Did You Drink

She stretched her hand forward. "Help me up"

Alex stood still. He did not move and he did not talk. He only looked at the girl laying on the floor.

"Hey, will you stop looking at me and help me get up"

Alex walked towards her and lifted her up. She had a light smell of alcohol. Alex knew she drank alcohol, so he asked, "Did you drink?"

Carissa put her hand over her mouth and said, "I only drank a little...haha"

After finishing her sentence, she staggered into the living room and Alex followed her.

"Why are you here?" Alex asked.

She stopped in her tracks and did not turn back. She stood there silently. She could not tell him why she came to his house late at night.

"Why did you come to my place?" he asked again.

She turned back to look at him and shook her head. The effect of the alcohol came back to her again and she staggered back and fell on the chair and she began to feel dizzy and she lost consciousness.

Alex walked up to her and lean down to looked at her beautiful face. He knew there was something wrong with her, but he couldn't figure out what it is.

He carried her up in his arms and walked to his room. He placed her on the bed gently and tucked the blanket around her. He turned on the night light and turned to leave the room, but he felt a small, soft hand grabbed him by his wrist. He turned back and saw Carissa holding his hand and saying, "Kuya Leonel. Kuya Leonel don't leave me"

He frowned his brows when he heard her say 'kuya Leonel'. He wondered who that kuya Leonel is.

Then he remembered that Carissa told him that she had a brother called Leonel, but he died fourteen years ago.

"Is it because of her brother she drank?" he thought.

He walked over to her and sat beside the bed. She looked at the girl laying on the bed. She was frowning her face and at the same talking in her sleep.

The more he tried to remove his hand, the more she squeezed his hand. He didn't know what to do. He only sat there and patted her hand gently.

After few minutes of watching, he fell asleep.

Next morning.

The sun shined brightly through the window, drowning Carissa in sunlight. She flipped to her side with her back facing the window. She opened her eyes slowly and closed them back again and opened them again.

She lay with her back and her eyes were looking at the ceiling. She sat up in bed and tried to remember what happened yesterday's night then she had a nasty headache and groaned, touching her head. She felt hot from the alcohol she took yesterday.

Then the memories of last night came back.

"I thought he was here with me last night" she said and looked at her hand. "And he was holding my hand" her eyes immediately widened. "Did he really hold my hand?"

"Carissa, are you awake?"

Alex voice interrupted her trains of thought.

"Yes, I am awake"

Alex opened the door and walked in. "How are you feeling now?"

"Em... yes and thanks for allowing me in your house yesterday" she said shyly and lowered her head.

Alex did not respond. He moved his face closer to her and asked, "Why did you drink yesterday?"

She raised her head. "I... I" she didn't know what to tell him.

She did not want to tell him that she got drunk because her mother kept the truth from her.

"Is it because of Leonel that's why you got yourself drunk?"

His question shocked her. She did not expect him to ask her about Leonel.

She raised her head and tears dropped down her eyes. She got drunk because of what her mother did.

She could not believe that her brother, Leonel is alive and he is standing right in front of her.

No wonder he looks like her father. It's because he is Leonel.

But how did he get out of the fire? Did someone rescue him?

Alex was surprised to see her crying. He knew it was because of Leonel.

"Kuya Leonel"

"Kuya Leonel?" Alex was confused.

"I want to tell you something" she paused for few seconds and continued. "You are Leonel not Alex. You are my brother"

Alex was confused. The other day she called him her father and now her brother.

"What are you saying? I am not your brother"

"No, you are kuya Leonel"

"No! Are you okay?" he asked and placed his palm on her forehead.

He thought she was going crazy, or maybe it's because of the alcohol she drank last night.

"I am okay, but you have to believe me. You are Leonel. You are my brother. My mom did a DNA test and it was positive. You are my brother"

"Are you crazy?" he asked.

"No am not" she said and knee on the bed and hugged him tightly. "You have to believe me. You are my brother" she continued to cry.

Alex pulled away from her and grabbed her by her two arms and shook her violently that her hair tumbled over her face. "Do you understand what you are talking about?! Have you gone crazy?! I am Alex not Leonel!. I know I look like your father, but I am not a member of your family!. I am not related to you!" he yelled angrily.

"You are Leonel. You are Leonel" she said and shook her head.

"I think i should not allow you to see me again if not you will continue to call me your brother or father" he said and dragged her out of the room. "Go home and don't come here again. You have to leave now!" he said angrily.

Carissa did not understand why he was angry at her. She only wanted Alex to know the truth about himself. She was not going to let this opportunity slip away now that she has found out that he is her brother.

"I am not going anywhere" she was not going to leave.

Alex became angry immediately. "I said you should leave" he said and pointed at the door.

Before Carissa could say anything, the door opened and Elvira and Mrs belen walked inside the house.

After searching for Carissa the whole night and calling her phone which she did not pick. They knew the only place she will go to is south cotabota.

Elvira knew her daughter will come and explain things to Alex.

This morning, they boarded a bus to South cotabota. Isabelle and Dyosa wanted to follow, but they refused. They told them to stay at home in case Carissa comes back home.

Carissa was surprised to see her mother and grandmother here. She jogged to her mother, holding her hands she said, "Nay please, tell him he is your son. He is Leonel, right?" tears ran down her cheeks.

Elvira looked at her daughter and began to cry too. She nodded her head and placed her hand on Carissa's head. She walked up to Alex and held his hand.

"Alex, everything Carissa said is the truth. You are my son. You are Leonel not Alex"

"No! Stop telling me nonsense. It's impossible for you to be my mother" he pointed at the photo hung on the wall. "Those people right there are my parent and not you"

"No, they adopted you. You are really my son" she tried to explain, but he did not want to listen.

"All of you should get out of here!"

Elvira pulled out a photo from her bag and showed it to Alex. "See this. This is you, your father, Carissa and I. We are your real family"

Alex mind went blank when he saw the photo. He collected the photo from her and looked at it. In the photo were Leonel, Nicolas, Carissa and Elvira.

The boy in the photo looks just exactly like him. His face was lowered, so Elvira could not see his face expression. She had to show him that photo to make him believe that he is Leonel and not Alex.

From the very first day she saw Alex photo, she knew he was her son, but she don't know how to tell him that.

Alex raised his head and looked at the photo of him and his parent hanged on the wall and back at the photo on his hand.

"No! This is not true!" he threw the photo on the floor.

Elvira brought out the DNA test and showed it to him. "See this too"

Alex collected it and looked at it. He was going to explode if he does not calm down.

"This is not true! This is fake!" he yelled