Kiwi Wives

11

Franki's

It was cute how Gino confessed his feelings for Kiara. Diana and I were sitting beside each other and I couldn't resist to hold Diana's hand as Gino sang for Kiara. We were all smiling at the cute love dorks. I remember when we were playing truth or dare and Diana asked if Kiara could see Gino as her boyfriend outside. When Kiara said yes, Gino was super happy that he had to hide his face so that no one could see how red it was. We could sense the strong chemistry between the two and all of us were supporting them but I also started to get jealous.

Is it wrong if I'm starting to envy Gino and Kiara? I've always longed for a relationship similar to Kiara and Gino's. My past relationships were always toxic. Since my dad died, I've always been looking for the love that I have been lacking. I was so desperate for love that I became blinded with the idea of it. I thought that being in a relationship will fill the love I needed but I was wrong. Several toxic relationships later, I found myself empty. I knew I never fell in love with any of my past relationships, but I tried repeatedly, eventually I got burnt out depressed.

Before I migrated to the Philippines, I knew I shouldn't repeat the same mistakes that I did. I promised myself that I focus on my goals and less on what was lacking in my life. So far it was working but seeing how Gino and Kiara are building each other up and their relationship, I can't help but feel envious.

I heard this Filipino phrase from Sky once that said, "Sana all." When Diana translated for me I understood what it meant and that's the exact phrase for what I am feeling right now. I wish I could have the same. I wish I could have someone to tell me that they want to be with me because they are in love with me. I didn't need a song or whatever trick they could pull up their sleeves, I just needed to be loved.

We gave Gino and Kiara time to talk while Diana and I went to our room. "Franki, can you curl the back of my hair?" She asked while holding a curling iron.

I obliged and took it from her. "I'll do it all," I volunteered. She smiled and said okay. As I was curling her hair, I remembered the time when she told us she was talking to someone before she got here. I couldn't help but wonder who it was. I didn't care if that person was a girl or a boy. I cared whether he/she took care of Diana or if he/she could make her happy.

As much as I longed for love, I wanted Diana to have all the love in the world. What she went through was a dark phase and right now, all she deserves is love and happiness.

"Ouch!" Diana exclaimed as I accidentally burnt her ear with the curling iron.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to." I apologized with complete sincerity. My mind was filled with thoughts and I didn't get to focus on what I was doing that I hurt her. She held her ear and winced in the pain. I panicked and told her that I was going to get some ice to numb her ear.

"No, Franki its fine please stay," she told me as she looked the my reflection in the mirror. She smiled and told me it was fine. "Please do my hair?" Diana requested to calm me down and I obliged. I took the curling iron and focused on her hair so I won't hurt her again.

"Lalim nang iniisip mo kanina ah. You were zoning out, why?" Diana asked slightly tilting her head as she looked at me curiously through the mirror.

"I don't know. I just wished all of us had the same thing Gino and Kiara had." I explained myself and Diana faced me. I turned the curling iron off and sat on the vanity table while getting ready for our conversation.

"They're really sweet noh? Super ideal," she said.
"Yeah, I know! They're somewhat similar to those stories in books narrating about how some rich guy meets this simple girl and falls in love with her."
"Oh my God, I was thinking the same thing!" We laughed and hi-fived each other. When our hands touch, she held it longer, looked at it and noticed something.

"Franki, you burnt your hand as well." When she told me this, I suddenly felt a tingling pain on my hand. I might have burnt it when I was holding her hair and she shrieked because of the pain.

"Oh, I didn't notice." I told her. She looked at me concerned and held my hand near her mouth to blow it.

"Does that feel better?" She asked while smiling. To be honest, her blowing didn't make it any better but her cuteness did distract me from the pain. "Yes, it did," I assured her with a smile.

"Now tell me the real reason why you were zoning out." She ordered seriously. She knew there was something else that I was thinking about aside from Gino and Kiara. She looked at my intensely and I surrendered because there was no way I would be able to turn down that gaze.

"Its nothing. I just remembered our first night here and you told us you were talking to someone outside," I told her shyly.
"Well someone's interested with my love life," she teased and I slapped her arm shyly. "Come on Diana, I basically told you my whole life already, can't I at least learn more about you?" I demanded.

"Fine, what do you want to know?" She asked, lifting her glasses up her hair in the hottest way possible.
I thought about what to ask her. My first question was to ask who this person was and how did she meet him/her, but that didn't seem to matter for me. What mattered is this question. "Does this person make you happy?"

She was surprised with my question. Maybe she thought I was just going to ask her the usual ones but I didn't. She fixed her position and aswered me with a "yes."

"That's good," I told her. I went back to fixing her hair and I told her to face the mirror again. I curled portions of her hair with determined focus. I couldn't make a mistake. I turned quiet and realized that I became more jealous after she told me this. I wanted to be the one who could make her happy. I wanted to be the one who could lift her mood up during a hard day. I wanted to be her happy pill but I guess that seat was already taken. When I finished doing her hair I fixed it once more, looked at her and told her we're done. She didn't check her hair, instead she looked at me with enormous curiosity and asked, "That's all you wanted me to tell you?"

"Yes." Her face changed into a frown. She checked her hair in front of the mirror still with a frown. A little while later, her frown faded and turned into a smile. Then she told me, "But this person will never make me happy the same way you do."

She winked, thanked me with a kiss on the cheek and left the room with me dumbfounded.

Diana Mackey, you make me crazy.