decoding the boys ✔️

64 | plans

"What time ba?" I hastily asked.

"Night. Say, ten. Dadaan lang ako sa school mamaya then sunduin na lang kita."

"Sino-sino tayo?"

"Geon, me. Not sure yet but maybe Paul will tag along."

"Sige. Daan tayo sa Starbs, a?"

Kuya chuckled. "Sure."

#

Kuya Andrei picked me up at around 8:30 PM. Medyo napaaga dahil maaga din natapos ang kung ano mang inaasikaso niya sa school. We met Angelo in a bulalo restaurant somewhere and was now chilling at Starbucks, Twin Lakes.

Busy ang dalawa sa mga ka-text nila. I was frowning as I stared at the bandaid on Angelo's right cheek.

Medyo kinutuban ako. Kanina ko pa gustong magtanong pero nandito kasi si Kuya Andrei. I didn't want him to know.

"Restroom lang," paalam ni Kuya after a while.

Tumango ako. When he was gone, my eyes zeroed in on Angelo again.

The kumag chuckled, lowering his phone, and with grey eyes twinkling, said, "You're so obvious, Jamie V."

"What happened d'yan?"

He shrugged. "I had a run-in with a tree."

I gave him the eye. "Who won?"

"Well, have you heard of any bruising tree?" Tumawa siya.

I knitted my brows. "No, seriously. What happened? Did you . . . Did you have a fight with Racel?"

Tumaas ang mga kilay niya at napaayos siya ng upo niya. "What? No!" Lalo siyang tumawa at kinapa ang bandaid sa mukha niya. "This one's from Cari's stalker. I missed a bit so the dick landed a punch but it's nothing. Just a silly bruise is all."

I wasn't totally buying it but my shoulders sagged in somewhat relief. "You sure?"

"Oo nga. Your bro kasi, e. If only he didn't break up with my bes, e 'di sana I won't feel the need to round on every other guy out there."

"I didn't break up with her."

Parehas kaming nagulat sa bagong boses na 'yon. Straightening up, we turned over our shoulders to see Kuya Andrei walking over to us.

Tinitigan ko siya as if silently sending him my confusion.

"Yeah?" Angelo said, confusion written all over his face too.

Umupo si Kuya sa harap ko. He wasn't looking at us but at the scenery laid out in front of us. The cold wind blew over, sending his black locks dancing around his alabaster face.

"She broke up with me," paglilinaw niya.

"And you let her?" Angelo asked.

Kuya Andrei shrugged, a look of defeat passing quickly over his face before his usual poker face came back on. "What was I supposed to do? I couldn't force someone who was bent on leaving to stay. It was her call to make and she made it."

The solemnity in his voice, the carefully hidden emotion there, and the way his eyes wavered rendered me quiet, thinking and curious of what exactly went down with these two in the past.

Nagkatinginan kami ni Angelo. Same questions were obviously running through our minds, but none of us voiced them out loud. We both knew Kuya would refuse to speak any more than he already had.

#

It took another three days before I saw him again. Three long fucking days.

I just got home from a bonding with Lhyle and Hiromi when I spotted him outside our house, leaning against his BMW with a bouquet in his hands.