CHAPTER TWELVE

YEAR 2018

TEARS STREAMED DOWN Blue’s face as he lay on the bed, haunted by the painful memories of what he had gone through at the hands of his parents. After that night, he had fallen back into rebellion. He lost his drive. For him, the pain was proof enough—they would never love him, never be proud of him.

That was the first night he and his twin didn’t sleep beside each other. It hurts, but he had no choice but to endure it.

At that moment, he was trying to fall asleep, even as a heavy weight pressed against his chest. Just as he closed his eyes, his phone rang. A smile slowly formed on his lips when he saw Katleya’s name on the screen. He remembered the first time their hands touched.

He answered the call. “Why?”

“I’m just checking on you,” Katleya said.

“I’m sad. Send me nudes, dear.”

“Stupid!”

“Half joke.”

“Your mouth.”

Blue laughed and bit his thumb, still grinning.

“Blue, I just finished a video call with your twin. He misses you so much—it’s heartbreaking.”

“I miss hugging him too,” he said, smile softening.

“Ahh.”

Blue let out a long sigh. “But there’s nothing I can do. They kicked me out.”

“Ahh. Then?”

“Then you’re boring to talk to. Damn it! I’m going to sleep. I love you.”

He ended the call, chuckling to himself, imagining steam coming out of Katleya’s ears.

Katleya called again almost instantly, but Blue didn’t answer right away. He wanted to tease her more—anything to distract himself.

Seconds passed. Finally, he picked up.

“Oh!” he snapped, amused.

“Why did you hang up on me?!”

“Because you’re boring. You’re making me sleepy.” He yawned dramatically.

“You’re too much!”

“I’m just being honest. I’m pouring out my life’s drama, and all you say is ‘ah, ah, ah.’ What are you? Getting f***ed?”

Katleya just laughed. “But seriously, Blue. We’re all here for you, okay? We love you.”

“I know. Thanks. But when are you going to say yes to my twin?” Blue asked. He imagined how happy Red would be if he finally had a girlfriend. “Don’t take too long, okay? I want to see him happy with the girl he loves.”

“You know, my knees shake every time I’m near him.”

“What are you, an old lady?” Blue burst out laughing. “Maybe you need Flanax?”

“Keep teasing me, I dare you! You’re such a pain!”

“You want more?”

“I don’t know what to do with you. Just go to sleep. Good night!”

Blue smiled again. “But seriously, Kat. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get stronger. Tomorrow, Selena better watch out.”

“You’re insane! I miss your twin’s voice already,” Katleya said, obviously giddy, probably remembering the pageant.

“Has he serenaded you yet?” Blue asked.

“Yes, at the pa—”

“Wait, Kat,” he cut her off as he heard a knock on the door. He turned toward it. “GrandMa?”

“Yes, baby,” Rosa replied from outside.

“Come in.”

She stepped inside the room carrying a glass of warm milk. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she placed the glass beside the lamp.

Blue returned his attention to the call. “Bye for now, Kat. GrandMa’s here. I love you.”

He ended the call and sat up. Taking the warm milk, he took a slow sip.

“Thank you, GrandMa,” he said sweetly.

“Welcome. Was that your girlfriend who called?” Rosa asked.

“No, of course not.”

“Then why did you say ‘I love you’?”

“GrandMa, the words ‘I love you’ aren’t just for lovers, okay? ‘I love you’ is for people who understand, care, respect, accept, and love you without a doubt—and she’s one of them. That’s why I always say ‘I love you’ to her. Just like I do to you. I love you, Grandma.”

“I love you too, my dear,” Rosa said as she hugged him tightly. “Grandma’s going to sleep now.” She pulled away and kissed his cheek. “Sleep well, baby.”

Blue kissed her back. “Sleep well, oldy—Ow!” he complained when Rosa hit him on the head.

***

BLUE HAD ALREADY gotten ready for school. When he stepped out of his room, he went to Rosa’s room and knocked before entering.

“Grandma?” he called.

When he didn’t see her, he walked over to the bed. As he looked down at the floor, he spotted a photo. It showed a young girl and two young boys. He smiled. He was sure the boys were him and Red. But what puzzled him was the girl with them in the photo. She was dressed in pink and had a beautiful face.

“Baby, there you are,” Rosa said.

Blue turned toward her voice and showed her the photo. “Who’s this, Grandma? She kind of looks like us. Weird.”

Rosa’s eyes widened at the sight of what he was holding. She rushed over and quickly snatched the photo from his hands.

“Get out,” she said, her voice slightly shaking.

“But Grandma, who is she?” Blue insisted.

“I said get out!” Rosa suddenly yelled, her eyes sharp and wild. She seemed panicked.

“Why are you yelling at me?” Blue’s eyes brimmed with tears. It was the first time Rosa had ever scolded him.

When Rosa noticed his tears, she approached him and gently wiped them away.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“I was only asking. I wouldn’t have asked if I already knew.”

“Ssh… I’m sorry, baby.” Rosa sighed deeply. “She’s the daughter of one of your father’s friends. She lives in the… the States!”

“Then why did you yell at me earlier?” Blue asked again.

“I was just caught off guard.”

“But why were you surprised?”

“I’ll add 10K to your allowance. Just don’t ask anymore,” Rosa offered.

Blue beamed. “Then I suddenly remembered everything.”

“Thank you, if that’s the case.”

“My money?” Blue held out his hand as if nothing had happened.

“Get it from my wallet.”

“Okay.” Blue ran to where Rosa’s bag was hanging. “Can I make it 20K instead, GrandMa?”

“Alright. Just don’t spend it all.”

Blue took twenty thousand and walked back to Rosa.

He hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”

“Go have breakfast,” Rosa said.

“I’ll eat at school, Grandma. I have to go. Bye!”

He ran off like a child and passed by his Aunt Belinda on the stairs.

“Good morning, Auntie,” he greeted.

She ignored him, but he didn’t mind. He was used to it. He kept running toward his new car—a blue sports car. He felt like he was in heaven when Rosa agreed to buy it for him despite the price.

“I wonder who the lucky girl will be to first experience heaven in this car,” he mused to himself. “Let’s go, self!”

***

WHEN BLUE ENTERED the classroom, his friends—especially his beloved twin—smiled at the sight of him. He looked visibly cheerful. He also brought breakfast for them.

“Food’s here,” he said, handing them out one by one.

“There are two extras? Who are those for?” Red asked curiously.

“One is for my best friend, who’s soon to be your girlfriend. The other is for Selena.”

“Selena?” Red asked.

“Yup. My s*x partner. Hashtag: heaven.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Red said, annoyed, as he opened his meal.

“Blue, don’t keep Selena all to yourself,” Grey said.

“Exactly,” Green agreed.

“Alright, fine. Later—sharing is caring. Happy now?” Blue looked at Red. “You didn’t hear anything, okay?”

***

AS KATLEYA STEPPED out of her classroom, a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear greeted her—held by the man who made her heart race. The crowd around them cheered, unable to contain their giddiness for the two.

“Hi, my princess,” Red greeted her, smiling as he gazed at her.

“Red? Are those for me?” Katleya tried to suppress her excitement.

“They’re for the one I love,” Red replied, glancing around the classroom. He walked past her, causing her eyes to widen. But then he circled back and hugged her from behind. “Turns out, the woman I love… is you.”

Katleya held onto the arms wrapped around her. Red rested his chin on her shoulder. She could feel the warmth of his breath and scent, making her heartbeat race uncontrollably.

“My prince is so sweet,” she whispered.

“Let me do this,” he said. “It feels amazing. I love you, Yellownora.”

Katleya smiled upon hearing her second name spoken by the man she loved. While his chin remained on her shoulder and his embrace tightened, she gently caressed his hands.

“I knew you were following me before,” Red said. Katleya’s eyes widened with embarrassment. “Sometimes, when I couldn’t see you, I’d look for you.”

She smiled, remembering the days she secretly followed him. Red took a deep breath and continued.

“When you used to visit the garden almost every day just to see me, I already admired you back then. Your department was so far from ours, yet you still came. Still, I doubted myself—whether you liked me or I was just assuming. So when Blue told me you liked me, I gathered the courage to be brave for you. It felt so good to find out what I felt wasn’t a lie. I’m sorry I used to ignore you. I was just shy. That time in the garden, when my book fell, I was so embarrassed. I couldn’t even sleep that night, thinking about what you might’ve thought of me.”

“I never judged you. I read those kinds of books too.”

“Thank you. You? When did you start liking me?”

Katleya smiled, recalling that night. “During the pageant. Miss Montenegro.”

“Huh? But I didn’t even do anything to you that day for you to like me,” Red insisted, trying to remember.

She turned to face him. “You handed me this earring. We even got shocked.”

Red fell silent as she spoke.

“Then you sang. You even held my hand. My heart was racing so fast during those moments. That’s when I realized I liked you.”

Red stood frozen, stunned by her revelation. A smile escaped him, followed by tears welling in his eyes. He closed them and sighed deeply.

“Enough.”

“Huh? Why?” Katleya asked, confused.

Red unintentionally shed a tear as he looked at her with blurred vision.

“The man who gave you the earring… the man who sang to you… the man who made you fall for him that night—it wasn’t me. That was Blue.”

Tears rolled down Katleya’s cheeks as she watched the man she loved walk away. She was completely confused. She had fallen in love with two different people—the man at the pageant who captured her heart and the man she followed every day.