Chapter 2| Hot Spanish Dude, Ae
1375 Words
I have this huge smile as I clicked my glass with my peer. It's my friend's party and her father burned ten grand for this extravagant Hawaiian celebration.
Some b***h simply got all the luck. C'est la vie, darlings.
"Cas, I haven't seen you for a long time. How's life f*****g you?" one of my male friend from home asked.
I let him kissed my cheek before I confidently shrugged my shoulders. "Life's still life. Full of kinky fuckery," I chuckled. I took a sip from my drink then wink at him.
We begun our casual talk. People started flocking around us.
Some claimed that I'm a mood setter. There's no dull moment whenever I'm around. I'm a talkative b***h, and I never run out of words to say. I can talk about alien invasion happening on my mind.
I'm starting to think that Savana, the birthday girl, invited me here to be the clown of the party. I was privileged to as her guest of honor to set the mood.
Anyway, no matter what her reason is, I am grateful that Savana had me here. It's a good chance to bond with my old friends. It's been years since we last saw each other.
I was fourteen when I decided to go to the Philippines. I stayed with Nanay Letty's family for over a year. I took online schooling. I realized that I don't want to be tied with obligations to attend school religiously. I felt suffocated with the routine.
I am a free bird who can never be contained in a cage.
Lucky for me, my Dad understood my sentiments. Online schooling is pricier, as if Dad's paying for my grades. All for me to have a diploma. And Dad never complained about it. He's always supportive of whatever I want to do with my life.
Dad's relationships are bitter pill to swallow, but I am supporting him the best way I can. The way he's supporting me with my financial needs.
I decided to live on my own when I realized that Nanay Letty's having a hard time with me. She's always worried. It took me a lot of effort before I managed to convince Dad that I can live by myself. He's worried that I am in a foreign place and if anything bad happen, there's no one to be available to take care of me. But I assured him that I can take care of myself.
Dad bought a condo unit for me. My visa for temporary residency in the Philippines has been approved. It took a long time, but it's all worth it. I love staying in the country.
I was sixteen when I met Aeiou. He's a Spanish dude with a weird name. He's name was pronounced as Ey-yu. I fondly called him Ae, which sounds like the first letter of the alphabet. I met him in a fun run for cancer patients. He run away home that time. He said that he doesn't like the pressure of living with his family and everything that entangles his name. He doesn't like the burden of the expectations from him.
Ae is a rich kid who came from a well-established company. He's half-Filipino, half-Spanish. He said that his father was forcing him to study their businesses. He likes to explore life, aside from their company, so he run away.
He was always compared with his older brother, Tyler. His Kuya Tyler is the ideal son. Smart, disciplined, good looking, and responsible. He's the exact opposite of my great friend. (Kuya is a Tagalog term used to respect an older brother, or any man who is older.)
Ae was just a year and a half older than me. We're two young free-spirited teenagers, restless but carefree souls, cheerful characters, and we're so alike in so many things. We instantly clicked. Since we're on the same page when we met, we decided to elope.
There's nothing romantic between us. We called if eloping just for fun. But it's not the real thing. I didn't even had the chance to kiss him in the lips. He said that I'm the sister he always wished to have, and I see him a partner in crime.
Ae is a great guy and he treated me nicely, but it doesn't change the fact that he's an asshole. He's a typical heir of a rich family. A real jerk who thinks we owns the world.
I told my friends stories about my adventures with Ae. For two years, we traveled the beauty of the Philippines. My dad funded our escapades. Before we part ways, I drilled into Ae's thick skull how much he owed me.
Kidding aside, I am thankful that I met Ae. Everything is better when you're doing it with someone. And in spite of being an ass, Ae protected me and took good care of me. He acted as a protective brother. And there was never a dull moment with him.
After traveling the almost the whole of Philippines, Ae decided to go home. He finally realized that his mother might be worried about him. After two long years, he finally thought about his family. The selfish jerk.
We part ways and we both decided not to try to look for each other after we bid our farewells on a terminal in Cubao. We decided to let fate play its trick. It'll be fun if fate will bring us back together. Let destiny do its will.
"Was he hot?" One of my female friend asked. I was pulled from my wandering thoughts.
I smirked. "Very," I replied even without thinking. Ae's almost naked image flashed on my mind.
I won't deny that I am attracted with Ae physically. I even considered of giving him my V-card, for the sake of experience. But his view of me as a kid sister stopped me. And I know for a fact that he never looked at me with malice. Not even once.
After hours of sharing stories, my friends started planning for their visit at the Philippines. I assured them that they won't regret it. The country is a paradise. And most Filipino are nice and hospitable.
I had fun with everyone the whole night. I enjoyed being the life of the party. I don't mind talking endlessly.
When the world started spinning around me and I think that another drop of liquor can make me drunk, I politely excused myself from my friends. I silently walked on the shore by myself.
It's been seven months since I last saw Aeiou. I missed him. A lot.
I sighed then I shook my head.
"I shouldn't feel bad about it," I mumbled. "At least I had the chance to enjoy places with him. He happened to be my travel buddy. People come on go in my life. It's not a new thing. I shouldn't feel bad. I should be thankful that I got someone to be with me."
I looked up at the moon above me.
I will always be thankful for the wonderful memories I had with different people. I am confident that Ae will remember me as well. And it's enough for me. That I will be remembered in a good way. That's a noble dream.
Some people came in my life, but they're not meant to stay. That's how life works.
So with everyone that I meet and interact with, I am always smiling. I always made the best out of everything. Because we never know how and when we'll lose it.
Harsh, but that's the reality of life. Change is inevitable, and world will always be uncertain.
For me not to have any regret, I am doing my best to eliminate any negative feelings within me. I don't want for a day to come that I'll regret for things that I didn't dare do. I don't want to tell myself someday that 'I should done that thing and enjoyed it when I had the chance.'
Instead of wallowing in missing Ae and feeling sorry for myself, I'll enjoy this night with my friends. This is my first Hawaiian party after all.
I walked back to the party then decided to get wasted with everybody!
- Writer
