Chapter 37 - 36
TRISTAN'S POINT OF VIEW:
"Alright, then. I'm going to bring you to my parents' house and we'll spend Christmas together!"
His smile was so wide and he looked so excited and happy. While I... I felt the hair on my body stand up on its ends because i suddenly had chills.
The thought of meeting his parents for the very first time made my heart beat faster and faster as if I'm running a marathon. I feel so nervous that I felt my stomach turning upside-down.
"H-Huh? W-W-What do you m-mean?" I said, stuttering. "Exactly what I said. We're spending Christmas at my home. You said you didn't have any plans, right?" Justin said and smiled at me.
"B-But darling, isn't it a bit early to meet your p-parents?" I said as my face turned redder.
Oh god, I'm so flustered right now.
"Hmm? Is it?" Justin said as he tilted his head while smiling at me as if he's teasing me. "A-Argh, fine," I said and looked away.
"Yay!" He exclaimed happily.
We went inside the car where it felt warmer. I drove him to his university. When we arrived, he gave me a goodbye kiss before leaving.
My heart felt full. I'm so happy to have him in my life.
"I'll be heading home right after classes, so I can't meet you," he said as he looked bent his back a bit to level his head with the car window. "Alright. Get home safe later," I said and smiled as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
He's so beautiful, damn it.
He said goodbye again and headed inside. I stared at his back until he disappeared from my sight.
My phone vibrated, so I checked it and saw that Troy sent me a message.
'I'm gonna call you.'
I chuckled.
It seems like what our Mom told us back then has been engraved into his mind. When we were younger, Mom really hated getting calls out of the blue. He told us that doing something like that is rude and that we have to send a message first before calling.
Of course, we knew that it is rude because we never know what the other person is doing. They might be busy doing something and suddenly calling them might bother them.
My phone vibrated once again, and this time, it was a call from my brother, Troy.
"Hey," I said as soon as I answered his call. "Big brother Tristan, can we meet later? Maybe around 4 p.m.?" He said in a cutesy voice. I cringed as because of the way he spoke. "Come on, what do you want? You only call me 'big brother' when you need something from me or if you want me to do something," I said and chuckled.
"You got me," he said and chuckled. Thank goodness, he's speaking normally now. "I was wondering if you could spare me some time later. I have something to say to you. And before you cut me off and tell me that I should just say it right now, I want you to know that this is something that I don't want to say over the phone," he continued.
I cleared my throat and laughed. He got me there. I was really about to tell him that he should just say it to me right now, haha. "You're really as straightforward as ever. Okay, I'll meet with you later. 4 p.m., right?" I said and leaned my back against the driver's seat. "Yep. I'll text you the address," he said on the other line. "Okay, I'm hanging up now. Bye," I said and smiled a little. "Bye, big brother," he said and giggled.
That brat.
Even though he just called me because he wants something from me, I'm kind of happy to hear his voice again. It's been quite a while since the last time I heard that voice of his.
*****
The time flew by so fast that I did not notice that it's already 3:15 p.m.
I grabbed my trench coat and headed to the address that Troy sent earlier.
When I got there, I searched for him at the cafe but I did not see him. Maybe he's still on his way.
I checked my wrist watch and saw that I'm a few minutes early. I ordered a coffee first and then looked for a table to sit on.
"I shouldn't have gone here too early," I mumbled to myself as I walked to a vacant table. I placed the tray on the table and sat on the chair.
My eyes scanned the whole place and I smiled when a thought suddenly came into my mind.
"Justin would love to come here," I whispered to myself and took a sip from my coffee.
A man who's around 5'4 feet stopped in front of my table and smiled shyly. "I-I... um... c-can I have your number?" He stuttered as his face turned red.
I kept my poker face and looked at him blankly to show how uninterested I was. "Sorry, but I have a boyfriend," I said and took another sip from my coffee, ignoring his other advances after I told him that I was taken.
After a while, he finally left. I sighed and brushed my fingers through my hair.
This is tough. I think Justin would hate it if he saw someone trying to flirt with me. Of course if someone happened to flirt with him, I'd hate it, too.
"Hey, I'm not late." I raised my head a bit to look at who it was. It's Troy. He's wearing a cap and a mask to cover his face, and he's holding a cup of Iced Americano.
Really? That's the first thing he says to me? I chuckled and said, "Yeah, you're not. Take a seat." He placed his coffee on the table, pulled the chair, and sat.
"I'm going to get straight to the point," he started. He lowered his mask and took a sip from his coffee. "Dad wants us to spend Christmas together this year. Are you coming?" He asked and leaned his back against the chair.
I shook my head and said, "No, I have plans." He raised is brow and looked at me weirdly. "What plans? You spend Christmas alone ever since you left home," he said as he scrunched his brows.
"It's different this time, though. I have someone to spend it with," I said and smiled. "Justin?" I nodded and took took a sip from my coffee.
My mind still processed what he said and when I realized that he guessed it right, I choked on my coffee. "H-How did y-you know?" I said as I coughed. He laughed and said, "Come on, it's so obvious. You think I wouldn't notice?" He said and shook his head. "You're kinda naive for a 28-year-old man, brother," he said and laughed again.
"Was it that obvious?" I said and smiled shyly. He just chuckled. We continued to chat about random things until it was almost 6 p.m.
"I have to go back now. I still have a shoot at 7," Troy said as he stood up and fixed his mask. I stood up and said, "Shall I drive you there?" He shook his head. "No, my manager is already outside."
I looked outside the glass wall and saw a car waiting outside. "I'll be leaving now then," he said and smiled. "Wait up! Let's go out together. I'm leaving now, too," I said as I fixed my trench coat.
We walked outside of the cafe together and I talked to his manager a bit.
"Thank you for looking out for Troy all the time," I said and smiled. He bowed his head a little and smiled. "I'm just doing my job, sir," he said and chuckled. "Please drive safely," I said and bid them goodbye.
I should head home.
I went to my car and started driving home as soon as I turned the engine on.
I wonder what Justin is doing right now. Should I give him a call once I arrive home?
It was already past 6 p.m. when I got home, I removed my coat and sat on the sofa. I took my phone from my pocket and clicked Justin's name on my contacts and texted him that I'm going to call him.
After a few minutes, he still did not respond to my text so I decided to just call him.
In my first attempt of calling him, he did not answer. Now, I'm calling him for the second time.
After a few rings, he finally picked up.
"Hey, were you busy?" I said as soon as he picked up. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry, I had to whip something up for Daryl. He said he did not want to cook because he wants to eat my cooking," he said and chuckled. I smiled. "That's good. Your food might make him feel better." I heard him giggle over the line. "Yeah, I guess it will. He's eating heartily right now. He's currently eating his third plate," he said and laughed.
He must feel a bit relieved to see Daryl eating so well.
"Is it that good? Your cooking, I mean," I asked. He was quiet for a bit, but he spoke again, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said. Xander just arrived now and I just finished preparing his meal," he said apologetically.
"What? Who did you say is there?"
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