“That will be ₱126,786.50 in total, sir. Will that be cash or credit card?” the cashier asked politely.

“Credit card. Here,” I replied, handing her my black card.

“Thank you for shopping with us. Here’s your card, sir,” she said with a smile.

I smiled back, took my card, placed it in my wallet, gathered my shopping bags, and left the store. I headed to the restaurant where my driver was waiting. When I saw him eating, I walked over and sat down, setting my bags on the seat next to me.

“How was your shopping, sir?” my driver asked with a friendly smile.

“You won’t believe who I ran into, Tatay—it was Chelsea. She’s the daughter of one of Mommy’s business rivals. She’s so arrogant, acting like she’s someone special when their company is only ranked third! And she insulted me, Tatay. Then she even tried to grab the t-shirts I picked out for my brothers. I was so annoyed!” I ranted as I told him everything that had happened.

This driver of ours has been with us since I was a child. More than a driver, he’s like a second father to me. He’s taken care of me like his own son. His name is Tatay Rodilgo Lopez. He has two kids, Charlie and Cassie—my childhood friends. We even helped pay for their education, and we’ve always studied together, so I’ve come to see them as siblings too. They’re just a year older than me. I’m 19, and they’re both 20.

“Oh, son, just let it go. Don’t waste your time on people like that. It’s not worth it. Just eat, I already ordered your favorite—lobster! I saw it on the menu earlier and thought of you,” Tatay said with a grin.

“You really know what I love, Tatay! And you should enjoy yourself too when I go shopping. You should be doing something fun while waiting—like eating and getting full, just like now. Hehe. Thank you, Tatay!” I said with a smile.

This has always been our dynamic. It’s not just about me enjoying myself when we go out—Tatay should enjoy it too. I always make sure he buys something for himself, not just for me. But most of the time, he just shops for groceries or brings home something for his family. That’s fine with me. I actually love it, because it means we’ll visit their house and his wife, Nanay Rita, will cook for me—her food is absolutely delicious.

“Thank you, son. Honestly, I still feel humbled by how kind you and your family have been to me and my family after all these years. I’m truly grateful,” Tatay said, smiling warmly at me.

“Oh, Tatay, you’re like a real father to us—there’s no need to feel shy. Come on, let’s eat so we can head home after,” I said. He nodded in agreement and we started eating.

After we finished, I paid the bill and we left. When we got home, I went straight to my brothers’ room because I knew all three of them were there.

“Kuyaaaaaaaa!” I shouted as I opened the door—but I was surprised to see they had visitors.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had guests,” I said awkwardly, scratching my head as I looked at my brothers, who were already shaking their heads with amused expressions.

“It’s okay, Princess. Where’ve you been? You weren’t home when we arrived,” asked my eldest brother, Kuya Francis.

“Yeah, Princess,” echoed my other two brothers, Kuya Kael and Kuya Philip.

“I went shopping, Kuya! I even got you all something—it’s really nice and suits you perfectly,” I said excitedly as I stepped inside and showed them the bags I brought.

“You didn’t have to buy us anything, Princess. But thank you,” Kuya Philip said, smiling.

“I *had* to, Kuya! These are limited edition. I saw them online and just knew I had to buy them. I even picked your favorite colors!” I grinned as I handed them their paper bags.

“Thanks, Princess,” said Kuya Kael.

“Have you eaten?” asked Kuya Francis.

“Yes, Kuya,” I replied.

“This looks amazing, Princess. It really suits me,” Kuya Kael said, and I smiled again.

“Where’s yours?” asked Kuya Francis.

“I left it in my room, Kuya,” I said as I sat beside him. “Kuya, guess who I saw at the mall—and she even tried to snatch the gifts I bought for you!”

“Who?” they all asked, their brows raising.

“Chelsea!” I exclaimed. “She even said some nasty things to me. She thinks she’s so important, talking to me like that!” I crossed my arms and pouted.

“What? How dare she treat you like that?” Kuya Philip said, clearly annoyed.

“Did she hurt you?” Kuya Francis asked, concern in his voice.

“No, I got ahead of her. Hehe,” I said with a grin.

While my brothers continued discussing what they should do about Chelsea, my gaze wandered to their guests. One guy, in particular, caught my eye. He looked at me gently—and smiled. I immediately turned back to my brothers, feeling shy.

“Kuya, that’s enough about her. Just ignore her, okay? Anyway, I’ll go to my room now to sort through the stuff I bought. I don’t want to bother your friends. Bye-bye, Kuya! Bye to you guys too!” I said, smiling as I stood up.

“Alright, Princess. Thanks again,” my brothers said in unison.

“Bye-bye!” their friends chimed in. I glanced one last time at that guy. He smiled again and waved. Flustered, I quickly bowed my head and rushed out of the room.

As soon as I got to my room, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, my heart pounding.

Oh—by the way, I’m **Isaiah Yuhan Villa Fuentes**, 19 years old. I’m the youngest in the Villa Fuentes family, and yes, I’m gay—so I’m their one and only *princess*. I’m a second-year college student now. My brothers are all fourth-years. I used to study in Taiwan during my first year, but I decided to come back to the Philippines because I missed my brothers and our parents. I just returned last week—so right now, I’m just enjoying my time before classes start again.

---

I sat quietly in my room, lost in thought, the soft rustle of pages the only sound as I read my book. Everything felt calm—until someone suddenly knocked on my door.

“It’s open,” I called out.

The door creaked open, and Kuya Francis stepped in.

“Oh, Kuya. It’s you. What’s up?” I asked, sitting up on my bed.

“You haven’t enrolled yet, right? Come with us,” he said.

“Oh, right! Good thing you reminded me. Hold on, I’ll get changed,” I said quickly. I hurried to my closet, grabbed something to wear, then rushed to the bathroom. After changing, I picked up my bag, left the room, and went downstairs where they were waiting in the living room.

“Let’s go, Kuya,” I said. They turned to me, nodded, and we all headed out of the house toward the garage, where we got into the car.

There were just four of us in one vehicle. Kuya Kael helped me into the front seat, while Kuya Francis took the wheel. Kuya Kael and Kuya Philip sat in the back. Their friends followed in separate cars.

“Ready to go?” Kuya asked.

We all nodded, and the car started moving. Their friends’ cars followed behind us.

“You’re still taking Law, right?” Kuya Francis asked casually.

“Yes, Kuya,” I answered.

“That’s great. Your building is near ours, so it’ll be easy for us to check in on you,” he said with a smile.

“There are some clubs you can join too, bunso,” Kuya Philip added. “Have you thought about which one you want?”

“What kind of clubs are there?” I asked, curious.

“There’s sports like volleyball, basketball, tennis, chess. There's also singing, dancing, theater, journalism, and photography,” Kuya explained.

I began thinking hard about what I might join.

“You can choose more than two,” Kuya Kael added with a grin. I nodded thoughtfully.

“What clubs did you all join?” I asked them.

“I’m in the basketball club,” Kuya Francis said.

“Same here,” added Kuya Kael.

“Me too,” said Kuya Philip.

“Oh… I think I’ll join the volleyball club,” I replied.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the university. Kuya parked the car while their friends parked behind us. Kuya Philip got out first and opened the door for me. I stepped out.

“Let’s drop off my brother first before we head to our building,” Kuya Francis said, and his friends nodded in agreement.

“After that, we’ll give Yuhan a tour around campus,” Kuya Kael added with a smile.

We started walking toward my building. I stayed close to Kuya Francis, holding onto his arm. I was in the middle of him and one of his friends.

Then suddenly—

“Why are you ignoring my calls and texts, Francis?” a sharp, angry voice called out.

We all turned toward it. A girl stood nearby, glaring at us. “I’ve been trying to talk to you! I’ve called, texted, messaged you on Instagram and Twitter—but nothing!”

I glanced at Kuya, then back at her. She stared at me with furrowed brows, scanning me from head to toe with judgment in her eyes.

“Oh… now I get it,” she sneered. “You replaced me with *this*?”

She pointed at me with disgust. My brow lifted in response.

“What do you mean?” I asked, matching her tone.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, gay boy. You seduced my boyfriend and stole him from me,” she spat angrily.

“Maybe you should get to know me first before throwing judgments around,” I replied, trying to keep my cool.

“I don’t need to. I already know your type,” she shot back.

I clenched my fists, ready to confront her, but Kuya held me back.

“Shut up, Louisa,” Kuya Francis said sharply. “How dare you insult him in front of me? We broke up a month ago. Stop living in your little fantasy.”

“I won’t. Especially now that I know you left me for a gay guy—”

She didn’t even finish her sentence. I broke free from Kuya’s grip and slapped her. I had had enough.

“Yes, I’m gay,” I said firmly. “So what? Don’t act like it’s some secret or shame. Keep pushing it, and you won’t just get a slap. You’re annoying, your voice is irritating, and let me be clear—my Kuya is *never* going back to you. You insulted me. Be thankful they’re holding me back, or your nose would be bleeding by now.”

“Just leave, Louisa,” Kuya said, stepping in front of me again. “It’s over. I’m never taking you back—not after what you said to my brother.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know he was your brother! I didn’t mean to insult him, Francis!” she cried.

Kuya ignored her. He shook off her hand and signaled her to leave. Crying, she finally walked away.

As soon as she was gone, Kuya turned back to me, arms crossed.

“You just got here and you’re already getting into trouble?”

I pouted and looked away—only to find myself face to face with a guy I’d been trying to avoid. I quickly turned back toward Kuya.

“Kuyaaa, why are you scolding me? And honestly, your taste in women is terrible. Too much makeup, and her attitude? Horrible! I don’t like her at all,” I grumbled and clung to Kuya Kael’s arm.

“Don’t scold her,” Kuya Kael said gently, ruffling my hair. “Our princess was just defending herself.”

I nodded, eyes slightly teary, and gave Kuya Francis a look.

“Okay, fine. Let’s just go and get you enrolled. Forget about her,” he said, messing up my hair again.

I scowled and swatted his hand away, trying to fix it while walking. Suddenly, the guy I’d been ignoring started walking beside me. I didn’t look at him. I kept fixing my hair.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied with a faint smile.

“I’m Lysander Roswell. Your Kuya’s friend since high school,” he said, holding out his hand.

I shook it. “Yuhan Zhi Villa Fuentes. You can call me Yuhan, Zhi—whichever’s easier for you.”

“Can I call you Zhi?” he asked.

I paused for a moment. “Yeah, sure.”

He smiled. “Most people call me Sander, or Ros. Up to you.”

“Hey, you two! You’re walking too slow—hurry up or the ants will get you!” Kuya Kael suddenly called out from ahead.

We looked toward him. They had stopped and were waiting. Embarrassed, I jogged toward Kuya Francis and stayed close. I also caught the way Kuya looked at Sander.

“I don’t like the way you’re smiling at my little brother, Sander,” Kuya said sternly. Actually—was that a threat?

“Why? I’m just being friendly,” Sander replied with a shrug.

“We *know* you, dude,” said Kuya Philip. “You don’t usually smile like that. So what's with the smiles now, huh?”

Yeah. *That’s how protective they are*.

“Kuya! Don’t be like that. Ros is just being nice. There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go now. Don’t be mad at him.”

They nodded, and we all walked toward the building.

“This is the Criminology and Law building,” Kuya Francis explained. “We’ll take you to the front desk so you can enroll. We’ll wait here before we head to our own classes.”

I nodded in understanding.

As we reached the lobby, I noticed students lining up and looking our way. When we got to the front desk, a staff member handed me an enrollment form and guided me toward a small room. My kuyas stayed behind to wait.

The staff explained that once I was done filling out the form, I should hand it to the person inside the room. After that, I’d be free to leave.