Up Where We Belong

Chapter 21

Family

I heard Camille dreamily sigh. I couldn't tell if she was just acting or genuinely loving everything Gab was saying about me. Because the more I observed her, the more she looked like she's laughing at me secretly now that she knew about the real deal. And to make it worse, Gab was dramatically spewing more lies.

Come on, there's no way she's going to fall easily for that!

"It was a special moment of our life and we really wished you to be with us on that day. You're Tiff's best friend after all!" Gab added.

Camille waved her hand dismissively. "Wala naman akong magagawa. Tapos na, e. Anyway, nag-enjoy rin naman ako kakanood sa mga pictures at videos ng kasal niyo. Sayang lang talaga na wala ako doon. Ako sana ang sasalo ng bulaklak," sabi nito at humagikgik. "Pero ang importante ay kasal na kayo at masayang nagsasama. Diba, Tiff?" baling niya sa akin. "Bawi nalang ako sa binyag ng first baby niyo."

Gab's eyes met mine. His lips slightly parted and his jaw tightened. I felt my cheeks and I knew from there my face flushed red. I looked away thinking that it didn't mean anything. We didn't have to talk about it because it wasn't and will never be a part of the plan.

"You'll be the first to know if we already have good news," Gab assured her, smiling.

He was talking about something else, wasn't he?

Camille laughed. "Okay!"

Then, she gave Gab the medicine bottle she showed me earlier. She explained how's that little game be done. After an hour, kailangan nang magpalaam ni Camille dahil may flight pa siya pauwi ng probinsya nila.

After eating our lunch in a restaurant, Gab brought me to his house in a village. It wasn't the house where he grew up. It's the house he bought for himself just a year ago. Before having this house, he lived in his condo unit.

"You call this home?" I asked as I looked around the living room

Gab sat on the sofa that's still covered in plastic.

Tila nakuha nito ang ibig kong sabihin. "I'm sorry I didn't have much time to buy other things. Itong sofa pa nga lang nahirapan na ako," he chuckled. "And honestly I don't know what other things to get to make this house more presentable."

It looked so plain. It's a single storey bungalow house. Malaki at maganda ang istilo ng bahay. Maraming rooms sa loob. Gab showed me the master bedroom and the guest room as we arrived. I didn't know what the others are for. Pero sigurado akong mini-gym ang isa sa mga room doon at dahil bukas ang pinto, nakita ko ang mga gamit pang work-out bago kami bumalik ng sala.

I don't have any problem with the house, but I feel that the insides need some work. Hindi naman sa nag-iinarte. Pero wala man lang kasing kagamit-gamit.

"You could have asked people to do it for you," I replied and joined him on the sofa. He was kind of slouching maybe due to tiredness.

He laughed while his eyes were closed. "Yeah. I should have done that. I'd definitely do that this week."

A brilliant idea came to my mind. I've wanted to do it since then, but I never got the chance. "What if you let me do it?"

He opened his eyes and said, "Are you sure?"

I nodded. It's not like it's a hard thing to do so I was willing to do it myself.

"Let me decide what design fits this house if that's okay with you."

He gently shook his head. "I don't mind. You can do whatever you want with it."

"Don't you have something in mind? Like anything at all?" It seemed odd that he'd let me take care of the designing when I'm not the owner. "This is your house anyway."