Vincent extends his hand upwards to block the harsh sun rays from getting directly on his face. As he looks up, he realized that even the clear blue sky above seems as busy as the people on the ground with all these seagulls flying.
This beautiful scene got blocked by an umbrella. "I really hate going out during noontime." William said as he makes sure he shared enough shade for Vincent.Although they left their apartment early, they still arrived at the seaport around lunchtime. To reach William and Vincent's hometown, they still need to ride a ferry-boat since it's located on the other island of the country."Give me that, young master." Vincent snatched the handle of the umbrella from William's hand and gave him a shade instead."..." William got speechless for a good. He didn't saw that coming. He knows the drill, it's just he forgot about it. "I'm not used to you calling me that anymore. It makes me feel uncomfortable.""Bare with it. I don't want to get a spankiHello dear readers! What do you think about the story so far? A feedback would be lovely! Also, if you don't mind, please leave this book a review! Thank you! :D
The child in his sister's arms stares at Vincent without blinking even once. It's almost like this child can see through him and is currently judging his committed sins."Elena, who is this little man?" Vincent asks his sister without averting his eyes to the kid. "You already have a child?" He thought he's only gone for eight years. Now his sister that's just three years older than him has already a child! A lot of things must have happened while he's gone."Are you crazy?! He's our youngest brother, Alphonse!" She annoyingly wipes the tears that are still forming in her eyes. She was about to cry but Vincent changed her mood in an instant. "Seriously, I am being emotional here and there you are, accusing me of teenage pregnancy."Only by then did Vincent realized it. If he's not mistaken, this child is around five to six years old. Elena Cruz was just more or less thirteen years old when Alphonse was born! He puffed a laugh, saying, "Sorry, I didn't know your father remar
"Vincent, I'm asking. Why did you go alone?" William asked once again. "Didn't I told you I'll come with you?" Before Vincent could even utter a word, he threw another question to him again. His eyes look cold, and his face doesn't seem very pleased. Even so, his tone didn't rise and still sounds casual.The truth is, he's actually quite annoyed and not in a good mood. Something happened in their residence which made him upset. Plus, he learned that Vincent came home alone. And another thing, he's actually standing outside for quite some time now. He got into an argument with the guards, and even after having the upper hand in their small debate, one of the guards took some time finding the young master Vincent. William couldn't do anything but wait outside patiently while leaning his back on their car.Vincent walks closer to the gate and holds its iron bars. "It's because I don't want to interrupt your reunion with your family." He then averted his eyes from William and look
The sun already starts to rest on the west. Vincent and William are riding one of the cars that William's family owns. They're heading back to the Lopez's manor.Slowly, William's head lowers until he could lean on Vincent's shoulder. He seemed tired and not in a good mood."Are you sure you're fine? Why do you seem so weak now? You were full of energy just this morning." Vincent asks as he pokes William on the cheek. Seeing William like this... this situation is something Vincent considers as rare. He's a burst of walking sunshine after all... or at least that's what Vincent thought. The truth is, William is only cheerful when Vincent is around. When he's not, he's back to his "mature" self.Getting only silence as a reply, he pokes William's cheek again. "Are you still upset that I went home alone and left you cluelessly? Hey, say something."Then the other let out a deep sigh. "Don't mind me. I'm just... feeling exhausted." William said in a tone that expresses his lo
"Ulysses." Dylan snapped his fingers in front of Ulysses twice. "Are you even listening?"Only by then did Ulysses got dragged back to the reality from the flooding thoughts in his mind. He didn't even notice that he's already spacing out. He's too occupied recalling the strange things that happened in that apartment. Now, he's convinced. That apartment is clearly a haunted one, even without Mr. No face around. Or does his unseen roommate have something to do or at least has an idea about what just happened?"Huh?" Ulysses looks at Dylan with his eyebrows knitted."I knew it, you aren't listening at all. Anyway, aren't you going to unbox your luggage?" He points at some of Ulysses' luggage on his bed. "You see, your things are occupying my portion of the place.""Right." Ulysses rises on his feet and came to pick up his things. That's right, Ulysses and Dylan are officially roommates, just like William and Vincent back in the old days."What were you thinking?" Dylan
"Don't waste your time looking for it. I already checked that this morning. It's not there." Dylan said to Ulysses who is currently skimming the entire issue of the school paper released by the Broadcasting Club for this day. Time flies so fast and it's already Friday. The same day that the Broadcasting Club will release the second school paper for this week. There's nothing much happenings in our protagonists' lives, and that probably is the reason they felt the time flows a little faster than usual. It's already past five in the afternoon yet Ulysses is still sitting on his chair inside the cramped Student Council Office. He's done with today's student council matters so he's spending his extra time to have a good look at the newest school paper released. He doesn't normally read the school paper but today is different. He's waryof something. Something that could turn his high school life upsid
Just as Denise told them, it didn't take her much time to go to the Student Council Office. Well... just about half an hour. However, it was quite surprising on Dylan and Ulysses' part when she arrived at the place with a battalion ofyoungladies. They are all grinning like they are planning to do something wicked. "I didn't know the Women's Volleyball Club hasquite a lot of members." Ulysses isn't directly talking to anyone. More like, he's just talking to himself. Even though Dylan is aware of this, he somehow feels a little responsible for covering for his twin sister. Dylan fakes a smile as he scratches his cheek with his forefinger. "Uh... well... yeah?" Dylan knows very well that they are not from the Women's Volleyball Club. Within the four long years,
"Ugh... It's a tiring day!" Dylan complains as he throws himself on his bed. After passing the intense interrogation that Dylan went through in the hands of the grumpy Student Council President, as well as the tiringphotoshoot, Denise, Dylan, and Ulysses finally returned home. While Denise got her energy recharged to the highest level, it's the complete opposite for Dylan and Ulysses. Dylan underwent such pressure from Ulysses. Meanwhile, Ulysses got his energy drained from all those cameras. Ulysses puts his bag on the corner and sits on the edge of the bed. "I swear, I'm not doing that again." Then lays next to Dylan. Dylan turns his head to Ulysses and asks, "Even if Denise asks you for it?" "..." Ulysses blinks twice like he's thinking through it with utmostcaution before he turns his head to Dylan
The warm sunlight outside that came through the windows eventually wake Dylan up. His mind is blank like usual every time he wakes up. He blinks twice, thinking, "My alarm didn't sound. What day is today?" He's still in a state where he's in between asleep and awake while trying to figure out if he has classes today or not. After some time of thinking, he realized, "Right. It's Saturday." Then, he closed his eyes again and went back to sleep. But then his awaken side won't let him sleep again. It reminds his sleepy side that something is amiss. He definitely woke up already! How come he's in bed again?! In fact, he and Ulysses already had their breakfast this morning. They went out of bed early compared to his usual weekend because they both agreed to go back to the apartment. Then he gradually realized, they also left their house already and headed to their destination. This realization made his eyes open again, this time, wider. He immediately looked
"Who are you?" Bryce responded with another question instead followed by another one. "Are you perhaps Ulysses?" On the other hand, Ulysses finds this person suspicious. Does he know his past relationship with Dylan? Is this person very close to him that Dylan would tell him even about their warm love that ran cold? "If Dylan is here, I'd like to talk to him." "He's not in his best state. What do you want to tell him?" Bryce leans on the door jamb without breaking his indifferent look at Dylan. "I'll relay it for you." From the looks of it, it seems he doesn't want Ulysses, who went through all the trouble just to see Dylan once again, to at least take a glimpse at him. "No, I'd like to speak to him personally." Ulysses still insisted. His patience for Bryce is starting to burn, and it shows on his face. He knows Dylan is inside the room. If he's very drunk, where else would he be except in there? Despite the obvious annoyance that's written all over
Ulysses' wristwatch shows it's already past 10 in the evening. Even though it's already this late, the streets are still dominated by private vehicles but not as much during rush hours. He kept his windows open, allowing the cold air coming from the outside to touch his skin. But not that it bothers him even a bit.The recital has just ended. Ulysses hurried to get into his car and left the theater at high speed. Actually, he knows that the gathering will end by 10 but he's still holding into the little bit of hope that he can still see him, even at a distance. He doesn't know what keeps him pushing to come and see Dylan with his own eyes but that's the only thing that's on his mind, to at least meet him after a long time of separation.Unfortunately, the theatre and the resort where the reunion is being held is a little distant so it would surely take Ulysses sometime before arriving at the destination. And as expected, the time Ulysses arrived, the event is over.
"Sir? Sir Lopez?" A student waves his hand a few centimeters away from Ulysses's face. Only by them is he able to get himself together and get back to reality."Yes?" He was so occupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize that he's already spacing out. He got a text message from Denise earlier, and what she texted him made Ulysses feel uneasy."Sir, our pianist got a stomachache and he thinks he couldn't make it." The student said with his worries reflecting on his entire face. "What should we do? Our class is performing next to the current performing class."Their class is performing an hour-long orchestra. And in an orchestra, the piano is a must-have. Now that the one and only pianist in the group is unable to perform, their six months' worth of preparation will go to waste. And it would be a disgrace to their class if that happens. They will have to face a lot of negative feedback from the faculty and from the outside even if this problem can't be solve
"Hi, Dylan! Long time no see!" One of Dylan's high school friends, and also used to be a member of his fan club, cheerfully greeted him as soon as he steps inside the venue. It's a beach party so the batch rented a whole resort for this night.Yes, tonight is the night for their batch reunion. Actually, this gathering is already the batch's second reunion. Apparently, Dylan missed the first one since he refuses to have a homecoming. And so, this would be the first gathering with his old acquaintance in high school that he'll attend. And one more thing, he's not going by himself. Bryce volunteered himself to accompany him, and Dylan doesn't mind at all as long as he'll take care of his own entrance fee of the resort."You rarely come home! How long has it been? Almost nine years? I haven't seen you after our graduation."Dylan shrugged his shoulders as he gives her his signature smile. Really, his charm never fades through time. "Got too busy with my work.
For the second time, Dylan hung up the call. No warnings, no proper explanation was provided. He just hung up as soon as he learned who he was talking to. No one knows how long Ulysses stares at his phone screen but for sure, it took him quite some time to realize he's already spacing out. He sits on the edge of his bed with his phone still in his hand. A lot of thoughts came rushing into his head. And the loudest of it all was the thought of how Dylan felt for him at the moment. "Does he hate me that much to end the call as soon as he knew who am I?" "Is he not willing to reconcile with me?" "Will he... really throw it all behind?" Those questions were just some of the thoughts Ulysses is dealing with. He asks himself these questions but deep inside he knows only Dylan could satisfy his wonder. And the last question he has for himself hits worse than the rest. Why would he wonder if he'll throw away what they had in the past? Is he se
Ulysses headed directly to his bedroom, shut the door closed, and throws himself on the bed. He doesn't even bother to turn the lights on. At the moment, he only has the gentle light from the moon as his source of illumination.Heart beating fast, hands getting cold, and droplets of sweat starting to form on his forehead despite how cold the night is. Ulysses stares at the small piece of paper that he's been holding for quite some time now. The longer he stares at it, the more anxious he becomes.So, why is he being nervous over a piece of paper? Well, it's because it has written numbers on it. It's Dylan's phone number.He took his phone and inputs the numbers on it. He even checked the numbers twice if not thrice. Still not satisfied, he checked the numbers that he had input for the fourth time. No doubt, he dialed the correct order of numbers.Ulysses took a deep breath. It's now or never.He taps the green button on his phone screen, calling th
"Sir, it's already five o'clock."Only by then did Ulysses noticed that he's been spacing out. He looks at his wristwatch and saw that the time is exactly five pm. Surely, students would want to leave their classes as soon as possible."It really is. Time sure flies." Ulysses stretches his limbs before getting up from his seat. "Alright, that's all for today, class. You may now go."As soon as Ulysses said the magic words, his students are quick to pack their things, preparing to leave. Ulysses also did the same. He sorted out the paper on his desk and put it in his bag."Practice the music sheets I provided you, okay? Our recital is fast approaching." He reminded the students about their upcoming showcase."Yes, sir!" Then the students go out of the room one at a time if not two.It's almost been nine years since he graduated from Northeastern High School. As of the moment, he's working as a music teacher in a private school of music and ar
Dylan finds himself in a pitch dark place. He can't see a thing, not even his hands. His eyes are wide open yet it still seems like he has his eyes closed. "Where am I?" Dylan asked himself. "Anyone here? Ulysses? Where are you?" Even after asking for anyone's presence, he didn't get a single response. Dylan tried so hard to recall what exactly happened before he came into this dark place. As far as he could remember, he's in an old mansion with Ulysses after they run away from their house. And then he suddenly feels unwell. And then he took a rest on Ulysses' arms. And then... and then after that, he couldn't remember a single thing. Could it be... he's just dreaming at the moment? "How could you forget about me?" A familiar voice echoed in the area. That voice of a man sounded like it came from a cave. It sounded so distant yet loud. Dylan isn't so sure about what's happening around him anymore. "How could you easily throw it all away?
Ulysses recounts all the money he has. It's not much but he thinks he's able to support their needs in the meantime. "I still have some savings from the allowance I got from my scholarship and plus yours... I think it should be sufficient for both of us until I get my first payout for work."If Dylan won't change his mind and stay stubborn as he is now, Ulysses will be forced to spend his vacation to work. And if this setup will be for the long term, he'll just do a part-time job on the night shift and go to school by day. Since he got himself a scholarship and school allowance, that would be extra money."..." Dylan, on the other hand, is silently looking at his wallet. He's not wearing a happy face so it's safe to say that he doesn't have much money with him.Ulysses knows him very well. He's prideful and quite stubborn at times. It's clear that he still needs his mother's help to get through his day-to-day life. However, his attitude gets on the w