FORGET ME NOT
Chapter 12 – Yes.

She met her father's wife. Sandra Fontanilla was surprisingly warm and happy to see her. Nilinaw nito na hindi iyon dahil sa makukuha na nito sa wakas ang iniwanang kabuhayan ni James. But it's meeting her husband's child. Pakiramdam daw nito nakita nito ang isang parte ng asawa nito kahit na hindi sila magkahawig ng kanyang ama.

"I can live without my husband's money, Isabella." That's what she thought. Hindi naman papayag ang mga Fontanilla na ito ang pakasalan ng kanyang ama kung katulad ito ni Charity na mahirap lang. "But I won't lie to you and say na hindi ko iyon kailangan. I need the money to settle debts..." Hindi na nito pinalawig pa kung paano ito nagkautang. The money whom she didn't have access to was different from their conjugal properties as husband and wife. "I don't want his money. You can have all of it, Tita Sandra."

"No. I trust that James wanted you to have it. Don't deny your dad to be a father to you even just this materialistic way. He had always wanted to replace you, Isabella. I wished I had given him a child. But no, wala akong kwentang babae." "Don't say that." Hinawakan niya ito sa kamay. "You were beside him when my mother and I were not. So, I want to say thank you. It's a huge thing to know he wasn't completely lonely alone."

"Ang swerte niya sa 'yo. Sayang at hindi ka niya nakilala." Sincere siya nitong niyakap. "But I'm sure he's watching over you now."

"I hope so, Tita."

Kinwentuhan pa siya ni Sandra ng maraming bagay tungkol sa kanyang ama. At the end of their conversation, lubhang nalungkot si Hope na hindi siya nagkaroon ng pagkakataong makilala nang personal si James. He would have been an amazing dad.

*****

"HELLO... Kev..." a smile curved her lips upon answering Kevin's call

"What did you text me?" Hindi makapaniwala nitong tanong. "You're here in Manila?"

"Yes... So, would you like to take me out on a date?" Pa-cute niyang tanong, nakangiti habang naiimagine kung paano rumehistro ang gulat sa mukha nito tuwing tinatanong niya ito nang gano'n.

"Hope... Of course. Where will I pick you up? I missed you so much you know."

"Let's just meet in a mall. I've so much to tell you."

"Hope, that's not proper. I'll pick you up."

"May magagawa ka ba kung 'di ko sasabihin ang address ko?" She teased. "Let's just meet okay? I'll tell you where. Bye!" Tinapos niya agad ang tawag.

Agad siyang gumayak. Second day in the Fontanilla household, she couldn't wait but go outside. Napepressure kasi siya. Enriqueta and Agusto didn't want her to leave.

"Going somewhere?" Kunot noong tanong ni Kaden na nakasabay niya pagbaba sa hagdan. Bihis na bihis din ito at mukhang paalis din. She refused to look at him any further para hindi na niya maappreciate how good looking her cousin was. "Yes." Tipid siyang ngumiti, bago alanganing nagtanong. "Ahm, how do I call a taxi from here?"

"Saan ka ba pupunta?"

"I'm just going to meet someone."

"Where?" He asked. "I'll take you there." Dagdag nito nang sabihin niya kung saan siya papunta.

"No. Kaden, hindi na kailangan." Tanggi niyang huminto sa pagbaba ng hagdan.

"You're new here. Hindi safe sa'yo ang mag-taxi mag-isa," he stopped as well at tiningala siya "Come on, ihahatid na kita. Think of it as a cousin's duty."

'Of course... yeah right. Cousin, 'she thought.

"Maiistorbo kita," giit pa niya.

"I'm just going to meet Zoey. Pwede kong sabihin sa kanya na hinatid kita and she would understand." Umakyat ito pabalik sa kinaroroonan niya and to her surprise, took her hand. "Let's go." Wala siyang nagawa kundi sumunod.

"So... This person you're going to meet is?" Tanong nito habang nasa daan sila.

"A friend," sagot niya.

"What's his name?"

His. How did he know she's meeting a guy?

"Kevin," diretsong sagot niya at tumingin sa labas.

"Your boyfriend?"

"Not yet."

"Good. I have to meet him first."

"Seriously?" Namilog ang mga mata niya. "Don't tell me it's still a cousin's duty?"

"And as a friend." He smiled in her direction.

Tumango siya. Preventing herself from being captivated by his smile. Almost three years ago, Kaden's smile as Rain only belonged to her. He wasn't like this man beside her na mayaman, may sariling kotse at doctor. He wasn't a dream guy. Kargador, housekeeping staff, utusan. Iyon ang Kaden na minahal niya.

She embraced everything about him wholeheartedly. She accepted his flaws and his faults. That when he left without a proper goodbye, she almost died.

If she had known from the very beginning that he was her cousin, she shoud've set the walls to her heart to the highest. She should've guarded her feelings so tight that their friendship wouldn't have turned into romance.

Eh di sana walang kahirap-hirap ngayon na tanggapin niya ito bilang pinsan. Kung dati gusto niyang maalala nito ang nakaraan nila, now it wouldn't matter anymore if he does or not.

"D'yan na lang ako sa entrance," saad niyang nagtanggal na ng seatbelt.

"Andyan na ba si Kevin?"

"Wala pa pero malapit na raw siya," tugon niya.

"Saan daw kayo magkikita?"

"Sa restaurant," she told him the name that Kevin texted her.

"Do you know where it is?"

"No. But I can replace it."

"I'll take you there." Ipinasok nito ang sasakyan nito sa parking area kahit pa nagpoprotesta siya.

"Kaden, please. Alam ko taga probinsya ako, pero alam ko namang maghanap ng lugar."

"I didn't say because you're from the province, Hope. Manila isn't a place to wander around if you do not know how things work. Kahit nasa loob ka pa ng mall, a simple asking of direction can lead you to harm. So, don't argue." She sighed. So like her Rain. Makulit. Protective.

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"Alright."

Pagdating sa restaurant, sinamahan pa siya nito sa loob. Mabuti at wala pa si Kevin. The latter knew Rain. Hindi niya alam kung anong magiging reaksyon nito kapag nakita nito si Kaden.

"Kade, I can manage now. Don't keep Zoey waiting," sabi niya.

"I'll wait 'til he comes." Umupo ito sa harapan niya.

"Really, I'll be fine," giit niyang ayaw magpang-abot ang dalawang lalaki. They were never comfortable around each other. Hindi niya alam kung maaalala ni Kaden ang matinding dislike nito kay Kevin pero mainam na ang sigurado. They shouldn't see each other.

"Don't you want me to meet your boyfriend?" He frowned.

"Kev's not yet my boyfriend."

"You plan to make him one?" Pakiramdam ni Hope nagpapaka-kuya ito o tatay sa pagtatanong nito. "You like him?"

"Yes, of course," she answered, sigurado naman siya, 'di ba? Lalo na ngayong kailangang-kailangan na niyang kalimutan ang nararamdaman niya kay Kaden. "Why else would I date him?" "You've known him long enough?"

"Years."

He nodded. Akala niya tapos na ito sa pagtatanong, nagpahinga lang pala.

"I know I shouldn't be asking you this..." He held her gaze like her answer to his next question would matter so much to him. "Are you over Rain?"

She didn't expect him to ask about Rain kaya natigilan siya. Naaalala pa nito si Rain... Was it because he still remembers how she cried in front of him before they parted several months back? "I told you," umiwas siya ng tingin. "Rain's dead. I need to get over him."

"You're using Kevin," Straightforward na akusa nito na ikinapatitig niya sa kausap.

"Of course not!"

"Hopie, you shouldn't jump into a relationship just because you needed to get over someone."

He called her Hopie again. Hope felt her tears prickling the back of her eyelids. Napakurap-kurap siya para hindi maluha.

'Please don't call me Hopie... Don't call me that way when I'm beginning to forget you, Rain... Don't make it so hard...'piping hiling niya.

"I like Kevin. If there's someone Rain would approve to be his replacement, it would be Kevin," she lied.

"Okay," tumayo na ito sa pasasalamat naman niya. Good thing. "I think this is your Kevin coming."

"What?!" Napatayo rin siya at tumingin sa direksyong tinitingnan ng binata. And to her horror, si Kevin nga ang parating at papunta sa kanila. How did Kaden know?

Malalim ang pagkakakunot noo ni Kevin. Nakalarawan sa mukha nito ang 'di maipaliwanag na sorpresa at pagtataka. Why, he's seeing the dead Rain Sanchez in Kaden Aragon! "Kev." Kumilos siya para salubungin ang binata. Agad siyang kumapit sa braso nito so she could draw near him and whisper. "He's my cousin."

"What?" Iyong reaksyon ni Kevin ay parang niloloko.

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"I'll tell you everything later." Hinila niya ito palapit kay Kaden na kung makatingin kay Kevin ay 'di man lang maitago ang disgusto "Kaden, this is Kevin Tiu... Kev, si Dr Kaden Aragon, pinsan ko."

The two men didn't exchange pleasantries kahit na peke lang. Mas mabuti pa nga noong si Rain si Kaden, kahit papa'no, hindi nito sinusupladuhan nang harapan si Kevin.

"Ahm, Kev, he looks like Rain. But he's not Rain..." Awkward niyang hinila paupo ang binata while Kaden remained standing. Nahihirapan siya. Pakiramdam niya may invisible electric current sa tinginan ng dalawang lalaki. "Kade, would you leave us alone now, please?"

"Have we met before?" Sa tagal ng pananahimik at masamang tingin ni Kaden ay iniisip pala nitong pamilyar ang nasa harapan nito

"I think so if you're Rain Sanchez." Tumayo ulit ang pinaupo na niyang binata. "I'm not."

"Hope, what's this?" Frustrated at galit na tanong ni Kevin. "I thought he's dead!"

"He's not Rain." Saad niya bago binalingan si Kaden. "Please, leave us alone now."

He didn't answer pero matapos tapunan nang masamang tingin si Kevin ay umalis din ito. He didn't even have the courtesy to say goodbye. Pero mas maigi na ring umalis na ito kaysa magreferee siya sa pagitan ng dalawang lalaki. "Care to explain?" Untag ni Kevin.

"He's Rain alright," amin niya. "But he doesn't know it," ikinuwento niya kung kelan niya nakita si Kaden at kung paanong hindi siya nito naalala and still how he was about to be married in two months. He also told him that he was his cousin. "When do you plan to tell me about this?"

Yumuko siya. She didn't plan on telling him because she plans on moving on with her life without Kaden.

"I- I didn't think it's important," amin niya.

"Of course it's important!"

"Can we forget about this whole thing please?" She begged. "Kaden is my cousin."

"Do you still love him?" Parang maiiyak ito sa pagkakatanong nito, did he feel it? That even when she knew that she couldn't love Kaden, she's still struggling to forget him completely?

"Not anymore," she lied once again.

"Then prove it," he challenged.

"H-how?"

"Hope, you know how much I love you. And this, this truth about Rain being alive would bother me so much. I know how much you loved him." Ginagap nito ang mga kamay niya. "Hope Ferreira, would you say yes to me now? Would you be my girlfriend right now?" His unsure eyes were searching the depths of hers and she struggled not to let him read through it.

"Y-yes, Kevin," she said, almost closing her eyes tightly at how her heart ached at the idea of letting somebody in without its consent. "I'm already your girlfriend from now on." She managed a smile, a faint one but that's all she could come up to.

"Really?" Kevin was very happy at napasigaw pa ito ng YES kahit na pagtinginan ito ng mga ibang kumakain sa restaurant. Tumango siya.

"Yes! Yes!"

Sa tuwa nito, andami nitong in-order na pagkain.

"Let's celebrate!"

Hope wasn't sure if she made the right decision. But at the moment, it did feel so right.