Isla del Fuego.
I took a deep breath before driving my car home. If not because of Luke, I wouldn't have come home. That guy whined like a woman. I put my glasses on as the sun dazzled and glared.
"Brad, anak. I miss you so much!" my mom said with her voice full of enthusiasm and longing as she wrapped her arms around me.
"I miss you, too. Where's dad? Sheryl?" I asked as I look around.
Clinging to my arms, she spoke, "They're in Luke's house helping for the wedding preparation."
"Darn! It's not even a real one. Why bother so much?" I replied without even masking the irritation in my voice.
"Trust me, ijo! Your brother's in love," she said. I laughed at her idea but she just kept her smile.
The nostalgic scent of our house warmed my heart as I entered. For a moment, I stood there just looking around as my mom looked amused as she followed my gaze.
"How long have I been away?" I asked her. She filled her chest with air before answering.
"Nearly six months. I'm so glad you're home," she said. Behind her smile, I could still hear a glint of sadness.
"I bet my room misses me so much. Can't wait to hug my pillows," I joked. She chuckled.
"Go on. Take a rest. I will prepare some food for Luke's 'wife'," she said. Before I even protested, she's out of the door.
As I was unpacking my luggage, I received a call from Shane.
As soon as I press the answer button, I took the phone away from my ear. Shane was literally shouting in excitement. "What's up? Welcome home, bro. Please come at the Den tonight. We've prepared a welcome party for you," he said.
"I am tired, Mcknight! Leave me alone," I replied. He chuckled.
"See you later," he answered. I ended the call.
I wasn't so sure how long I slept. I was awaken by a loud phone alarm. I groped for my phone and shut it off.
I was about to sleep again when I heard my mom shouting outside my door. "Brad, your brothers are here. Get up!"
I cursed beneath my blanket before answering, "Opo, ma. Tell them to wait." Then, I heard her footsteps walking away.
I got out of my bed like a zombie and lazily walked towards my bathroom. After washing my face and changing my shirt, I went down to see my friends, smiling from ear to ear. There was hugging and punching. Happiness filled the room.
"Damn! You look like an old man," Owen commented as he punched my arm. I punched him back.
"How's New York?" Luke asked as we sat down the sofa.
I shrugged. "No place like home," I replied.
"Have some snacks while catching up," my mom said as she put down a food tray with four glasses of orange juice and freshly baked apple pie. As usual, they praised her with their sweet words. I just shook my head as I listened to them.
"Mom, Arabella wants to thank you for the delicious food," Luke told mom. She smiled.
"Anytime," she replied before leaving us.
"Are you nuts?" I asked, meeting Luke's furrowed face. The room was quiet as we waited for his answer but he didn't seem to care. He enjoyed eating as the three of us exchanged look.
"Just trust me with this one," Luke said, noticing how quiet were.
"Na... whenever there's a woman involved, it's just hard to trust you," Shane replied.
"Not with this one," Luke answered. Luke's answer tickled my curiousity to know more about his "wife". Everyone seem to like her, makes me wonder why.
"If you say so," Owen mumbled. Then he turned to me and said, "Anyway, Keira told me that Helena went to New York three days ago. Did you two meet?"
I nearly sputtered the orange juice I just drank upon listening to her name. And I silently cursed Owen for reminding me of the woman who has been hovering in my mind for so long.
I calmed myself before answering his question, "Yeah. We've met a couple of times." I spoke without even looking him.
"Do you know that she went to the Big Apple to meet her boyfriend?" Owen rumored which really caught all our attention.
"Really?" Shane asked. His brother nodded with a mischievous smile.
"That's just unthinkable!" Luke exclaimed. We all turned to him with confused look. He gave us an awkward smile.
"I asked her out once. And she refused," he casually said, answering the question in our minds.
"Thank goodness she did!" I replied.
"You met her there, Brad. Didn't she tell you anything?" Owen asked.
"Nope," I uninterestedly replied. But in mind came flashes of the night we shared together. And I wondered at that time whether to call her or not.
We chatted for a couple of hours more before they left. I promised to meet them at the Bachelor's Den around 7pm that day.
I was helping mom in cooking dinner when my dad and sister arrived. I could hear my sister running towards the kitchen and she threw her arms around me as soon as she saw me dicing some ginger.
"Kuya! I miss you!" she said. I laughed as I hugged her tight.
"Welcome home,ijo!" my dad greeted.
"How are you?" I asked.
"Now that you're here, I feel good," he replied.
"Tell me something about New York," Sheryl said as she helped me with the spices needed for the dish our mom was going to cook.
"Nothing special. Anyway, you might want to see the box I put in your room," I told Sheryl. Her eyes immediately lit up and dashed to her room as our parents chuckled at her reaction.
We were all surprised by a cheerful scream. "Oh my gooooooooosh!" Sheryl shouted with glee.
Our parents laughed as I nearly fell on the floor when Sheryl came rushing to me. "Thank you, kuya! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! You're the best!"
My present was a limited Jlo jewelry collection. She had been wanting that collection for a long time.