Kurt is arriving today from abroad. Kaye was able to convince me last night to sleep over at their house tonight as we welcome Kurt back home. We kept it a secret from Kurt; he does not know Kaye is going home and that I am going over at his place. I'm kind of nervous because he did not really invite me, it was Kaye who invited me. It's a transition weekend for me anyway and I have this weekend off. By next week, I'm rotating in minor departments.
Kaye and their mom is fetching him at the airport. It's actually a surprise for him, planned by no other than Kate herself. Kaye is really excited about it because they never fetched Kurt at the airport before.
I just finished packing the clothes I'll wear today and tomorrow. I have ample time to relax and unwind after the roller coaster rotation in surgery.
My phone started ringing. When I checked it, it showed Kaye's name.
"Hi Kaye," I greeted her.
"Raya, just join us to the airport," she said.
"Huh? I thought you're picking me up after you fetch Kurt?"
"Mom and I realized it's more efficient if you go with us already since she's picking me up at my unit too. You're in the same area already. It will save us more gas," she explained.
Actually, she has a point. I might look like a brat if I disagree with that plan. My stuff are already prepared anyway.
"Alright, alright. What time will I expect you here?" I asked her.
"We're in front your building already," she said then faked a laugh.
Oh god, I cannot keep up with this girl. It's a good thing I took a shower already. I only have to change into my outside clothes then meet them downstairs. I started feeling nervous because I'm meeting his mother for the first time. How should I introduce myself? 'Hi! I'm the girl causing trouble on your son's career!' Why do I feel pressured to make a good impression though?
I hurriedly went out the elevator as I did not want to make them wait longer.
Kaye opened the door for me from the inside. I went in right away, and flashed a smile at them. I noticed they have a personal driver.
"I'm sorry for the wait," I said. The three of us are sitting at the back seat. Their mom looked really young and fresh. I smiled at her, then she pulled me for a kiss. She pressed her cheek on mine on both sides.
"It's okay, Raya. It was a last minute decision anyway," she told me.
"Raya, my mom; mom, Raya," Kaye said rolling her eyes. "Why are you two so close already? I'm supposed to introduce you first!"
We both laughed at Kaye.
"I hope you were not blackmailed by my daughter and you came voluntarily," Kaye's mom said, ignoring Kaye's introduction. "Anyway, you can call me Karina."
Their mom is such a nice woman and she seems easy to get along with. "No. I mean, I'm free this weekend anyway so I agreed."
"You know Kurt and Kaye has been telling me so much about you, especially Kaye," she said, wrapping an arm around Kaye's shoulder. "She told me how you've been helping her cope in difficult subjects, especially in practicals, even though you're busy with internship."
"It's no big deal. We have that culture in our med school where the seniors help and teach their juniors," I explained.
"That's good. I'm happy Kaye chose your school."
"Hey Raya! Did you watch my vlog? What can you say?" Kaye suddenly asked batting her eyelashes up and down.
"Not bad! I mean, your editing skills are on point. It was fun and spontaneous," I answered. "Although I was kind of hoping nobody will watch it... but-"
"No way. At least 1,500 people will watch it for sure because they subscribed to me," she said proudly. "Did you see how many views that video has now? 450,000 plus plus plus. Do you know how many subscribers I have now? 20, 400"
"Wow, congrats Kaye!" I don't know numbers on youtube but by her look, she seems so happy about it.
"Why don't you create your own channel too? Just look how many people watch a video with you in it."
"What are you saying? They watch the video because it's you and our topic was really interesting and new to youtube I think. And it's the way you edited the interview like it told its viewers a story."
The ride to the airport was smooth. Kaye pretty much kept the conversation going the entire time so there was no dead air. Once we arrived, we waited for a go signal when they could go out see Kurt. His manager knew about their surprise and was kind enough to let them do it. This was the longest time Kurt was away for work anyway.
"Okay, let's go," Kaye announced. She and Karina went out the car. "Hey, why are you not moving? Come with us."
I looked at Kaye like she's some lunatic saying those words to me. I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"Kaye, don't force her. She might get in trouble anyway," Karina intruded.
"Who said she's going as she is? She'll go in disguise. Here, wear these," Kaye said and then threw a face mask and a baseball cap at me.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"Come on. I just want to see Kurt's face wen he recognizes you," Kaye said excitedly. Then, she leaned towards me, put the "costume" on me, and pulled me out of the car. I'm pretty sure I still look 100% as I am with the mask and cap.
We walked to the arrival area of the airport. I gathered my hair and put them inside the cap to complete my "disguise". We stopped at an area near the exit door where Kurt's manager will lead him to so Kay and Karina can welcome him.
"Raya, take this," Kaye gave me her camera. "You see those people? Those are Kurt's fans waiting for him. Discreetly join the flock, wait for Kurt, move with them once Kurt arrives, and pretend you're a fan taking photos."
Kaye recited her instructions so fast, I am not sure if I got them all. She pushed me away towards the group of people, which according to her, are Kurt's fans. I feel so anxious that somebody might recognize me and make a fuss about me being here. Moreover, I am nervous that Kurt might not like this idea at all.
I arrived at the spot as Kaye mentioned. True enough, they are Kurt's fans as evidenced by the banners they are holding. There are about 30-50 people here waiting for his arrival. While waiting, I practiced with the camera so as to make a convincing act later. Not long after, 'my group' started moving and cameras started flashing. I went with the flow. In fairness, this group of fans are disciplined, like they do not shout at the top of their lungs when they see their idol. I switched my eyes to the direction we're heading to. There he is, wearing a white baseball cap, black face mask that covers his mouth and nose, blue shirt, black ripped jeans, and white rubber shoes, walking with his hands in his pockets. He's also carrying a back bag. There are two men with luggages walking on each side of him, probably guarding him from his fans. When we reached them, we started walking towards the same direction as Kurt. I don't know how long I stared at him before I remembered to pretend to take photos. I was able to take some shots but I realized how great his fans are for being able to take photos and videos while walking. Some fans are also handing out envelopes to him which, I think, contains letters for him. He tries to collect all of the letters and flowers given to him. I continued taking photos and suddenly froze when I realized he made eye contact with my camera lenses. In my surprise, I lowered the camera down to my chest, stopped walking and looked at him wide eyed. Our eyes met then he also froze. I'm not sure if he realized it was me. I quickly got back to my senses and motioned with my eyes to tell him to continue walking. He did not budge so the man who was with him, probably confused, whispered to him. He' still looking at me so I signaled with my head to go to the exit door already, then I quickly put the camera up again to hide my face. He started walking again so the group followed.
When we were near Kaye and Karina, I decided to go out the other exit door already and go back to the car. This way, I won't have to ride the car with them and the fans won't wonder who I am. Once outside, I looked back and saw Kurt hugging his mom. I quickly turned and headed to the car. The driver opened the door for me and I sat at the very backseat. He slightly closed the sliding door and waited for them.
I instantly slid down my seat when they opened the door and made a conscious effort not to move so the people outside won't notice me. Kaye got in first, then Karina, and lastly Kurt. I also made sure that my head is not seen as the back compartment's door of the car was also opened to load Kurt's luggages. As Kurt went in, he made eye contact with me for a brief second. One of the two men with Kurt rode the shotgun after shutting the door behind me. Kurt waved goodbye to his fans before closing his door. Once the car started moving, Kurt removed his cap and mask.
Ten seconds later and around 100 meters away from the area where we were parked earlier, Kurt turned his head to me with a big smile on his face. I let out an exhale that I did not realize I've been holding. He slightly stood and adjusted his seat so he could pass through and sit beside me.
"Hey Kurt. All of these, including Raya's disguise, was my idea," Kaye said proudly.
"Hey Kaye, don't ever make Raya do this again," Kurt replied with a serious tone.
"You're welcome!" Kaye responded.
Kurt removed my cap and my hair flowed down my shoulder. He also carefully removed the mask on my face, one side after the other. Then, he threw them at Kaye.
"Hey!" Kaye shouted.
Karina comforted Kaye by putting an arm around her shoulder.
Kurt smiled at me and then put his head on my shoulder. "I missed you all!" He said.
"I did not miss you!" Kaye replied.
Kurt did not reply and settled down even more comfortably on my shoulder. He must have been so tired from his travel that he fell asleep right there and then.
***
"Kurt, we're here," I softly said so as not to surprise him, as I tapped his thigh with my hand.
He slowly raised his head from my shoulder and looked around. When he gathered his senses, he stretched his legs and arms as much as he could with the little space we have.
"I'm sorry," he said, then he lightly tapped my shoulder where he leaned his head on for around 45 minutes.
I went out of the car first, then he followed. The driver gave me my bag, then Kaye pulled me into their house. It is a modern-style two-story house on white with lots of glass tinted windows. The interior looked simple but elegant. There are not much stuff. Only the necessary ones.
"Pops! You're here!" Kaye ran towards an old man who stood up as soon as he realized we're coming in. Kaye hugged and gave him a kiss.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be here? My grandson's coming home," he said and then he spread his arms wide open as if waiting for someone to hug him.
I realized Kurt was behind me already and he swiftly walked past me to hug his grandfather back. They hugged for a few seconds before letting each other go. They seem really close and his grandfather must adore him so much.
Kurt looked back at me and then said, "Pops, this is Raya. Raya, meet my grandfather."
I slowly walked towards them and shook their grandfather's hand.
"She goes to the same med school as Kate, but she's two years ahead of Kate. Two years right?" She told his Pops then confirmed from me. I nodded my head with a smile. "She's on her junior internship year now and actually training at the hospital."
"Wow. You must be really intelligent to get through medical school, huh? You know I have high regards for doctors. You people have great determination to get in a field with such high expectations," grandfather said.
I felt shy of his kind words towards people in my field. Sometimes I still think if I really belong here and if I'm living up to the expectations of people around me.
"Pops! Food is served! Kurt, Raya, come!" Kate shouted from the dining area.
Grandfather made his way to the dining room, while Kurt removed my backpack for me and settled it on to their sofa. He gestured for me to follow him.
Their dining room looks simple and humble, holding a rectangular dining table that could accommodate eight people. They have a big cabinet that holds plates and utensils and I don't know what else are inside it. There's also a refrigerator on one side. The table is filled with three different dishes and a big bowl of rice. The plates and silverwares are neatly laid on the table. Pops sat on the host's chair, while Karina sat on his right side. Kaye sat beside Karina as Kurt sat on Pops' left side. That left me with no choice but to sit beside Kurt. Not that I'm complaining.
We started eating and the conversation started running. Kurt shared his experiences abroad - his tapings, interviews in between, and stolen chances of wandering around. It was tiring because they had to squeeze in their work in such a limited time. He said he wanted to go back there not for work but as a tourist. I was quietly eating my food until they turned the conversation about me.
"Raya, what are your plans after passing board exam?" Karina suddenly asked me. "Our Kaye here wants to be an OB-GYN."
"I'm not really sure yet what I want to specialize in. But I've been thinking of joining the doctors to the barrio program after boards," I answered.
"That sounds like you're going to a far flung area," she stated, which is actually not wrong.
"Yes, the purpose of the program is to send doctors to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. Most of registered doctors are actually clumped here in the city, while our fellowmen in the countryside hardly see a doctor."
"That's good.. that you want to cater to those people. The road less travelled," she said.
I let out a nervous laugh.
"You know I'm from the province too, and that's true that we didn't get to see doctors often. You have to go to the more developed part of the province just to have a check up. That's why people resort to traditional medicine to heal themselves. Not that it's bad, huh? It really works is some cases. But of course it would be better to see a doctor and drink prescribed medicine," Pops shared.
"Yes. And part of my goal is to also learn about another place's culture. Since we cannot change their practice and beliefs, the challenge is to incorporate modern medicine into their culture. That way, I can help them prevent diseases while respecting their tradition."
"Wow. That sounds really nice, Raya. I'm very excited for you. And it's good to learn that specializing in a certain medical field is not the only way to go after boards," Karina said.
"How did you guys meet such a fine lady?" Pops asked Kurt and Kaye.
"Well, it takes another fine lady to befriend a fine lady," Kaye said proudly. Kurt laughed at Kaye as if to make fun of what she said. "Hey!" Kaye looked at Kurt with piercing eyes, then she raised an eyebrow at him. Kurt's eyes turned into big balls sending threatening messages to Kaye's. Kaye responded with a grin, then she looked at me. "Well, I've known Raya ever since I entered med school since she was the president of the first medical organization I joined. But I think she never noticed me. And then Kurt..." she looked at Kurt again. "Kurt suddenly mentioned that he met a girl, named Raya, who's also a medical student." She turned her eyes to Karina and her grandfather and continued, "I told him the name sounded familiar. So we looked for Raya's facebook account and lo and behold, she's just the girl he's looking for!"
That revelation shocked me. I never knew Kurt tried to look for me after our encounter.
"That time, Raya still had not accepted my friend request," Kaye said looking at me, with a hand on her chest. "And it hurt me."
"I'm really sorry. I could not remember that we already met so I had a hard time deciding if I should accept your request. Several other freshmen also added me and I did not accept their request as well."
"She's so hard to befriend, right?" She told the others as if I wasn't listening. "Anyway, we had a hard time getting a hold of you since you don't have a twitter and instagram account. My gosh! Are you living under a rock?!"
I laughed at Kaye's bewildered expression.
"You lost me at twimmer and issagram," Pops said. We all bursted out in laughter. Their grandfather is really cute.
Kaye was still laughing, with a hand on her stomach when she said, "Pops! Haha! Its- haha! Twitter - hahahaha! And - haha! Instagram!" She finished laughing and then continued. "As I was saying, we cannot communicate with Raya, but her roommate who's also my senior, is pretty active on social media. That's where I learned they frequently go to this fast food chain to study. So I told Kurt about it, and he's been personally ordering food for me in that place."
"That's enough, Kaye. You've shared enough," Kurt stopped her.
"To cut the story short, they became friends before Raya even befriended me."
"Hey, I'm really sorry. It's just we have a pretty tight schedule," I tried to explain. It's more of I'm a really shy girl in certain situations. Kaye exudes such energy that could talk to anyone she meets and I'm the opposite of that.
Kaye narrowed her eyes at me but smiled soon after, "I was just kidding!"
"Pops, we met at a hike," Kurt turned the conversation.
"Oh a fellow hiker!" He said amused about the new fact about me.
"You're also a hiker?" I asked surprised.
"You don't ask," he said laughing.
The conversation went on about the mountains he's gone to both inside and outside the country. He's also the one who influenced Kurt to hike. He recommended mountains that we should go to next time.
We never had a loss for topics until we finished our lunch. I learned that one of the dishes is Kate's favorite, while the other two are Kurt's favorites. They shared that Pops lives with Karina's brother's family, several blocks away from this house. They also told me the story of how and why they transferred to this new home, which apparently stemmed from Karina's separation from their father.
***
The afternoon passed by with photo albums spread on the floor, and Karina and Kaye telling the behind the scene stories of the pictures. We let Kurt rest for a while as he still suffered from jet lag.
After dinner, I went to take a shower and was about to enter Kaye's room when Kurt called me. I joined him at the second floor's balcony.
"Soda?" He offered.
"No thanks," I replied.
"You don't like soda?"
"I gave it up a couple of years ago. We have a family history of diabetes mellitus. I stopped it so I could influence my mom who's at high risk."
"If I tell you we also have a family history of diabetes, will you ask me to stop drinking soda as well?"
"Well, as a doctor, yes you should stop drinking soda for your own sake. As a friend... I would have to ask you to stop drinking soda for your own sake."
We both laughed. He drank the bottle of soda in one straight gulp and put it on the glass table with a thud.
"You have a nice view of stars here," I told him while looking up at the sky.
"It's not usually like that, but it's a good night to have a clear sky," he said. "Welcome home to me!"
A minute or two passed without anyone saying a word, just staring at the sky.
"Do you still-"
"So it was not a-"
We both said at the said time.
"You go first," he said with a laugh.
"No, you go first," I answered looking at him.
"No, please go first."
I'm not going to win here. I turned my eyes back to the sky and said, "I was going to say... that us meeting that one breakfast time was not a coincidence after all."
"Kaye's such a tell-all," he laughed. "You left an impression after our encounter, so yes, I tried to find you."
I didn't know what to answer. I never thought I could leave an impression to people.
"I thought I've used all my luck when I met you at the mountain, so I had to put an effort if I wanted to see you again," he continued.
I'm the opposite of Kurt. I rely too much on fate and co-incidences, thinking that if I'm meant to meet or know people, destiny will make its way.
"How come those mountaineers that day did not recognize you?" I asked out of the blue.
"Maybe because I was wearing a scarf that covered the lower part of my face?" He shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just not popular enough."
It's not true that he's not popular enough - he's considered the nation's son-in-law, nation's boyfriend and a term was coined 'Kurt's charisma' based on soaring ratings whenever he guests on a show.
"Yes, maybe you should do some more shows so people can recognize you next time," I joked on him. "What did you want to ask earlier?"
"Oh. I was going to ask if you have received new threats recently?"
"I still receive messages but nobody - I mean a stranger - came near me again after that incident. I don't go out alone anymore, my roommates or Andrei always accompany me."
"That's nice... that you have Andrei," he said.
"Actually," I said while nodding. "I did not expect him to do this for me."
"Maybe I should say thank you to him in person some time or ask for an apology for putting his precious friend at such a dangerous situation. He's your friend, right? Or am I missing on some information here?"
I laughed at his question. Is he implying that Andrei and I have something more between us?
"Have I ever told you why I went hiking that time we met?" I asked him.
"Hhhmm, you said you wanted to hike one last time before your hospital training starts," he replied.
"That's not all," I revealed with a smile. "I was moving on."
"Ha! So I was not the only too sentimental one to go hiking alone because I'm moving on?!" He said excitedly.
"I confessed to Andrei a few weeks before that hike. I actually liked him for three years already before I gathered enough courage to tell him my feelings. It was funny. One day I woke up and he's not just a friend to me anymore. Day by day those feelings grew. And then I thought I better tell him now before I regret it." I looked at Kurt. "I hate what ifs, you know?"
I looked back at the stars and took a few seconds before I continued. "So I told him. No, I did not tell him. I made him read a love letter I wrote. It makes me feel icky remembering I did that," I laughed. "You know what he told me after? He said he appreciated that I appreciated him." I looked at Kurt again. "And that he hopes I find someone who will feel the same towards me."
Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Kurt must be waiting for me to continue. At this moment, I realized I've been fighting back tears.
"That's Andrei Jimenez, everyone!" I said with arms spread in front of me, then I clapped my hands. Why did I do that?! Kurt must think I'm a lunatic now. "The first thought that came to my mind was how many girls had this guy rejected before for him to reject me so smoothly. His choice of words were so good, right?" I looked straight ahead. "When he said that, I knew right away that I was rejected. Although our friendship stayed the same - he treated me like nothing happened, you know - I needed closure for that phase of my life - that phase where I thought we could be something. Hence, the hike."
It was a symbolic solo hike. I wanted to let go of the idea of me and Andrei being more than friends. It's never gonna happen.
"So if you're asking if he's a friend... no," I said. "He's more than a friend to me. He's my big brother... the sun to my moon... the yang to my yin. He's my family away from home. Sometimes he knows me more than I know myself." I could spend all night talking about Andrei. Andrei's always been the mature one. He understands me to my deepest layer, and he makes me understand myself. When I'm having a hard time deciding or when I don't know how to react to a situation, I think of Andrei - what's he going to do if he's in my place? If there's one thing I don't regret about confessing my feelings for him - it's that we understood each other on a deeper level after that.
I could feel Kurt is a loss for words.
"If you had told me that story when we were hiking, then we could have comforted each other at the summit," he said trying to suppress his laugh.
I rolled my eyes at him. "You have not earned my trust enough that time for me to share that precious memory with you."
"So are you saying I trust people too easily that I shared my situation with you right away?!"
"I did not say that. Maybe I just looked or felt like trustworthy enough?" I shrugged trying to look proud of myself. "You know I always pray that Andrei finds the person for him. He's a bit popular to girls, so I hope he finds someone who could level with his looks. I hope she's not moody, or too sensitive, or too jealous, or will get annoyed when Andrei talks too much. I hope she's patient enough to tolerate his attention to details, and will be supportive of his decisions."
"You know Andrei might not find anybody if his friend wants a perfect woman for him."
It's not that I want a perfect person for him. Those are just everything I can't be for him.
A few minutes pass without any of us saying a word. But the thing is, there's no awkward feeling at all. We're comfortable even in silence.
"Dude, you look like you really need to sleep already. Get some beauty rest for your show tomorrow."
I stood and entered the house and he followed right after. I waited for him to finish locking the door.
"Good night, Kurt," I said then started walking towards Kaye's room.
"Raya," he called me and before I even turned my head around, he grabbed my wrist, spun me around, and pulled me near him. "Thank you for opening up to me. And just so you know, there are people who appreciate you for who you are even though you are moody, sensitive, impatient, and everything. And for the record.." he said as he slid his arm around my waist while his other hand secured the back of my head. Then, he bent down and brought his face to mine. Before I even realized what's happening, his lips are already on mine, putting soft kisses on it. It happened all at the same time that it felt like the world around me stopped. He pulled me even closer so that our bodies are against each other. I closed my eyes and his kisses became deeper. Our memories flashed in my mind - the first time I saw his handsome face, the moment we spent at the summit, the second time we met at the city, and all the times we spent together squeezing each other into our schedules. I remember the time when we were watching his movie and I told him he looked like he didn't know how to kiss. I remember how fast and hard my heart beat that time, nervous he was going to kiss me to prove me wrong. My heart is beating ten times more intensely than that time because he's actually proving me wrong now. My extremities are paralyzed, my emotions drowned by his kisses. I came to realize how much his presence gave me reassurance and security. This is the moment I knew why I was so willing to take the risk despite the threats. I don't know how long it took me to finally kiss him back.