[26th December]
"He is my lover."
It was pin-drop silent in the hall, save for a few gasps and whispers here and there.
Jay's dad suddenly bellowed and glanced around warily. "Now, Jay, this is no time to joke around-"
"I am not fooling you. I like men, father." Jay clarified and it infuriated his dad. "We shall speak about this later." Jay's expression remained hard when his dad turned his back on him and retreated to the table. Not once, did his mum stood up for him or said anything. It was getting difficult to stand still in the middle of the crowd. "Jay-"
"He is my boyfriend and that's final." Jay's voice was deep and clear in the enormous room. He didn't even require a microphone. His dad stopped speaking with his colleagues and poked the inside of his cheek in annoyance. "Jay, we WILL speak about this later. You can leave." he waved Jay off without a single glance. I could tell his dad was biting back his tongue in front of his hundreds of guests.
"I believe we have nothing to talk about-" Jay's dad abruptly withdrew from his seat and delivered a slap across Jay's cheeks. I gasped inaudibly as I watched his head harshly whip to the side.
Jay was appalled, to say the least. Even on occasions like this where Jay would bicker with his dad 'til no end, he would remain composed, especially before hundreds of people essential for his company. So, what drove him off the edge? Was he that 'old-fashioned'? Jay scoffed in disbelief.
He removed his hand from mine to wipe off the little blood at the corner of his lips. He winced a little and I was worried about him. For him.
"Wow," Jay breathed out. His dad realized what he had done and quickly took a step back. He glimpsed around the gathered crowd in dread. "I didn't mean to do that!" he declared loudly before putting on a facade. "Oh, Jay-" he hurried towards Jay but his son only scorned and pushed him away in disdain, like how he laid hands on his face. Jay had lost the little ounce of respect and hope he had for his dad.
"I didn't know you were such a passionate actor," Jay spat harshly. His dad remained speechless. "I suppose everybody in this room, except for mother," Jay glanced at his mum who just remained in her seat in silence. "doesn't know how much of a monster you are." I gulped and stared at Jay. His face twitched in the slightest. He was so close to breaking down but he tried hard to put on a strong front. "Isn't it tiring?" Jay continued. He looked so broken. "Why don't you just show them your real colors?" his dad finally found his words, but he didn't even bother to look at Jay as he shifted to the guests. "Do not worry. My son is just going through his pubescent phase and has been very emotional." a few chuckled with uncertainty.
Jay scoffed and peered down, his lips between his teeth to stop the tears. 'There he was again, humiliating me in front of people to save himself.' he thought.
"I presume this is the closest they will see of your true form." Jay waved to the people around. His voice was starting to crack. "And you wonder why I was never home when you were," Jay added before taking a step back, subtly signaling that we were leaving.
Jay offered one last bow. "So long, father. I hope I don't see you again." he turned on his heels and grabbed my hand. We marched out of the hall in fast steps. My eyes were on Jay the entire time.
I was genuinely stunned to spot a tear rolling down his cheek.
When we reached the stairway outside was when Jay finally broke down, letting out his pent-up frustration. I promptly pulled him into a hug. I started to wonder if Jay had ever told anyone his problems or did he keep them all to himself? I gently rubbed his back wordlessly and allowed him to weep on my shoulder.
Part of me wished at least one of his parents would come out to get him and make things right. They didn't. The party went on as if what happened was nothing. The music was louder than before. My lips thinned. Never have I been so disappointed with a person ever since I came down on Earth.
I was drawn out of my trance when Jay slowly withdrew himself from my arms and turned away. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he immediately spoke. "It was never my intention to put you in a situation like that." he shakily sighed.
I shifted closer to pull him into a side hug. "I know, it wasn't your fault. Your dad was contemptible." he softly hummed before getting up. "It's late. I'll drive you home." I was skeptical about him taking the wheel after such an event.
But I've got to know how well Jay learned to put his emotions aside to focus on something else. It was good and bad. No words were exchanged throughout the whole drive home.
With a grunt, I climbed down the motorbike and passed the helmet back to Jay. He took it and silently watched as I adjusted my winter coat. He suddenly looked away with a frown, as if contemplating something. I sighed before gently tugging him by his coat to press a kiss to his lips. He immediately kissed back with a soft sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow?" I whispered as our foreheads touched. He bit his lips in thought. "Actually...can I stay-"
He was disrupted by rustling noises behind us. We turned to the sound, alarmed. "Hello?" I called out, cautiously going closer. "Johnny-!" "Oh my god!" I backed away when a figure was suddenly pushed out of the wide bush in my front yard.
"I-Silas!?"
Silas quickly caught up and recollected himself. "Well, hello there, didn't think I'd see you here!" he replied, his body stiff. I gave him an unamused look.
"This is my house."
"Uh-"
"ARGH! Whatever, we've been caught!" Nick and Ethan then exposed themselves and I was dumbfounded. "Explain, please! Why are you stalking me!?" Nick tossed a duffel bag my way and I was caught off-guard. I barely got the straps.
"Come on! We're going to have a sleepover at our house, for obvious reasons!" Nick announced, raising his eyebrows as if to say something. "S-so suddenly!? I don't know if my parents will allow-" "How else did you think we managed to get your clothes?" Silas pointed to the bag in my hands. I glanced down at it.
"Well, it took some convincing since your Mr. and Ms. Yang were planning to keep the movie night streak," Nick huffed. "Yeah! We ended up telling them you had a project worth fifty percent of your grade,"
"Oh, hey Jay!" Silas finally greeted the boy behind me. Jay simply nodded at him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. That didn't stop them from noticing Jay's puffy eyes and red cheek. "You don't look so good-ow!" Nick roughly bumped Silas in the shoulder, a smile on his face.
"Well, if you don't mind, the three of us are going to kidnap your boyfriend now!" Nick grabbed hold of my shoulders and led me out of my front yard.
"Wait!" Jay spun around.
"C-can I come too?" the twins exchanged uncertain glances. "I'm not really in a good situation to go home..." Jay added. "Let him. He had a rough night." I muttered. "You can come!" Ethan hollered. Jay managed a small smile and nodded before moving to hide his bike behind a bush. "Are you sure he won't ruin the plan?" Silas asked in a hushed tone. "As long as we stay together and don't mention anything about it." Jay rushed over and we started strolling out of the neighborhood.
Jay grabbed hold of my duffel bag and I took it back. "I can take it. Besides, it weighs like nothing to me!" I started weightlifting with it to emphasize. That got him to chuckle.
"So, we're going to grab some food from a nearby convenience store and watch movies 'til midnight! Sounds good?" Silas turned back to us with a wide grin. We nodded enthusiastically while Nick groaned exasperatingly. "Shut up, old man!" Silas smacked his arm. "I need my beauty sleep!" Nick whined.
While the others were chatting away ahead of us, Jay and I decided to take our own time. As long as they were in our line of sight, it should be fine.
"About earlier...you said that you were never home when your dad was. Where did you go instead?" Jay sighed. "A hotel, where else?" I hummed with a small frown. "Sometimes, if I feel like it, I'd spend the night with my grandparents in the old folk's home nearby. The staffs were familiar with me by now." I furrowed my eyebrows. Jay's parents put their own parents in an old folk's home? Goodness.
"Pick whatever snacks you want," Nick stated as we sauntered into the brightly lit shop. "You think the pepper chili chips taste nice?" I overheard Silas ask Ethan in the aisle across me. "I don't want to have my ass in flames!" I stifled a laugh at Ethan's retort.
"I got you your favorite drink!" Jay suddenly whispered in my ear. "Oh, what is it?" I hadn't really gotten to try many foods so I immediately perked up when Jay mentioned Johnny's go-to beverage.
"M-melon milk?" I was cynical about the combination but if it was on the market, what could possibly go wrong? "Do you not like it anymore?" Jay was about to put the drink back into the fridge but I stopped him. "It's just that I haven't had it in a while. I kind of forgot its taste," I said. He chuckled and gently placed it in the mini basket. "Then, we're getting it."
"Silas and Ethan. Are you planning to feed five extended families?" Nick's eyes twitched when the duo settled their baskets on the counter. "What?" Ethan pouted. They managed to fill two baskets to the brim. They were even carrying a couple of candies in their hands! Were they planning to buy the entire store?
"No, put it back. I'm not going to pay until you return half of whatever you took." Ethan and Silas complained. "Bro!" Silas exclaimed.
"Put it back." Nick was firm with his order as he tapped the wallet in his hand. "I hate that father left you in charge of the money instead!" Silas huffed and yanked one of the baskets. "There was a reason for that, Silas. This is a perfect example." with a loud scoff, the pair stomped back to the aisles. "Sorry about that," Nick apologized to the cashier who awkwardly nodded.
"What did you guys get?" we lifted our shared basket. "Some drinks and cup noodles for all of us." Nick decided to pay for ours and the basket the two left behind first. We felt bad to have him pay for everything since we had money in our pockets but Nick insisted. "You're guests, anyway."
The duo returned with sullen looks and an empty basket. They set it back onto the stacks. "I'll have you know that that basket alone cost fifty-five bucks," Nick immediately spoke when the two shuffled over. They bit their lips in silence. Fifty-five bucks were a lot, especially when you were spending it on just snacks.
-
With a beep, their apartment door slid open. I felt a sense of déjà vu from when Dylan left the penthouse at midnight. It was still odd to think about, especially after what Jay had told me.
"Make yourselves at home," Nick grunted, bringing our groceries to the kitchen. I nonchalantly settled on one of the couches. Not long after, Nick called us over to the counter. We watched as he poured hot water into five cup noodles before closing the lids with small clips. "Have this while we wait." he gestured to the glasses of orange juice at the side.
"So about the mission-" my breath caught in my throat as I remembered Jay was with us. I almost exposed myself! "Hm? What was it?" he shifted to me with curious eyes. I cleared my throat. "It's nothing." the three of them subtly glared at me. "Are you trying to reveal yourself!?" Ethan hissed from beside me. "Sorry, it just slipped out!"
Nick coughed to get our attention. "What movie do you guys want to watch?"
"Anime?"
"Alice in Borderland! We didn't finish it the last time we had a sleepover," Silas suggested.
"Oops, I watched the whole thing by myself at home," Jay pursed his lips. "Betrayer!"
"Can we watch something other than movies?" they turned to me. "Like what?" "I don't know, performance replays? They are fun," I suggested. Ever since I learned how to use the app, YouTube, I've been thriving. There was so much content!
A random performance replay video appeared on my feed and I, being the curious cat I was, clicked on it without a second thought. They were so entertaining. I could feel the adrenaline rush through me as I watched the performer have the time of his life on stage.
It made me want to be an artist as well. Did Ethan dream of being a performer? Maybe that was why.
"Performance replays? That's new to us," Nick chugged his juice. "You've never watched them!? You're missing out!"
For two hours, the four of us belted out to songs and pretended to be live performers ourselves. After that, we were crazily exhausted. "Wow, I wonder how those artists can be on stage for hours without stopping," Silas was heaving for air as he threw himself onto the couch. "Seriously..."
"Oh my god, it's already midnight." Jay chuckled obliviously as he glanced at the clock. Ethan had a sense of realization and visibly shrunk in his seat. "Oh no..." he murmured. Suddenly, a phone started vibrating on the coffee table. "Jay, it's your phone," Nick motioned, taking a sip of his grape soda. "Don't mind it," Jay waved it off after taking a glimpse at the dialler's ID. "It is your dad?" I quietly asked.
His lips thinned as he nodded. "Did something happen between you two?" Silas lifted his head to stare at Jay. He shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to talk about it. The twins hummed understandingly.
"I'm pretty sleepy," I tried to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere. "Well, let's go to bed." they stood up to clean the snack-filled table. "Can I take a quick shower? I need to let off some steam." Jay remained seated on the couch. Nick nodded. "Sure, I'll lay out some clothes for you." he hopped up the stairs to get some simple clothes for him. Ethan and I were prepared and had our own clothes with us.
"Are you okay?" I placed a hand on Jay's shoulder. He glanced up at me before smiling. "I'm okay, don't worry."
While Jay took a bath in one of their guest toilets, the four of us gathered in Nick's bedroom. "You think if I reach twenty, I can touch the ceiling?" Ethan suddenly asked as he pointed at the room's high ceiling. "Don't be absurd. Even the tallest man can't." Silas scoffed at him. "I might just be the next tallest man!" I could tell Ethan was creating conversation to get his mind off the main topic.
"So, you said you wanted to tell us something?" Nick seated himself on his bed and stared at me. "I wanted to tell you guys about this dream I had been having," I began. The four of us took our spot on the mattress. "To be honest, I'm not even sure if it was a dream or if I traveled to another dimension." they exchanged glances. "What do you mean?"
"One, I was conscious the entire time. So was Johnny. We had to look for a way out together since sleeping didn't work." Silas gulped. "Isn't that a little creepy? What if you get stuck there forever?" "That's why I was meaning to ask if you guys can wake me up if I'm still unconscious before nine in the morning." they agreed. "Okay, continue."
"Two, the clocks around the house were working. I've done some research and read that clocks do not work in dreams. Three..." I was hesitant about this as I tried to find the right words. They waited patiently. "The park there was closed off. That was the aftermath when all the murder cases were exposed to the public." the twins were tense.
If that had happened here, it would mean that their dad could be imprisoned for covering up the truth.
"And the last thing-" a knock sounded from Nick's door, making us jump. "C-come in!" Nick stuttered. Jay poked his head through the door. "Am I interrupting something?" his hair was still damp. "It's nothing. You can come in if you want to," he took a step into the room.
"I'll tell you later," I said below a whisper.
"What were you guys talking about?" Jay chose to stand beside the bed as he dried his hair with a towel. "We were thinking about playing a match of Dance! tomorrow. All of us going against each other, y'know?" Silas answered right away as if he had already prepared a script.
"That sounds fun," we exchanged glances. "Should we go to sleep?" after bidding each other good night, we returned to our respective rooms. Ethan, Jay and, I took the guest room like before.
Before I went to bed, I subtly waved at Ethan before motioning at the time displayed on my phone. He should get what I meant. He nodded before pulling the blanket over his frame. After that, I took a small breath and closed my eyes.