Soft launching, that’s what it’s called right?

     I think I’m doing the same thing with Gal right now.

     When Mommy told me na dito daw sa bahay magkikita kita this ‘reunion’, I’m not sure if considered ba talagang reunion tong mga pinaggagawa nila at they just pull their kids with them pero I must say na it is fun to do this every 2 years. The last time was back at 2019. Nagrent sina Mommy ng private resort sa Bulacan then the pandemic happened so they decided to just have it at someone’s house that is close enough for everyone to go to, and ‘fortunately’ it’s our house this time.

     Back to Gal, Ate Elise was very excited to know na sa’min gaganapin yung reunion and one of the first things she told me was, ‘Invite mo si Museum girl!’

     Look I told her Winter’s her name pero she still calls her museum girl kaya I just went with it. Dun siya masaya eh magagawa ko.

     Look, you have to believe me when I say that I already planned to ask her to come pero since sinabi siya ulit ni Ate sa’kin, dun ko lang siya naalala kaya it may look like na if Ate Elise didn’t mention it then hindi ko isasama si Gal, which is wrong!

     Please don’t see it that way. I’m just a person with bad memory retention.

     So soft launching, si Ate Elise din nagturo sa’kin nito. Based on what I know, usually it’s done on social media and things like it pero I think I’m doing it physically by bringing Madrid to this reunion, kahit nga ata yung pagdala ko sakanya dito sa bahay kahit na nandito sina Mommy is considered as a part of my definition of soft launch.

     The real reason behind why I don’t want to formally introduce her as a friend or a suitor is because of Dad, I can’t sense how he will react or how he will treat her once he knows.

     Look kilala na ni Mommy, ni Ate- silang lahat dito sa bahay, they know her but I never introduced her with a label like a friend or a new friend. My parents knew her as the daugther of their business partner while Ate knew her as the girl I always hang out with recently kaya I decided to try soft launching.

     Which is great, I’ve never hid anything from my family- at kung gamitin nila sa’kin yun as their opposition, I could easily say na they never asked me anything.

     Kay Ate lang naman kasi ako nakakapag kwento and very madalang kay Mommy, me and Dad are on good terms but we never really hit it off like how it was when I was still a kid.

     Kaya ito, to step it up, I asked her if she wanted to come and she said yes so, my whole other family on Mommy’s side will see a new face with me that isn’t Ning nor Selle. Yes, they sometimes come to our smaller reunions dati, yung hindi kailangan mag out of town kaya they know those two.

     I woke up with Gal right in front of me, looks like I was able to say out that she could sleep too. Akala ko kasi masyado na akong bangag nun kaya baka hindi ko na nasabi. She looks so…. small, when she’s this close to me.

     Her eyes are relaxed, closed as I could see the length of her eyelashes that are quite long talaga. The bridge of her nose looks steep from my point of view, her lips look plush as they move ever so slightly so air could pass and her cheeks! Her cute and squishy and fluffy cheeks....

     I couldn’t help it.

     I poked the tip of her nose softly.

     I need to learn how to restrain myself from doing such things when she’s asleep. Good thing she wasn’t bothered by it.

     Maybe I’m too advanced but I couldn’t care less if I say that I’d like to wake up to this, not just in the morning but also at night, when rain is pouring hard, the thunder roars loud and lightning keeps on flashing outside. I’d be comforted to see such a sight and that already means a lot to my soft heart.

     ‘You’re staring’ Gal suddenly said. Voice soft and kind of hoarse.

     I moved a hand back near her face, not putting it directly on her cheeks but at the surface of pillow between the two of us. ‘Gising ka?’ ‘Kani-kanina lang’ she answered, her body was starting to lie down on her back so I loosened my arm around her.

     Mukhang mas masarap pa naging tulog niya kaysa sa’kin eh. Katabi kasi ako.

     ‘I felt someone looking at me’ I chuckled. I didn’t even notice her eyes opening, ang sly talaga. ‘Sorry’ sinamaan naman niya ko ng tingin.

     Sabi niya kasi I say sorry too much daw. I grew up saying it a lot of times and it became a habit of mine. She doesn’t want me to force it out of myself pero she did say na I should refrain from saying it when it’s not needed.

     ‘Don’t be. Ikaw? Kanina ka pa gising?’ ‘No naman’ she nodded her head in recognition to my answer.

     ‘Sino’ a yawn ‘Mas like mo’ she continued. At this point I was entertained with watching her trying to speak while yawning. ‘Si Sharky o ako?’

     Natawa naman ako. Akala mo naman humihinga si Sharky.

     ‘Hindi pa nga tayo tinatanong mo na yan’ mahina niya akong hinampas sa braso. ‘Eh kasi nung natulog ka sa’min dati’

     She turned to me, our faces now facing each other again. ‘Si sharky hinanap mo nung nawawala pero nung lumabas kami ni Rye you didn’t even look for me’

     ‘Tampo ka na nyan?’ piningot niya yung ilong ko bago ibalik yung kamay niya near my waist. ‘I’ll answer your question kapag sinagot na kita’

     She smiled at me. Delighted with my answer even though I just dodged her query about me liking her or sharky more. Ang childish kasi, nakakaasar. Buti nalang cute siya.

     ‘Okay’ as I guessed, she’s feeling giddy with what I said to her.

     ‘Don’t worry malapit na yun’ dagdag ko para mas kiligin siya.

     ‘Ka-excite ka naman’ she was about to snuggle near my shoulder when we felt my phone vibrate, nasa ilalim nga pala to ng pillow namin incase Ate calls us down. In this case it is from an ‘Ate’ but not my sibling. ‘Si Ate El, she’s near na daw’ I said to her.

     Nag-unat kaming dalawa, c