It was few more years later when this belief shook her awake.
Sweetheart just started school that time and he had already made a lot of friends in school. He's popularity has also been growing steady. He's not only Handsome in name, he is definitely a looker and so are his friends. On her usual cheery self, she went and greeted him, bouncing up and down, giddy to see him and big brother Kris.
"Big brother Handsome! Big brother Kris! I'm here!" his friends smiled when they saw her, already used to her being stuck beside him. Kris waved at her and Handsome smiled from ear to ear. One of his friends whispered something to him which made him glare at his friend before he turned back to her, his young eyes growing cold and distant.
"Stop calling me big brother, we're not even related." he said in shame and left her with his friends, shocked and unsure what went wrong. Kris assured her she can still call him big brother before he followed his friends. Her young heart did not think much about it so she came over their house later that afternoon to play and he played with her,much to her glee.
She thought it might have made him uncomfortable when she called him big brother outside so she stopped calling him that in school but she resumes the same pet name when they're back home from school.
It has been like that and since he's the one that always called her his only sweetheart, she kept on her young heart the tiny bit of fact that she's special in his eyes. Reality came slapping her before she could even enter high school.
He's with his usual friends again and she's with her mother meeting with one of the teachers, who happens to be her friend. When she saw him, she greeted their group with a wave. Some of them waved back at her while he just looked her direction, blinked, nodded and walked on their way. She's already gotten used to his cold demeanor in school but she didn't mind it since he warmly speaks to her when they get back home.
A group of highschool girls approached Handsome's group and they chatted for awhile. They shared a small laugh before they went on their own ways again.
"Theo is always nice to you. I think he's attracted to you." she heard one of the girls say as they walked past her. Her ears suddenly perked up. Theo is Handsome's second name- Handsome Theo Abello.
"Stop it. Theo is just a nice guy." the teenage girl they've spoken to blushed but still denied it.
"I don't think so, why would he ask you to be his date if not?" she looked on curiously. They suddenly noticed her and came over.
"Aren't you Theo's younger sister? Which school do you go to?" they looked at her curiously, admiring her growing pretty face.
"Uh." the words got stuck on her throat, she does not even know what to say.
"Really? He's president's younger sister? Hello!" they crowded around her and started asking her questions.
"Does he help you with your homeworks? I hope I have a smart and handsome brother like him." the girls started swooning.
"Do you think he'll be the class valedictorian?"
"I dunno. Kris is also smart."
"Yeah, but he's a little aloof. Theo is friendly."
While she knew that he is always nice to her, her young heart felt like it was pinched when she heard how friendly he interacts with them, it was different from the cold Handsome she knew at school. She suddenly wondered why he acts cold on her but warm on others and only treats her warmly when they are home. Has he gotten tired of her already? Isn't she his only sweetheart? He's already on his last year in highschool while she has not even started yet and she felt that the distance between them kept growing apart.
"I'm not his sister. He's an only child. We're just neighbors." she blurted out before she rushed away from them and back to her mother, still confused about his treatment of her.
Kris has always been a smart boy and so was Handsome, they always compete for the first and second spot in school. As she's both friends with them, she's very proud. Her own grades may not be as good as theirs but it was decent. However, she can't let her not so outstanding grades to be paired besides Handsome's reputation in school so she tried to clear the understanding right away.
The next thing she knew, she had begged her mother to let her study highschool where Handsome will be studying for college but her parents refused. Simply put, it was not practical to send her away when a great school is just a few drives away from their own house. She can't argue her way into it as her father became strict as she grew older. Girl classmates are allowed to stay overnight but boy classmates are sent home personally by her father when he's home from deployment.
Handsome rarely came home when he started college as well. He usually comes home with Kris every month during his first years but eventually it decreased to school breaks and holidays only. Sometimes, his parents travel to where his school is so he doesn't even have to go home anymore. Sweetheart would get to see him during breaks as her parents allow her to travel with Handsome's parents. He would be polite and greet her but she knew their relationship is growing apart. Her heart kept on hurting as her feelings for him grew steadily.
She attended his graduation and saw him laughing with his friends, something she only saw just now. When was the last time he laughed? Oh right, that was before he told her to stop calling him a big brother. By then, she realized, she had cultivated a one-sided love for him. She tried to laugh it off and slowly wrap her own feelings away.
That was just a few years wasted, she's still young, she thought. And she can't even have a boyfriend now anyway, her dad will definitely put them on the shooting range and have a good time. She tried to focus her mind on studying and stay away from any thoughts of him. It was hard at first but she got used to it. She got used to not thinking about him, not missing him and not even caring anymore. He's just a neighbor.
Her adjustment has been easy because she did not see him a lot. He's already started working and she busied herself on her studies. She pushed herself not to go home and only had her parents come over when she misses them.
When she graduated, she just stayed at home. She took some job offered to her but got tired of them easily and she came looking for one job after the other. She eventually got tired and just put her money in the stock market and lazed around all day.
Kris became a doctor and works away from home but always goes over their house whenever he comes home, bringing with him foods that she loves. Handsome was already a succesful engineer and developed their place to be a a little bit urbanized. He lives alone in a house he built few drives away from their place. She usually sees him park his car in front of his parents house as he visits them weekly. She sometimes walks onto him pacing on the road while she takes out the trash. She exchanges polite nods as he hurriedly gets inside his car and drives away while she just shrugs her shoulders and goes back home again.
She's not mad at him. She just has nothing to talk about unlike when Kris is around and keeps on sharing his experiences from work. He always invites them out whenever he comes home and they have a good time. Although when left alone with him, she feels super awkward that she does not even speak to him. When needed, they exchange modest chats but end it briefly.
Like any other day, she was busy watching TV when her mom asked her to come out for a minute. She saw Handsome waiting for her in their living room when she came over.