Cari Ramirez

A month later, France and his parents went back to Canada. I wasn't sure when they'd come home again. Baka it might take a few more years ulit dahil masyadong tutok sa trabaho ang mga magulang niya, but he promised to keep in touch and try to come back next year.

I wouldn't hold him to it, though. My cousin was not really the type to make good on his promises. Sometimes he'd just say things for the sake of it, to make everyone happy, even though there's really a far less chance of him actually doing it.

Marishka cried when we drove him to the airport. So I guess that promise was stated for her and not really for any of us.

"Now you should come back next year. Marishka holds grudges, you know that naman pero sinabi mo pa 'yon," I told him after a week when he videocalled to let me know how he liked his new wheels.

France was going around the car to show me every detail of it. I didn't call him out for doing that. I knew he was just being too excited. Tumawa siya sa sinabi ko. "What was I gonna do? She was crying and clinging to me."

"You should've told her you'd send her something instead. A one direction album or something. That would've been enough."

"Talaga? I didn't realize she's easy. Noon kasi mahirap ka paamuhin. I thought she took after you."

I held my chest. "Excuse me? Paamuhin?"

"Bakit, totoo naman, a? When you couldn't get what you want, you used to change into this godzilla who hated everyone. I had to give in to your whims just to appease you."

"Videos, or it didn't happen."

France laughed. He was moving around again, bumabalik na yata papasok ng bahay. His dogs were barking in the background. "Luh. Totoo nga. Why don't you ask Ate Emmanuelle? She'll remember."

I pretended to frown a little. "I was a happy kid. I refuse to believe this accusation."

"You became a happy kid after you turned nine, genius. But before that, you were just a spoiled kid. Don't even try to deny it. I'm pretty sure my mom has videos of it hidden somewhere," tumatawang sagot niya. "Anyway, back to the topic, I'll really push to fly back next year. So until then, you take care of yourselves for me."

"Oo naman. We don't need you to take care of us."

"No silly boys, then," he declared. There was a soft click of the door on his end as he entered a room and settled down. 

I rolled my eyes. "Corny, France. Stop pretending you're overprotective, hindi bagay."

Lalo siyang tumawa. "You're right. Kadiri. A, basta. No silly boys. You're only allowed to be with Geon or Andrei or their friends. Bawal lalabas sa grupo."

"You do realize I don't support dating common friends, right?" I deadpanned.

"Gago, change that. Mas safe ka sa common friend, kasi mas mangingilag manloko yung mga gano'n. At isa pa, sila lang kilala ko d'yan kaya sa kanila lang ako tiwala."

"Psh. You're trying too hard to be a good cousin, 'di naman bagay sa 'yo. Why don't you say the same to Kat? Or Mari? Puro ka sa 'kin lang," pang-aasar ko.

Kumunot ang noo niya. "Kasi pinakadelikado ka. Wala akong problema sa dalawang 'yon. Ikaw lang 'tong pinakadelikado."

"Delikado? What part of me is delikado?"

"Cari, I know you. You're too unpredictable. Sometimes your mind and the way you think are making me nervous. Sina Kat at Mari, puro laro lang 'yan. Magkagusto man, mawawala rin. Kung masasaktan sila, part of growing up 'yon. But you, you can be the type to drive men crazy. Wala pa sa isip mo ngayon but I can see you exploring around. Kinakabahan ako sa 'yo."

I wasn't a dimwit not to realize what he was trying to point out. He was going around the bushes but he was actually cautioning me about sex. Between Kat, Mari, and me, I was the only one who didn't care for virginity that much. I could lose it to a stranger and wouldn't even bat an eyelash. It just didn't matter to me.

When I told my cousins this two weeks ago, wala naman silang reaction dahil katawan ko naman daw 'yon. I never knew France took it seriously and made a big deal out of it.

Napangiwi ako. "I don't know what gave you that impression. I have my fill of fun but I'm always careful."

"Yeah, yeah, keep that up. Tandaan mo ha. Only Andrei, Geon, or any of their other friends."

"Alam mo, kakasabi mo n'yan, you're just giving me ideas. I just might do the opposite to see your reaction." I smirked. "It would be fun."

He shot me reproachful look. "Wag mo 'kong subukan. Pababantayan kita."

"Wag kang OA. I'm not a kid and I'm not stupid. Wherever life takes me, I'll take it in stride. Kaya don't let your head implode over nothing. I'm fine."

"Fine. Your body, your rules. Pero seryoso ako. Pababantayan kita."

I thought France was joking about it so I didn't take him seriously all that much. Kanino naman niya ako pababantayan? Kay Geon na laging distracted? Kay Andrei na hindi naman malapit sa 'kin? Kina Leon, Steel, Jin, at Kal-el na isang beses ko lang nakasama? He was being ridiculous that I kept laughing about it when I told Kat and Mari about what he said.

They just chalked it all up to him having his first heavy dose of separation anxiety.

That week, I became even more busy at school. I was juggling between my academics and my content so a lot of things were battling for my attention each day. It was hard coming up with a good content, kaya I was fortunate that I had good blockmates that were down to brainstorm with me and join in on whatever it was I decided to do.

For the week, I filmed a campus tour. Consuello was a fairly interesting university after all. Not only did it hold the honor of being the oldest university in the Philippines and in Asia, it was also older than Harvard itself. It had long years attached to its name, so it made for good content.

Not only that, it also boasted buildings upon buildings of impressive architecture. I had just finished filming the arch when I received a text, Geon's name flashing in my phone.

Geon:

Dork. Eat lunch wt me!!

Me:

I'm busy.

Geon:

It's wed. You have 3 hours break. Eat lunch wt me or i'ma walk in to one of your classes one of these days and say you broke my heart.

Ugh. If he was saying that to get a reaction out of me, he was successful because that had me packing my stuff immediately. He wasn't bluffing and he knew that I knew. With how crazy he could be, he could do that. For sure pagpipiyestahan ako ng mga ka-block ko at ayoko n'on. Ang hirap na nga ipaliwanag sa kanila na we're not dating because none of them were eating that up.

Me:

Fine. Ang clingy mo. Where are you?

Geon:

P. Noval!! I wanna eat in Santorini but idk what food to get. 😳

All this for his love of Korean food, huh? Once I packed away my camera and hefted my bag around my shoulder, I made way to the exit and walked down to P. Noval. Marami akong kasabay palabas ng gate.

I flinched a little at the intense heat of the sun on my skin. Binilisan ko na ang paglalakad. After a minute or so, nakikita ko na si Geon. He was idling by in front of the Korean restaurant.

But what the hell? He wasn't alone.

Standing behind him was Andrei who was busy chatting with several girls who were giving him heart eyes. I think they're students from the college of accountancy. Si Geon naman, he was busy tapping away on his phone and was barely talking to them. Iniisip ko pa lang kung magkakasama ba sila pero agad silang iniwan ni Geon as soon as he spotted me.

He jogged over to me.

"Yo, can't believe that got you out of the cave, eh? You're so takot," bungad niya sa 'kin. He was wearing his uniform pero agaw pansinin talaga yung cross earring na lagi niyang sinusuot.

I threw him a side eye. "You blackmailed me. May kasama ka naman pala, namilit ka pa."

He placed his arm around my shoulders. "It's not fun if it's just us! We're the trio now. We need to stick together on Wednesdays."

Like me, Geon had a long lunch break every Wednesdays. But I'd usually spend time either filming or reading in the library than hangout with him. Ngayon lang din naman talaga ako ginulo nito. Which made me feel suspicious.

"Inutusan ka ba ni France to do this?" I straight up asked him.

He seemed genuinely confused. "Huh? Utusan to do what?"

So hindi. Asking me out was really just a whim. Typical. "Nevermind."

Andrei finally noticed that I was there. He excused himself and left the girls to walk up to us, and it didn't miss me how they were pushing each other and laughing as they walked toward the other end of the street. Halatang mga kinikilig. Hm. So hindi pala nila kasama ang mga 'yon?

He nodded at me when he reached us. "Hey."

"Hey." I nodded back. "Akala ko kasama n'yo," sabi ko sa kanya.

"Those girls? Naaah. They walked up to us to ask something lang," sagot ni Geon.

Andrei verified that with another nod. 'Di tulad namin na nakasuot ng uniform, Andrei was sporting a laidback look. He was rocking a navy blue shirt, black joggers, and white sneakers. Geon's hair was gelled back, but his was neither waxed or gelled. They were just let loose and seemingly hand-brushed to the side. "We don't know them. They saw me at the swimming competition and wondered if they can ask for some tips. They're planning to travel to Iloilo daw."

Oh, really. Not an ounce in me believed it was really just that for one second. May Google naman at halatang style lang 'yon to get him to talk. Pero ngumiti na lang ako. What they do wasn't really my business. If they wanted to date, as long as it's healthy and respectful, then they could knock themselves out.

Pumasok na kami sa Santorini. It was this quaint Korean restaurant along P. Noval that was really famous even among my classmates dahil fan sila ng Kpop. Geon wasn't fond of the music but like Tita A, he was crazy for Asian cuisines.

Buti na lang there's a place at the far end near the counter. On busy days, this place could get really packed.

They sat across from me. The bop music of Kpop was blasting from the speakers. Geon was going over the menu but like the indecisive brat that he was, he couldn't make up his mind. Andrei was silently looking at the menu and looked clueless what to get either.

"First time?" tanong ko sa kanya. Nakapili na ako ng o-order-in ko dahil frequent customer ako dito.

"To eat here, yeah. He suddenly asked me to come."

"And sumunod ka naman talaga? Nice. May sudden date," I teased which only made him smile at me.

Pansin ko kay Andrei, he wasn't affected by any type of teasing. Hindi siya affected nung kami ang inaasar at hindi rin siya affected now nung sila ni Geon ang inaasar ko. Ni 'di niya sinusubok na bumawi. He was the type to just take it all in. Not because they were true but probably because they weren't.

In a nutshell, wala siyang pakialam. And I wasn't sure if that was a good trait or a bad trait. That could be a frustrating trait, I was sure, in some situations.

"I'm bored. I wanted to cut classes but then I realized we three could just eat together. I already miss our Pagsanjan getaway," Geon interrupted to defend himself.

Same. At least I wasn't alone on that one. After our trip, ilang araw din akong may hangover at nami-miss ko yung mga ginawa namin. I kept reviewing our photos. It was a fun adventure and I enjoyed my time with their squad. Aimee and I had become good friends after that at lagi ko rin siyang nakakausap sa social media.

The rest of the boys, not that much. They weren't that active on social media maliban kay Steel na bihira ko lang din makausap.

While Geon was flipping the menu and going back and forth with his choices, I guided Andrei which food he could get. Wala akong alam sa taste niya so I had zero idea what to recommend. Nangangapa lang din ako.

"Tell me your favorite then," he said when I told him that.

"We might not have the same tastes in food."

"I think we have. I trust you," sabi niya, nakatingin pa rin sa menu. "Who knows? They can be my new favorite too."

Geon snickered and commented in a low voice, "Smooth."

I ignored his remark and thought about what to recommend.

"Hmm. I personally like spicy food. But my favorites from this place would be these." Tinuro ko ang korean pancake, curry fried rice, jajangmyeon, tteokbeokki, at tangsuyuk.

Andrei nodded, checking each of them thoroughly. "Looks good."

"Okay. Then I'll get these too." Geon pointed to three other dishes and to my surprise, Andrei didn't even bother to stop him.

Were they serious? Santorini was quaint but their servings were more than enough. At this rate, mapupuno ang table namin sa kung ano-anong orders nila. Alam naman ni Geon 'to. It wasn't his first time here.

I flicked my fingers to call their attention. "Magkasundo kayo sa orders n'yo. We can't get them all, baka 'di n'yo maubos. I'm not a big eater like you guys so don't expect me to eat as much," sita ko sa kanila.

Andrei tilted his head. "Are these enough to fill us all?" He meant the four dishes I told him about.

"Yes, they're enough. Basta wag sobra. Don't overdo it."

"Okay. Let's just get what you want," Andrei concluded and called for the waitress.

"What, bro? Yung kanya lang? Bakit yung kanya lang?" reklamo ni Geon. "That's barely enough for me."

Wala na siyang nagawa nang um-order na nga si Andrei at yung mga tinuro ko lang ang sinabi. I snickered. He kept adding his orders in but Andrei kept telling the waitress to cross them out. Nalito na sa kanila yung babae.

"Wow, someone's playing favorites and it shows. Can't I at least get this gimbap?" Geon mumbled. "I've been craving for this for days."

Andrei turned to me as if he was asking for my permission. 'Di ko alam why he did that, 'di naman kailangan. It wasn't like I was policing them or I had control over them.

Naawa na 'ko kay Geon kaya tumango ako. Andrei then finally relented. Pinadagdag niya ang gusto ni Geon.

Geon barked a laugh at the turn of events. He was only playing pero nakuha niya pa rin ang gusto niya.

Natawa ako sa kanila. He looked like a dad trying to deal with his kid's tantrums. Parang 'di pa naman sila matagal na magkaibigan—it wasn't that long since that competition—but he was so used to this boy's mood swings na.

Nang umalis na ang waitress, I took a good close look at the two of them. They were easing into a conversation about cuisines in Asia now but I was still puzzled at how these two became friends.

Andrei was way too mature to be hanging out with a kid like Geon. Sure, he could be serious and mature when he wanted to be, but most of the time, he was just buzzing with playful, explosive energy that didn't seem to match this quiet creature.

But then again, if anyone could handle that kind of mischief, I guess it would be him. He seemed the type to have an endless supply of patience at his disposal.

I wished I had the same amount of patience. While I didn't easily snap or lose my control, I could get irritated easily. Take for instance yung issue with Joshua. He really rubbed me off wrong and it put me in a bad mood for almost a week. Thank goodness the boy grew some sense and finally stopped hounding me like a thirsty asshole.

"Man, why is it so hot in the Philippines, huh?" biglang sinabi ni Geon. 'Di naman mainit sa Santorini ngayon but the spoiled brat was fanning himself with the menu like it was forty degrees celsius. "I've been here for years now but I can never get used to this climate."

I grabbed the menu from his hand when the waitress returned to ask for it. She was now placing stainless cups and a pitcher of water on the table. "Kung maarte ka, do the country a favor and fly back to London," I said with a light laugh.

"Tss. Why would I do that? You'll cry for sure," he said smugly before he straightened up and cut his eyes between me and Andrei. He was suddenly getting excited like an idea struck him. "I wanna take a dip. Let's take a dip na lang. Let's go to Laguna this weekend."

"Hard pass," I answered after I drank some water. Nilagyan ko na rin ng tubig ang mga cups nila. "May prenup shoot ako sa weekend."

His brows knotted together. "Prenup? You're getting married?"

"Funny ka?" I shot him an incredulous look. "My dad's friend commissioned me for a shoot."

"Ah, aw, sayang naman. Sama na lang kami."

"Ayoko," I immediately said. "they might find it awkward if I bring random boys with me."

"We're not random boys. You can just say we're your alalays or something," Geon said

"Where are you holding it?" biglang tanong ni Andrei na nakapako ang atensyon sa 'kin.

"Sa Baguio."

Geon looked confused. "Baguio? That's malayo though. Why sa Baguio?"

"Tama lang naman. It's where they met."

"Oh, okay. How are you gonna get there? They'll drive you?"

"Doon na kami magkikita," I said with a shake of my head. "I already talked to Daddy. I'm bringing our driver."

"Awesome," Geon said. "Sama na kami. Sakto, it's cold there. C'mon, we won't get in the way, I promise. Don't bother Kuya Rey to drive you. I can do that." He nudged Andrei with his elbow. "Ano, bro, sama tayo? You don't have Saturday classes too."

Andrei gave him a questioning look, looking amused at his antics yet again. He too must find his spontaneity odd. "Why do you like bothering Cari so much?"

I grinned at Geon, waiting for the answer. Ha.

"I'm bored. And she's fun to annoy," Geon answered with a grin. "C'mon, sama na tayo. Then let's hit Sagada after."

I raised a hand to stop him before he could go overboard. "Hep hep, stop there. Weekends 'to. We have classes after. Ayokong mapagod nang sobra."

He snorted. "Let's skip, sus. 'Yon lang ba?"

"Isusumbong kita kay Tita. If your plan is to be a juvenile and delinquent, then throw your plans to come with me out the window. I don't wanna skip my classes for you and I won't condone your truancy."

Pumungay ang mga mata niya. "Kahit pa it's for an adventure?"

"Everything has its right time and place," mariin kong sagot, intending to hammer that point across.

If left unsupervised kasi, this boy could really go crazy with his ideas. Sometimes to a worrying degree. He's always on the go, always out for a good fun. Kaya sobrang mag-alala ang mommy niya sa kanya. He was too lazy with his studies and too distracted to focus on anything. His priorities weren't in the right order. Ewan ko if that was because he was pressured by his dad to take Civil Eng over his preferred course, which was Architecture.

"Tss, sungit. But fine. Sasama kami, Sagada or no Sagada," sagot niya sa 'kin.

"You sound so sure. Ni hindi mo man lang tinanong si Andrei." I turned to the guy in question who had been quietly listening to our exchanges all this time. He looked way too calm, way too unbothered for his own damn good. "Why aren't you saying anything? You should stop him."

Andrei shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Para ngang nag-e-enjoy pa siya sa nakikita niya. "I wanna go too."

That made my mouth hang a little in disbelief.

Incredible. Really incredible. Of course he would side with Geon.

Napasandal ako sa gilid out of frustration. Shit. I was losing this fight. "Wala naman kayong gagawin doon. If you wanna come, fine. Pero iwan n'yo kami sa venue and you two hang out on your own."

"That's ridiculous. Why would we leave you?" Andrei replied.

"I'll be busy moving around din. Maiinip lang kayo."

If this was purely for travel lang sana, I wouldn't mind bringing them with me. But this was actual work. There was no room for distractions. This was a prenup we were talking about.

"That's fine, you focus on your stuff," Andrei answered. "I can drive you around the city and carry your things. Or you can put us to work too, I don't mind. Plus, I don't think I can get bored watching you."

Say what, now?

Kumunot ang noo ko sa sinabi niya. But I brushed it aside. Parang wala namang meaning dahil walang nagbago sa hitsura niya.

Geon was nodding. Either he didn't catch what he said or he didn't care. "Yeaaah. Like your assistants. I'm shitty at cameras but I can get food for us. Or set up your tripods. You want, I'll buy you more lenses pa for your camera? What bribe ba do you want?"

I faked an offended look. "I know you're wicked rich but I can provide for my needs."

"But I need to come bearing gifts," he countered.

I sighed. Sumasakit na ang ulo ko. Talo na 'ko. I'd never win against a determined Geon at all.

"Wag na. Wag na lang kayong makulit. Kung sasama kayo, ayokong late kayo." I threw a crumpled tissue in his direction. "Geon, I'm referring to you."

He grinned triumphantly, satisfied that he won this round. Andrei, likewise, was looking victorious as well. "I'll crash at Andrei's place the night before. He can drive for us if you're too worried I'll mess up your schedule, you prudent maniac."

I pretended I didn't hear his quips and instead smirked at what he first said. "Look at that, they're even sleeping together. Major shocker."

Tumawa siya at pinisil ang ilong ko nang pagkalakas-lakas. I pushed his hand away. Damn him. I hated it when he did that.

"Wag ka na magselos. Sa Baguio, all three of us will sleep together din," natatawang sinabi niya.

That double meaning. I knew he didn't mean anything by it. But the group sitting at the next table darted to us in surprise, looking scandalized as they ran their eyes over the three of us. I shushed Geon and threw another crumpled tissue in his direction which made him laugh, pretending to be evading, while Andrei only smirked at our silliness. Isa-isa niyang pinulot at tinabi yung mga tissues na binato ko kay Geon.

We must be immature and childish in his eyes.

Natahimik na sila once the food arrived. They were devouring the food we ordered like there was no tomorrow. I joined in but I was already distracted, my mind running off thousand miles per second as I rearranged my plans for the weekend to fit them into my schedule.

When Geon forcibly dumped a gimbap into my mouth, I let out a miserable sigh. 'Di ko alam if I should be excited or disappointed na they were coming with me. Whatever the case, my weekend was bound to be chaotic.