Chasing Sunsets

Chapter 2: Empanada

“Mga apo? Anong ginagawa n’yo dito sa labas?” Lola called out from the porch, arms crossed but face gentle. “Pumasok na kayo sa loob. Doon ulit kayo matulog sa third floor, doon sa kwarto kung saan kayo lagi natutulog noong mga bata pa kayo. Mauna na ako ha. Tulog na.”

“Okay po, La,” we chorused like obedient little kids, even though all of us were in our twenties and very much traumatized adults.

The moment she disappeared back inside the house, Rain turned to me with the fakest innocence ever.

“Third floor... shared room... throwback much?”

“Yeah,” Winter said, stretching dramatically. “Like the good old days, no sleep, midnight kwentuhan, at isa diyan umiiyak secretly sa corner ng kama.”

She looked directly at me.

“Hindi ako ‘yon,” I said, raising my brows.

“Sure ka?” she smirked.

“Okay, fine. Once lang ‘yon.”

Rain laughed. “You cried kasi akala mo di ka crush ni Ezekiel. Tapos after one week... boom!!! first kiss.”

“STOP.” I groaned, covering my face. “Why do you both have receipts from 2009?!”

“Because we were witnesses,” Winter said proudly. “The trauma lives in us, too.”

I shook my head and stood up, brushing off imaginary dust from my shorts. “I’m going to bed. Wake me up if may food ulit.”

We made our way inside, climbing the stairs that creaked in all the same places. The third-floor room hadn’t changed. Same pink walls, same bunk beds, same faded glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.

I paused at the doorway, suddenly hit by the weight of it all memories, mistakes, and... Ezekiel.

Rain passed by me with her pillows, humming a random Taylor Swift song.

Winter flopped onto the lower bunk and stared at the ceiling. “Rain, anong bagay na Taylor Swift song sa situation ni Summer ngayon?” she asked, laughing.

Rain paused dramatically, eyes narrowed in fake thought. “Hmm... All Too Well (10 Minute Version). Definitely.”

“HUY,” I said, throwing a pillow at her. “Ten minutes agad?! Wala man lang You Belong With Me as a warm-up?!”

Winter joined in, grinning. “Hindi bagay sa'yo ‘yon, Summy. Too wholesome. Pang-repressed pain talaga ang vibes mo.”

“Seriously?” I said, climbing onto the top bunk and hugging my own pillow like it could protect me from their slander. “I hate it here.”

Rain snorted. “Sabi nga ni Taylor, ‘you kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath.’ Relate?”

“Rain,” I warned.

“Joke lang, ate. But also... not really.”

I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.

The teasing faded into soft laughter, and for a moment, we just lay there... three girls on a shared mattress of childhood, heartache, and now, really aggressive Taylor Swift metaphors.

Then Winter’s voice cut through the silence. Calm. Quiet.

“Do you still love him?”

I froze.

Rain didn’t speak. Even the electric fan seemed to pause.

I turned my head slowly to look down at Winter, who was now lying sideways, eyes watching me from the lower bunk.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly, voice barely above a whisper. “Or maybe I do. Or maybe I just miss the version of me that was with him.”

“Yung version mo na hindi pa pagod?” Rain asked softly.

“Yeah,” I said. “Yung version ko na hindi pa takot.”

No one said anything for a while.

Then Winter whispered, “The Archer. Bagay din ‘yon.”

I let out a weak laugh. “Stop na. Baka maglabas ako ng guitar at mag-concert dito at makurot ni Lola.”

Rain yawned and pulled a blanket over herself. “Pag kinanta mo ng buong puso ‘yon, tapos biglang pumasok si Ezekiel sa kwarto, mag papakasal kayo. Manifestation ‘yan.”

“Rain,” I said flatly, “kung pumasok siya ngayon, tatalon ako sa bintana. and I'm definitely gonna die, dahil nasa 3rd floor tayo.”

We laughed again, softer this time. Less chaotic. More tired.

And as I stared at the ceiling filled with fake stars, I wondered...

What if fate brought him back?

And what if this time...

I didn’t run?

“Ay, totoo nga! Kamukha mo si Adriana Lima, hazel eyes ka nga lang tapos may freckles,” bungad ng kapitbahay ni Lola habang binibigyan ako ng sukli sa tindahan.

I was currently outside Lola’s house because she asked me to buy mantika from the sari-sari store. Akala ko simpleng errand lang, pero eto na... barangay beauty queen judging segment pala.

“Tama nga si Lola mo. Ang gaganda n’yong magpipinsan,” dagdag pa ng isa, habang nag wawalis sa harap ng bahay n’ya pero never stopped making chika.

“Eh kasi naman, magaganda rin ang mga nanay ‘di ba?” sabat naman ng isa pa. “Naalala mo sila Marina, Isla, at Aurora noong mga dalaga pa? Ay sus! Daming manliligaw. Eh ‘yung mga napangasawa, ang popogi rin. Kaya ayan, magaganda ang mga anak.”

I wanted to evaporate. Parang gusto ko nang tumakbo pabalik sa bahay with the cooking oil and dignity intact. They were practically gossiping in front of me like I was some celebrity caught buying isopropyl alcohol in a palengke.

“Ah... salamat po,” I said awkwardly, offering a polite smile while slowly backing away like a cartoon character sneaking out of an awkward family reunion photo.

Pagbalik ko sa bahay, I found Winter and Rain in the kitchen, both eating turon like they hadn’t just roasted me emotionally eight hours ago.

“Guess what?” I said, dropping the mantika on the counter. “I just got verbally compared to Adriana Lima by the neighborhood moms.”

Rain’s eyes widened. “Proud ka?”

“No. Terrified. One of them almost asked for my zodiac sign.”

Winter laughed. “You’re basically the Miss Universe of Poblacion, you know that?”

I flopped on the dining chair. “I just wanted to buy cooking oil. Next thing I know, my family tree is being dissected with commentary.”

“Welcome to the Philippines, where your love life, skincare routine, and genetics are public property,” Rain said, biting into her turon like she didn’t just drop wisdom.

“Speaking of love life…” Winter started with a wicked smile.

“No,” I said.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“I do. I can feel it. You were going to say Ezekiel.”

Rain pretended to be shocked. “How’d you know?!”

“Because you two are predictable. Like lechon sa fiesta. Like Alden Richards in a shampoo commercial.”

Winter raised an eyebrow. “You’re avoiding the topic.”

“Not avoiding,” I corrected. “I’m emotionally filtering.”

Rain leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “But what if... hear me out... he suddenly shows up tonight sa reunion proper?”

“Yeah,” Winter added, “parang rom-com entrance. Slow motion, may dalang ube ice cream, tapos biglang ‘Hi Summer.’ Boom.”

I looked at them like they were possessed.

“If that happens,” I said slowly, “I’m climbing onto the roof and pretending I’m a satellite dish.” i don't know how to climb on the roof... even on the tree. Nalaglag ako once at galit na galit ang mommy ko, never again. She beat my ass while I'm injured.

Rain laughed so hard she nearly dropped her turon.

Just then, Lola called from the sala. “Summer, apo! Anak ni Tita Mercy mo dumating! Halika, bumati ka!”

I blinked.

Tita Mercy? That’s Ezekiel’s Mother...

Rain and Winter exchanged devilish looks.

No. Freaking. Way.

“Hindi ‘yon si Ezekiel... right?” I asked nervously.

Neither of them answered.

Then Winter whispered, “Better reapply your lip tint, babe.”

I immediately ran toward the third floor, kung saan ang room naming tatlo. I didn’t want to stay in the kitchen muna... haha. Baka ibalot ko ang sarili ko sa lumpia wrapper at gawing turon ang sarili.

“Teka... hindi ba tapos na dapat ‘tong reunion na ‘to? Ano ’to, balak patagalin ng one month? Sa iba, one day lang ah. Akala ko tapos na ‘yung reunion natin kagabi. Ano na naman ‘to? Part 2?” palusot ko habang nagtatago sa likod ng pinto. Ayoko talagang lumabas. Not today. Not with the possibility of seeing him.

Rain peeked in, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “Wow. Biglang naging anti-reunion? ‘Di ba ikaw pa nga ang unang nag-message sa group chat ng ‘Excited na ‘ko!’ with heart emoji?”

“That was before I knew my ex-what-if might make a surprise entrance like he’s the main character in a teleserye,” I whispered, still clutching the doorknob like it was a holy relic.

Winter suddenly appeared behind Rain with a hairbrush in one hand and a smug look on her face. “Ate, mag-ayos ka na nga. Wala ka man lang blush on. Hindi puwedeng ikaw ‘yung ‘bitter cousin hiding in the background’ ngayong umaga.”

“Hindi ako bitter, okay?” I huffed. “I’m just... internally protecting my peace.”

“Peace mo o pride mo?” sabay nilang tanong, halos in sabay pa.

I rolled my eyes. “Wala kayong pake.”

“Meron,” Rain said, walking toward me with a lipstick. “Kasi kami ang pipilit sa’yong lumabas kung hindi ka lalabas kusa.”

“Exactly,” Winter agreed. “This is not a drill. We already saw Tita Mercy. If she’s here, may 99% chance na andiyan na rin si Ezekiel.”

Rain held out the lipstick like it was a mic and declared, “Face your feelings, Ate. Or at least face them with a nice shade of red.”

Bakit ganito ang bungad ng umaga ko? It’s only 8:00 AM in the freaking morning.

I groaned. “Fine! But if anything gets awkward, I’m pretending I forgot Tagalog and running to the nearest tricycle. One-way ticket back to New York.”

Winter clapped like a stage mom. “There we go. That’s the energy.”

Rain started doing my makeup without asking for permission. because that’s what real cousins do. In less than five minutes i looked like i was f*****g model again like when i was in New york. Mamahaling damit nakang kulang ready na ako Rumampa and mag pose eh. But i was just wearing my old clothes here ofcourse.

“Okay, ready ka na,” she announced. “Go downstairs and act like you didn’t cry over this man eight years ago.” Winter said.

“Thanks for the reminder,” I muttered, brushing imaginary dust off my shirt.

I took one last deep breath, opened the door... and almost walked straight into Ezekiel.

Yep. There he was. In full pilot glory.

Tall, tan, and stupidly hot.

Holding a tray of empanada.

With his stupidly familiar half-smile.

But something had changed.

He wasn’t smiling the way he used to The one that could melt your brain and ruin your GPA.

Nope. Now he had this aura. The kind that screamed:

“I don’t give a damn about any of you. Don’t talk to me or I’ll snap your necks using nothing but my jawline.”

Rain was right. Naka-simangot nga siya.

Allergic na ba siya sa ngiti? Or to joy in general? What happened?

May pinagsabay ba siyang aircraft at heartbreak?

kiiwivyy