me a thoughtful look and didn't even crack a smile. It was also he who has the most penetrating stare; it gave me the impression that I was being scrutinized. Unable to take his gaze any longer, I looked away and focused on Jaron instead.

"These guys are my best friends, growing up," my fiancé was saying. "Sa kanila ko natutunan ang lahat ng alam kong kalokohan."

"Yeah, right." Gael chuckled. "Alam naman nating lahat na sa ating lima, ikaw ang pinakaloko."

Jaron grinned at me. "Don't listen to them, babe. Ako kaya ang pinakamabait sa magpipinsan."

"Careful, Jaron. You don't want us spilling your dark secrets to your fiancée," Sebastian warned, much to my surprise. Akala ko ay wala siyang balak magsalita hanggang mamaya. Even though he sounded serious, it was obviously a joke, as the rest of the guys laughed. I, too, managed a weak smile.

Jaron called the attention of a waiter, we placed our orders, and whiled the waiting time by talking about my fiancé – or at least, his cousins did, while I listened. Halfway through Kaden's anecdote of one of Jaron's mischiefs during high school, I excused myself to go to the ladies' room.

Pabalik na sana ako sa table namin nang harangin ako ni Sebastian, na noon ay nakaabang sa labas ng men's room na katapat lamang ng ladies' room.

"Sigourney." He said my name in a way that made my heart skip a beat. I didn't know why, but there's something about this quiet cousin of Jaron that made me nervous.

"Sebastian – hi," I replied in what I hoped was a friendly tone.

"Just Seb."

"What?"

For the first time, I saw Sebastian Silvera smile. "You can just call me Seb."

"Oh, right."

He cleared his throat. After a couple of seconds, during which he appeared to be hesitating, he said, "I know this will make me sound like a madman, but I need to tell you this – don't marry Jaron."

"Excuse me?" I stared at him, bewildered and affronted. "Did you just tell me that I shouldn't marry your cousin?"

"Yes." Sebastian stared back at me with his piercing eyes. "If you do, it would be the biggest mistake of your life."

****

Sabi na nga ba at may kakaiba sa pinsang 'to ni Jaron.

Sebastian and I were having a wordless staring contest as Jaron and the rest of his cousins finished up their meals, laughing and joking around. Siguro ay sanay na sila na halos hindi nagsasalita si Sebastian kaya naman hindi na nila ito kinukulit na makisali sa kanilang usapan.

Matapos kong maka-get over sa gulat ko nang sabihin ni Sebastian na ang nakatakdang pagpapakasal ko kay Jaron ang siyang magiging pinakamalaking pagkakamali ng buhay ko, tinanong ko siya kung bakit niya naman nasabi iyon. As much as I wanted to slap him on the face, I forced myself to remain civil, dahil kahit ano pa man ang mangyari ay pinsan pa rin siya ng fiancé ko.

"I can't tell you why," 'yan ang naging sagot niya. "Just know that I'm saying this with your best interest at heart."

With my best interest at heart? E kakapakilala lang sa amin a few minutes ago! May saltik ba ang lalaking 'to?

After glaring at him to convey my anger and incredulity – how dare he say that to me ngayong ilang araw na lang at ikakasal na kami ni Jaron – I made my way back to our table, doing my best to act normal. Matapos ang ilang sandali ay bumalik na rin si Sebastian. It was also at that point that our staring contest began.

Who do you think you are? 'Yan ang gusto kong iparating sa kanya habang tinititigan siya gamit ang naniningkit kong mga mata. Why should I listen to you?

Why should you listen to me? I know something that you don't, woman. Mukhang 'yan naman ang sagot niya sa akin habang tinititigan din ako.

"Babe." Jaron's voice made me jump slightly in my seat, and I tore my gaze away from his cousin's. "You're barely eating. Okay ka lang ba?"

"Y-yup. Okay lang ako." I forced a smile. "And you know I musn't eat heavily, babe. I need to fit into my gown, remember?"

"I know. But you don't need to starve yourself." Inakbayan ako ni Jaron at hinalikan sa pisngi. Pasimple ko namang tiningnan si Sebastian na para bang hinahamon muli siya na sabihing 'wag kong pakasalan ang pinsan niya. Ako, uurong sa kasal namin ni Jaron? Ha! Ano ako, tanga?

To my irritation, Sebastian only smirked at the sight of me and his cousin being cuddly. Kaunti na lang talaga at mapapatulan ko na ang kumag na 'to.

Mercifully, before I lost the last ounce of patience that I had, the Silvera cousins finally finished their lunch. Our table was cleared, and after some last-minute small talk, Jaron said, "Shall we leave now? Sig, you mentioned that you're going to visit Minnie this afternoon."

"Yup." I smiled gratefully at him. "Kahit 'wag mo na akong ihatid pauwi. Magta-taxi na lang ako papunta kina Min. Meron ka ring lakad ngayong hapon, 'di ba?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to give you a ride to Minnie's?"

"Of course." I didn't want to witness my best friend being passive-aggressive again around my fiancé.

"Alright, then," Jaron consented.

The six of us made our way out of the restaurant, with my fiancé and I in the lead. Jaron's hand was resting at the small of my back, and I didn't know why but I could imagine Sebastian, who was right behind us, smirking again at the sight.

The Silvera cousins all bid me goodbye – except Sebastian, of course, who just gave me a curt nod. Jaron hailed a taxi for me, and I kissed him – a bit longer than usual – before entering the car.

I tried to see what reaction this would have garnered from Sebastian, but the taxi sped away before I could take a look at his face.