Eli:

Serena?

Serena:

Hey

Heard from Papa you did well during the Inter-high

Congrats

Eli:

Thanks...

I forgot to thank you for the cupcakes

Serena:

No problem

It took several minutes before she received the next message.

Eli:

Do you mind coming to the Dela Vega Hospital? I'm here now.

That was the hospital that Joy's family owned. That was also where Tita Emily was getting diagnosed. Was that today?

Serena:

I'm on my way.

Serena went as fast as she could. Eli was waiting for her in the lobby, worry etched deeply into his drawn face.

"Eli!"

He was seated on one of the chairs there, feet and knees apart, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together as if on a silent vigil.

"Sit with me." He reached out for her and pulled her beside him.

She endured almost five minutes of silence before he began talking.

"Mom didn't want me there when they're given the news."

"Eli... I'm so sorry."

"Dad promised to let me know right away but Mom didn't want me there. I figured because she wants to find ways to soften the blow if it is indeed bad news." His voice was flat as if he was holding down the emotions pressing him.

She rubbed his back in a comforting gesture. Eli didn't even seem to notice as he stared at the clock of the hospital lobby.

Being there for him was the least she could do after the way he championed her cause to her parents. She felt like she owed him a lot.

He had been taking Tita Emily's sickness well, as evidenced by the Inter-high results. She didn't see it but according to her Papa, who watched the game with Santi, Eli did well enough although they all knew he could do better.

He was still awarded with a basketball scholarship and as expected, he was going to St. John University which made his parents really proud. It was the first good news they had after they found out about Tita Emily's condition.

Serena continued to rub his back and for the first time, Eli took notice. He looked at her oddly.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She pulled her hand back.

"You have this feel of calmness that you didn't have before," he stated.

She smiled at him. "Well, my parents and I had a talk and I'm going to culinary school."

Serena had never told him she wanted to be a baker. She never once told him that she was going against her parents' wishes, or about her insecurities growing up. She was always afraid he'd use it as fuel for his taunts. Yet despite his lack of knowledge of that part of her, despite his constant teasing when they were growing up, he stood up for her to her parents. He had no idea how great his act of kindness was to her.

"When I was growing up I felt bad that I didn't like the same things Papa did, like basketball. And he wanted me to like it so much but I just couldn't."

"Your dislike for the sport is quite obvious."

"I don't dislike it, I just don't care as much about it as Papa or Santi does. I compensated by being good in class but at the back of my mind, I still felt as though it wasn't enough. That I wasn't enough." Her secrets came spilling out. She was revealing so much about herself to someone who was neither Joy nor Nat, but she knew she could already trust Eli with her hopes and dreams.

"You know that's not the case, right?" He looked confused, as if he could not believe she felt that way all along.

"I know it now," she assured him. "When we had the talk, they kept telling me how proud they are of me. They even told me that I could pursue my dreams."

"I didn't know you felt that way and we grew up together." He shook his head slowly.

"Sometimes all you need is to hear the words to lift the weight from your shoulders."

He smiled, genuinely happy for her and she felt infinitely lighter.

"Eli? Serena?"

Tito Steve approached them. A frown replaced the smile on Eli's face.

"I have good news," Tito Steve announced.

Just as quickly, she saw the frown turn into relief. He grabbed hold of Serena's hand while they waited for the meat of the news.

"The biopsy results show negative for cancer. The doctor said it's only IPMN."

"What is IPMN?" She and Eli asked at the same time.

"Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm. Non-cancerous cysts. It grew on your Mom's pancreatic ducts."

Eli seemed to digest the news before he let go of all the tension in his body. "Thank God, no cancer."

"She still needs to undergo surgery just to be sure. And she needs to be checked once a year to make sure that the status won't change."

"Prayers," Serena said.

"That's right. Let us pray that the status won't change." Tito Steve clasped his hands and closed his eyes in emphasis. Then he turned to Eli. "You want to go see her now?"

He stood up and almost dragged Serena with him. He must have forgotten he was still holding her hand because he stopped short and jerked his head to look at their entwined hands.

"Thank you for being here today," he whispered.

"No problem."

They followed his Dad hand in hand to where Tita Emily was. He hugged his Mom as soon as he saw her.

Serena stood a few steps from them, a supposedly private moment for their family when Tita Emily saw her. She opened her arms, inviting her to come closer. Then she was enveloped in a warm embrace, sharing that precious feeling of family.

But even the warmth of Tita Emily's embrace couldn't mask the rush Serena felt brought about by Eli's closeness.

When his Mom was confined following her surgery to remove the cysts, Eli started coming over more and more to Serena's place. Especially when he was not visiting his mother, his home didn't feel like one without his Mom in it.

Since then, Serena was also noticeably nicer to him. She couldn't be mad even if he finished her bag of chocolate chips. He could probably empty her whole damn fridge and she wouldn't blink an eye. He supposed she felt bad for him, especially since she and Tita Liv kept sending food over.

Figured that the kitchen was where he found her, baking as usual.

"Hey, Puffy."

"Hey." She looked up from whisking batter.

The bright smile she gave him momentarily caught Eli off guard. She looked so beautiful standing there. There was something different about her. He just could not figure out what.

"Did you do something with your hair?" He asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"Are you wearing new clothes?"

"These are old and you've seen my apron about a thousand times."

"Did you do anything new? You look-"

"Happy," Serena supplied. "I'm just so happy."

It finally dawned on him what changed: Her disposition. She wasn't looking at him with annoyance or disgust. Rather, she looked at him with...dared he even say the word... affection.

"I never got to thank you for what you did for me." She put the bowl down on the kitchen counter.

He wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, they've been through a lot recently.

"You're going to have to be specific, what exactly did I do for you to thank me?" He asked.

"What you said to my parents. They're letting me attend culinary school and it's all because of you." She smiled up at him once more.

He knew that was the right thing to do. If there was anything he could do to see that smile, he'd do it again and again.

"Not entirely. I'm sure they'd eventually see that culinary is your passion." He tried to sound casual but he knew something had shifted.

"Still, thank you."

Eli also felt a change in him. Serena had always been the person he liked to annoy but he didn't feel like annoying her anymore. Instead he felt an impulse, a need to do something, anything to always make her smile at him like that. If it would make her happy, he'd do it for her.

He wanted to show her that although he was still the Eli she'd known all her life, he had grown up into someone who she could depend on and eventually come to care for as more than a friend.

"What are you making?" He moved closer and peered at her ingredients.

"More apology cupcakes for my parents," she explained. "It's strange but although we've patched everything up, I feel that I should keep apologizing to them. They have assured me countless times that I'm forgiven and I can go to culinary school but still..."

It was such a Serena thing to do and he found it adorable. "I don't find it strange at all. Where are they anyway?"

"Out to see a movie that Santi wanted to see. I didn't want to go. I was more in the mood to bake cupcakes."

"You know what would be great with chocolate? More chocolate chips," he suggested.

"Pray tell, why does it matter if you like chocolate chips in your cupcakes? These are for my parents, remember?" She mischievously countered.

"Because I like you Serena. I like you a whole lot," Eli said seriously then added on a more cheery tone. "And I'm going to be spending a lot of time with you so you might as well stock up on chocolate chips because I'll be eating a lot of them when I'm with you."

It took awhile for Serena to process what he said. While she was still at a loss, he made his move.

Gently framing Serena's face between his hands, he leaned down and kissed her. A brief kiss on her mouth. And he was right. Her lips were as soft as they appeared.

"Are you doing this again for good luck?" Serena whispered when he withdrew.

Eli smiled. He leaned down once more and this time, kissed her in earnest, lightly moving his lips against hers.

And because he couldn't help it, he bit her lower lip. Gently.

Then he reluctantly let go of her face and watched her slowly open her eyes, a glazed, bewildered look in them.

"So what do you say we add chocolate chips to that batter?"