The Burnt Out Gifted Kids (Under Revision)

12: ETHAN SMILED

APRIL 26, Wednesday

"Oh my God, kailan lang?" Yuki's voice shot with surprise. Napa-aray naman si Aiden nang dumapo ang malaking palad ni Yuki sa likuran niya.

Their voices stopped me from my tracks. Naka-open ang door ng mismong kusina kaya rinig na rinig sa labas ang mga boses nila.

Torn between revealing myself or listening to their conversation, I chose to hide for a while.

Something is going on.

"Last night," Aiden's voice held a trace of hesitation, his words drawing me deeper into their discussion.

Yuki's curiosity wouldn't be easily satisfied, and he pressed on, his tone eager. "What do you mean by pre-confessed? You confessed but you didn't?"

Aiden paused briefly as if choosing his words carefully. "Hinaan mo nga boses mo," Aiden warned before he added, "Sorta. I dropped some hints that I like her, but I don't think she caught on."

I shook my head. He's talking about you, Reina. Napahawak ako sa ulo ko, pushing the thought away.

Yuki's chuckle reverberated around the kitchen, carrying an air of amusement. "Seriously, everyone knows you like her except her. You've got some impressive patience, Kuya. Why don't you just tell her directly? You know, with actual words. Alam mo namang manhid yun."

Aiden's responses stopped for a minute. "What? Like, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Yuki burst into laughter. "Sure, it's a terrible line, but hey, it gets the message across. Can't you think of something better, though? Something more heartfelt and genuine? Para ka namang never pa nagka-girl friend."

"But she's different."

"You truly like her, don't you?"

Challenged by Yuki's comment, Aiden decided to put him to the test. "Alright, you give it a shot then. Impress me."

Yuki cleared his throat. "Oh, Binibini. From the moment our eyes met, I knew deep in my heart that you were the one destined for me. Time itself seemed to halt as our souls intertwined, freezing the very hands of the clock in their tracks..."

Aiden couldn't help but laugh, finding Yuki's attempt at romance both amusing and cringe-worthy. "Stop it. That's even worse than my line."

Undeterred, Yuki defended himself playfully, still chuckling. "Come on, Aiden. Romantic kaya!"

I peeked at them and saw Aiden smirking, shaking his head. "Romantic? More like overly dramatic and cheesy. Baduy!"

A blast from outside almost gave me a heart attack. Probably it was Ethan's car coming in from the gate kaya nagpasya na akong pumasok. "Anong pinag-uusapan niyo?" bungad na tanong ko sa kanilang dalawa.

"Reina," gulat na tawag ni Aiden the moment he saw me came in. "Kanina ka pa?"

I shook my head. "Bago lang," I concealed while rubbing my hands to my pants, kunwari kakagaling ko lang talaga sa washroom.

Yuki elbowed Aiden before he leaned to his ear.

"We were talking about spoken poetry. It's like balagtasan na free-verse. Do you think it's baduy? I think it's romantic," Yuki said to me and forced a chuckle.

"I love spoken poetry."

"See?" Yuki said, grabbing my arm, proud that I sided with him.

Pumagitna sa amin si Aiden before he rested his hand on my lower back, slightly pushing me away from Yuki. I closed my eyes briefly, steadying my breath, hoping that he wouldn't notice the effect of such a gesture on me.