When The Poor Girl Suddenly Became Rich

It was a peaceful Sunday.

The kind where the house was quiet, soft jazz played through the speakers, Ate Andi had a foot mask on while working on her planner, Gesly was on his phone with his legs tossed over the sofa, and Bella—well, she was watching a rom-com on Netflix.

All was well.

Until—

"Can I have a boyfriend now?"

CRACK. Gesly dropped his phone.

Andi froze mid-underline in her planner.

They both slowly turned to look at Bella like she had just said, "I stabbed someone outside."

"…What did you just say?" Andi blinked, slowly putting her pen down.

Bella, looking angelic in her unicorn pajamas, tilted her head. "I said, can I have a boyfriend now?"

"NO," Gesly and Andi said in perfect horror-harmony.

Bella pouted. "Why not? I'm just curious."

Gesly narrowed his eyes. "Curious about what exactly, huh? WHO'S THE BOY? WHO'S THE GUY THAT WANTS TO GO TO JAIL?!"

"There's no one yet," Bella said casually. "I'm just curious because… you and Kuya Alonzo… you're nice to watch."

Andi blinked again. "Watch what, Bella?"

"You know…" Bella shrugged. "Like that one time on the garden—you thought no one was around. And then you started, like, 'eating each other's mouth'?"

DEAD. SILENCE.

Andi slowly closed her planner.

Gesly stared at Bella like she had just summoned Satan himself.

"…Ate," he whispered, breathless. "Did she just say you—"

"NO. NOPE. EVERYONE SHUT UP," Andi snapped, standing up like a glitching robot.

"First of all, that's called kissing. Not eating mouths."

Bella frowned. "But why does it look like that? Like… there's chomping."

"I—HUH—THERE WAS NO CHOMPING—WHY WOULD THERE BE CHOMPING?!" Andi sputtered, pacing now like she was questioning her entire existence.

Gesly looked physically sick. "I need to bleach my brain. I need holy water. I NEED A TIME MACHINE."

"What?" Bella asked innocently, munching on popcorn. "You and Kuya Alonzo are so cute. And your heads were moving, too—"

"OKAY," Andi cut her off, voice two octaves too high. "WE GET IT. THANK YOU. THIS FAMILY MEETING IS OVER."

Gesly got up, walked to a wall, and just stood there—staring at it like it held the answers to life.

Bella, confused, blinked at them both.

"What?" she asked gently. "I'm just curious. How am I supposed to know when I'm allowed to have a boyfriend if no one wants to explain?"

Andi, still frozen in disbelief, stared at her little sister. Blank. Emotionless. Defeated.

Then she sighed, flopped back down on the couch, and covered her face with her planner.

"Mama, please take this child back," she mumbled.

Gesly, still facing the wall, muttered: "This is why I stay single. No mouth eating. No risk."

Bella beamed, proud of herself.

"Oh! But Ate—you and Kuya Alonzo are so cute. Like a YouTube Shorts love team!"

Andi groaned. Gesly collapsed dramatically on the floor. The jazz music kept playing—mocking them with its fake calm.

It was a lazy Thursday afternoon.

The kind where the house was warm but quiet, sunlight spilling across the tiled floors of their ancestral home. Andi was in the kitchen, humming while preparing snacks—banana cue, iced tea, and cheese sticks, of course.

Alonzo had just arrived, freshly showered after class, his hair that perfect kind of messy that said I swear I didn't try, but I still look hot.

He was on the couch flipping through a comic book he found on their bookshelf… when he felt a presence.

He looked up.

Bella.

Standing. Staring. Clutching a notebook.

"Uh… hi?" Alonzo smiled.

Bella didn't blink. "Kuya Alonzo, can I ask something?"

"Sure." He set the comic down. "Is it homework?"

"No."

Pause.

"It's about relationships."

Another pause.

Alonzo blinked. "Shouldn't you be asking your Ate?"

Bella crossed her arms, pouting. "I did. And she looked at me like I told her I was pregnant."

He choked on air. "What?"

"And when I asked Kuya Gesly, it was like his soul left his body and never came back."

Alonzo burst into laughter. Full, deep, I-can't-breathe kind of laugh. "Okay, okay. Fair."

Bella flopped beside him on the couch. "It's just… you and Ate are the only decent relationship I know. And I'm curious."

He looked at her for a moment, studying her expression. Her eyes weren't wide-eyed or naïve—but thoughtful. Cautious, even. Not rebellious curiosity, but the sincere kind that says I want to understand love without losing myself.

So he leaned back.

And started speaking—like the responsible older brother figure she deserved.

"Well… it's normal," he began. "To be curious. To like someone. To feel all weird and fluttery when they smile or say your name. That's part of growing up."

Bella blinked. "So… crushes are okay?"

"Crushes are normal," he said reassuringly. "Having a boyfriend? That's okay too—if you're ready. And most importantly, if your Ate knows. Not to lock you up. But to help you. Protect you. Guide you."

"But what if she says no?"

"She's your Ate," he said with a shrug. "Of course she'll say no. Even Gesly—if you get a boyfriend, he might sprinkle salt around the entire gate."

Bella giggled. "So it's true when he said he'd give every guy a 'shotgun talk'?"

"Oh, absolutely. He already has a speech ready."

They both laughed.

Then Alonzo's voice softened, tone more serious now. "But here's the thing, Bella. It's okay to love. Even if you're young. What's not okay is giving away your youth to some guy who doesn't know how to respect you."

Bella looked down at her hands.

"You're allowed to feel things. To fall a little. But don't lose yourself. Don't forget who you are just to match someone else's idea of love."

"How do you know if it's the kind of love that's worth it?"

"If you don't have to hide it. If you don't have to give up your dreams for it. If even when you fight, you don't forget that you love each other—and that they still love you."

Bella bit her lip, deep in thought.

"Kuya Alonzo?"

"Hmm?"

"Is that what you and Ate have?"

He smiled—soft and sure. "Every day, I learn how to love her better. And she teaches me the same. That's how I know it's real."

And for the first time, Bella didn't feel like a kid trying to understand something too big.

She felt like a girl… getting her first real glimpse of what love should look like.

That it wasn't about drama or heartbreak.

It was about choosing each other. Again. And again. And again.

Just then, Andi walked in with a tray of snacks.

"What are you two whispering about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bella just smiled and reached for a banana cue. "Nothing. Just… girl stuff."

Alonzo winked.

Andi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "If she asked about kissing, I swear—"

"Relax," Bella said while munching. "We've leveled up. Kuya and I are at emotional maturity now."

Alonzo coughed.

Andi dropped the tray. "EXCUSE ME—WHAT?!"