Chapter 7

Eighteen red roses, eighteen candles.

It was Vanessa’s debut — the day she had been waiting for, the day everyone had been waiting for. The word happiness wasn’t even enough to describe how she felt. It was like she was floating in the clouds.

A dream birthday party.

A venue filled with pink balloons, baby pink lights mixed with white lights that brightened the whole place, sweet music wrapping around every guest, rose petals scattered across the carpet, a grand chandelier, and a huge birthday cake.

She smiled, her pure black eyes showing how surprised she was. Only one person knew about her dream party — Gian, her one and only ultimate crush.

She looked around the whole venue. All her friends were there, witnessing her dream birthday come true. The party she had always wished for. Slowly, she walked down the stairs of their house — though it no longer looked like a house because of the glamorous design inside and out.

She almost felt sorry stepping on the rose petals along the way. She wanted to pick them up instead of crushing them with her heels.

She was wearing a pink tube dress made by her cousin, Ate Sharon. The back was half open, showing her white bare skin. The dress hugged her body tightly from her bust down to her waist. It was ankle-length, with a slit three inches above her knee, showing off her shapely white legs.

At eighteen, She already had a woman’s perfect figure, inherited from her mother. A body that most women could only dream of. People sometimes asked how she achieved it, but she would just smile — she had no idea either.

Her eyes drifted to the brain behind the whole party — Gian. Among all the gay guests, he was the only one not wearing a gown. Her lips curved into a mischievous grin. Wow, my crush looks so manly today, she thought.

Standing next to Gian was her dad. The two of them were really close. When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, her dad walked up to her.

“Happy birthday, my princess,” he greeted with a warm smile. Her dad was her first love — isn’t that true for every daughter?

Overwhelmed with joy, she hugged him tight. “Thank you for everything, Daddy,” she whispered.

Her first dance was with her dad. Vanessa had always been a daddy’s girl since her mom passed away. Her second dance was with her younger brother, Jason, who even teased her about helping him court his crush.

She laughed loudly while dancing with him. Looks like her brother might get a girlfriend before she even had a chance.

“What’s the name of your crush?” she teased.

“Her name is Ellena. She’s gorgeous, Ate. And she’s really smart too.”

“I just asked for the name, Jason,” she burst out laughing when her sixteen-year-old brother scratched his head.

“She’s not smarter than you, right?” she teased again.

“Of course not! I’m still smarter,” Jason said proudly. “But she’s really good in Filipino. Ate Van, she speaks so well.”

She grinned. “A yes or no would have been enough.” Jason scratched his head again, making her laugh harder.

Her little brother was turning into a real young man. To think, at sixteen, he was already planning to woo a girl. The Alvarez charm never fails, she thought with a smile.

But when would her crush ever court her? That was the unfair part about being a girl — you can’t make the first move.

Her last dance was with Gian, the mastermind of it all. He was the one who insisted on planning the whole thing. As he reached out his hand to her, time seemed to slow down. She thought writers were exaggerating when they described such moments, but now she realized it was real.

Dancing with Gian was a dream come true. She never imagined this would happen. For her, Gian was the most handsome of all — except he was gay. But tonight, there was no trace of that as he held her. He was handsome, brooding, and adorable. And he smelled so good — like a real man.

She rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you, Gian,” she said. Words weren’t enough, but she knew he wasn’t asking for anything in return.

“You’re welcome. And happy birthday, Vanessa. You’re so beautiful tonight,” he replied, in his real voice. At that moment, she wasn’t talking to “gay Gian” — but the man she liked.

“Of course, my Ate Sharon made this gown,” she teased, laughing. Sharon was not only her cousin but also Gian’s ex-girlfriend.

If anyone asked her who made her most insecure, the answer was obvious — her cousin Sharon. Sharon had everything: beauty, talent, brains. And she even had Gian once.

But that relationship ended when Gian came out and admitted he only dated Sharon as a cover. She still didn’t know whether to be happy they broke up or sad that her crush was supposedly gay. Deep inside, she refused to believe it.

“Ew, I feel sick just remembering that,” Gian laughed. Vanessa chuckled too. Try harder, Gian, she thought. No matter what you say, I don’t believe you’re gay.

“Anyway, honey. I love your body. How do you even have such a perfect figure? I’m jealous,” Gian said, his hand brushing gently against her side.

Jealous? Is that really what you’re feeling, Gian? she wondered.

“Well, Gian—”

“Janine. Call me Janine, Vanessa,” he cut in.

She laughed again. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t accept that Gian was gay. His strong build, his six-pack abs, his V-line — she had seen them once and almost touched them. Could a real gay man have abs like that? If yes, what a waste.

Sometimes she asked herself why Gian pretended to be gay. But no matter how she thought about it, she never found the answer. Or maybe she just didn’t want to accept it.

“Okay, okay, Janine,” she laughed. “Thanks again.”

“Save your thanks for later when you open my gift,” he told her, kissing her forehead. “Happy birthday again, honey.”

Yes — honey. That was what he always called her. And that was one of the reasons she kept falling for him. Gian had everything she wanted in a man — handsome, kind, sweet, caring, mature, and yes, even abs.

A playful smile formed on her lips. Did she really just say abs? Well, that was the extra package — like extra rice everyone wanted.

Would she let him slip away?

Of course not!

Later, when she went back to her cousins’ table, her brother Jason was nowhere to be found. Probably sneaking a chance with Ellena. Her dad, meanwhile, was busy with his business partners.

“Hey, Vanessa! Happy birthday!” her classmates greeted.

“Thank you, guys! Thanks for coming,” she said cheerfully.

“You’re always welcome,” Erick, one of her classmates, added. He handed her a gift, and the group squealed. Everyone knew Erick liked her — he was the showy type.

“Oh, Erick!” she teased, laughing.

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” she added, making her friends scream again.

“See? I told you Erick has no chance with Vanessa,” another classmate joked, making Erick scratch his head in embarrassment.

Erick was cute, but Vanessa’s heart belonged to Gian.

“Friends pa rin tayo, Van?” Erick asked with a smile.

“Of course,” she nodded. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with a guy like him?

After chatting, Vanessa returned to her cousins’ table. She sat beside Sharon, her cousin who had just given her a special gift — a book.

When Vanessa opened it, she was shocked. “What? You wrote this?”

Sharon smiled. “Yes. I’m the author.”

Before she could react more, Gian appeared. “Can I borrow my honey?” he asked.

“Of course,” Sharon replied with a smile.

Gian took Vanessa’s hand. “Let’s go upstairs. Your gift is in your room.”

Her eyes lit up in excitement. “Really?”

He nodded.

It felt like a dream. Just like Cinderella’s night, except she didn’t want the clock to strike midnight. She didn’t want to wake up if this was a dream.

When they entered her room, her eyes widened. On her bed was a huge box.

“Is this for real?” she asked.

“Why don’t you open it?” Gian said.

Slowly, she untied the ribbon. Inside were books — eighteen books, one for each year of her life. She gasped and turned to him, smiling brightly.

“Oh my God! You’re the best!” she exclaimed. Then, without thinking, she kissed him on the lips. “Can you be mine?” she asked.

“No. I don’t want a kid,” he replied.