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Present day.
After a few minute walk, I, or rather we, have arrived at my house.
Raising my hand, I knock on the door. My knuckles tapping against the hard wood. "Pa! Open the door please!" I yell, but not enough to be disrespectful. While waiting, I turn to Bea next to me. Her hand still gripping mine. "Bea? Could you let go of my hand now?" I ask, a little confused why she's still holding onto me.
Hearing that, Bea turned to me. Her black eyes staring into mine for a couple seconds. "Alright." she says, her lips curling into a small smile. As agreed, Bea promptly let go of my hand.
'Yeah. She's definitely acting stranger than usual.'
Shortly after, the door finally opened with a click. My dad appearing on the other side.
Stepping inside, I raised my heel behind me. Hooking a finger inside, I pushed down to take off my shoe. After doing the same to the other, I placed them on the shoe rack. Leaving only a pair of socks covering my feet.
I glance next to me and Bea has done the same. "Pa, is Bea really gonna live with us from now on?" I asked my father already back in front of the TV, watching another afternoon telenovela. "Yeah. We gave her the spare room we used for storage. I cleaned it while you two were at school. So Bea, feel free to unpack your stuff now." my father replied without looking away from the TV.
As I'm processing the confirmation of a sudden new housemate, I felt a hand rest grip my shoulder. I turn and see Bea with a smile on her face. "I'll be in your care, kuya Mark." she says. Her tone makes me feel like she's plotting something. "... Yeah..."
.
.
As my fingers turn the knob, squeaking sounds echoed throughout the enclosed space, bouncing against the tiled bathroom walls.
Having just finished my shower, water drips from all over me. I reach out and grab the curtain, yanking it open. The plastic rings clinking against the rod. I step out and grab my towel, scrubbing my hair dry. Followed by my upper half, with the lower section last.
With my body dry, I hang the towel on my shoulder and put on a clean pair of briefs.
"Hm..." I hummed, staring at my reflection on the mirror. My eyes focusing on my midriff. "I think that's my two pack forming." I thought aloud. "Ha.. if I was shorter, then I'd be seeing a four pack right about now.... Probably."
'Nah. Probably not.' with that thought, I wrapped the towel around me, past my chest.
With my business done, I grab my dirty clothes and slip into my flip flops. Approaching the door, I turn the knob. Pushing the door open, I step out of the bathroom.
"Did you just finish showering, kuya Mark?" Bea asked, waiting right outside. Leaning against the wall, with her arms crossed.
My eyes catch sight of the towel on her shoulder. "Uh, yeah. Sorry if I took long." I reply. And as I do, Bea's eyes did a brief scan of my appearance. Looking me up and down. "Alright. I'll be taking a shower next, since you're done." she says, taking a step closer.
I step aside and let her through. Once inside, she closed the door and locked it.
"...." I stared at the closed door for a few seconds. Processing the brief interaction with my cousin. 'I'm just overthinking it.'
Choosing not to think too deeply about it, I return to my room.
Once inside, I head for my drawers and pull back the middle one. Inside are stacks of folded homewear; shirts, tank tops, shorts, jogger pants, and pajamas.
Since the weather is a bit hot today, I decided on a green tank top and a pair of red shorts. 'I look like a stoplight, but whatever.'
With that out of the way, I walk over to my bed. The mattress dipping slightly as I sat down. I reach for my bag nearby and took out my phone.
Pressing the button on the side, the screen turned on. Displaying a lockscreen asking for my password. Ever since I got my first phone, my password has always been the same. Using my thumbs, I input 13 letters, spelling the word "reincarnation"
Pressing enter, the device unlocked. I had considered several times to choose a shorter word or just a PIN, but thought otherwise. With this, I'll never forget where I came from. My deepest secret that I've never once told anyone, and never will.
With the serious stuff out of the way, I opened Messenger and looked for a specific name. Once I spotted it, a small smile formed on my lips.
Tapping on the name, I opened my direct messages with my only female friend, Rheyna Ortega.
Using my thumbs, I type her a message.
["Just got out of the shower."] I typed. After a few seconds, I deleted the draft. 'That's not something I should send to a friend.' I thought, typing a safer, more wholesome message.
["Did you get home safely?"] I typed. After a second, I pressed send.
And I wait. Waiting a few seconds incase Rheyna replies. And as luck would have be it, I could see her typing a response.
["Yep."] Rheyna replied.
Reading that single word response, an exhale escaped me as my lips curved into a smile. 'Dummy. You should say something to advance the conversation.'
And perhaps realizing that, Rheyna began typing another message.
["Is it true Bea is living with you now?"]
'? Why is she asking that?' I wondered. Shortly after, I type a response.
["Yeah. Papa gave her the spare room we used for storage. She has a proper bed there, so she'll be fine."]
....
["What do you think of Bea?"] Rheyna asked. "Why is she asking about Bea?" I thought aloud. Finding it strange that my friend is asking about my cousin.
["She acts a bit strange, but she's still family. Of course I care about her."] I replied. 'Is this a good enough answer for her?' I wondered.
After several still seconds, Rheyna began typing again. Then stopped. Then started typing gain.
["What do you think about me?"] the message read.
Reading the message, my eyes widened. "Is Rheyna... jealous?" is the first thought that came to my mind.
I'm aware that I've been acting bold in a way that most guys don't. And at our age, it's possible Rheyna has been taking that differently. Viewing it as subtle flirting or something. 'Although that wasn't my intention, I'm not against it...'
And maybe Rheyna has been repressing those feelings all this time. But after seeing Bea close to me emotionally and literally those feelings are starting to come out?
'It's just a guess, though... I've never had a girlfriend before. Not even in my past life, regrettably.'
"And besides, Bea is my cousin. We're blood related. Rheyna doesn't need to worry about her." I thought out loud.
I stared at Rheyna's message for a while, carefully crafting my response. My thumbs hovering over the keyboard.
'I should just say what's in my mind.' with that thought, I finally begin typing a response.
["You're cute, Rheyna. You're smart, considerate, and I like hanging out with you. And I enjoy messaging each other like this too."] I typed. I read the message over and over again, deciding whether to send it. "Ugh... I'm not that great at complimenting someone, huh." yet, I still pressed send. As to how Rheyna will take it, I can only wait for her to respond.
Typing. Stop. Typing. Stop. The cycle continued. Rheyna repeatedly deleted her message. And I continued to watch, waiting for her response to finally come.
Knock Knock
That is, until I heard the sounds of knocking on my door.
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