It's a chilly night yet Vincent isn't bothered by it even a bit. He's standing by the corridor of their apartment building as he looks upon the starry night. He's been quiet for some time now.
Although Ulysses is a little worried about him, he didn't go near the other. He thinks, Vincent needs some time alone. Whatever he learned in that letter must have affected him emotionally. Even though he keeps his distance, Ulysses still looks at his direction from time to time. He's worried that Vincent might jump from the second floor.
After looking at Vincent's post for the nth time, Ulysses keeps the finalized letter of notice as well as the letter for fund request for the newly formed Women's Volleyball Club. He just got finished it and are ready to present tomorrow to the school heads.
The clear blue sky is showing auspicious clouds. Truly fine weather, perfect for outings. And it's Sunday too. At times like this, usually people go out to wander from place to place. Some go to the beach, some to parks and malls, and there are also some who do adventures such as mountain climbing. It's such a waste that Ulysses, Dylan, and Denise are just staying inside their house. Actually, they have plans to go chill in the nearby mall today and buy some groceries before they come back home. Unfortunately, even though it's Sunday, Mrs. Cruz needed to go to the company she's working for. She says it was an emergency and she can't refuse it. She also said that she'll just do the groceries alone after her work. And that's how Denise, Dylan, and Ulysses end up staying inside the house all day. Although the three are staying in the living room altogether, they are not talking as they are busy with their phones, and sometimes just spacing out, diving into the deepest p
A piece of pleasant music played using a piano sounded on Dylan's ears. Its rhythm isn't hurried nor too slow. It's just right to make one's heart calm and put one's mind in a tranquil state. The melody sounds so serene, similar to that of a lullaby that puts the listener at ease. A melody sounds so serene that Dylan is willing to listen to it forever without getting tired of it.Dylan slowly opens his eyes. He got blurry vision so he has to blink twice for him to be able to see things better. He wonders, how long has he been asleep? But first thing's first, the ceiling doesn't look the same as the ceiling they have in their house. Even so, it doesn't look unfamiliar to him either. He just doesn't know where exactly is he yet. He doesn't have a clear recollection of what happened before he fell asleep too.He looks around to find out what kind of place he is in. Apparently, he's inside of a room made of wooden walls, wooden flooring, and even a wooden ceiling. The majority of
The cool wind that blows on Dylan is carrying a faint scent of fresh grass. Strange might it seems but he likes the smell of newly trimmed grasses. It's quite refreshing and calming for him. Looking above, the sky isn't showing fair weather. It's a cloudy day and it looks like it will rain sooner or later. Even so, Dylan doesn't bother to go find a shelter. Or more like, he's too confused to do anything. He's still in the phase where he tries to analyze what's happening.Like usual, Dylan finds himself spacing out without any idea or a very clear recollection of what happened before he arrived in a particular place. As his eyes wander around the area, Dylan finds himself sitting on a bench by the schoolyard. He's sure this place isn't Northwestern High School, but there's something within him that tells him that this is the boarding school Vincent attends."Right, I'm still dreaming," Dylan mumbled to himself.In this scene, he has the initial knowledge that he's be
The smile on Vincent's lips is as sweet as the morning dew and as bright as the ray of sunshine coming from the fine weather above. For the past four years, this is probably his happiest day. Today, he officially finished his college degree. After such a long time, he can finally leave his cage. The graduation ceremony took almost half of the day but it didn't make Vincent feel exhausted even a bit. With a bouquet of fresh and fragrant flowers in his hand, he heads back to the House of Cruz. He's quite excited to see his sister after all those long years, and congratulate her for her upcoming wedding. She'll probably be very busy by now just like what she said in the letter, and there's a possibility that she can't spare a long time for him. Even so, he still wants to extend his word of best wishes in person. "Welcome home, Master Vincent." The guards respectfully greet him by the gate. This time, he didn't need to show his pendant to them which saves him tim
As much as the sky is clear, the clouds in Vincent's heart get heavy. The whiter the tuxedo he's wearing, the darker his expression gets. He hates himself. This is an auspicious day yet he can't maintain a happy face. The day has come, and nothing can stop this wedding from happening. Not even him, a mere member of the House of Cruz who got no legacy from his late father. Not even him, a mere substitute, and was never loved.The massive bell of the church suddenly rings, calling the attention of the people in a distance. Notifying everyone that the wedding ceremony is about to start. Signifying the beginning of the union of two of the four most influential families in town.And not only that. The first ring of that massive bell made little Alphonse jolt out of surprise. But the cutest thing has yet to happen. He acted like he was not startled by it at all. Little did he know, Vincent saw him which made the elder silently puff a laugh.This made Vincent's inner state s
"You kicked your blanket again!" Alphonse frowns the moment he saw Vincent is not covering himself with the thick blanket for the nth time. But this frown on his face doesn't look scary at all. He looks adorable instead. "You need to keep covered, big brother, or else you're going to feel worse."The little man puts the tray he's holding on the nearby nightstand and helps Vincent rise into a sitting position so that the elder can drink the juice he personally prepared. Moments ago, he went out of Vincent's room to get a glass of citrus juice for his "sick" brother. He even made sure that Vincent is comfortably lying on his bed but when he got back his brother already kicked the blanket."Right, right. I'm sorry." Vincent pulls the blanket and puts it around him again. "It's because it's too hot." He then fakes a smile at Alphonse. The truth is Alphonse really believed that his big brother is sick, and Vincent feels guilty for lying to the little one.This lie al
The ground is rough and got some sharp-edged stones and pebbles. Vincent's feet hurt but it doesn't matter to him. What he's feeling inside is more painful than him running barefoot on rocky ground. "Vincent, wait!" William's cold look on his face got tainted with a hint of worry. He thought, how could Vincent run away like that if he has a fever and his head hurt? With his hand extending towards the other, William slowly closing the gap in between them. Not long after chasing him, William finally took grasp on Vincent's wrist, pulling him into a stop. "Vincent, what do you think you're doing? You should go back to your room and rest." Now that they got close enough, William can't help but compare this man before him with the Vincent he lives with four years ago. He didn't change much. He's about the same height. His physical appearance is more or less the same too. It's like William just took a large leap through time and traveled back to the past. "
"I am so disappointed in you. I am ashamed to be your father. You bring shame in our family!" Mr. Lopez's words are like knives thrusting through William's chest. Actually, William kind of expected to hear this from his father but still, the first time is always the deepest.After all the other not-so-nice words that his father said and addressed to him, William didn't dare to defend himself nor utter a single word. Maybe it's because he doesn't know what to say, or maybe because he accepts those painful words. He accepts every single word that his father said which made him think it's true so there's no need to think hard and explain himself. He's a big disappointment, a black sheep of the family that brings shame to the House of Lopez.Since he's young, William had always received praises from his father for his achievements no matter how big or small it is. And whenever he's in a downfall, he gets words of comfort and encouragement instead. He never really got an in
"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