Every Bad Thing

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Orion brought me to a snack bar since it's too early for dinner. Hindi siya umimik buong byahe at hanggang dito sa loob ng shop ay hindi pa rin siya nagsasalita. It's either he's expecting me to talk first or he's trying to look for the right words to say.

Nang may lumapit sa amin na waitress ay tsaka lang kami nagsalita para sabihin ang orders. Bumalik lang ang katahimikan nang umalis ang waitress.

He heavily sighed. I lifted my eyes from the table to look at his face. He looked resigned. His eyes were filled with exhaustion. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he quietly asked.

I pursed my lips. "I didn't know that I have to... and I'm not comfortable talking about him with you."

He clenched his jaw. Darkness fell upon his face. His eyes dropped to the table. I watched him get trapped in his own thoughts. His tensed shoulders slowly relaxed. He inhaled deeply before breathing out. He brought his eyes back to me.

"How's your internship?"

I didn't immediately answer and stared at him for a short while. Nang makita na wala na siyang balak na ibalik pa ang topic kanina ay sumagot na ako. We both pretended that what happened earlier didn't happen.

Orion drove me home with forty-five minutes to spare before our family dinner. I'm slowly getting used to eating at home again. Nung unang beses kasi ay naninibago ako sa pagsabay sa pagkain sa kanila. It was awkward and I felt like a total outsider.

I was told that my siblings, excluding Kuya Xavi, were in the play room. I changed into comfortable clothes before heading to where they were. 

Nahanap ko sila na nakaupo lahat sa couch at maingay na naglalaro ng multi-player game. Well, Hadeon and Zeno were playing. Si Hyon ay hawak ang phone at nanunuod lang sa kanila. She's the first one to notice my presence.

"Ate!" she happily greeted at the sight of me. 

Hyon is really the nicest and purest among us. She probably inherited it from our Mamie Helise, my father's mother. Because my parents may be nice, but they are far from pure. 

"Hey." nakangiting bati ko at lumapit sa kanila.

Hadeon and Zeno briefly looked at me but never stopped from their game. They are playing Tekken 7. I kissed Hyon on the cheek before proceeding to Zeno. Ngumiwi siya pero hindi niya nagawang punasan ang pisngi niya dahil hindi mabitawan ang controller. I laughed and kissed Hadeon after.

"Ah. I forgot to pick you up." Hadeon said, eyes still on the screen. "Who drove you home?"

"Cookie." I flippantly said before taking the spot beside him.

"What?" he looked at me, completely stopping from playing. Zeno whined but Hadeon ignored him. His entire attention was on me. His forehead creased. "Orion?"

"Yup. Who else?" I rolled my eyes. 

Hadeon stared at me for a while, like he was trying to see through my words. He thinks I'm lying? I arched a brow at him. His confusion was replaced with a scowl. He brought his hand to his face. I heard him mumbling indistinct curses. 

He shook his head and brought his eyes back to the game. He's making a face as he selected a new character. He cursed, shaking his head once again. "Damn. Bagal."

The next morning was a repeat of yesterday. Maaga ulit ako gumising dahil sa maaga ang pasok ko. Nasa table na ang lahat at ako na lang ang kulang. I greeted all of them good morning, kissing only our parents on the cheek.

I silently placed some food on my plate and poured some orange juice on my glass. It was quiet even when I started eating. 

"Laurene." my father broke the silence.