Chapter 14 Accepted

Chapter 14 Accepted
My phone suddenly rang. I glanced at the screen and saw Mom’s name. I grabbed my cigarette and lighter, then stepped out onto the balcony.

I answered the call and tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder.

“Lucas,” Mom said on the other line, “when are you coming home?”

I lit the cigarette, took a drag, and slowly blew out the smoke.

“Saturday, Mom,” I replied, idly twirling the cigarette between the fingers of my left hand.

“How’s your Kuya?” Her voice carried clear worry.

“He’s fine, Mom,” I said, even though I knew he wasn’t. Before we left earlier to go out, I had noticed how irritated he looked, his expression tight and unreadable.

I had been sensing something was off with him for a while now, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I knew Kuya well. If he had a problem, he would tell someone—either me, Mom, or Dad.

Even before my birthday, he had started becoming easily irritated, but he never said what was bothering him.

I also wondered where his boyfriend was. I had expected to meet him when we arrived, but there wasn’t even a trace of him in the house. Maybe they were fighting, and that was why Kuya was in such a bad mood.

Our conversation with Mom didn’t last long. She had only called to check on Kuya. She called me, but asked about him. Classic.

I went back inside the room to change clothes and sprayed alcohol on my hands. The smell of cigarette smoke had clung to me.

I wanted to talk to Kuya and ask if something was wrong.

I knocked on his door and waited a minute before he opened it. I stepped inside and sat on the sofa in front of his bed.

He let out a heavy sigh and lay down on the bed. I remembered how I used to climb on his back when we were younger whenever I knew he was tired.

I approached the bed, climbed onto his broad back, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“What are you doing? Get off me, Lucas,” Kuya said, half-shouting.

If he really wanted to, one small movement would have sent me flying off his back, but he didn’t do it.

Mom had mentioned earlier that Kuya had called her that morning and she could hear the sadness in his voice. That was why I came to his room—to talk to him.

“Are you okay, Kuya?” I asked, shifting so I was sitting properly on the bed.

He pushed himself up, adjusted his position, and turned to face me. He used his arm as a pillow and leaned back against the headboard.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” he said, staring at me intently.

“Mom called earlier. She said you called her this morning.” Surprise flashed across his face.

“Did she say anything?”

“Not really. But she told me I should just ask you myself,” I lied. Mom hadn’t said that exactly, but I wanted him to be the one to tell me if something was wrong.

I wanted him to know he could talk to me when things got too heavy for him. Like Mom said, the sadness was obvious in his voice. I couldn’t stop myself from coming here, but I still respected him. If he didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t force him.

I studied his face. He had a well-defined, symmetrical face with sharp, clean features. His skin was smooth and even, highlighting the strong line of his jaw. A neatly trimmed beard framed his face, giving him a refined yet rugged look. His thick, straight eyebrows perfectly shaped his deep-set eyes, which always held a calm but intense expression. From a distance, his eyes were captivating, but up close, they made you want to look away.

His nose was perfectly straight and proportionate. His presence wasn’t exactly approachable, but if you knew him deeply, he was like a big teddy bear—someone who didn’t have the heart to hurt or insult anyone.

My gaze returned to his eyes until I noticed liquid forming at the corner of one.

“It’s so hard to be kept like a secret,” he said suddenly. “I keep asking myself if there’s something missing in me.”

I sat up straighter.

“Am I not good enough? Am I not worth it?” I shook my head. You are worth it, Kuya. If only you knew.

“Then why the hell is he keeping me like a damn secret!” His voice rose.

I just looked at him steadily, letting him feel that I was ready to listen.

“All I ever wanted was to make him see how much I love him—to make him proud, to be someone he could hold with pride. I just want to feel that he loves me too, not just through words, but through the way he looks at me, chooses me, and stays.” He lowered his head slightly and secretly wiped the corner of his eye.

“I know he has his reasons for not telling everyone that I’m his boyfriend, especially on yo—” He stopped and looked at me. “It fucking hurts, Lucas.”

I was confused by what he said, but I let it pass.

I stood up and pulled him into a tight hug. He buried his face in my neck, and I let him cry.

I loved Kuya so much—not just because he had shouldered all the responsibilities, like running the family business that should have been mine if he weren’t there.

I valued how he had sacrificed everything for me. I loved him for simply being himself. And I loved him enough that I would go beyond my limits if it meant protecting him or making him feel loved.

I never imagined I would see the day he cried in front of me. Growing up, I had always admired his strength. He was the one who stepped up at home whenever Dad was busy with work. Whenever Dad wasn’t around, Kuya was always there for me and Mom.

It hurt like hell to see him crying because of his boyfriend. If only I knew who the guy was, I would love to have a word with him.

“Kuya, you are worth it. Maybe that person just didn’t see your value.” I gently caressed his cheek. He looked at me sadly. I kissed his forehead.

He didn’t mind what I did and simply wiped his tears. We stayed like that until we heard the door open.

“Ba—” Yohan froze when he saw us. “They said you should come down. Dinner’s ready.” He quickly turned and hurried out.

I looked at Kuya and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. “Let’s go. You need to eat.”

“I’ll follow,” he said, suddenly turning away and heading to the bathroom.

I went downstairs and saw everyone already eating. There was an empty seat beside Yohan. Across from him, Caleb was sitting with another empty chair in front of him.

I decided to sit beside Yohan. He glanced at me as I settled in.

“Bro, knock first before entering. Privacy,” I whispered while filling my plate with food.

“Sorry, Dre. I just opened the wrong door.”

I didn’t really mind if he entered another room. This was Kuya’s house. As long as Kuya was okay with it, there was no issue. I just didn’t want anyone taking privacy for granted.

“Where are we going tomorrow?” Caleb asked while cutting the pork on his plate.

“We can go to the National Museum in the morning, then to the Castle Ruins in the afternoon,” TJ suggested.

By the time I finished eating, Kuya still hadn’t come down. Maybe he didn’t have an appetite. I wouldn’t feel like eating either if I were being kept a secret.

They were still chatting when I decided to bring food up to Kuya’s room. I stood up, grabbed a plate from the kitchen, and filled it with rice and dishes. Everyone watched me as I prepared the food.

“I’ll bring this to Kuya,” I said.

They all quickly looked away.

“I thought you were going to set it aside for yourself, bro,” Sydney teased, barely holding back her laughter.

This girl… What did she think I was? Starving? Well, maybe a little, but only when I really liked the dish.

Yohan suddenly stood up and moved beside me. I ignored him and continued scooping food.

“I’ll take it to Dave,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow and gave him a sharp look.

“I just want to apologize for barging into his room earlier,” he added.

That made sense. It was better if he brought the food so he could apologize for what he did. I handed him the plate and let him add more food.

Before going upstairs, I saw him step into the kitchen and take some fruits from the refrigerator.

Later that night, before we slept, we decided to set up karaoke. I watched them making a mess, fighting over the microphone.

Gabriella wanted to sing first, but Kian grabbed the mic and remote ahead of her.

“Your voices are terrible. Give the mic to Kiefer,” I shouted at them because they were being too loud.

“So many opinions about my life,” Kiefer answered sarcastically while eating pizza—the pulutan we were sharing since they had also started drinking.

I walked over and sat beside him on the sofa. I took a bite of the pizza he was holding and leaned back comfortably.

“Come on, bro. Just one song,” I signaled Kian to hand the mic to TJ.

“I’m an engineering student, not a singer,” Kiefer snapped, but he still took the mic Kian offered.

“It’s fine. You’re good at holding a mic anyway,” Kian said with a wink before quickly stepping away when Kiefer glared at him.

Among all of us, Kiefer had the best looks and the best voice. Probably genetics—his mother was a singer.

We all raised our hands when the intro of Bahala Na by Kenaniah started playing.

‘Di ko maipaliwanag ang nadarama…
Siya na ba? Ngunit ang dami namang kaagaw…

He sang in a calm, steady voice, eyes closed as he felt the music.

Susugal na ba ako?

He opened his eyes, and they went straight to Kian and Martin, who were vibing to the song.

‘Tataya ko na naman ang puso ko…
Baka mabalewala o mapahiya…
Oh, bahala na, bahala na…

His gaze stayed on them throughout the song.

We all swayed our hands—even the girls—to the music and Kiefer’s cool voice.

After the song ended, the room turned chaotic. Instead of complimenting how well he sang, everyone started teasing him.

“Lover boy in the group, huh?” Martin shouted while dancing drunkenly.

I didn’t know if the song had any deeper meaning for him or if he just felt like singing it.

“Secretly hiding feelings and Kiefer is your rival,” Sydney added.

“You animals,” Kiefer growled, lightly smacking both of them on the head.

“Don’t bully my baby. Why are you all ganging up on him? Poor thing. Come here, I’ll kiss you,” Kian said.

We all froze when Kian actually kissed Kiefer on the cheek.

I thought he was joking, but he really did it. I looked at Kiefer, who was staring blankly at Kian.

“That guy’s already drunk and kissing people. Just put him to sleep,” TJ shouted from the sofa while munching on pulutan.

“OMG, your face might have bacteria now,” Gabriella shrieked dramatically, actually wiping Kiefer’s cheek.

“He’s used to h—” Before Kian could finish, Kiefer covered his mouth and dragged him into the kitchen.

I stepped out of the house and went to the garden area. I sat beside the fountain. The day had been tiring, but it felt good. Having them in my life made everything easier. Every moment we spent together always felt magical.

I looked up at the dark sky and closed my eyes, letting the cold air wrap around me. I stayed outside for almost ten minutes before deciding to go back in—it was getting too cold, and I was only wearing a thin tank top.

Just as I was about to enter the house, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I stopped walking when I saw the notification.

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