Page 80 of Between Love and War
“Sure,” he says. “Sounds fun.”
My internal organs collapse as everyone cheers for the news. When my mom leaves, I walk over to Michael and whisper, “What are you doing?”
He raises his eyebrows innocently. “Why?”
“You’re joining our family trip, are you sure about this?” I ask.
“Honestly? I’ve never been part of a big family before. It’s so nice.” He smiles at me, and I can’t bear to be mad at him for saying yes.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Michael
Little League is cancelled for the week, and we only have the final game next Friday to worry about. So I agree to go with Kate and her family to Tagaytay. This is probably a terrible idea. But after a two-hour car ride packed with seven humans, two coolers, one karaoke mic (yes, inside the van), and enough snack bags to fuel a basketball team through a double-overtime game, I surprise myself by… not regretting it.
As we wind up the last stretch of highway, the air changes to something cooler. Tagaytay in December is something else. The wind slips through open windows, the sky is wide, and everything smells faintly of pine trees. Down below, Taal Lake glints in the early morning sun, and I feel my shoulders relax at the calmness of it all.
We file out of the van, and everyone stretches their legs. They gave me the privilege of sitting in front for maximum leg room. As I watch everyone marvel at the guest house we’re staying at, I can’t help but think.
If I grew up in a house like this—with chaos and cousins and casserole dishes that never match—would I still have ended up in basketball? Or would I be doing something else? Maybe I’d still play. I don’t know. I’ve never really given it much thought.
I glance at Kate, who’s laughing at something Haley whispered, and then I forget how to look away. She’s wearing white shorts and a breezy blue top. I expected her to wear her floral dresses, but somehow this makes her look prettier than usual. I never noticed how evenly tan her skin is. Her hair is not in a bun today, it’s just flowing down her back.
I should stop gawking.
Instinctively, I approach her, at the same time Haley’s called away by someone else.
She looks up at me, already asking with her eyes. I say, “No floral dresses today?”
She chuckles. “In this breeze? Never.” She groans. “But I can’t help but feel weird. Maybe I should’ve worn a dress.”
“Uh… Why?” I ask, genuinely confused.
“Because,” she says, flustered now. “I have … collarbones. This top has too much collarbone. I feel like I’m trying too hard to be someone else.”
“You do realize your collarbones have always been there, right?” I say, as I stare at her neck like a creep.
She glares at me, then sighs and presses her hands against her cheeks. “Ugh. Sorry. I’m being weird.”
“You’re not,” I say. Before I stare at her even longer, I help her carry her bag. “As your charisma coach, I’d say you should mix it up sometimes.” She rolls her eyes as we walk side by side up the stone pathway toward the guest house. The house itself is… nice. Bigger than I expected. Pale yellow with green trim, a wide porch, and sliding glass doors that open into a cozy living area full of chatter, slippers, and relatives already staking out territory.
As we approach the doors, I continue, “For the record, I think you look great. In this or in one of your dresses.” She looks at me with narrow eyes. “Not that it matters what I think, of course,” I say.
I set the bags down just inside the foyer, where cousins are sprawled on the couch watching TV, toddlers are chasing each other with biscuits, and someone’s tita is already unpacking containers onto the kitchen counter. I’ve been assigned to a room with their older cousin, who’s thankfully not a big fan of basketball, so he keeps mostly to himself.
I carry her bag the rest of the way down the hall, past an open door where someone is tuning a guitar and a little girl is brushing a stuffed bear’s hair. When we reach her room, I set the bag just inside and step back.
She lingers at the door. “Thanks for… you know. Helping.”
“Anytime,” I say.
I stand there until Kate turns her back.
I make my way back to the living area, where her cousin waves me over to show me where our room is. As I trail behind him, I glance back—just once—to see Kate standing by the mirror, adjusting her hair and laughing at something Haley and her cousins are saying. She catches my eye in the reflection and rolls her eyes at me as if to tell me I’m being weird.
And maybe I am.
Because I’m here. In Tagaytay. With her.
