I Would Hate To Be You

Chapter 14 [bias wrecker]

Chapter 14

"Will you stop running in circles? Kanina pa ako nahihilo dahil sa'yo!" Kuya Boaz exclaimed. He has these scary eyes and he looks like he wants to strangle me now. Pagod na pagod na yata siya kakahintay sa'kin. He's been grouching for the past two hours.

To pacify him, I turned to him and wiggled my eyebrows while saying, "Saglit na lang 'to, Kuya. Promise!" I even raised my hand to show him that this time, I am serious. I looked around and kept on pacing here and there but I still can't decide. "Hmmm, this one's good but . . ." I hesitated while looking at the dress I'm holding.

"For the love of God, Andrei, just choose!" he groaned. I swear, he almost rolled his eyes!

I scrunched my nose and pouted. Sobrang sungit. Kainis.

I deserve more patience than this. Hello? Pupunta ako sa bahay ng biggest happy crush ko tapos minamadali niya akong mamili ng damit dito sa mall?

"Sorry that I had to tag you along with this whole shopping thing, Kuya. But you have to understand that I am a girl. I am a girl, Kuya. A girl," paulit-ulit kong paalala sa kaniya. I don't think he's getting the point here. "What I'm trying to say is that we're in the department store and there are a lot of pretty dresses here and you're harassing me to move faster just because you're a guy," I told him, pulling a drama.

Napapikit lang siya at buntong-hininga dahil sa sinabi ko.

Poor him. If I know gusto na niya akong isako at itapon sa labas.

I couldn't help but laugh at his frustration. Alam ko namang façade lang 'tong pagsusungit niya at kahit na alam naman niyang kaya kong mag-shopping mag-isa, sinamahan niya pa rin ako. He loves me that much but he just doesn't want to show it. Ewan ko ba rito sa kapatid ko. Sobrang dry!

Pressured, I looked around and mentally prayed to find the right dress for me. Habang naglalakad kami, alam kong nakasimangot siya sa tabi ko kaya mas lalo akong hindi makapag-focus. And so, I excused myself and told him I'll look around.

Sighing, he agreed. I took the liberty to roam around and when I saw the dress, I immediately took it out from the hanger and went to where my Kuya Boaz is.

"Kuya, ito na!" I giggled while showing him what I bought.

"Para kang bulateng inasinan, Andrei," he said, annoyed while looking down at me—literally. I mean, because he's so tall. He's like 5'11. And I'm only 5'4. Kayang-kaya niya akong hagipin at itulak anytime kapag nainis siya sa'kin. Buti na lang at love niya ako.

Ngumuso ako. "Eeew, Kuya. Ano bang comparison 'yan. Sa ganda kong 'to?" I grimaced in disdain.

He just shook his head and didn't say anything. Pagod na pagod na siguro siya sa drama ko. Well, he doesn't have a choice. He's been bearing the pain of having me for the last eighteen years. A few more minutes wouldn't hurt that much.

Pinahawak ko kay Kuya ang bag ko at nagpunta ako sa harapan ng salamin. "Ang ganda," I commented while smiling. Simple lang naman 'tong damit. Light pink cotton dress na lagpas sa tuhod. For the dinner, I don't want to be overdressed. Baka sabihin nila bida-bida ako masyado. So, I decided to keep it low-key but still girly.

"Pwede bang bayaran mo na 'to at kumain na tayo?" Kuya Boaz demanded.

I scrunched my nose and replied, "Fine." I shrugged while getting my bag from my brother's shoulder. Using my left hand, I carried the dress with me. Dapat ay kakapitan ko si kuya gamit ang kanan kong kamay pero agad siyang umilag. Kainis.

Nagpunta kami sa cashier at binayaran na ang nabili kong damit. It's less than a thousand. Pasok pa rin naman sa budget ko. Because for the record, I used my own money for this. So, I believe, I really deserved the time I took in thinking about what to choose.