CHAPTER FOUR

WHEN BLUE AND Red entered their room, Blue immediately took off his clothes to change into something more comfortable. Red grabbed a shirt from his drawer and threw it to him. Blue caught it and smiled, already guessing what his brother was planning.

  “Give me your shirt,” Red ordered authoritatively.

  “Are you serious about tricking Grandma?” Blue laughed.

  “Don’t you want to? Hand it over.”

  “You’re so quick to sulk,” Blue teased as he tossed the blue shirt he was holding at his brother. “What about my mole?”

  “I have a blade here. We’ll remove it,” Red replied seriously.

  “No way! What if I die, huh? You really want me dead, don’t you? Just so you can get all the inheritance for yourself. You’re so mean!” Blue protested.

  Red smiled and hugged Blue from behind. “You’re impossible to joke with.”

  “Well, you barely talk, and when you do, you’re way too serious.”

  “Wow, says the guy who isn’t exactly smart but never runs out of stories. Joke.”

  Blue swatted Red’s hands away and turned to face him. “Ouch, that hurts, huh? Not smart? Look at your face! Tsk!”

  Red laughed. “Let’s go. Let’s head to Mommy’s room and find something to cover that mole of yours.”

  The twins changed and headed to their mother’s room. They rummaged through her makeup kit, searching for something to cover Blue’s mole. When Red found something, he applied it to his brother’s face. He smiled as he finished, seeing his own face staring back at him.

  “You look just like me,” Red said, grinning.

  Blue looked at his reflection in the mirror, smiling and amazed. “Wow! I look like a v*rgin with a wild side.” Red smacked him on the head. “Ouch! But it’s true! You’re wild. Don’t think I don’t know you handle yourself every night while staring at Mia’s pictures, huh?”

  Red laughed. What Blue said was true. Every night, Blue would catch him in the act. Since they shared the same bed, Red’s movements always woke Blue.

  Red grabbed a marker and drew a fake mole near his left eye, matching Blue’s mole.

  “Wow! You look like a hardf*cker now, Red,” Blue teased with a grin.

  “Hardf*cker, your face!” Red retorted, mimicking Blue’s tone.

  “You really look like me now. But... you can’t fully be me unless you dance to ‘Twerk it Like Miley’ like I did in that scandal.”

  “Gross! I could never. Over my dead body,” Red replied as he walked out of the room.

  “Wait! You’re too much!” Blue shouted after him.

  The two of them sat at the dining table, pretending to have switched identities. Their only goal was to fool their grandmother, Rosa. As the three of them ate, Rosa glanced at Blue, who was pretending to be Red. He gave her a faint smile, imitating Red’s usual reserved demeanor.

  “You?” Rosa asked, turning to Blue.

  “Yes, Granny?” Blue replied seriously, staying in character.

  “Where’s your mole?” Rosa asked. Then she looked at Red. “And you! Why did you draw a mole near your eye? And why are you two wearing each other’s clothes?”

  Both of them scratched their heads at the same time.

  “You didn’t get confused, Granny?” Red, pretending to be Blue, asked.

  Rosa turned to Red, acting as Blue. “Since when did Red’s eyes start looking so mischievous?”

  “That’s harsh,” Blue muttered, sulking. Rosa then looked at Blue, pretending to be Red.

  “And since when was Blue ever quiet during a meal? And Red, get your foot off the chair. I’ll chop it off!”

  Blue scratched his head again. “Tsk! This is your fault, Red. Acting all saintly. Now Granny didn’t even get confused.”

  “Is it my fault for being nice?” Red retorted.

  “Nice, your fa—” Blue stopped mid-sentence when Rosa glared at him. He quickly smiled. “Nice your peace! All we need is peace! Anyway, look at all these foods! We should eat them with peace.”

  “Witty,” Red muttered under his breath.

  “Witty, your face,” Blue muttered back.

  “Eat now. And you, Baby Blue, you’re getting too thin. Eat more,” Rosa said gently.

  Blue smiled. He loved it when Grandma called him “Baby.” It was the one thing he wanted to hear every day.

  “Baby Red, is the sinigang good? I used pure tamarind for that,” Rosa asked sweetly.

  “Granny, I’m your only baby, right?” Blue teased.

  “You’re both my babies,” Rosa replied.

  “Tsk, fine.” Blue glanced at his twin. “Don’t smile. The truth is, Granny only says that because you’re here—Ouch!” Blue cried out as Rosa smacked his head with a ladle.

  “Just eat. You’re too noisy,” Rosa scolded.

  As time passed, the twins were back in their room. Both were busy with their phones. Red leaned against the bed while Blue lay sprawled across Red’s legs, his eyes glued to his phone as his hand rested inside his boxers.

  “The photo of you and Katleya is making rounds. Some of the students uploaded it,” Red said, breaking the silence.

  “What are they saying?” Blue asked, his curiosity piqued.

  “They’re calling you the new couple. Apparently, they’re thrilled about you two.”

  Blue smiled. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”

  “You like her, don’t you?” Red teased, pinching his twin’s cheek.

  “She likes you,” Blue countered.

  Red fell silent, clearly surprised by Blue’s words.

  “Don’t joke about that,” he said, though he couldn’t hide the hint of happiness in his voice.

  Blue stopped what he was watching and sat up beside Red. Resting his head on Red’s shoulder, he was quickly pushed away as Red leaned on Blue’s shoulder instead.

  “She has a crush on me?” Red asked, almost in disbelief.

  “Yes. So be nice to her. Don’t act all aloof like you did earlier. Tsk!”

  “Fine. I’ll try my best,” Red relented.

  “W-Wait. Kat’s online. I’ll video call her.” Blue excitedly dialed Katleya’s number, and her beautiful face appeared on the screen.

  “Hi, Kat! Look, Red’s leaning on my shoulder,” Blue said with a grin.

  “I see him. Hi, Red!” Katleya greeted cheerfully.

  “She said hi,” Blue said, nudging Red.

  “Hi,” Red greeted back, his voice tinged with shyness.

  “Kat, I told him you like him,” Blue blurted out. Katleya’s eyes widened in shock.

  “Is that true, Kat?” Red asked with a smile. He straightened up and looked directly at her. “I like you, too.”

  Blue turned to his twin in disbelief. “Flirt!” Then, looking back at Katleya, he said, “Don’t be shy around my brother, Kat. I fully support you two.”

  “Kat, sorry about earlier, okay? If I seemed standoffish, I didn’t mean to disappoint you. But you know, they say that if you love someone, you’ll accept their flaws, right?”

  Katleya burst into laughter on the other end of the line.

  “What’s so funny?” Red asked, frowning slightly.

  “All I said was she had a crush on you!” Blue yelled.

  “Well, it’ll lead there eventually,” Red reasoned, glancing at Katleya. “K-Kat?”

  “Oh?” Katleya responded, her face visibly flushed.

  “I finished reading the book,” Red admitted.

  “My twin’s a perv, Kat. Keep him,” Blue said, laughing.

  “Don’t believe him, Kat. I’m a good guy. You’ll see,” Red insisted.

  “Good guy, your face. Kat? Who was it again that had a mole on—Ouch!” Blue shouted when Red hit him.

  “Idiot! Did you tell her?” Red asked, alarmed.

  “Yes, but it wasn’t intentional! It just slipped—A-Argh, Red! You’re going to kill me!” Blue complained as Red pinned him down and put him in a chokehold.

  Katleya giggled despite not being able to see what was happening. Blue had dropped his phone onto the bed.

  “You’re embarrassing me, Blue!” Red fumed.

  “Sorry! I promise I won’t tell her any more of your secrets. Like how Mia is your go-to subject when you’re... alone. Or how you made me buy you a flshlight. Or how you sleep nked every night.”

  “Ugh! You’re the worst!” Red groaned as he released his brother. “I hate you, Blue.”

  “I’m sorry,” Blue said, hugging Red and kissing his cheek. “Mwah. Don’t be mad at me.”

  “Shut up! Get out! You’re sleeping downstairs tonight, Tsk!” Red snapped, shoving him away.

  “Downstairs, your face. Hey! Where’s my phone?” Blue asked, patting around the bed.

  “Where’s your brain?” Red retorted. “Don’t talk to me!”

  Blue finally found his phone and smiled. But his eyes widened when he saw Katleya’s face still on the screen.

  “Oh no, Red! We’re still connected!” Blue exclaimed.

  Red jumped off the bed and checked Blue’s phone. He froze when he saw Katleya’s amused expression.

  “Kat? Did you hear all that?” Red asked, worried.

  Katleya nodded and laughed. “Yes.”

  Blue laughed hysterically, thoroughly enjoying the situation.

  “Blue!” Red shouted as he tackled his brother again, choking him with his arm. “You’re so annoying!”

  Blue could only giggle as Red pinned him down once more.

  ***

  BLUE’S FATHER HAD returned the keys to his car, thanks to his grandmother, who had visited the mansion the day before. Feeling elated, Blue drove the car by himself.

  As he entered the university gates, he shot the guard a disdainful glare. The guard, upon seeing Blue’s face, immediately looked down, trembling with fear.

  Blue drove the car further inside and stopped right where the guard stood. The poor man looked utterly pitiful at that moment, shaking uncontrollably from dread.

  “S-Sir, I’m sorry,” the guard stammered.

  Blue leaned out of the car window, grabbed the guard by the chin, and turned his face toward him.

  “Bleh,” Blue said mockingly, giving the man a sharp glare before speeding off toward his designated parking spot.

  Once parked, Blue stepped out of the car, holding his favorite Chuckie drink in hand—the one thing that gave him energy every day.