Making out with the most annoying person in town would be the last thing on my list of activities, but there we were.

Snooty Guy was in front of our ancestral house, facing a wide table where a single burner was set. They said he would be cooking for my lola, and he didn't look obligated to do it. Para ngang kahit hindi siya utusan, magluluto pa rin siya.

He was topless earlier, but now his torso is covered with a black tank top and red checkered apron. I was on another table, far from the busy front yard, under the mango tree, watching him cook for my grandmother.

Jessa had a crush on him, and physically, I'm not giving another opinion. Snooty Guy looked like he was hitting the gym every single day, with all those biceps and triceps and abs—which I don't think is possible since Jessa said there was no gym in the place, so every guy was doing all the exercises by doing household chores.

Walang gym dito kaya hindi ko ma-imagine ang workload na ginagawa nila to have a body as Snooty Guy had. My heart wasn't beating for him as Jessa's did, but my clit did, which was clearly bad news. He wolfed my lips with hunger, handled and pinned me against the wall, and now he's smiling at everyone as if he didn't do anything lustful a few minutes ago.

He started putting all the chopped vegetables in the wide pan. Nagsasalita siya, pero hindi na abot sa puwesto ko. They were so nice to him, and he was returning that kindness genuinely.

I'm a sucker for guys with sweet smiles. I don't care if they're bald, basta maganda ang ngiti, I'm in. But he wasn't bald. And honestly, his wavy hair looked so healthy and shiny. His slightly thick lips looked hydrated, either. Or maybe not just "looked." His lips were hydrated and soft compared to my exes' chapped lips.

He started flipping the vegetables from the pan while they all laughed about something. He was flipping the vegetables so smoothly that I suddenly remembered my own attempt to flip a single pancake, which ended up on the floor.

Another reason to hate him. He was flipping the pan flawlessly, and he was only showing me how I sucked at doing kitchen stuff.

Snooty Guy owned a horse, could sing, played both the piano and the electric guitar, chopped thick logs, and was capable of being both affectionate and rough; so what else could he do? He could cook.

No wonder Inang likes him so much. Jessa's competition was tough to beat.

My chin rested on the edge of my right palm, watching Snooty Guy cook. My brain was enumerating all the negative traits it could come up with just to wash out my lewd thoughts about Snooty Guy. Pero walang-wala ang negative traits na naiisip ko nang tabihan siya ni Jessa sa gilid ng mesa. Everything washed off my system that instant.

Parang gusto ko nang bawiin ang inisip ko kay Jessa noong una pa lang.

She was grinning and tucking her hair behind her ear as she talked to Snooty Guy. He was replying to her, but not a single glance was given in her every flirting attempt.

I didn't know Jessa was this aggressive in flirting. It earned a cringe from me. Sinabihan ko pa naman siyang hindi siya papansinin ni Snooty Guy kung hindi siya gagawa ng paraan para mapansin nito.

My bad for assuming.

Although she didn't dress so provocatively. Ako siguro, pero siya? Her tee was loose, and she paired that with a flowy, long skirt. No one could accuse her of being so liberated or stimulating. I was considering the thought of her wearing my clothes. Would that earn her a glance from Snooty Guy?

It didn't take him too long to finish cooking those vegetables. After he transferred the vegetables to a clean plate, he left the table with the dish. And Jessa followed him.

Susundan ko ba sila o hindi?

Nah, aakyat pa ako sa itaas? Pass.

After Snooty Guy, iba na ang nagluto. They served my lunch on the table where I stayed. Grilled fish, mango salsa, some barbecue, and a cup of rice. I rarely had grilled fish when I was in Scottsdale. It was a palate refresher after living a life full of butter and cholesterol.

They were mocking people turning into vegetarians, but once you learned about mutated livestock and animals and turning them into gigantic monsters to cater to human consumption, you'd understand why some people preferred eating plants.

I was busy eating my meal, everyone was busy cooking everything they could put on the stove. I spent my childhood in this house, where every occasion must be festive. Kahit noong dumadalaw ako rito kapag hinihiram ako ni Papa, laging may celebration. Wala akong naabutang araw dito noon na walang party.

Morning, maingay na. Pagdating ng three o'clock, time na for the solemn prayer sa loob ng ancestral house.

From topless to tank top, after I peeked inside the piano room, I saw Snooty Guy playing the piano again. And this time, he wore a formal white long-sleeved shirt.

"Ave Maria . . . gratia plena . . ."

His voice was echoing all over the room, it was giving me goosebumps.

He appeared so calm and holy every time my eyes found him inside this room, and my brain always reminded me how salty he was on a casual encounter. If I had a degrading kink, I'd surely want to shower with his insults.

Great news, I'm not.

"Esther! Dito ka! Makita ka pa diyan!" tawag ni Ate Mabel nang masita na naman akong nanonood sa padasal sa piano room.

God surely was not picky when it came to His devotees, but surely His devotees were picky about those who should be with them as they pray. Wala ni isang nag-offer sa aking sumama sa pagdarasal. Lagi akong sinisita at pinapaalis sa piano room, as if devotion to God were only for those with veils and rosaries, which I didn't have.

Umalis ako sa piano room at bumalik sa kuwarto ko sa second floor. Hindi ko na masasama si Jessa since I guess may bad blood na kaming dalawa because of Snooty Guy.

After an hour, the music on the ground floor stopped. Saglit akong lumabas para ma-check kung aalis na ang mga lola para sa prayer meeting nila.

The second floor has so many hallways, and I went to the east wing of the house to look outside. Yes, the elders were leaving. I stayed there for a while to watch the helpers work on roasting the pig. They were rolling the poor, dead animal above the scorching heat of flaming charcoals.

I'd already rested my arms on the window frame when my feet felt footsteps. My forehead creased as I heard low voices talking nearby. Sumilip ako sa kabilang hallway at nakita si Jessa na hatak-hatak si Snooty Guy.

The fuck?

Lumingon-lingon ako sa paligid para maghanap ng ibang tao. Lumapit ako sa pintuan kung saan sila pumasok. That room was empty since the door had a broken lock. This part of the house was almost inaccessible since sira ang lock. Marami ring room sa kabilang wing na mas maraming gamit compared dito. Ate Mabel said this was the old ballroom until my Inang couldn't dance anymore, so they transferred the supposed ballroom to the piano room.

I peeked through the small gap in the door and saw Snooty Guy's bored eyes and how he crossed his arms. I moved a little and almost gasped when I saw Jessa take her tee off, revealing her small boobs. I immediately turned my gaze to Snooty Guy, and all he did was turn his head away from Jessa.

My eyes widened when his eyes landed on my place. He squinted his eyes, as if he saw me, and he was making sure of that. Napaatras agad ako at nagmamadaling naglakad paalis. I tried to walk without noise hanggang makaabot sa dulo ng hallway papunta sa kabila.

And I was so stupid to look back kung saan ako nanggaling kasi paglingon ko, nasa labas na ng kuwarto si Snooty Guy at nakita agad ako. He gave me that smug smirk again, and to show him that I didn't give a fuck, I saluted my middle finger and walked out.