Cari Ramirez

On Friday that same week, nakasalubong ko sa Dapitan si Joshua while I was on the way back to the campus. He was holding the hands of a female student who seemed to be from the same college as I was.

Kaya naman pala tinigilan na 'ko nito. There was someone new.

'Di niya ako napansin dahil nasa phone niya ang atensyon niya. I walked straight and went past them, but then Joshua suddenly called my name. He overtook me and stopped in front of me.

When I turned around, the girl he was with was watching us with curiosity. Lumingon ako pabalik kay Joshua.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to mask the impatience in my tone.

"Cari, 'di mo naman sinabi na kaibigan mo pala si Andrei De Villa," he started which confused me. Why was he suddenly bringing that up?

"We are, but that's because he's also friends with Geon. What about it?" diretso kong tinanong.

I checked my wristwatch. I still had forty-five minutes left before my next class.

Joshua rubbed his neck, looking unsure. "Are you, um, dating him ba?"

I lifted a brow. I'd understand why Geon's friends would think that way kasi nakasama ko na sina Aimee, Leon, Kal-el, Steel, at Jin. But why would Joshua think that? He never saw us together.

"No."

He seemed confused for a second. "Oh, okay. I thought . . . kasi . . ." He scratched his nose and directed his gaze to the space behind me. Probably checking in on his girl. "Anyway, see you around."

Then he rushed back to the girl who clung to his arm right away before they disappeared into one of the cafes along the street.

Naglakad na 'ko pabalik sa campus. His words weighed on my mind. 'Di ako sigurado pero parang may idea na 'ko sa kung ano ba ang nangyari. It couldn't just be a coincidence. First, Andrei asked about him. Second, he'd stopped pestering me. Then third, this. He was asking if we were dating.

I'd get my answers later, I guess. Susunduin nila ako tonight so mamaya ko na lang itatanong.

***

Andrei: We're here.

True to his words, Geon and Andrei arrived outside the house an hour earlier than we agreed on.

It was eight p.m. and I'd finished packing for the remainder of the week. I also prepared snacks for us to eat along the way to save us the hassle of eating dinner on the road. Gabi na. Baka wala na kaming abutan sa daan.

"Told you I can be punctual," Geon started right away when I made my way over to them. They were both waiting for me outside the black van.

Andrei immediately walked over to me to get my backpack, duffel bag, and the paper bags I was holding.

"Thanks," I told him.

He only flashed me a smile and then he went over to the van and opened the trunk to deposit my things.

I turned back to Geon and half smirked, putting my hand on my hip. "Aga mo nga, himala. You must've been struck by lightning. Excited ka?"

Sumandal si Geon sa sasakyan. "Si Andrei kasi, e. He wouldn't stop reminding me. I had no choice but to pack ahead of time. I didn't even get to take some nap before we came here."

Mukha ngang minadali siya. He was only wearing a grey Consuello hoodie and black shorts. Yung buhok niyang madalas na nakaayos, magulo at parang 'di sinuklay.

"You're not driving. Just get some shut eye sa byahe."

"And leave you two to talk on your own? Pwede naman. Do you want that? I'm easy naman kausap," sabi niya bago tumawa at pumasok sa sasakyan.

He really was serious because he went straight to the back. Nakahiga na siya ngayon, his big physique occupying the back and halos magkulang pa nga. His head was lying down on a white fluffy pillow, and an arm was covering his eyes.

He wasn't kidding. He looked ready to fall asleep. Ano bang ginawa nito at mukhang pagod na pagod?

Napaisip tuloy ako kung susunod ako sa kanya. Where should I sit? It would be rude of me to sit here in the middle if Andrei would be driving for us.

I was staring at the black side door of the car when I felt Andrei's presence behind me.

"You're not getting in?"

Hm? I guess he didn't mind kung dito nga ako uupo. But I decided against it.

"Sa front seat na lang ako."

"Alright."

He closed the side door and went around the van to open the front door for me. When I was settled in, saka lang siya umikot at sumakay sa driver's seat.

Then he turned to me again.

"What?" I asked, confused.

He didn't say anything. He leaned closer to me and his hands shot forward to my side. I pressed my back flat on the seat to avoid how close his face was to mine.

"Seatbelts," he whispered and sure enough, he found mine and fastened it for me.

"I can do that myself," I said when he finally moved out of my personal space.

Andrei was now fastening his own. "I'm your driver. It comes with the job description."

I had a retort ready for that. I was pretty sure drivers don't do that, but I let it slide. Baka gano'n siya sa lahat.

He revved the engine and pulled out of the curb using one hand with seamless ease. Katulad ni Geon, he wore comfortable clothes. He was wearing a blue sweater and white shorts.

"Is this your car?" tanong ko sa kanya habang papalabas na kami ng subdivision.

I think it was, dahil wala namang ganitong brand ng sasakyan sina Geon. They had a lot of wheels but none of them was a black Mercedez Benz.

"Not really. This is my dad's car."

"You took your dad's car?" gulat kong tanong.

Holy chic. Why the hell would he do that? We could've just used our Ford if he told me. There was no need to hassle his family.

"Yeah. They're not here and no one's using it naman."

Oh, okay.

"Your family's not using it? I thought you have siblings."

His eyes darted to look at me briefly before he flicked it forward again. "My older brothers have their own. Jacob doesn't like driving a car this big either."

"What about your sister?"

"Javee? She can't drive." A soft smile danced onto his face at the mention of her name. So Javee's her name. His eyes were upfront at isang kamay pa rin ang gamit niya sa pagmamaneho. "More like she's not allowed yet."

"How is she going to school then? Your parents let her commute? Sa Intersci din ba siya mag-aaral?"

"Yeah, she's going to study there too after she graduates," he answered. "Dad doesn't want her to commute but Javee doesn't like being driven around by a driver."

That confused me. "How does she get around then?"

"We take turns driving her around. If we're not available, then that's the time she must flag a cab or call our driver."

"Wow," I said, blowing air out in mild disbelief. "You all go out of your way to drive your sister? Talk about whipped."

"She hates it at first. But I think she got used to it." That elicited a chuckle from him like he was remembering a funny memory. "It's Kuya's fault, actually. He started the tradition. And Jacob's just making a point to continue it."

"And you? On the scale of Travis to Jacob, how whipped are you?" I asked, half teasing.

"Honestly?" he said in wonder. "I'm not that different."

I tore my gaze away from him to look outside. "Ang sisipag n'yo naman pala. You're really a tight-knit family."

"Kayo din."

"We are. But Dad's lazy. He doesn't like driving around except for family travels so we always have a driver. I'm not allowed to drive until I turn the legal age too. So he assigned a driver to me." The thought made me frown a bit.

"He's just being protective."

"I wish but he's just being lazy. You know Consuello. Bahain doon lalo na pag malakas umulan. You can't bother my dad to pick me up. He predicted that from miles away even before I enrolled to Consuello so he made sure I have a driver no matter what."

"You sound unhappy," he pointed out, stealing another quick glance at me.

"Don't get me wrong, I have my freedom naman, but sometimes I wish I could get the freedom to commute or drive too. My classmates keep teasing me about it and I just don't like how it makes me seem divided from them."

"You must have a lot of friends."

"Not that much. Just a good few but I get along with my blockmates so I guess you're not wrong either."

"I think you'll get along with my sister. Somehow, you keep reminding me of her."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're lowkey placing me in the sisterzone? The gall."

"What?" he said, laughing. "No. I'm just saying you're both clear with how you want to lead your life. I like that. That's rare nowadays, especially with our age."

"You seem so clear too. You even told me to seize the chance last time we talked."

"Not that much, if I'll be frank. I know I want the path I chose for myself. I also know I don't wanna be a part of the family business. But aside from that, it's all still unclear at the moment. I'm trying to see where the tide will take me."

"As long as you don't lose the way, that's fine, I guess."

"You will never lose the way if you know what you want."

I hummed my agreement. "That's true. But finding what you want and making sure it's really what you want are two different things. Making decisions are hard."

A smile flickered onto his face. "We're young. Who says we need to rush? We can take all the time in the world. We don't need to decide now."

Silence took over us then. Outside, the rain began to pour in light drizzles. I could hear Geon moving at the back. I think he really was fast asleep.

I suddenly remembered something.

"I met Joshua earlier," sabi ko at kahit 'di ako sigurado sa ginawa niya talaga, dinagdag ko na rin, "You didn't have to do that but thank you."

His brows rose into an arch. "He stopped?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He sounded pleased by that.

Geon stirred from the back. His voice floated over to us. "What are you guys talking about? What's meron with Joshua?"

Oh, 'di pa pala siya tulog. Had he been listening all this time?

"He talked to Joshua," sagot ko. "I think he asked him to stop 'cause Joshua finally stopped bothering me."

"He did? Wow, nice. Thanks, bro. I would've done it myself but I'm scared of Cari. I won't get free food from Tita anymore if she disowns me," Geon said.

Andrei shrugged lightly. "It's fine. I didn't do much."

Curious ako kung ano ang sinabi niya kay Joshua for him to act that way. How come Joshua misunderstood the nature of our relationship? Pero I decided to leave it at that. It wasn't important anyway and I could live without that shred of information.

***

It took a few hours to get to Baguio. Sa transient house ng friend ni Mommy kami tumuloy. After we occupied our rooms and unpacked, nagpalit lang ng damit yung dalawa at lumabas na sa terrace. 'Di pa pagod si Andrei dahil pinatulan niya pa si Geon nang nag-abot 'yon ng beer na dala-dala nila.

Inaya nila ako but it was too cold outside. Besides, I had to check my cameras and make some last minute reviews of my plans to make sure everything was good.

Maayos naman na ang lahat. Nakausap ko na ang venue at settled na rin ang bill. I also had a few ideas and concepts we could do tomorrow, and most of them got the green light from the couple. The last thing for me to do now was actually get some rest.

But for some reasons, I was nervous. This wasn't my first shoot by far, but this was the most important. I'd never covered a prenup before. Alam ko kung gaano ka-importante 'to para sa couple.

I didn't really believe in love and the idea of marriage but I respected people who did. I didn't want to fuck their wedding up.

After I checked everything, I scrolled down on social media to kill time and wait for me to fall asleep. But my mind was still very much alive and I was growing restless.

Maybe I needed that drink after all.

Donning a long cardigan, I went out to get a beer from the fridge and then I walked over to where they were, but I made a slight pause when I heard their conversation.

Andrei was smoking outside. Geon was sitting on the railing, finishing a can of beer. Parehas silang nakatingin sa city lights.

"What did you tell Joshua? I know the guy. He can get quite persistent," Geon was asking him.

Andrei opened another can and passed it to Geon who took it with his left hand. "Nothing much. I simply told him to stay away."

"Yun lang?"

I got curious na rin kaya naglakad ako pabalik. I didn't want to cut their conversation dahil gusto ko ring malaman 'yon.

I hid myself just far enough so they wouldn't see me but close enough so I could hear what they were saying. Tahimik dito. Their voices were easily getting carried in the air even though they were speaking too quietly.

They probably thought I was sleeping.

"What else is there to say?"

"He didn't get curious or something? Na why you're suddenly coming forward? I don't think he knows you two even knew each other. He must be wondering why."

"I think he got the message regardless," Andrei answered calmly. "I told him it wasn't cool to bother a girl the way he was doing. No one appreciates it. The message was clear and he got it right away. I didn't even have to say her name."

Geon whistled. "He probably thinks you're dating her."

"He could have gotten that idea."

"Hindi mo tinama?"

"If it will stop him from pestering her, then let him think whatever he wants," Andrei said that so casually like he wasn't the least bit bothered by that.

Ah. So that was why Joshua was badly mistaken. This guy allowed it.

"True. Well, at least I'll feel better na. Cari has one more bodyguard to gatekeep her." Geon laughed. "Bes doesn't know how many guys I almost got into a fight with because of her."

"I get that. She seems the type to not care that much for her surroundings."

"Yeah. She's not the type to care for anyone easily too, like at all. I'm just the exception coz she had no choice but to put up with me. But she's caring too, ha, once you earn her trust. 'Di lang halata 'cause she's always at my throat but she's sweet."

That got my attention even more. I had no idea Geon thought that way about me.

I shifted from one foot to another, my back pressed against the wall. I sipped my beer while I continued to listen to them.

'Di ko naman ugaling mag-eavesdrop but I couldn't stop now.

"I know. Saw it for myself. She seems very clearheaded and goal-oriented, too."

"Pansin mo rin? Oo nga, e. Nakaka-pressure nga. She's always been clear with what she wants ever since we were children. She's always so focused and looking ahead. Unlike me. Tingnan mo now. She even has a work. Freshie but working na. Galing," Geon said.

"You're fond of her."

It wasn't a question but a statement. There was the sound of a can popping open again.

"I am."

"Like siblings," Andrei added.

"Of course, man. People easily mistake our relationship to be something else but that's bullshit. Cari's a sister I'll give my life for," Geon said, which made me smile a bit.

My chest felt warm. I would never admit it but I felt the same for this dumbass.

"When she starts to date, I bet you'll be devastated," Andrei said, sounding amused. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Gags, hindi naman sa gano'n. She can be with who she wants to be with. It's her life. Ayoko lang mapunta siya sa gago. Not that she can't handle it, I know she can. But still, as a friend, I want the best for her."

"You will be sharing her attention with someone else. You're fine with that?"

"It's bound to happen either way. I'm not seloso naman."

Andrei sighed. "I wish I can have that level of open-mindedness. I don't think I can give my sister up that easily to anyone."

Geon whistled. "The sister I still haven't met. Kailan mo balak ipakilala, dude? Kahit picture man lang. Ow! Why did you punch me?"

"Don't even mention her in Jacob's presence. You don't want to start a fight."

"Tangina." Geon was howling in laughter now. "Your brother's a beast, bro. I wouldn't wanna get in his way at all. I have a sister too but I'm not as monster protective like he is. Like all of you are. You're all crazy."

"It runs in the family. She's the only girl so it's natural that everyone's looking out for her."

"Tss. I don't even know her name. It's not like I'll steal her from you. I know my limits. If she falls for me, 'di ko na fault 'yon. Ow! Gago, lumalakas na ha!"

I grinned at how similar and playful the two of them were. More and more, I was starting to understand why they got along so well.

Nang mabaling na sa iba ang usapan nila, iniwanan ko na sila.

As I was lying in bed later on, trying to sleep, my thoughts kept going back to their conversation. It felt nice, reassuring, that Andrei felt that way for the only girl in their family.

Alam ko naman na they were a close bunch but hearing how much he cared for his sister reassured me that he was decent and someone I could trust.

It felt nice to know that he was someone who knew how to treat girls right.

Author's Note:

Hello. Jacob's story is now posted too. Thank you for reading. Any comments?