(ZANE AKAGE)
My ears are still ringing from the loud shriek Gilbert's sister made when Gilbert told her that we will be "staying" in Manila instead of flying back to the US where we live like I made Gilbert's family believe.
Lydia delos Santos also hugged her brother tight upon hearing the news from Gilbert. I even suspect tears on her eyes. I am standing at the sideline while the delos Santos siblings are saying farewell because Lydia will go back now to Samar with her coworkers.
"Wait until Mama hear this!" Gilbert's sister said excitedly after she let Gilbert go. "If you are staying in Manila, expect us to visit you next week. I know Mama will demand that we made that trip."
"Take the airplane," Gilbert said with a smile on his face that hasn't faded yet from the time he heard that I am giving him permission to tell his family that we are staying in Manila. "I will shoulder the fare cost. And your accomodations..."
"Thank you, Kuya." Lydia smiled at me. "Thank you, Mr.Akage. For deciding to stay as you establish a bank here."
"It's nothing," I said.
"Sorry if I cannot do the travelling to visit Samar," Gilber apologized to his sister while holding both of her hands in his. "My schedule will be hectic..."
"Don't." Lydia shook her head. "You don't need to explain. No need to apologize too. You are here now and we will get to visit you again..."
"Yes." Gilbert nodded and smiled. "But Lydia, can you ask for more leave from your bank? You just had this trip, what if they won't let you take more vacation days off?"
"This is not a vacation. This is part of work. And I have vacation days stacked up. I don't always use the allocated days off for us. I can use them now. And if they won't let me...well then I will resign..."
"It won't come to that," I chimed in to their conversation. "You don't need to resign..."
The delos Santos siblings stared at me. I inclined my head to Gilbert. "Oh right!" Gilbert focused on his sister again. "You don't need to worry about that. I am sure you will come up with something. Just..." he sighed. "Tell Mama that I won't leave the Philippines yet to go back to the US. We will stay here for awhile and I will really be happy if we can get together. Take the plane...not the bus. Okay?"
"Okay, I will tell Mama. Can we call you later?" Lydia asked.
"Yes," Gilbert hugged his sister again. "You can call me anytime. I'm sorry that it took me awhile to come back, but I am here now. For you and Mama..."
"Stop apologizing, Kuya. I miss you. I love you..." Lydia sniffed before letting her brother go. "I have to go now. Chat with you later?"
"Yes," Gilbert waved to his sister as Lydia joined her coworkers so she can leave the hotel resort together with them.
"We also need to go," I told Gilbert. "The children are waiting for us."
Gilbert turned his eyes on me and he nodded. "Right." He said in agreement.
We cleaned up the room we occupied of our things. Gilbert packing them all neatly back to our travel cases. We said our goodbyes to the resort's owners with a promise of contacting each other and meeting again in Manila.
Then Gilbert and I made our journey back to the capital. It's already mid afternoon when we got to the building housing our penthouse.
Gilbert and I are carrying our own cases to the elevator when he stopped me.
"Wait!" Gilbert put a hand on my elbow. I stopped and regarded him. "Why?"
"Did you remember our talk?" He asked. "Once we got back to the penthouse, I am no longer your "pet"." He said.
I nodded. "Okay." I said. Controlling my emotions as to not give any outward reaction to what he said.
Gilbert frowned a little. His forehead creasing. Scrutinizing me with his eyes. Then he smiled before taking a step towards me. He gently let go of his travel case to regard me closer.
"From now on, you will need to ask me first before you can touch me. And I have the rights to say no," he said in a clear, even tone.
"Okay..." I inwardly sighed. That means I can never touch him again. Gilbert hates me. He might feel a bit of gratitude now but we had years of animosity between us because of what happened to Rei and Robin. And because I separated him from his family.
"Give me your words," Gilbert said. "I know Akages are cruel bunch but your words has honors. Give them to me,"
I nodded. "I won't touch you unless you said yes or invite me to," I complied to his demand.
Gilbert smiled and nodded satisfactorily. Then he surprised me by tiptoeing, putting his arms over my shoulder and leaning closer to press his body against mine.
"Thank you, Zane." He uttered with that smile still on his lips.
I felt a bolt of electricity entered my body.
Zane. Gilbert called me Zane. He has never done that before. Calling me by my Christian name. At least vocally.
I found myself smiling. I also let the travel case in my hand go so I can put my hands on the sides of his waist. "You're welcome...Gilbert."
A spark of amusement flashed on Gilbert's eyes before he leaned his face up and kissed my lips. I stood my ground and kept steady as I kiss him back. But nothing more. I didn't move to control that kiss, except I let it progress on it's own. And die on it's own.
After giving me a kiss with a touch of gratitude, Gilbert bestowed a smile on me. "Thank you for taking me to Tagaytay. I truly enjoyed it." He said as his arms fell away from me and he picked up his travel case again. I did the same.
"Because you saw your sister?" I asked as I followed him to the elevator.
"Maybe..." Gilbert gave me a flirtatious glance as we entered the elevator. The doors closed behind us. "Or maybe it's the sex this morning. Who knows?"
"Ah..." I nodded at that except I don't know how to react to that.
Is Gilbert really flirting with me? On his own accord? What?
All through that elevator ride, Gilbert stood next to me. I did my best not to glance at him too often but I can feel a significant change happening to him.
What is that, I don't know. As the elevator opened and the main door of the penthouse became visible to us, my mind switched from thinking about Gilbert to Robin.
"I need to see Robin," I realized that I didn't allow myself to worry about Robin while we were in Tagaytay but now that we are back to our reality, I remembered that I am living for my nephew.
"I understand, Sir." Gilbert assumed his servant position as he moved ahead of me to encode the door's passcode. He also opened it for me.
I frowned at him. "I thought you won't do this now?" I asked.
One of Gilbert's eyebrows shoot up. "What? Serve you? You are still my employee, Master Zane. You still sign my paycheck. I still have to serve you as your butler. But like I said, once we entered this home, I am no one's pet."
Ah...
I nodded. "Okay. Good job, Gilbert." I handed him my travel case. I have been carrying it because I thought it's not on Gilbert's job description anymore. That things have changed. But it looks to me that some things are still the same.
"At your service, Sir." Gilbert took my case and I entered the quiet penthouse. "Did we neglect to inform the children that we will be home?" I asked curiously when no one welcomed us.
"We didn't send them any messages. But they know that we will touchdown this afternoon. Where are they?" Gilbert brought our cases at the living room and place them at the side of the long sofa.
I followed him at the living room. "At least the house is in pristine condition," I commented while taking my jacket off. "I will check on Robin." I said.
Gilbert nodded. "And I will go to Blu's room to see if he is there."
"Good idea." I hesitated. "See you later for dinner?" I asked, a bit uneasily. I think I have to do some adjustments to adapt to these changes between Gilbert and I.
Gilbert smiled at me. "Yes, Sir." He bowed slightly before he walked towards the service's quarters to see to Blu.
I went the other way to walk to Robin's room. I saw that his door is slightly ajar, I pushed it gently to open it further and I entered my nephew's room. I saw Robin sitting on his bed, facing the window.
"Robin, I am home." I said as I walked towards my nephew. He is still in his sleepwears, sweatpants and tank top. I stopped beside the bed. "Robin?" Why is my nephew not responding?
I stared hard at my nephew who is staring at his window like he will see something there. An answer to his questions in life.
"Robin?" I sat next to my nephew and put a hand on his shoulder. I gently shook Robin's shoulder. "What is wrong?" I am starting to worry about him.
Robin turned his head to look at me. "Uncle..." he sighed before looking back to sightseeing the window.
"Robin!" I shook his shoulder again. "What is going on? Are you alright? Are you hurt?" I started inspecting him with my eyes.
"Nah, I am fine." Robin said in a tone I never heard him use before. It's flat, totally inanimated. It's not robotic...it's just...flat.
"Are you sure?" I winced at his answer because I don't think my nephew is fine at all. "Have you eaten anything?"
"Uhuh," Robin nodded. "The seafood salad was good. I also drank my meds and vitamins." My nephew said before sighing.
"Good...?" That came out as a question because I am not sure I am getting this version of my nephew. "Did something happened to you? To Blu?"
Robin sighed again. Longer and louder this time, like he is releasing all the bad air he has in his body. "Blu is okay. Someone punched him so I punched that person back..."
"Yes, Miranda gave me the whole report. You handled that situation well." I praised Robin.
Robin frowned a little. Something that made me relax a little. That's a reaction at least. "Did I? I think I screwed up big time," my nephew said.
"Screwed up...what do you mean?" My patience finally snapped. I put my hands on Robin's shoulders and forced him to fully face me. "Robin! Snap out of it! What is going on with you? Why are you acting like someone who is slowly losing his soul?"
That's an apt description for my nephew, I think. Robin is acting inanimated. His tone flat. His eyes, almost unblinking. And even though he doesn't look pale or sickly, this is still an unusual behavior for my nephew and I am really starting to worry for him.
"Robin, tell me." I caressed my nephew's hair. "Tell me and Uncle will fix it for you..."
Robin stared unblinkingly into my eyes. "Uncle...I think...I got rejected."
That made me blink. Several times. "You got what?"
"I got rejected," Robin said, almost lifelessly. Emotionless. He sighed again and turned his body so he can stare at the windows again. "No one loves me," my nephew added.
I don't know what to make of the last part. Robin knows I love him...but he is talking about being rejected. Who will reject him?
That's making me confuse. But at least I finally understand what is happening to my nephew.
Robin is shocked. He is in a mental shock.
Great.
...................
(GILBERT)
Blu is sleeping. When I went to his room to check up on the boy, I found Blu on his bed, sleeping peacefully.
I decided to let him sleep. I slowly and quietly retreated back outside on the hallway and close Blu's room as quietly.
In the living room, I found Master Zane looking baffled.
"How is Master Robin?" I asked.
Master Zane gave me his confused eyes. "I think something happened to Robin. He seemed...in deep shock."
I grew concern on that. "Deep shock? Is Master Robin alright?" I turned my body towards the Master's quarters but Master Zane stopped me before I can even take a step towards it.
"No need to see him. Robin is unusually quiet but he seems deep in thoughts rather than afraid or tired like he is recovering from a panic attack. No, Robin didn't suffer any setback, I think he got something different."
"Different how?" I cannot seem to grasp what Master Zane is trying to say about the condition of his nephew.
Master Zane shook his head. "I don't know as well. How is Blu?" He asked after his other ward after exhausting his supply of explanation for Master Robin.
"Asleep. He seems fine," I said, recalling how Blu slept peacefully on his bed.
Master Zane nodded, "That's good to know. Maybe we can ask the kids later about Robin's party. For now, lets just leave them be."
I nodded my agreement. "Then I think I will start unpacking our travel bags. Do you require anything, Master? Coffee or maybe another drink?" I gave him an inquiring look.
Master Zane stared at me for a moment before he shook his head. "No. I think I can get my own drinks. Maybe you should rest, Gilbert. We traveled for hours to get home. You must be tired."
I felt a warm feeling in my chest at the tone of concern on Master Zane's tone as he said those words. "I am not really that tired. You did all the driving anyways." I said with a little smile.
Master Zane sighed. "Still, you should go to your room and unpack your things. Then afterwards, have some rest. You will start working again to prepare dinner for us. Maybe we should just call for a delivery. What do you think?"
"I think I miss cooking for the boys, Master. I can cook later," I said.
"Okay," Master Zane nodded. "Then go on and unpack your things. I don't need anything right now," he said.
I nodded. I saw Master Zane's hand moved to reach for me but then it stopped in midair, right before it can touch my arm. Then slowly, Master Zane withdrew his hand away.
"Go on now," he simply said before turning away from me and walk to the kitchen.
I was left in the living room. Feeling like something was really not right in the penthouse.