I parked the car outside the house. Napabuntong-hininga ako. Alam kong komplikado ang gagawin namin pero we don't have a choice. Sumang-ayon na si Lev sa plano ko. He and I will start to act as if we are each other's type. We will take it slow kasi baka magtaka sila na ang bilis naman naming mahulog sa isa't-isa. That's not really convincing.
Hindi ko din mapigilan ang makaramdam ng ease. Kasi nga okay na si Lev tungkol dito. Although alam ko naman na labag sa kalooban niya. But he sees it as an opportunity knocking on his door so he grabbed it but with hesitations. Hindi ko siya masisisi. Kahit nga ako ay nakakaramdam ng kaba.Lumabas na ako ng sasakyan at naglakad papasok sa bahay. Napatingin ako sa kabuuan nito. Konting kembot nalang ay makakaalis na din ako dito. I smiled at the thought. Inabot ko yung siradora para pagbuksan ang sarili."Surprise!" May biglang sumigaw.Bumilog ang aking mga mata nang makita kung sino ito. Her hair is brown and curly. Mamahalin din yung suot niya at masasabi mo din na galing siya sa ibang bansa batay sa pananamit niya. I look at her face still in disbelief. It's like I'm watching myself in front if the mirror."Kali!" I exclaimed.Agad siyang tumakbo sa direksyon ko at nagyakapan. Napapikit ako kasi ilang taon din kaming hindi nagkita."Namiss kita!" Tili niya."Ako din!" I squealed.Kumalas kami sa yakapan at agad ko siyang hinampas sa braso."Aray ha! Ang galing mo namang mang-welcome sa kapatid mo. Salamat ha," She said sarcastically."Gaga! Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa akin na uuwi ka pala? Hindi tuloy ako nakapaghanda," Reklamo ko."Gaga ka rin!" She rolled her eyes. "Surprise nga diba? Paanong magiging surprise kung sasabihin ko sayo?""Kailan ka pa umuwi?" I asked. "Alam na ba ni Auntie na umuwi ka na?"Inilibot ko ang aking mga mata. Wala si Auntie sa bahay? Nakita ko din yung dalang maleta ni Kali na nasa sala. May mga box din siyang dala. Pasalubong kaya?"I fetch her at the airport," Biglang may nagsalita.Napatingala ako at nakitang pababa si Auntie. Speaking of."Isasama na sana kita pero umalis ka naman. I don't know where you've been going and I hope it's not trouble," Dagdag niya.Tingnan niyo na. She will always see the bad in me. Hindi pa nga niya naitanong kung saan ako nanggaling, jina-judge na niya ako. Hindi ko nalang siya sinagot at hinarap si Kali."Tulungan na kita sa gamit mo," I offered."Thanks!" She replied.Kali and I shared the same room. Noon pa naman ay ganun na. Our parents would want us to have our own personal space pero kami ang umayaw. Matakutin kasi si Kali kaya hindi niya kayang siya lang mag-isa sa room. Nakasanayan na din namin hanggang sa paglaki kaya ayun. Hanggang ngayon gusto pa rin namin na nasa iisang kwarto lang kami. Besides, I don't mind sharing.Si Kali ay isang architect. Usually nasa abroad yung projects niya. Mahusay din kasi siya sa larangan na ito kaya ume-excel talaga siya. I could say that she was the best in this field mula pa noong kolehiyo. Kaya siguro paborito siga ng Auntie.I, on the other hand, took up Hospitality Management. Hindi naman sa ipagmamayabang pero kaya ko naman sana yung BS Accountancy noon. Yun kasi ang gusto ni Auntie. Kaya lang mas pinili ko yung kung ano man ang gusto kong kunin. Ako yung mag-aaral kaya ako ang masusunod. Auntie took my disobedience seriously. Kaya siguro ayaw niya sa akin. Well, atleast, that's what I know. Simula noon palagi na niyang pinamukha sa akin that I am a disgrace to our family. She would always say that a Dorchner should always take something that would help the family earn more attention. Kaya ayaw niya sa kinuha ko kasi para sa kanya, it's a basic skill."Grabe! Namiss ko ito!" Sabi ni Kali pagkapasok namin sa kwarto. "Yung paint lang ang nagbago.""You know I'm not into decorating, right?" Komento ko at lumapit sa kabinet. Kailangan kong magbihis."Ang ganda ng suot mo a? Galing ka sa date no?" She asked and started teasing me. "Ayieee~""Hindi," Iling ko. "I had a meeting with someone.""Lalaki ba ito?" She asked excitedly."Why does it matter?" I giggled. "Ano naman kung lalaki nga?""So date nga!" Tili niya. "Ang Kaia nagdadalaga na!"I laughed with her. Grabe naman to."It's way too formal for a date," I replied. "And besides, bawal naman akong makipagkita sa kahit sinong lalaki ngayong kasali ako sa marriage season.""Wait. Are you actually serious right now?" Tanong niya. "Are you seriously considering getting married already?"I nodded. "Wala akong choice. Auntie wants me to be married this season.""Hindi pwede! Wala pa nga akong naging boyfriend," Biro niya kaya tinapunan ko siya ng unan."Dapat pa bang magkaroon ka muna ng boyfriend bago ako?" I laughed."Biro lang," tawa niya. "Pero seryoso na. Pinilit ka ba ni Auntie? Kung ayaw mo, pwede ko naman siyang kausapin. Makikinig yun sa akin."Umiling ako. "Hindi ako pinilit. It was actually my choice."Kumunot yung noo niya. "How come?""She gave me a choice kaya pinili kong magpakasal nga, kung makahanap man ako." I replied."As long as it's not against your will, I'm supporting you," she said.I nodded and smiled, thanking her.I couldn't tell her the exact truth. Kasi mag-aalala lang siya at ayokong madamay siya sa issue naming dalawa ni Auntie sa isa't-isa. At alam kong madi-disappoint lang din siya sa akin kapag sinabi sa kanya ang lahat."I heard that when this season comes, maraming parties ang magaganap. So you've been to one of them?" She asked as her eyes sparkled.I nodded. "Oo.""What is it like?" She asked. "Was it magical? Para bang nasa disney movies? How does it feels like dancing in the ballroom?""Nothing special really," I replied. "Gusto mong sumama?"Her eyes sparkled even more. Kali was one of those disney kids who believes in true love and all those cringe stuffs. Hindi ko nga masabi sa kanya na these things doesn't exist in real life and everything she believes in was fictional. I don't want to ruin her imagination."Talaga? Pwede akong sumama?" She asked."Oo naman. You are single naman saka kapag may lalapit sa iyong lalaki sasabihin mo lang na you came as a visitor, if that's what you want ""Bet!"***Kali and I went to the next party together. Okay naman ito para kay Auntie kasi sabi niya it's one way of Kali to enjoy her youth. I can't help but to envy my twin. Kasi siya pwede niyang gawin lahat ng gusto niya. Samantalang ako, palaging may limitasyon."Let's part ways," I suggested."Good idea. Gusto ko ding maghanap ng pogi," mahina siyang tumili.With that, we parted ways. Sabi niya kasi sa akin na she prefers being lowkey. Yung hindi siya makikita ng marami. She's an introvert kaya mas pipiliin niya iyon kaysa magpakitang gilas."So you're here again," Biglang may nagsalita.I turned around and saw a tall woman. Sa sobrang tangkad niya ay tila isang nakababatang kapatid na niya ako. Her hair is curly and brown. Matangos din ilong niya. She screams wealth dahil na din sa suot niya."Ysabelle, by the way," pakilala niya. "I hope you're not going to get all the men tonight, gaya nung nangyari nung nakaraan."I couldn't tell if she's putting shade on every word she said. But just to be sure, ngumiti lang ako sa kanya."It wasn't my intention to do so. And besides, sila naman ang unang lumapit sa akin. It wasn't my fault, was it?" I replied.Hindi ko intensyon na ipalabas yun in a bad way pero mukhang m*****a talaga ako at hindi ko na nalagyan ng filter yung bibig ko. Her smile vanished and glared at me."The President's son is going to be attending the ball. Sana hindi ka maging selfish at kunin din ang atensyon niya. You had the young Laurier," Sabi niya. "Huwag kang masyadong pabida."She glared at me one last time bago ako iniwan. I stared at her back as she started walking away. I sighed. Maganda sana, hindi naman maganda ugali. I thought she's going to be cool but I guess I was wrong.Bigla nalang nahati ang mga tao para magbigay ng daan. Tumahimik na din sila tila nasa iisang bagay o tao lang ang atensyon. With the path made, a man started walking, looking at everyone with a smile on his face and greeting them good evening. Kuhang-pansin talaga ang mga kilay niyang makakapal. He's handsome and I'm not gonna deny that."Iyan yung anak ng Presidente, diba?" I heard someone whispered.Oh. Siya pala yung tinukoy nung babae. Gwapo naman pala talaga pero wala akong balak magpapansin sa kanya. And besides, Lev and I have a plan to do. Nasaan na ba yun? Kailangan pa naming magpanggap na nagkamamabutihan na kami para makita ng lahat.Mula sa anak ng Presidente, I diverted my eyes to the crowd, trying to find that man. Usapan namin 7 sharp nandito na. Lagpas seven na nga at wala pa rin siya. As I was roaming my eyes, may bigla nalang humawak sa pulsuhan ko. I look back at inaasahan na yung lalaking hinahanap ko ito pero nagkamali ako. It was the man of the night. The President's son."Hi," Bati niya sa akin na may ngiti sa labi.Kumunot yung noo ko. Why is he holding me? I looked down at his hand, holding my wrist. Naramdaman niya siguro yung pagkaayaw ko sa hawak niya kaya agad niya akong binitawan."Sorry," He said."It's fine," Iling ko. "May kailangan ka ba?"He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Uh... Ano... I'm Sebastian, by the way." Pakilala niya sa sarili."Kaia," I said and shook hands with him. "Nice to meet you.""It's nice to meet you too," Ngiti niya.I can feel everyone's eyes on me. Mukhang alam ko na kung ano ang tumatakbo sa isip nila. They'll be thinking na sinarili ko na naman ang lalaking ito. Hindi ko naman siguro kasalanan kung pinanganak akong maganda no!"Kaia, can I have your first dance?" He asked.Napatingin ako sa gilid kung nasaan si Ysabelle. She's glaring at me and hindi ko alam kung gaano ka tagal niya akong sinamaan ng tingin. Paniguradong pinatay na niya ako sa isip niya. I smirked at her direction and faced Sebastian."Sure."Inabot niya yung kamay niya at tinanggap ko naman ito. He lead me to the center of the ballroom and signaled the music to start. The music started playing and everyone was just looking at us. Nakakahiya man talaga para sa iba pero para sa akin, hindi na. Exposure ko na din ito."It's my first time seeing you here," Komento niya. "Is it your first time?"I nodded. "Yes it is. I'm sorry if I may miss some of the steps. Hindi ako marunong sumayaw."He just smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. I got you."Yumuko na siya sa akin kaya yumuko na din ako pabalik. We started dancing and all I could do was to follow his lead."Thanks, Sebastian," Ngiti ko sa kanya."Please call me Seb," Sabi niya.I smiled at him. Hindi naman obvious na interested siya sa akin ano? I mentally laughed. Ganda ko naman talaga.As I was dancing with Seb, hindi ko mapigilan ang matingnan ang entrance. Saktong-sakto naman ay saka pa pagpasok ni Lev. He looked around, maybe trying to find me. Late comer nga naman.Bigla nalang nagtagpo ang aming mga mata at tila nahinto ang pagtibok ng aking puso. It's a weird feeling. It's like I've been caught cheating."I see that you were having fun," Sabi ni Lev sa akin."I can't say no to him. Anak ng Presidente. At isa pa, everyone was looking at me. Alangan namang ire-reject ko siya," I defended myself.Lev and I are both sitting in the table with foods in our plates. Si Kali? Hindi ko na alam kung nasaan siya. I didn't bother looking for her kasi naging busy na din ako. "I didn't say you should have rejected him," Iling niya. "I just thought that we should stick together.""Right," I nodded. "I'm sorry."Dapat pala hindi na ako nag-entertain ng mga lalaki. I should have been pretending that Lev got my interest and my attention should only be his. Same goes to him. Ganun din dapat."It's fine. Gaya ng sabi mo, bastos din tingnan kong umayaw ka kanina."Tumango lang ako at sumubo ulit ng pagkain. Masarap naman yung pagkain pero wala akong gana. Sayang kasi kung hindi ko kakainin. Mukhang mamahalin pa naman. "Anyway, hindi ka yata late?" I asked."Oh. That." He nodded. "I had to take care of my
KALI'S POV"Bakit ang bait mo?" He asked me as I assist him going up to his condo unit."Do I need a reason to be kind?" Iling ko. Konti nalang mararating na namin yung unit niya. I knew that I wouldn't let him be in that party, drunk. Baka ano pa ang gagawin niya. Let's just say I'm a little interested in him. He told me kasi tungkol sa mom niya and I felt sympathy towards him. It must have been so hard for him. Nagtataka nga ako kung bakit nasa party siya at hindi niya kasama Mommy niya. But then again, maybe he wants to divert his attention to something else. However, he ended up drunk, thinking the same problem over and over again."I just didn't expect this from you," He chuckled. "Girls like me still exists," I replied and we both stopped in front of his door. "Ano yung pin?"Kumalas siya sa hawak ko at pagewang-gewang na lumapit sa pintuan. He started pressing the numbers which I quickly looked away. I know privacy and I don't want to take advantage of him being drunk. I have
LEV'S POV"Are you gonna be married or not?" My sister asked.I woke up with a terrible headache. Pagkabukas ko pa ng mga mata ko, mukha na ng mga kapatid ko ang bumungad sa akin. They opened the curtains which light made its way to my room. They know the pin to my condo unit so they can barge in any time they want."Good morning too," I replied. "Anong oras na?""It's ten in the morning, Lev. Uminom ka ba kagabi?" One sister asked."Oo," I replied.Kaya pala masakit yung ulo. I did drank last night. Pero ang sabi ko naman na hindi ako magpapakalasing. I ended up doing otherwise. I let mysel carried away with the emotions I was feeling.Come to think of it, someone did helped me last night. Paniguradong hindi ko kayang umuwi na ako lang mag-isa. Knowing my condition, I would end up lying on the streets if I were left alone. Sino nga ba yung kasama ko kagabi?"You are a potential wife," I heard my voice.Kumunot yung noo ko. Eh? Potential wife? Sino naman ang pagsasabihin ko nun? I tri
It's been ten minutes past one and Lev is not here yet. Sa aming dalawa, siya talaga ang palaging hinihintay. I should be mad about his frequent tardiness but it would always remind me that he have other problems to face as well. Gaya nung nakaraan, I took consideration of the fact that he may be taking care of his mother."Wala pa ba ang batang Laurier?" My Aunt asked.May picnic nga talaga at kadalasang nandito ay yung mga kasali sa Marriage Season. May tent ang Dorchner kung saan may mesa at upuan sa ilalim nito. We also brought our van para sa ibang kakailanganin. We brought our cook para magluto sa aming kakainin. Gusto ko sanang simple lang. Okay lang naman din sa akin na ako ang magluluto. But our Aunt insisted to be grand. Ano na lang daw sasabihin ng iba kapag nakita nilang simple lang yung picnic namin. They would think that we couldn't afford such luxury. Na namumulubi na kami."Wala pa, Auntie. He must be attending his Mom," Sagot ko.Napailing siya. "Poor boy. It must hav
"Kali?" I called her name pero na kay Lev pa rin yung mga mata niya."Woah!" Lev whispered to my ear. "Magkamukha nga talaga kayo.""I failed to mention that she's my twin so," I replied."Hi... Kali, right?" Bati ni Lev. "I'm Lev Laurier."Napakurap si Kali nang mailahad ni Lev yung kamay niya sa kanya. She bit her lower lip, hesitating to shake his hand."Laurier?" Tanong niya at lumingon sa akin. "Siya ba yung hinintay natin?"I nodded. "Yes. Siya nga.""Oh," She sounded disappointed. "N-Nice to meet you, Lev. Kali nga pala. Kakambal ni Kaia."Nakipagkamayan si Kali and Lev could only smile wider. Tumaas ang magkabila kong kilay. Kali isn't usually like this. She's bubbly, even though she's an introvert. Kapag may pinakilala akong kaibigan sa kanya ay dinadaldalan niya ito. Nakakapanibago lang. "I see that you're an opposite," Komento ni Lev.Napalingon ako sa kanya habang nakakunot yung noo. "What do you mean?""Well, alam mo naman siguro yun. Your tongue is sharp while she's sof
"What's going on?" I asked Lev the moment we're left alone. Auntie and Kali went home earlier kasi sabi ko gusto ko munang kausapin si Lev. Auntie didn't like the sound of me being alone with Lev. Buti nalang tinulungan ako ni Lev at sinabing importante lang talaga ang pag-uusapan namin.As both parties bade their goodbye's, hindi nakatakas sa aking mga mata ang makahulugang tinginan nina Kali at Lev. At some point, I might have an idea why they're acting like that. Ayoko lang mag-conclude. Baka magkamali ako."What?" Tanong ni Lev."Duh. Those smiles and meaningful eye-contact," I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, Lev. Anong meron sa inyo ng kakambal ko?""Yan nga pala ang iku-kuwento ko sa'yo," He smiled. "It was Kali who helped me when I was drunk. Akala ko ikaw kasi magkamukha kayo."Tumaas ang magkabila kong kilay. "Si Kali yun?"He nodded. "She confirmed it herself after I asked.""In front of Auntie?" "Oo."Nasapo ko ang aking noo. Kaya pala. Let alone that Auntie likes Kali more t
"I-Is Lev gonna be coming over?" Tanong sa akin ni Kali.I'm in our kitchen, baking for our cake. Magb-birthday na kasi kami ni Kali bukas. It's actually my first time celebrating my birthday. Usually kasi lumalayo ako dito kapag birthday namin. Maliban sa hindi naman ako paghahandaan ni Auntie, I also don't want to remind myself how lonely I am. Wala akong mga kaibigan para i-greet ako. Not even my employees know. Si Kali lang yung nag-g-greet sa akin. It was enough though. Kahit through chats and calls lang."I didn't tell him," Sagot ko."Why not?" Nguso niya. "Isn't he like, so close to you?""I don't tell people my birthday," Iling ko. "Why not?""Because I don't celebrate," I smiled sadly. "And besides, baka busy siya bukas. He's always beside his mom.""But you should atleast invite him. Baka magtampo yun sa'yo," Sabi niya I chuckled. "Hindi na yun bata para magtampo.""Can you just invite him?" She insisted. "Madaming handa si Auntie. How are we gonna finish all of it?""Ma
I didn't expect the number of visitors that we have. Ang sabi ni Auntie na sa dinner daw yung celebration. I thought it's only gonna be us. I mean it's been awhile since I celebrated my birthday with family. Nagulat nalang ako na marami nang nakaparada sa harap ng bahay namin. I heard violins playing. Even the chattering of the people, I can hear it from where I am now."Happy Birthday, Kali! It's so nice to finally meet you," Biglang may lumapit sa akin kaya nagulat ako. "Your Auntie told me a lot of things about you. How's life being an architect?"She must've mistaken me for Kali. Hindi naman nakakagulat yun kasi magkamukhang-magkamukha kaming dalawa. Even I sometimes mistaken myself for my twin on pictures. Well, sometimes."It's Kaia po," I corrected her. Napawi yung ngiti niya sa labi na para bang nadismaya. "Oh. The disappointment," iling niya. "Oh well, happy birthday anyways."Hindi na niya hinintay yung sagot ko at agad tumalikod na. The disrespect which I expected from eve