I drank water from the bottle as We Won't began to play on the speakers while Zeno was freestyling beside me. Nang malapit nang magsimula ang unang verse ay sinarado ko ang bote bago ihinagis sa gilid. Zeno smoothly positioned behind me.
The dance step started and I stared at my own reflection the whole time. Seryoso ako habang nagsasayaw. I moved as gracefully and fluidly as possible, just like what my younger brother instructed. Ginagalingan ko talaga dahil paniguradong lalaitin ako ni Zeno kapag hindi ko inayos.
Zeno's the once who choreographed the dance. Lyrical Hip Hop. He excels in this type of dance. My brother is a really good dancer. May fan page pa nga ito na siya mismo ay hindi alam kung sino ang nagha-handle. It has over a hundred thousand likes. Sa galing ba naman niyang sumayaw? Dagdag points pa na gwapo siya at maganda ang katawan.
The chorus part of the song started, one of my favorite parts of the dance. My body was slightly crouched and my hands were on my mouth from the last step. I fluidly raised my arms to the air, slowly bringing it down to my head, grazing it down to my body as I moved back, bouncing through the beat.
Near our pelvis, we swiped our hands away from one another, forming a cross as we made a single step sideward with a slightly complicated foot work. The next steps easily came to me. Sa tagal ba naman namin na pagpapractice?
After facing each other, we began to swiftly moved away from each other, stepping backwards. Si Zeno lang ang biglang naglakad palapit sa akin at swabeng nagfreestyle. Ginawa ko rin ang tinuro niya sa aking freestyle kunwari lang dahil praktisado ko.
The routine ended with us freestyling until we faced each other and I pushed his left shoulder. Tumalikod siya at nagsimula na ang sumunod na kanta. It's an upbeat one. Swalla by Jason Derulo.
Dito na ako nakangiti habang sinasayaw. It's fast but the moves are easier than it looks. Mukha itong mahirap pero nang ituro ni Zeno sa akin ay naging madali lang para sa akin. May kasamang body wave, pelvic thrust, at pag giling ang sayaw na ito pero lahat ay nakaya ni Zeno. He actually looked hot when he did the steps. It didn't look girly on him, he gave it swag.
Nang matapos ang sayaw ay bumagsak ako sa sahig at tumawa. We've been dancing for hours! Pumalakpak naman si Zeno.
"You improved!" puri nito sa akin.
"Sure." I scoffed. "You over danced me that you'll have to carry me out of this studio."
"Pabuhat ka kay Kuya Silas." ismid nito na sinamahan pa ng irap bago ako tinalikuran. Suplado!
Ako, hindi ina-ate pero si Silas, nagagawa niyang tawaging Kuya. Magaling.
A few gentle knocks rapped on the door. Agad akong napatingin doon. Ilang saglit ay bumukas ang pinto. I saw Silas and a wide grin broke on my face. His eyes immediately found mine. I didn't move from the floor.
I watched Silas enter the room and close the door behind him. He walked towards where I was but scanned the room. He knows I'm with Zeno, so he's looking for him. I can't help but look for my brother, too. I found him seated on the stool. Nakapatong ang towel sa kanyang balikat at nag-aayos na ng gamit sa kanyang bag.
"Zeno." pormal na bati nito.
Tango lang ang naging sagot ng suplado kong kapatid. He's actually warmer to Silas compared to me and Hadeon. Sa aming magkakapatid ay siya ang mortal enemy namin ni Hadeon. Namin... because we're twins, so we're a team.
Nagpatuloy si Silas sa paglakad hanggang sa nakatayo na siya sa gilid ko. Ngumuso ako at itinaas ang dalawang braso. "Buhat."
Bahagyang nandilat ang mga mata ni Silas. Namula ang mukha niya at nag-iwas sa akin ng tingin. Nawala ang pagkanguso ng mga labi ko at napangiti. He's too cute!
"Laurene!" galit na tawag ng kapatid ko. "Nakakahiya ka!"
Umayos ako ng upo at tumawa. Hindi ko inintindi ang pandidiri ng kapatid ko. May ilang bulong na pinakawalan si Zeno bago padabog na tumayo sa stool at lumabas na ng studio. Naiwan kaming dalawa ni Silas. Ubos na ang tawa ko pero naiwan ang malaking ngiti sa aking mukha.
Silas cleared his throat. He awkwardly brought his eyes back to me. He put his hand forward. My attention transferred to it. I saw him holding a bottle of mineral water. I warmly smiled at him and took it from his hand.
"Merci, mon coeur." I sweetly said, with the proper French accent and all.
Pumikit ako at ininom ng deretso ang tubig. I feel completely satisfied after drinking. Ibinaba ko ang bote at nang tumingala para tingnan si Silas ay nakita ko na bahagyang namumula ulit ang mukha niya. Umangat ang isang kilay ko.
He licked his lips, his cheeks still flushed. "A-Are you done?"
I bit my lip to hide my smile. I think I have a clue... Naughty.
I nodded. "Yup."
The next days were filled with Silas, academics, and debut preparations. Ilang araw na lang ang bibilangin ay birthday bash na namin ni Hadeon, kaya mas naging busy. Sa debut party ko ay mga family friends, important business affiliates, at mga close friends ko lang ang imbitado, which is not really many if you'll exclude Hadeon's friends. And can someone actually believe that these close friends include Vance?
Sa party ni Hadeon sa club ay doon imbitado ang mga nasa broader circle at acquaintances ang inimbitahan niya. The more, the merrier.
The venue of my debut is in a garden. My father thought it would be easiest to host it in our grandest hotel, but I wanted something special. My mother suggested garden as a venue, that it would look great in the photos, I immediately agreed.
Eula, my event planner from Glamur Ad, went to several events venue before finding the perfect one. The place was big and it has stairs that I could do my grand entrance, too! She drew me the perfect layout for the venue. Flowers, white fairy lights, white clothe, glittery gold. Doon umikot ang design ng venue, but it looked perfect.
The venue was bright and deep colors were given emphasis. From the place itself to the table setting, down to the smallest details. Sinadya iyon para mas lalo akong magstand out sa napili kong gown.
It'sa gray ball gown with flowing trail. I wanted it pure white originally, but I'd look like a bride more than a debutant. Ngayon ay mukhang dirty-white lang. The upper part of the gown is a see through corset with deep sweetheart neck, heavily filled with silver and white pearls.
May rooms sa venue kaya roon na ako inayusan. Limang tao ang nagtulong sa pag-aayos sa akin. Isang hair stylist, dalawang make-up artist, at ang dalawa naman ay fashion stylist. Isang oras pa bago ang event ay nakaayos na ako. Pati ang aking ball gown ay suot ko na. That's because we'll be having a shoot.
Maliban sa mga artists at stylists ay crew lang ng photographer at videographer ang nasa venue ng ganitong kaaga. Even my parents aren't here. I didn't wanna spoil their reactions as I make my grand entrance.
Kabang-kaba ako sa loob ng kwarto habang mag-isang naghihintay ng pagsimula ng event. The party will be starting on time kaya hindi naman extended ang kaba ko kahit papaano. I still haven't seen family or Silas. I've been texting Silas. Hindi kasi mawala ang kaba ko. At least talking to him calms me somehow.
Silas:
We're here.
Napasingap ako sa text niya. We're. Plural.
He came with his family. Of course, we invited them. It's only right to invite my boyfriend's family, even when they weren't warm to me when we first and last met. I can still remember how his father looked at me with complete disinterest and disapproval, his stepmother with a bit of hesitation, and his siblings couldn't care less.
Natigil ako sa mga iniisip nang may kumatok sa pinto. I don't have any guesses except for Eula or Hadeon. Bawal kasi ang ibang tao rito. Tumayo ako para pagbuksan kung sino man iyon.
I was right. They were both standing in front of the door way. Eula's wearing a classy black dress. Ang kambal ko naman ay nakasuot ng classic tux. His hair was perfectly styled. He looked handsome. Syempre, kambal ko yan e.
"It's time for the grand entrance." sabi ni Eula habang nakatingin sa kanyang tablet. Sa kabilang kamay niya ay hawak ang isang walkie-talkie. "Kasama ko si L. Ready lights and music."
Inangat niya ang tingin sa amin ni Hadeon. "Let's go?"
Hadeon offered his arm and I gladly accepted it. May nakakabit na itim na tela sa gilid kaya hindi kita ang paglabas namin. The black material covers until the mouth of the staircase.
"You look beautiful, twin."
I grinned at him. "Thank you."
"What? No you too?" he sarcastically said.
I shook my head at him and just smirked. I never claimed to be humble. I've seen how I looked tonight, and I looked extremely better than usual. Hadeon doesn't need confirmation, too. He knows how good looking he is.
Both sides of my hair were styled semi-braid semi-fishtailed. It was tied beautifully at the middle part of the back of my head. The rest of my hair was heavily volumized and curled. They added extensions, which made it thicker and better. Two thin fringes of my hair were hanging loosely near my temple. It added charm to the look.
And because my gown was light. they darkened up my eye shadow a bit, adding it a little shimmer using glitter eye shadow. My lipstick was a shade of natural nude pink.
The lights turned off, the floor only lit up with fairlights. Bumukas ang fairy lights na nakabalot sa handrail ng hagdan. A soft spotlight shined upon the stairs. The soft version of Lights Down Low began to play. That was our cue.
Nanatiling tahimik ang lahat nang lumabas kami ni Hadeon. May munting bulungan nang mag-umpisa kaming maglakad pababa. I scanned the tables, even when I can't see their faces properly. Napatingin ako sa set up ng venue, I can't help but be at awe. Sa backdrop ng mini-stage kung saan ako pupwesto ay ang magandang mini-pavillion.
There were lights and flowers everywhere. Sa gilid ay ang sound system at ang may kalakihan na white screen. Hadeon and I were plastered there, the shot was a close up of our faces. The lighting was good though. I have no complaints.
I wasn't sure who started it, but claps began to fall as we finished our last step and began to walk down the path. Nakangiti lang ako habang iginagala ang mga mata. My eyes found the table where my family and Silas' family are. They were all smiling warmly, only Zeno looks smug.
Inilibot ko pa ang mga mata sa table na iyon hanggang sa natagpuan si Silas na manghang nakatingin sa akin. Nakauwang ng bahagya ang labi niya. Mas naging natural ang ngiti ko nang makita ang reaksyon niya. Nawala na ang kaba na nararamdaman ko kanina.
Nang makarating kami sa harapan ay umalis na rin si Hadeon at umupo sa table namin. I was left alone in front of the crowd. All eyes were on me.
The host casually removed the tension and silence by complimenting me and asking me how I was feeling. Makalipas ng ilang tanong ay ini-play na ang video presentation. Growing up, with matching voice over. It was all about me.
Sa bandang gitna ay hindi ko inaasahan. Brief clips of my family, talking about me—my likes, dislikes, and sorts. At wala akong kaalam-alam tungkol doon!
Nagulat din ako sa ibang clips ko. I was oblivious to the camera in some clips. Majority of those clips showed how close we are as a family, iyong asaran at family bonding. Pati frequent travels namin. It got me teary eyed.
Si Ate Lavie rin ay na-interview. The next clip that caught me offguard was of Orion and Takumi. They were describing me as a friend. Orion, being the asshole he is, said that we were archenemy. Ang video na nagpagulat talaga sa akin ay kay Silas. I thought of it, but I didn't actually expect it. He's too shy for the camera but wow...
"How long have you known Laurene?" the voiceover asked.
"Almost three years." seryosong sagot ni Silas. It made me glance at him. Ang akala ko ay nakatingin siya sa projector katulad ng iba pero nagulat ako nang makita na sa akin siya nakatingin.
"Tell us random things that you think only you, know about her." the voice over asked, the same question from the others.
Napahinto saglit si Silas. At mukhang ni-cut agad ang clip sa sagot niya. "She's the opposite of everyone I know. Including me."
Ang akala ko ay iyon lang ang magiging sagot niya. Silas isn't big in talking for too long... But then he surprised me again.
"When everyone is running after time, she walks and completely slows down. When everyone takes cover from the rain, she dances under it. When everyone keeps on telling her she's wrong, she does nothing but prove them right. She's unpredictable. Just when you think you'll have her figure out... She's the greatest surprise that you'll have everyday in your life."
My smile faded as I stared at the screen. I bit down on my lip. My chest constricted. My heart clenched at every word.
"Who is Laurene to you?" the voice over asked, I can hear the smile in her voice. Siguro tulad ko ay kinilig sa naging sagot ni Silas.
Silas licked his lips and a small but soft smile hinted on his lips. "Everything."