Shipwrecked Hearts

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"Where have you been? Bigla kayong nawala ni Saavedra." Saad ko kay Aurelius nang makita ko muli siya. "I thought you left me." I joked.

"Oh, we went outside for a few minutes to discuss some things in private." Aniya. "Sorry, we left without notice. Well, our subject was quite serious, that's why." He explained. Tumango naman ako at hindi na nagtanong pa. I already get it, since they even had the audacity to live without a word, what they talked about must be something very serious and none of my business, which, I understand since that is also his privacy.

Ngunit may parte, may bahagi sa aking puso na magtanong sa kanya. When Aurelius moved closer to me, doon ko muli naamoy ang pamilyar na amoy ni Maximo. "Aurelius, can I smell you for a second?"

"What?" Namula ang pisngi ni Aurelius dahil sa aking tanong.

"It will be very quick." Sabi ko. Hindi ko na hinintay pa ang kanyang sagot at mabilis kong nilapit ang aking ilong sa kanyang damit. I closed my eyes and savored the scent of Maximo that was mixed with his. Why is it that he has this unique smell of Maximo?

"W-What are you doing?" Tarantang tanong ni Aurelius.

"You smell like someone I know."

That's when I smelled the faint nervousness that lingered in him, I can tell what I said might have triggered something. Curiosity got the best of me. I needed to know... what is it that he is hiding from me and how come he hides it so well?

"It's probably because I've been with a lot of people today, Kira. And you really have a very sharp sense, especially with smell. You're like a dog, but that's not a degradation, alright?"

"I know." Ngumiti ako. The only difference is that my smell is so sharp I cannot only smell scent, but I can also smell danger, emotions, and even thoughts if I am under a certain condition that is extreme.

"Ladies and gentlemen, to formally start the celebration, may I call on Mr. Saavedra, the father of the birthday celebrant, to say his opening remarks and inspirational message to his daughter, Ms. Saavedra Stilinski." The emcee announced. "Everyone, please find your seats."

Kasabay nito ay agad na humanap ng puwesto ang mga tao at nagsiupuan. Naghanap na rin kami ni Aurelius. It was somewhere around the corner. It happened that the guy at my side as well was Saavedra's brother.

"Kira Renaissance, right?" Tanong nito sa akin. "We seem to bump into each other, what a coincidence." He smiled.

"Ano na ulit ang pangalan mo?" I asked. I seriously forgot his name since I was too engrossed a while ago with many things. I was too distracted to even care who he was.

"Ouch, that hurts. People always tell me I leave a very good impression. This is my first time." He said. Hindi ko na lang iyon sinagot dahil hindi ko naman din alam kung paano sasagutin iyan. I guess this man is a narcist? "And you are probably thinking that I am a narcist." He chuckled.

That's when he finally caught my interest, so I looked at him. "Name?"

"Alright. Don't be pushy, I'm Stark Stilinski, brother of Saavedra. We're twins."

"Why aren't you with your family then?" I asked. Tinuro ko ang puwesto kung nasaan naroroon ang angkan ng mga Saavedra.

"Oh, they're not fond of me." He replied as if that was obvious, "I am the black sheep of the family. Or that's what I think of myself. They want me to inherit and go after my father's footsteps, but all I want is to enjoy. So, my family and I are not on good terms. They even had the audacity to tell me they wished I was like Saavedra—responsible, family-oriented, and knows how to continue the legacy." He was too talkative but at least I was informed a little about Saavedra's personality. I don't know why I seem to care about the character of this girl. Alam ko lang na may tinatago ito sa akin.