"Inaantok ka pa rin ba, Esther? Ang aga mo naman kasing magising."

I sighed at Ate Melba's question. If only she knew why I was so sleepy.

I had taken a cold half bath to ease my body aches, but I didn't stay in for long. I didn't want to move too much. My legs were still sore, and the pain in my sensitive bud crawled so slow, it was killing me. Snooty wasn't big big or extremely long. His length was enough to reach the ceiling of my reproductive system. For someone who studied for three years to be a priest, he fucked as if the rent was due. Now, I badly wanted to know what they taught in theology school for him to wreck me rough like that.

"Huwag kang mangalumbaba diyan sa mesa. Nakakawala ng buwenas 'yan," Ate Melba scolded, so I sighed once again and rested my arms on the kitchen table. I lie my head on my arms to catch a small nap.

The kitchen was the last place I wanted to stay in this house, but Ate Melba asked me to wear something "presentable" kasi may bisita raw sina Inang. After my cold bath, I had no choice but to wear something na hindi tank top at hindi ass-length shorts. I had a yellow sundress in my luggage. Sobrang formal ng sundress ko. It had a square neckline and puffed sleeves. Fitted sa chest and waist part. Flowy skirt na pagdating sa ibaba hanggang gitna ng tuhod. It was the kind of dress na sure akong magugustuhan nina Inang at hindi ako sasabihang hubadera. They didn't give me a chance to sleep, since my grandmother was expecting visitors today—and I was part of the plan. Ate Melba told me earlier that if I wanted to rest, I should wait until the visitors had left. The problem was that there was no telling when that would be, so my sleep was already compromised.

"'Te Mel, ako magluluto ng tanghalian ni Lola saka ni Esther mamaya."

Speak of the devil, Snooty came into the kitchen as if he hadn't railed me an hour ago. He was casually moving, it irritated me so much. Ang sakit-sakit ng katawan ko tapos ngalay na ngalay ang mga hita ko, pero siya, nakaalis pa pagkatapos naming mag-sex?

Maybe he was another horse trapped in a human body. Or he was that half-human, half-horse entity, and he wasn't just speaking about it so they wouldn't throw fire to burn him right away.

My eyes followed a brown paper bag. He placed that in front of me.

"Inaantok ka pa?" nakangising tanong niya pag-upo sa tabi ko.

I subtly raised my middle finger kasi ayokong makita ni Ate Melba at baka mapagalitan pa 'ko. Snooty chuckled at me and pulled a piece of bread from the paper bag. I watched as he stuffed a filling inside. I had no idea what it was. There wasn't any smell at all, so I couldn't tell what it might be.

"Nagkape ka na?" tanong naman niya.

"I don't drink coffee."

"Ovaltine? Milo? Gatas?"

"Hot chocolate."

"Hot chocolate?" He looked at Ate Melba. "'Te, ano'ng tinitimpla n'yong chocolate dito?"

"Milo. Gusto mo ba ng Milo, Esther?"

"Opo," tinatamad kong sagot.

"Hindi ka nagsabi agad. Saglit at titimplahan kita."

Nahiya na tuloy ako kay Ate Melba. I didn't ask for a hot chocolate kasi nine na. Usually kasi, kapag ganitong oras, juice na ang inaalok nila sa 'kin kasi mainit na ang sikat ng araw. I did all the hot and steamy stuff with Snooty this morning, mas inuna ko pa ngang magpakain sa kanya kaysa kumain ng breakfast ko. Stupid girl.

"Kumain ka muna. Binilhan kita ng pandesal." He handed me the bread he had been filling a while ago. Bumangon na rin ako mula sa pagkakayukyok sa mesa at kinuha ang tinapay. Ginugutom na rin kasi ako kaso hotdog at sunny side up na naman ang almusal ko. Sawang-sawa na 'ko sa binibigay nilang pagkain.

Snooty sat on the dining chair sideways to face me. He gently fixed the strands of hair on my cheek and tucked them behind my ear. "Pass muna mamaya?"

I rolled my eyes without even asking myself to roll it. Nagiging habit na yata ng katawan kong mag-react ng negative sa lahat ng sasabihin niyang nakakainis.

"Init na naman ng ulo mo?"

Kumagat na lang ako sa tinapay kaysa sagutin pa siya. I was surprised that it tasted better than it looked. It was a bit dry and full of crumbs, but it was a lot better than eggs and red-colored sausages.

He joined me for breakfast. Ate Melba prepared hot chocolate for me and coffee for Snooty. He readied the bread with filling for me to eat. It wasn't a typical sandwich spread—it tasted like ground meat, though not quite meat. It was more of a spread with a meat-like flavor.

I was reaching for my fourth piece of bread when people began crowding into the kitchen. Manang Terry came in carrying a woven bag full of market goods, followed by Mang Johnny with two sacks of rice balanced on his right shoulder, and then Jessa, holding three bags filled with different cuts of meat.

"Gimo, hinahanap ka na ni tita mo Daisy sa inyo." Manang Terry lightly pinched Snooty's right sleeve.

"Bakit daw ho?" he asked, gaze following Manang Terry.

"Maglilinis daw kayo ni Makmak ng kuwarto. Dadayo pala 'yong asawa ng daddy mo ngayon."

"Ah." I was observing Snooty. The air between us darkened that fast. He didn't look mad, though, yet it felt so apparent that he didn't like the news Manang Terry announced. Eyes calm, but there was indifference. I sensed things I dreaded to sense.

"At ikaw, Esther, may bisita ang lola mo. Huwag kang masyadong iirap-irap at talagang mapagagalitan ka ng Inang mo kapag nahuli ka n'ong nagtataas-taas ng kilay." Manang Terry didn't spare me the scolding.

"Opo, I surrendered.

They were giving me reasons to raise a brow, was that even my fault?

"Dito ka ba uli matutulog mamaya, Gimo?" Ate Melba asked. "Hindi ba muna namin ililigpit ang kuwarto mo sa itaas?"

"Dito ka natulog kagabi, William?" Jessa asked too, and I quickly assumed she didn't know about Snooty sleeping beside my room last night.

"Uuwi na ho ako pagkatapos kong magluto para kay Lola," Snooty replied to Ate Melba, disregarding Jessa's question.

Lumapit pa talaga si Jessa sa tabi ni Snooty dahil hindi siya pinansin nitong isa. "Hindi mo sinabi sa 'king dito ka natulog kagabi."

O . . . kay? I was avoiding raising an odd question, but was Snoot bound to tell her about sleeping in our house last night—or on any night at all? I wasn't a jealous type, but I did cringe at things that crossed boundaries they shouldn't be crossing. I asked questions that needed to be addressed, and this deserved an inquisition.

Snooty smiled at Jessa, and just like his other smiles for her, it never . . . ever . . . reached his eyes. "Oo. Sinamahan ko si Ada para maglibot-libot kaninang umaga."

"Ada?" Jessa looked so confused. I get why.

"Palayaw niya," Snooty said, pointing at me.

Jessa glanced at me, full of disappointment. She would definitely break once she learned more about the guy she had a crush on and me.

Snooty stood and handed me another bread with filling. "Magluluto muna ako para makauwi na 'ko agad," he said to me. "Kapag dinayo ako rito ng kapatid ko, magbubunganga talaga 'yon maghapon." That was all, and he left me and Jessa.

I gazed at her, and I read a lot of things in her reaction as he stared at me.

"Close na pala kayo ni William," she said, bitterness glazed over that line.

"He offers his company to me."

"May kompanya ka?"

Damn. "I mean . . . siya ang nag-offer na samahan ako," sabi ko na lang.

"Akala ko ba, galit ka sa kanya?" She asked that, and I caught a hint of insecurity in her gentle tone. It was mild, even pleasant to hear, and I was probably wrong to accuse her of being salty toward me because she didn't sound that way at all. Still, she couldn't quite hide that insecurity. I was certain of it.

"I still am. Nakakabuwisit pa rin naman siya."

"Hindi halatang nabubuwisit ka sa kanya."

Magsasalita pa sana ako nang bigla niya akong talikuran. Naiwan na lang tuloy akong nakanganga nang habulin siya ng tingin. And I thought she would leave the kitchen, but all I'd seen was how she followed Snooty na palibot-libot sa kusina dahil magluluto.

The fuck is wrong with her?

They asked me to stay on the porch since the kitchen was already busy, and I had no business in there. My heart resisted thinking about Jessa and Snooty Guy, but it was bugging me. He declined her for sure. I had no clear details on how many times, but I was sure he did.

But based on Jessa's actions, she didn't mind at all if Snooty rejected her a lot of times. It was annoying me somehow.

Snooty left before lunchtime. He gave me no proper goodbye but a small smile and a wink.

By lunch, Inang's visitors came along with Papa and Tita Cel.

There was a woman and a man in their 50s and a man my age, I guess. They all looked regal. Visitors, as they said. But the moment the bomb dropped on the place I thought I was safe in, I realized I had made a wrong decision to go back here with Papa.

"Kami na ang mamamanhikan para sa anak ni Ping, Doña Ditas," the elegant woman announced. "Hindi na kami magpapaligoy-ligoy pa. Hihingin na namin ang kamay ng anak ni Ismael."

I glanced at the man across the table in front of me. I was shocked by the announcement, but I was stunned the more as I stared at him kasi . . .

Kamukha niya si Billy.

Oh my gosh.