“But what about...”
“Gemini? We haven’t started figuring out a new plan for that, and you’re already throwing in the towel.” She managed to smile still. “You told me to face things head-on, and this is just a problem we have to face head-on. And I’ll need someone to do the math, make those amazing process flowcharts that literally saved my butt last night.”
He sighed. Kira wondered if she was getting through to him, even a little bit.
“I understand why you wanted me to see this, Santi,” she said, finally. “But I think the people who used to vacation in this house aren’t here anymore. And going back isn’t going to make you happy.”
Then she put her hands on his cheek, coaxing him closer to kiss him. He still had a decision to make, and she had a whole new business plan to try and figure out. But whatever happened, he had to know that not being together was not an option.
They were partners, after all.
Santi lowered his head, opened his knees so Kira could slip into his arms, so he could kiss her properly. She could taste salty tears, and she wasn’t sure whose they were—hers, because she was so angry that her anger manifested in crying, or his. He pulled away and sighed, his arms still wrapped around her as he pressed his forehead against hers.
“You’re absolutely right,” he told her.
“As always?”
“As always,” Santi agreed. He kissed her again, a little quicker this time. And she could have imagined it, but she thought she heard him say, “Thank you.”
“Do you want to be alone for a little bit?” Kira asked. “Or do you want me to stay?”
“I think I need to be alone for a bit,” he said, kissing the top of her knuckles. His eyes looked a little dull, like he was far, far away. “I’ll see you in the house.”
Kira nodded and rose, letting Santi help her dust the sand from her knees. She gave him a small smile like she was encouraging him before she headed back into the house, running into Tita Ria. They both squeaked in surprise, and Kira hastily wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Oh god, she was getting the sniffles.
“Oh dear,” Tita Ria said, frowning. “What happened?”
“Nothing po,” Kira said quickly, because how embarrassing that she had barely spoken to Tita Ria but was already crying in front of her. “Sand in my eye.”
“That’s a lot of sand, hija.” Tita Ria smiled, placing an arm around Kira and leading her to the kitchen, where she was served a bowl of crushed ice, skimmed milk, shaved Japanese sweet corn, a smattering of frosted cornflakes and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Damn, she did love a good mais con hielo. A tray of tissues was also discreetly passed her way. “Eat. Talk.”
“I just don’t understandwhythis family is so awful!” Kira exclaimed, shoveling the much-needed food into her mouth. Nothing like a good mais con hielo to cool the fevers of frustration. The ice cream and cornflakes just added that extra sosyal touch she was beginning to learn the Santillans enjoyed. “Um. Present company excepted.”
“Naturally.” Tita Ria smiled. “But I’ve asked myself that question for the last...fifty-six years, hija. I’m sure Anton has, too. But after watching Infinity War, I realize that villains never know they’re villains in their own stories. They legitimately think that their way is the right one, or they don’t care? I don’t know. I tried to justify their actions before, but hic sunt dracones.”
“Whose aunt?”
Tita Ria shook her head, still smiling. “Here be dragons.”
“So that’s it?” Kira asked, slightly exasperated. “They’re just...bad?”
“Yes.” Tita Ria nodded firmly. “And it’s a hard lesson to learn, especially for Anton because he was raised to be the utusan. Harder still to accept when it’s your family, when you know the very, very teeny-tiny amount of good they are capable of.”
Kira felt her body deflate, because she really did feel awful dumping on Santi the way she did. He really didn’t deserve that, not after he’d helped her so much. But as she looked at Tita Ria, she wondered if she and Anton came here not to vindicate the Santillans, but to ask for Tita Ria’s help. Tita Ria, who had already learned all the hard lessons, who still managed to be whole.
Maybe Santi brought her here because he needed hope.
“I know he’ll tell me eventually, but what happened?” Tita Ria asked. “It had to be bad, for him to come here.”
“I don’t know. Vito happened,” she guessed. “He wants Santi to come home, but he doesn’t know how to say it, so he’s burning everything Santi built to the ground so he can have it. I know when we were kids, they left Lipa because Vito demanded it from them. And I don’t want to say it, but...”
“But?”
“He’s terrible. And it’s a toxic family relationship, and I can’t stand seeing someone so wonderful and strong look so...lost. He’s lost. He’s ready to throw in the towel, but...he still loves them. Which is heartbreaking. And that’s why they make him so miserable, because at the back of his mind he knows that this isn’t how you love someone. And he doesn’t deserve to be miserable, because Tita, he’s so wonderful! Did you know that hecooks? He does this thing where he fries kesong puti so perfectly, and I—”
“What?”
“He just loves so deeply,” she said, and her voice actually shuddered, as tears welled in her eyes. “So deeply. And they don’t see it!”
