There are people who walk into your life by chance.
Then there are those who become home without anyone noticing.
Before he became a captain.
Before he became the man I loved.
He was simply...
Kuya Jax.
⸻
The Mendoza residence was never quiet.
Every Saturday morning, the sound of basketballs bouncing against the driveway echoed through the neighborhood, followed by loud laughter that almost always came from one person.
"Levi! Bilisan mo!" a familiar voice called from outside the gate.
Twelve-year-old Levi Mendoza rolled his eyes before running toward the front door.
"Nandiyan na si Jax!"
Without waiting for permission, he swung the gate open and welcomed his best friend inside.
"Tita Eliana! Tito Anthony! Good morning po!" the boy greeted politely, flashing the smile that could win over just about anyone.
"Good morning, Jax!" Eliana answered warmly from the kitchen. "Breakfast ka muna bago kayo maglaro."
"Salamat po!"
Anthony chuckled from the dining table.
"Hindi na bisita 'yan. Alam na niya kung nasaan ang plato."
The whole family laughed.
It had always been that way.
Jaxon Montero wasn't just Levi's best friend.
Little by little...
He had become part of the Mendoza family.
⸻
"Kuya!"
Tiny footsteps echoed through the hallway.
A seven-year-old girl wearing mismatched slippers ran as fast as her little legs could carry her before wrapping her arms around Jaxon's waist.
"Kuya Jaaax!"
Jaxon looked down and sighed dramatically.
"Ayan na naman ang buntot ko."
"I am not your buntot!" Lianna protested, puffing out her cheeks.
"Talaga?"
He took one step.
She followed.
Another step.
She followed again.
Levi burst into laughter.
"Sabi ko sa'yo, Jax. Simula noong nakilala ka niyan, ikaw na ang paborito."
"Hoy!" Anthony called from behind. "Daddy pa rin ang favorite."
Lianna tilted her head innocently.
"Second ka lang po, Daddy."
The entire house erupted in laughter.
Anthony placed a hand over his chest.
"Aray ah."
Jaxon smirked.
"Naku, Tito. Naagawan kita."
"Masaya ka?"
"Opo."
Anthony pretended to chase him with a dish towel while everyone laughed harder.
⸻
That afternoon, the boys were playing basketball in the driveway.
Lianna stood near the porch, arms crossed.
"Kasali ako."
"Hindi puwede," Levi answered immediately.
"Bakit?"
"Maliit ka pa."
"I can play!"
"Hindi."
She looked at Jaxon with pleading eyes.
"Kuya Jax..."
Jaxon scratched the back of his neck.
"Levi, pagbigyan na natin."
"Huwag!"
"Isang tira lang."
Levi groaned dramatically.
"Sige na nga."
Jaxon lifted Lianna onto his shoulders until she was high enough to reach the hoop.
"O, shoot."
Her tiny hands pushed the ball forward.
It bounced off the backboard...
...and dropped straight into the net.
"Yaaaaay!"
She threw both arms into the air while laughing so hard that Jaxon almost lost his balance.
"I did it!"
"You did."
He smiled.
And for reasons he couldn't explain...
Seeing her happy always felt like winning.
⸻
The afternoon turned into evening.
The smell of Eliana's home-cooked dinner filled the house.
After eating far too much, the boys sprawled out in the living room to watch a movie.
Halfway through, Lianna quietly climbed onto the couch beside Jaxon.
He barely noticed.
Until he felt something warm resting against his shoulder.
He looked down.
The little girl had fallen asleep.
One tiny hand was still clutching the sleeve of his shirt.
Without saying a word, Jaxon carefully adjusted the blanket over her.
Eliana watched from across the room and smiled.
"Ang bait mo talaga sa kapatid ni Levi."
Jaxon shrugged.
"Makulit lang po siya."
"Makulit..."
Eliana laughed softly.
"...pero ikaw lagi ang hinahanap."
Jaxon glanced at the sleeping child.
Then gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
"Hindi naman po ako aalis."
He said it so casually.
Like it was the easiest promise in the world.
None of them knew that life had a way of testing even the simplest promises.
None of them knew that the little girl sleeping peacefully beside him would one day become the woman who would change everything.
And none of them knew...
That the boy who became part of the Mendoza family would someday have to choose between his best friend...
...and the only woman he had ever truly loved.
BẠN ĐANG ĐỌC
Until You Were Always Mine
Lãng mạnI fell in love with my brother's best friend long before I knew what love really meant. At seven years old, Lianna Mendoza believed Capt. Jaxon Montero hung the moon. He was the boy who carried her when she fell, remembered her favorite chocolates f...
