"Ah, Dad's here. Nicky, you need a quick checkup."
That was all Julie heard Gabriel say.
"I'm okay. Thank you, Gab," Nicole replied softly.
"Nicky, you still need to do it," Julie insisted.
She sighed and patted Nicole's shoulder. "Tito's kind. Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly.
Nicole turned to her brother. He nodded slightly and ruffled her hair playfully.
Moments later, the doorbell rang. Someone quickly opened the door—by then, everyone had already finished their discussion.
"Dad," Gabriel greeted.
"Good evening," his father replied. The rest of the group greeted him politely, mindful that they were still guests in the Colonels' home.
"Kevin," Julie called playfully. "Were we a bother?"
Kevin chuckled. "You, silly girl. Of course not." He ruffled her hair.
"I just wanted to make sure," she teased. "What if you kicked us out and never let us come back?"
Kevin shook his head, amused.
Nicole was already having a brief checkup. Her Tito asked a few questions, which she answered honestly—though nervously.
"Even if you feel fine, you still need to see your doctor again," he reminded her gently. "Just to be safe."
"Y–Yes, sir," Nicole replied timidly.
Julie flashed her a thumbs-up. Nicole managed a faint smile.
"Julie, you're here too," her Tito said, turning to her.
She waved cheerfully.
"Your cousin isn't bothering you, is he?"
Julie smirked. "Not really. He's actually useful… sometimes."
Her cousin immediately smacked the back of her head, making her glare at him.
Her Tito laughed. "No need to thank me," he said warmly, ruffling her hair. "I'll head back now. If you need anything, come by the clinic. I'll be opening it for a while—I'm staying in the Philippines temporarily."
Julie nodded. He left after reminding Nicole of a few more things.
"Your Tito has a clinic here?" Kelly asked curiously.
Julie nodded. "Yeah, it's nearby."
"Oh! I think I know that one," Kevin said. "Mom mentioned it before—the doctor there is really good. But the clinic's almost always closed."
Julie chuckled. "Yeah. I never know how long he stays either."
That night, everyone eventually went home. Gabriel stayed—he'd be living with them from now on.
"Julie," he called.
She turned. "What is it?"
"I'm really worried about you," he admitted quietly.
Julie sighed. "I'm fine. I'm not a kid anymore—you don't have to worry so much."
"You know how fast things can escalate," Gabriel said seriously. "One moment everything's fine, then suddenly—it's chaos."
She rolled her eyes. "We're the same age, yet you act like you're older."
He smirked. "Maybe. But to me, you'll always be that impulsive kid. I can't help worrying about your decisions."
Julie didn't answer—just rolled her eyes dramatically.
*******
The next morning, Gabriel walked to class with Julie. He did that now—every day. As they walked, he casually draped an arm around her shoulders.
"What?" Julie asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," he replied with a smile.
She shrugged it off and entered the classroom, where her friends were already seated. Gabriel immediately scanned the room.
"Where's your boyfriend?" he whispered.
"Office duty," she answered casually. "He'll be with Dawn later."
Gabriel raised a brow. "You're not jealous?"
"A little," Julie admitted, then smirked. "But it's fine. He's mine."
Gabriel shook his head in disbelief.She really gives him her loyalty without hesitation.Cielo's a good guy… but this kind of love must be heavy sometimes.
He ruffled her hair, grinning.
"Good morning, Nicky, Melissa—and you two over there," Gabriel greeted.
"Morning, Gab. Morning, Julie," Joel replied.
Gabriel fist-bumped Raymond, then Joel, greeting everyone with easy laughter.
"Hey, Navares."
Both Julie and Gabriel turned.
Two girls stood by the doorway. Gabriel assessed them quickly. Camille and Paulene.
Julie introduced them, and Camille immediately asked, "Is that your boyfriend?"
Gabriel froze for half a second. Boyfriend?Ah. They must've been absent yesterday.
He lightly tapped Julie's arm before speaking.
"Oh—hi. I'm Gabriel Alexander Santos-Navares."
"Navares?" Camille asked. "You know Julie?"
"Oh, we just share the same surname," Gabriel replied smoothly. "We're not actually related."
Julie stared at him.
Sorry, Julie, he thought mischievously. I'm disowning you as my cousin for now.
Camille looked him over. "Oh. That makes sense."
Dennis nodded. "Yeah, sometimes people share surnames."
They're buying it? Gabriel nearly laughed.
"So how do you know Julie?" Raymond asked.
Gabriel smirked. "We've known each other for a while. We're in a relationship—but she's shy about it. That's actually why I transferred here."
"What?!" Raymond's eyes widened. "Julie has a boyfriend? And you even transferred for her?"
"Yep," Gabriel said easily. "And since we share a surname, it's perfect. When we get married, she won't even need to change her name."
Julie shot him a murderous glare.
"Julie, why are you upset?" Camille asked.
Gabriel covered smoothly. "She doesn't like people knowing. She's really shy. But me? I'm proud to say she's my girlfriend."
"You should be proud too," Raymond teased Julie. "Your boyfriend even transferred schools for you."
Julie sighed deeply. "What choice do I have? He already said it."
"Don't be shy about us," Gabriel added with a grin.
Paulene smiled. "Oh, I see. He really is your boyfriend."
"Welcome to our school," Camille said. "Sorry we weren't here when you transferred."
"No worries," Gabriel replied warmly.
When the girls finally left, Gabriel burst out laughing.
"Raymond, did you record that?" he asked.
"Yeah," Raymond chuckled. "I already sent it to Cielo."
Without warning, Julie kicked Gabriel in the leg.
"Ow! Sorry," he laughed. "But for now, I'll have to disown you as my cousin and play your boyfriend instead." He winked.
"Random as always," Kenneth muttered.
"Hey, Ken," Gabriel said. "Did you see her face?"
"Yeah. For once, Julie was speechless."
"Exactly!" Gabriel laughed. "She's usually quick with comebacks—but nothing this time!"
Nicole and Melissa laughed along.
Julie sighed. "Ugh. Whatever. You better stand by everything you just said."
Gabriel only laughed harder.