Wedding, Interrupted (Published under Pop Fiction)

5: Sigourney

"Jaron!" I glared at my fiancé, who just turned up at my place this morning to announce that he was taking me somewhere to introduce me to his cousins, who just arrived from Catalona. They were among his relatives whom I never met before, since they live in the province. "Bakit naman ngayon mo lang sinabi sa akin na ipapakilala mo ako sa kanila? Anong isusuot ko? Ni hindi man lang ako nakabili ng maayos na damit! Ano na lang ang magiging impression nila sa akin?"

He only laughed at my panicked state. "Calm down, babe. Bakit naman kailangan mo ng bagong damit? Any old dress of yours will do. 'Wag kang mag-alala – sigurado namang magugustuhan ka nila."

After fussing over my appearance for more than an hour, I managed to come up with a get-up that made me confident enough to face Jaron's cousins – including, apparently, his best man Sebastian. I tied my hair up into a ponytail, leaving a few tendrils hanging loose to frame my face. I opted to wear my favorite chiffon dress and matching strappy sandals.

"You look gorgeous, Sig." Jaron smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Let's get going, shall we? I just received a text from Seb that they're on their way to the restaurant."

****

Jaron and I made it to the meeting place just a few minutes before his cousins did. The moment the door of the restaurant opened and four guys made their way in, alam ko na kaagad na sila ang mga pinsan ng fiancé ko. They all looked the way I expected a Silvera would – piercing eyes, strong jawlines with hints of stubble, clean haircuts and towering heights. In other words, qualities that make a lot of women lose their minds over men the likes of Jaron.

One of them looked over to where Jaron and I were seated, grinned, and pointed out our table to the rest. The four Silvera cousins made their way towards us, and I felt a flutter of nerves. Napansin kong hindi lang ako ang babaeng sinusundan ng tingin ang paglalakad nila palapit sa amin.

"Jaron." The same guy who saw us first clapped my fiancé on the shoulder. "What's up?"

"Hey." Jaron grinned at his cousin. "Did you guys have a hard time finding our meeting place?"

"Hindi naman." The guy tilted his head ever so slightly. Then he turned to me, smiled, and said, "So, this is the soon-to-be Mrs. Silvera. Hello, Sigourney."

"Hi." I smiled back at him, thanking the heavens that my voice didn't come out as squeaky, when I half-expected it to be. "Nice to meet you."

"Babe, this is Kaden," Jaron said, taking over, as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. The cousin who was first to greet me winked roguishly. I have a feeling that among the five of them, si Kaden ang pinakamakulit. He looked like the type of guy who enjoys late-night parties.

"And this is Gael." The guy right beside Kaden grinned at me. Gael wasn't as playful as Kaden, but he seemed to have a wild streak in him as well.

"That's Erisson," my fiancé continued with the introduction. Erisson waved good-naturedly. If I were to guess, tingin ko ay siya ang pinakabata sa magpipinsan. He was the only one wearing glasses – but to him it looked appealing, not nerdy.

"And finally, this is Sebastian."

Ah, so this is the best man. Sebastian was the tallest of the lot, even surpassing Jaron – who is already towering – by a few inches. Sa magpipinsan, mukhang siya naman ang pinakaseryoso. He gave me a thoughtful look and didn't even crack a smile. It was also he who has the most penetrating stare; it gave me the impression that I was being scrutinized. Unable to take his gaze any longer, I looked away and focused on Jaron instead.

"These guys are my best friends, growing up," my fiancé was saying. "Sa kanila ko natutunan ang lahat ng alam kong kalokohan."

"Yeah, right." Gael chuckled. "Alam naman nating lahat na sa ating lima, ikaw ang pinakaloko."