This wasn't a typical day for me. It has been two weeks since Catmint and Archer got married, and a week ago when Lilac and Erazius had their church wedding. The moment I woke up, I couldn't contain the euphoria that I felt. Seeing my siblings happy made me happy too.
"Ren, I already cooked breakfast for us." Beberly, my friend and personal chef, uttered then she took her apron off her. She then walked towards me, held my hand and gently pulled me into the dining area. "How's Archer and Catmint?"
"They're so happy," I said, smiling. "Thank you for cooking me these," I added.
"I felt bad about what happened to Archer," she said after a while. She sipped her coffee then sighed.
"Your cousin is fine now, Beberly."
"Just call me Joy. Beberly's too formal."
"Okay..." I muttered. "Back to what I was saying, Archer's fine. Alam kong nalulungkot ka dahil pinsan mo siya at wala kang kaalam-alam." I briefly paused, sipping my tea. "May sarili ka namang buhay, Joy. Alam kong matagal ka nang naging independent at hindi na kasama sa royal family kagaya ni Archer. You don't have to feel sorry about it. Ang importante, masaya na siya ngayon at marami ka nang pagkakataong makausap siya dahil magkakapitbahay lang naman tayo."
Her eyes gleamed and she smiled. "You're really good at this..."
Binitawan ko ang utensils na hawak ko at tumingin sa kanya, giving her my full attention. I raised my brow and asked, "What do you mean by this?"
"Making other people feel good about themselves," she began, chuckling. "Siguro ang dami-daming babae ang nahuhulog sa 'yo, Ren."
Malakas akong natawa saka mahinang umiling-iling. "Haven't you heard?" Tinuro ko ang aking sarili. "NGSB as in No Girlfriend Since Birth." I laughed.
"I know that," she replied, still looking at me. "Wala kang naging girlfriend pero hindi ibig sabihin no'n ay walang nagkagusto sa 'yo."
Binalik ko sa pag kain ang atensiyon ko. Kinain ko ang pancake at blueberry na niluto niya para sa 'kin bago ko siya nilingong muli. I cleared my throat to get her attention. "B-Bakit... Ikaw ba n-nahuhulog ka ba dahil sa ugali ko?" Marahan akong napapikit dahil sa pagsalita ko nang pautal-utal.
"Oo..." diretso niyang sagot. "I have a crush on you but I will not date you. You're my boss and my closest friend. Parang kapatid na rin ang turing ko kina Lilac at parang pamangkin ko na rin ang baby elements. Masaya na ako sa gano'n. And also..." she looked away. "I'm older than you so it's a no."
"You're just a year older than me," nakanguso kong sabi. "Eh, kung i-fire na lang kaya kita para mag date tayo?" suhestiyon ko.
Malawak siyang ngumiti. "Hindi mo ako pwedeng i-fire, Ren. Ang sabi mo sa 'kin, kung okay na ako at kung gugustuhin ko nang umalis, e magpaalam lang ako."
I smirked then slowly nodded.
"You deserve all the love a partner could give to you," she uttered. "I like someone else, Ren. Hindi ko kayang i-take for granted ang mangyayari sa 'tin kasi hindi mo deserve 'yon. Maybe sooner or later, pagsisisihan ko 'to pero I'd rather regret this than take you for granted." She shook her head, sipping her coffee, again.
I genuinely smiled at her, nodding. "I understand, Joy. Thank you for being honest with me." I cleared my throat. "I know you like my friend."
She froze, her eyes widen. "W-What did you say?"
"The way your eyes shines when you look at him is way too different from the way you look at others, including me."
"K-Kung alam mo... Bakit mo pa ako tinanong kung gusto ba kita at kung papayag ba akong makipag-date?"
ŞİMDİ OKUDUĞUN
When The Flower Falls (Fitzmael 7)
Romantizm[VIOLENCE | TRIGGER WARNING | STRONG LANGUAGE] Ren hasn't had a girlfriend since he was born, although he couldn't care less about it. Everyone who knows him would describe him as a flower that blooms all the time. If you're in danger, he will alwa...
