Chapter 78
Home
Ahhhh! I hate my life.
Or no.
My life hates me.
I was trying to order food, but my favorite restaurant was closed for maintenance.
Closed.
For maintenance.
The betrayal.
Just as I was wondering what to do, I remembered Tita Gemma.
One of my favorite people on Earth.
So naturally, I threw on an oversized hoodie, baggy jeans, tied my hair into a messy bun, grabbed my keys, and left.
I didn't even bother locking my apartment gate.
Nobody would dare enter while I lived there.
And if they did?
Well.
Good luck to them.
Twenty minutes later, I was already pulling into Angelo's driveway.
I entered quietly.
Or at least, I tried to.
The smell of food immediately hit me.
I nearly cried.
Tita Gemma was in the kitchen.
Without a word, I walked behind her and covered her eyes.
"Guess who this is, my lovely Tita?"
She looked confused for a second before smiling.
"Is it you, Jay anak?"
I immediately removed my hands and hugged her.
She hugged me back just as tightly.
And just like that...
Some of the exhaustion I'd been carrying all week disappeared.
Then I heard a familiar voice.
"Who are you talking to, Ma? I think I heard Jay's voice. Is she here?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Yes. It's me, you horoscope."
Aries appeared in the kitchen doorway.
Immediately looking offended.
"Why are you here?"
This asshole.
Honestly.
"What do you mean why am I here?" I asked innocently.
"Because this isn't your house."
"Why isn't it?"
"Because monkeys aren't allowed inside."
The audacity.
The absolute audacity.
I chose peace.
Mainly because Tita Gemma was present.
Otherwise, violence.
Definitely violence.
I ignored him and turned back toward Tita.
"Tita, I'm starving. My favorite restaurant is closed. Can you make dinner for me?"
Tita Gemma smiled immediately.
"No need to ask, anak. This is your home too."
See?
THIS.
This is why she's my favorite.
Not Aries.
Never Aries.
Just then Angelo came downstairs.
The moment he saw me, he grinned.
"How are you, troublemaker?"
The audacity clearly ran in the family.
"I'm fine. And I'm not a troublemaker."
"Oh sure."
I pointed toward Aries.
"Kuya, do you love dogs?"
"No."
"Then why did you allow a dog to live here? He keeps barking all day."
I stuck my tongue out at Aries.
Aries gasped dramatically.
"MA."
"No."
"MA."
"No."
"MAAAAA."
"Still no."
I almost fell over laughing.
For the next hour, I practically lived in the kitchen.
Tita cooked.
I stole ingredients.
Aries complained.
Angelo watched the chaos unfold like a man who had accepted his fate years ago.
At one point I stole a slice of cucumber.
Then another.
Then another.
Eventually Tita turned around.
"Jay."
"What?"
"That's for dinner."
"I am quality checking."
"You ate half of it."
"Exactly."
Aries pointed dramatically.
"See? Monkey behavior."
I threw a carrot at him.
Unfortunately.
I missed.
Angelo got hit instead.
The kitchen went silent.
I blinked.
Aries blinked.
Tita blinked.
Angelo slowly picked up the carrot.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Then he took a bite.
"I paid for this carrot."
The room exploded into laughter.
Even Tita had to lean against the counter.
By early night , I had somehow migrated to the living room.
Tita was finishing dinner.
Angelo was answering work calls.
Aries was being annoying professionally.
And for once...
Everything felt peaceful.
I curled up on the couch.
The television was on.
I wasn't even watching it.
Just listening to the noise.
The familiarity.
The comfort.
Maybe that was why I kept coming back here.
Not because of the food.
Not because of Angelo.
Definitely not because of Aries.
Because this place felt safe.
A home that never asked me to earn my place.
A home that simply opened the door.
The sound of footsteps interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up.
Angelo.
He sat down beside me.
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
Then he nudged my shoulder lightly.
"You okay?"
I looked away.
"Yeah."
"Liar."
I sighed.
He knew me too well.
Annoying.
"I'm fine."
"That's not what I asked."
For a second, I considered making a joke.
Deflecting.
Changing the subject.
Doing what I always did.
Instead I leaned my head back against the couch.
"I'm tired."
Angelo's expression softened immediately.
Not pity.
Never pity.
Just understanding.
"School?"
"Life."
"Ah."
"Yeah."
Silence settled between us.
Comfortable silence.
The kind that didn't demand anything.
Then Angelo spoke quietly.
"You know you don't always have to handle everything alone, right?"
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
I hated when people said things that sounded simple but hit too hard.
So naturally...
I ignored him.
"That's a very boring piece of advice."
"It was a good piece of advice."
"It lacked flavor."
He laughed.
"There she is."
Before I could reply, Tita's voice echoed through the house.
"Dinner!"
The most beautiful word in human history.
Immediately everyone moved.
Including me.
Especially me.
The dining table looked incredible.
Rice.
Vegetables.
Chicken.
Soup.
Actual home-cooked food.
I nearly proposed to Tita on the spot.
Aries noticed.
"You look emotional."
"Mind your business."
"You are emotional."
"I'm hungry."
"Same thing."
Tita smacked both of us lightly.
"Enough."
Dinner began.
And somehow...
It became one of those nights.
The simple kind.
Everyone talking over each other.
Aries being dramatic.
Angelo making sarcastic comments.
Tita telling stories.
Me laughing so hard I almost dropped my spoon.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
No crisis.
No secrets.
No heartbreak.
Just dinner.
Just family.
And maybe that's why it felt so special.
Because life wasn't always dramatic.
Sometimes happiness looked like a crowded table.
A warm meal.
People asking if you'd eaten enough.
People noticing when you looked tired.
People saving you a seat without needing a reason.
By the time dinner ended, it was already dark outside.
I helped Tita clean up.
Well.
Mostly.
I dried exactly three plates before she kicked me out of the kitchen.
Apparently I was "helping incorrectly."
Rude.
When it was finally time to leave, Tita hugged me at the door.
"Come again soon."
"I will."
"You don't have to wait until you're hungry."
That earned a laugh from everyone.
Even me.
I hugged her tighter.
Then stepped back.
For a brief moment, I looked around the house.
At Angelo.
At Aries.
At Tita.
And something warm settled quietly in my chest.
Home.
Not the apartment.
Not the villa.
Not any building.
This.
This feeling.
This was home.
Then Aries ruined the moment.
"Drive safely, monkey."
I threw a slipper at him.
And finally left.
Some things never change.
And honestly?
Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
---
Some houses are built from walls and roofs... but the ones that matter most are built from people who never stop saving a place for you at their table.