But deep down, Jiko couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling in his chest—somethi off. His mind raced with memories of the future—the woman he onew, the way things were supposed to unfold. Iimeline he knew, Julie and Tito were destio find each other, to build something sting. He saw it happen—he lived it. They were meant to be a family. And now, here he was, walking a fine liween the past and the future, unsure of where he truly stood.

  The more time he spent with Julie, the harder it became to ighe truth. There was something deeper f between them, and it was impossible to deny. Jiko knew he couldn’t keep up this dance—pretending things were normal when they were anything but.

  It was the day before a holiday, and Jiko found himself lounging on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The rare gift of a free day stretched out before him, and he was determio make the most of it. “What should I do?” he muttered to himself. As his brain ed through ideas, a sudden burst of inspiration hit him like a bolt of lightning. He grabbed his phone and fired off a text to Julie:

  “Hey, I’m thinking of going to Wondernd tomorrow. Want to e with me?”

  Jiko stared at his phoapping his fingers nervously. He didn’t have to wait long. Within five minutes, Julie replied with an immediate ahusiastic, “Yes, let’s go!”

  A triumphant grin spread across Jiko’s face. He felt like he’d just wotery. “This is going to be great,” he whispered to himself, already picturing the perfect day. With a tented sigh, he fell asleep, dreaming of roller coasters, cotton dy, and maybe—just maybe—a romantic spark, of course Tito's romantic spark.

  The day, Jiko arrived at the meeting spot, feeling unusually chipper. Julie was already waiting for him, looking effortlessly pretty in a casual outfit. She waved, but her cheerful expression faltered the moment she spotted someorailing behind Jiko.

  It was Tito, Jiko’s older brrinning from ear to ear.

  Julie leaned in closer to Jiko, l her voice. “I thought it would just be us.”

  “Well,” Jiko began, scratg the back of his neck awkwardly, “Tito wao e too. He’s been talking about Wondernd for weeks. I couldn’t say no.”

  Julie frowned, her disappoi clear. But Tito, pletely oblivious, greeted her with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved fame show testants. “Thanks for having me!” he excimed, giving her a thumbs-up.

  Jiko grinned inwardly. Perfect, he thought. Today, I’ll remind Julie of Tito’s good qualities. She’ll fall for him again, just like she used to. That way, she’ll fet about me entirely.

  “Let’s go!” Jiko annourying to infuse some excitement into the situation.

  “Wait!” Tito suddenly shouted, throwing his hand up like a traffic cop.

  “What now?” Jiko asked, already sensing that something was about to go horribly wrong.

  “I invited someooo,” Tito decred, puffing out his chest proudly.

  Jiko’s jaw dropped. “Who?!”

  “Oh, here she is!” Tito said, beaming as a proached.

  Jiko froze. She wasn’t just beautiful; she looked like she’d stepped out of a movie poster. Her hair flowed like a waterfall, her smile sparkled like diamonds, and her outfit screamed effortless elegance. Jiko’s mind raced. Where oh did Tito find this… this goddess? I wasn’t looking after you for few days, Big brother Tito, and now you’re bringing anirl into this chaos?!

  Julie, however, looked surprisingly relieved. Her expression softened, and the fai hint of a smile pyed on her lips.

  Tito gestured grandly toward the woman. “Everyone, meet Nadia. Nadia, this is my little brother, Jiko, and his friend, Julie.”

  Julie stepped forward aended her hand. “o meet you!”

  Nadia’s smile widened. “You’re a cute girl,” she said warmly, her tone kind and genuine.

  Julie blushed slightly, looking down for a moment before smiling back.

  Jiko, meanwhile, was internally screaming. Wait! This isn’t part of the pn! I didn’t bring Julie here to be charmed by another woman! It was supposed to be Tito!

  As the group ehe theme park, the day began to spiral out of trol almost immediately. Julie, who had initially seemed annoyed by Tito’s presence, was now ughing at Nadia’s jokes and chatting with her as though they were old friends. Meanwhile, Tito, determio impress Nadia, kept trying to pull her aside for one-on-one moments.

  At one point, Tito boldly decred, “Nadia, let’s go on the Ferris wheel together. It’s romantic, don’t you think?”

  Nadia smiled politely. “Sure! But let’s all go—it’ll be fun with the whole group.”

  Tito’s face fell, but he quickly recovered. “Yeah… the more, the merrier,” he said, though his voice cked vi.

  Ihe Ferris wheel car, the awkward energy alpable. Jiko sat squished between Julie and Nadia, while Tito tried to casually drape his arm across the back of the seat, only to actally elbow Jiko in the head.

  “Watch it!” Jiko hissed.

  “Sorry, little bro,” Tito whispered back, though he didn’t sound sorry at all.

  Julie leaned over, her voice ced with sarcasm. “This is defihe romantic outing I imagined.”

  Jiko groaned, burying his fa his hands. This is a disaster.

  The rest of the day was a blur of chaos. On the roller coasters, Tito screamed louder than anyone, clutg Nadia’s arm for dear life. At the snack stands, Jiko actally spilled lemonade on Julie’s shoes, earning him an exasperated gre. Meanwhile, Nadia, ever the social butterfly, mao charm everyone she met, from the park employees to random strangers in line.

  By the time the group reached the arcade, Jiko was a bundle of nerves. His carefully id pn had not only failed but backfired spectacurly. Julie wasn’t admiring Tito—she was bonding with Nadia. And Tito? Tito seemed more focused (and failing) to impress Nadia than anything else.

  As the sun began to set, Julie turo Jiko, her expression softening. “Thanks for today,” she said. “It didn’t go the way I expected, but… it was fun.”

  Jiko forced a smile, though his thoughts were still in turmoil. Fun for you, maybe. For me, this was the most stressful day of my life.

  Meanwhile, Tito sidled up to Nadia, holding a stuffed juice he’d won at the cw mae. “For you,” he said, his voice brimming with pride.

  Nadia ughed, taking the juice. “Thank you, Tito. You’re sweet.”

  Jiko couldn’t take it anymore. “Let’s just go home,” he muttered.