Page 41 of Chasing Mr. Prefect

He smiled and the way his eyes crinkled at the sides made my heart race.

That and the close distance.God help me.

“How about answering my question first?” he said.

I put the tissue back on the table and finished the slice I was holding, suddenly conscious that I was talking with my mouth full.

“She has a different mom and her mom used to be my mother’s best friend. Do the math,” I told him, feeling uncomfortable. My family’s setup was not common. “Her mom and my dad got married just about a year after my mom died. As a grieving child, I didn’t understand how my dad could move on so fast.”

“Oh,” he replied and I became aware of how quickly I was inhaling my food. I decided to go slower. “Okay. So what if you were actually blood-related. Like you shared the same dad. Would you feel the same way?”

“I don’t know,” I told him honestly. “I probably would have hated her more if she turned out to be my dad’s kid out of wedlock.”

I sighed and did not think much of it until I noticed he went quiet.

“You’re scary,” he commented, smiling the way he did whenever someone in the room made an inappropriate joke.

“Why?” I asked, starting on a potato mojo. “Wouldn’t you hate her if it was you?”

“No. My brothers treat me well so I see no reason not to follow their lead once the tables were turned. But maybe that’s just me,” he replied, trying to smile as he took a sip off his drink.

I stared at him with my mouth wide open. “I’m…sorry?” I said slowly, unsure of what he meant, but I was sure I had just crossed a lot of lines.

“Anak ako sa labas,” he said calmly and the statement hit me like a grenade. “My dad had an affair and I was the by-product. That’s why I live alone and stuff.”

I sat there gaping. It made so much sense. It explained everything—why he was so independent and why he was hell-bent on proving himself.

“I’m so sorry, Cholo. I spoke out of line,” I said, taking clumps of my own hair in my hands in panic.

“Vinnie, don’t be ridiculous,” he said, laughing as he tried to put my hair back in place. “And why are you even saying sorry? You hate me now, too?”

“No!” I said, panicking and angry at myself. “I’m sorry. We were talking about Liana and I went off like that. I mean, we already established that it’s not the kid’s fault and then I still went on that tangent. I don’t even have an excuse.”

“There’s no reason to apologize,” he answered. “I don’t blame you for that. I asked because I was curious if maybe she did something to make you mad. Honestly, I brought it upon myself, interrogating you like that.”

“She didn’t do anything,” I said, face burning in shame. “Except take care of me like an older sister would. She would make baon for me every day and, grabe, I was so evil in high school, I would take it home untouched on purpose. High school me was such an insufferable pain in the butt.”

He picked up a mojo and nibbled on it. I shook my head as everything I did to Liana came crashing on me again.

“You know what? You were right back then. I was indeed an evil witch, on-stage and off-stage,” I stated. “But every time I see Liana, I just get reminded of how quickly my dad got over losing my mom. I mean, I shouldn’t expect him to mope forever but I was maybe, what, five or six?

And then Tita Cris from next door was suddenly coming over for dinner. I mean, of course, Mom and Dad, then Tita Cris and Liana’s dad had this whole history of being a tight bunch in college before I was even conceived but I didn’t know that until later. Didn’t help that our former yaya told me chismis from the neighbors that Tita Cris and my dad were a thing and sneaking around. Good lord, it was messy.”

“That’s such a twisted thing to tell a child!”

I took another gulp off my can of Coke. “I know, right! Tapos, ayun. Next thing I know Dad and Tita Cris were telling everyone that they were married and I had to share my toys.”

“I imagine you especially hated the sharing part,” he said, putting his arm on the back of my seat with a laugh. “The doll in your room the other night, tell me about that.”

“We bought them together. I remember my mom was still around and she and Cris brought us along. Liana and I saw them and we got a matching set. I had Melba. She named hers Tindeng.”

“What is wrong with you two?” he asked, snorting.

“I don’t know,” I said, laughing even more, leaning closer towards him. Boy, did he smell good. “We were close. Next-door neighbors, friends.”

“And you defended her from me and the other nasties.”

“Yeah. Maybe that was why I didn’t have friends growing up. I kept thinking their parents might move in, too. Boom! Trust issues.”