Chapter 7 #2
“No need to worry about me, Auntie.”
“What do you mean we don’t have to worry?”
I should have expected this. When I went over to Kayla’s last week and said no to Auntie Grace’s offer to stay for dinner, it turned into a full-blown interrogation. Instead of withstanding a thousand questions about my diet and food preferences, it was easier to give in and eat.
When I make up an excuse that I have to stay back to wait for a delivery, Auntie Baby suddenly beams at me. “Why doesn’t Seph take you?”
“Um.”
“We can take Grace’s car and Seph can drive mine.”
“But—”
“The car ride should be enough time for you to give your gift … and enough time to talk about prom too.” Auntie Baby pushes the siopao box closer to me with a wink.
I turn to Auntie Grace and she doesn’t object to the idea. For someone so strict, you would think Auntie Grace would frown upon an unsupervised car ride between the opposite sexes. This is more unholy than your sleeveless dance troupe outfits, Auntie!
Suddenly, Auntie Grace asks, “Should we call your mom to let her know?”
“No!”
If Ma finds out that I’m with the aunties, she’ll tell them everything I did this morning, then force me to go back to the memorial and say sorry to Dr. Derrick.
“I’ll do it.” I recover and tell my aunties calmly, “I’m sure she’ll be all right with Seph taking me. She always says you raised him really well, Auntie Baby.”
This automatically relaxes her. Tip I’ve learned through the years: Flattering an auntie will get you places. Flattering an auntie’s son? That’ll get you even further!
When the aunties finally head out and leave me in peace, I go back to browsing through Auntie Baby’s old yearbook.
By the time I reach the actual prom spread, I spot Ma with Pa again.
This time, the two of them have glittery sashes across their bodies that spell out Prom King & Queen.
It’s a perfect candid photo of Ma laughing at whatever Pa was telling her.
It doesn’t even look like they were aware that someone was taking their picture.
“Ma!” Seph steps out of his room in shorts and a towel draped around his neck.
His hands immediately cover his chest area when he sees me. “You’re not my mother.”
“Nice boobs.”
I laugh when his face flushes and he quickly grabs a shirt. “Auntie Baby and Auntie Grace went ahead!” I call out.
Once he’s decent and fully clothed, he takes the seat across from me at the table.
His hair is still wet so there are strands that fall right above his eyes.
I suddenly remember what Auntie Baby said about running her fingers through a boy’s hair.
I wonder how soft Seph’s would feel if I reach over and touch …
“This is for you.” I offer Seph the siopao box, distracting my mind from impure thoughts.
His face does his annoying nose scrunch again. “You brought me gifts?”
“They’re from my mom,” I clarify.
Seph opens the box. “Must have done a really great job as your chaperone—” He suddenly frowns. “What happened to this one?” he asks, pointing to the sad-looking siopao I carried the whole time I was searching my condo for some mystery stalker.
“Maybe you were a bad chaperone,” I say with a shrug.
I laugh when he scowls and eats the half-eaten siopao anyway. When his phone lights up, he says, “My mom is checking if we’ve left already.”
“You don’t have to bring me.”
“How are you getting to the memorial then?”
“I’ll find a way.”
“Why aren’t you with your family?”
“I was with them this morning,” I point out.
“But you came back here…?”
“Yes.” I nod and gesture toward the box. “… Because I had to give you the siopaos.”
Ugh. His interrogations are worse than his mother’s.
Seph narrows his eyes at me. “You’re not planning on going back to the cemetery, are you?”
“I am. I have … other ways of getting there.”
“Got it.” He nods slowly. “You were going to fly.”
“Seph.”
“Wait, you were going to walk.” He checks his watch. “If you start now, you should get there by midnight.”
I groan.
“Teleportation? Should we alert the scientific community that you’ve made this breakthrough?”
“If I admit I’m not going, will that make you stop?”
He finally goes quiet and a moment of silence stretches between us until Seph’s phone lights up with a call from Auntie Baby.
“You should really get going,” I tell him.
“What about you?”
“I’ll probably reflect on how I can achieve teleportation.”
Seph still watches me closely.
“I’ll hang with you then.”
Before I can argue, he checks my mug and carries it to the sink for a refill. “You want coffee? I made some this morning.”
I say yes, then wait a moment to check. “You’re not staying because of me, right?”
“Of course not,” Seph replies with a scoff.
“Because I’m totally fine on my own.”
“I know.” He pours coffee into two mugs and sets them down on the table. The mug he got for himself also has My heart is yours printed on it.
“Does every mug you own have your catchphrase?”
“Ilagan.” His face lights up. “Did you watch my movie?”
“First of all, it’s not your movie—”
“But you watched it.”
“And you only had one scene.”
“But you watched it,” he repeats again.
His grin is so freaking huge that I have to sip my coffee to stop myself from secondhand smiling too.
“Moseph?” I say after a beat.
His eyebrows raise in response.
“Thanks.” I lift the mug. “For th-the coffee.”
And for keeping me company.
“Hopefully, this earns me more of Auntie Beth’s siopaos.”
“Meh.” I purse my lips. “Don’t think you earned it yet.”
“Gotta work on being a better chaperone then.”
I roll my eyes and drink my coffee, making sure that Seph doesn’t see me smiling behind the mug.