Teo still sulked, but not as mad as before, just annoyed to be treated as a puppy, "No need to, you just made your point clear, dude."
The ravenette stared at the blonde who sat right in front of him, not holding his tongue, picking up a plate.
The elder and his wife sat at the table, sharing the meal peacefully, it was warm enough to soothe the soreness.
The elder man discussed with Josh about how they were going to organize people in the communal house in a couple of days which brought joy to the latter.
Teo finished his meal and played with the fork, bored to the core, he felt excluded but it wasn't like he had ideas to add, or that's what he thought.
He snapped out of his thoughts when a voice called out, "Would you mind helping me do the dishes, young man?" The elder woman asked him to which he nodded in response.
Teo carried the dishes into the kitchen as the woman used a mix of soap and water to clean the dirty ones.
She handed him the, now, clean dishes, for him to dry them with a clean towel by the counter.
The boy was silent, his face blank, "Why would a beautiful young man like yourself have such a long face?" The woman asked, concerned at how quiet the boy was.
Teo tried to play it off by pretending to be sleepy, "It's nothing, I'm a little drowsy. That's all," forcing a yawn.
She had gone a long way in life so she didn't believe him when he tried to fool her, "I'm an old lady, young man. It's not gonna work like that, do you wanna talk? Maybe this old woman can give you some advice or help you lending you my ears"
Teo wanted, not, needed to talk or this would eat him alive, he used to talk with his friend, Angello, about this kind of thing, he was blunt but his answers always made sense, "I don't— I just don't know, it's foolish." Unsure if it was a good idea to open up to an unknown.
The elder woman replied without malice, "No questions are fool enough, it's worse not asking. That'd be foolish, who knows, maybe the answer would help to solve your questions sooner".
The question he had had in his head since he turned 17, the same day he met his crush in his best friend's birthday party, "Do you think it's foolish to look for love? Like waiting for the right time to confess to one's crush so they finally notice you exist or he can see you more than a friend?" His blue eyes resemble a cloudy day.
She didn't know who the boy was talking about, but as he arrived with the ravenette and after seeing their exchange in the living room she assumed that might be person he was on about, "Nope, it's not bad to wait for it, nor a sin hoping they have a change of heart and finally notice how you feel about them. After all love blooms spontaneously, sometimes it comes when one has given up on it. Maybe they are just waiting for the right person to come into their lives."
Teo looked down, feeling a pang within his chest as he felt rejected already before even trying, "You mean I'm not the right person?"
She shook her head, "No, hun. What I mean is they coulda closed their heart to any possibility of love due they were hurt before. So they can't see how much they meant to you"
Teo let out a loud sigh, not knowing if it was a good idea to keep on feeding the idea of love within his soft heart, maybe Josh was right and he should just learn to live with himself not seeking for it.
The elder woman spoke again, trying to not let him lose hopes, "Looking for love is like a double edged sword, if you're desperate or don't give yourself enough time to get to know your partner it could cause you to overlook his flaws, so you'd fall for the idea of love you have of them," for an unknown reason this pulled a string, making him reconsider certain factors he had overlooked.
She continued, "You wouldn't fall for the real person because you'd love the version of them you've made up in your head. I mean, yeah, if they ever agree to date you it might last a couple of months, years, but will eventually vanish leaving the real reason behind." Teo nodded as it narrated how many times he'd pictured how to confess and how it'd be the life with his crush, but being honest, he didn't know how much of it would become a reality.
The elder woman stared outside, just where her husband was laughing with the younger's companion she talked again with a smile playing on her lips remincing all the times she'd fought with the elder man, "However if you get to know them raw, seeing behind the curtain of love, you'll fall for the person within, for their true self, their actions, their strength and even their flaws."
Teo nodded listening carefully, "Getting to know them is like a whole new adventure, you'd see their reaction when they are mad, that would give you an insight of how they'll react when things get tough years ahead. They'd help you set your feet on the ground when you need to. They wouldn't hold back their opinions if it's for your sake, obviously being careful to not offend you either.".
She chuckled slightly, now looking back at the pensive young male, "None wants to marry a quitter who runs away the first fight they have, or someone who imposes their opinion without considering others'.
Now the blonde asked full of curiosity, "That's the secret behind your marriage?"
The elderly woman cracked up at his comment, "Oh, ma child, Vincent and I have always had disagreements, our arguments have lasted for hours, however communication has been key in our life. For every fight we had we made sure to solve it before falling asleep, if you don't let them know what's disturbing you in the first place then they'd keep hurting you unknowingly. You can see how reckless he is and compassionate too. People tend to take advantage of him due to that, so I've always made sure he doesn't." Teo nodded reminiscing how easy he agreed to give them shelter.
The elder lady continued seeing how it seemed to help, "None can't know what's on your mind, at least you let them know, then onwards it's up to them if they are gonna take your opinion into consideration or dismiss you. Luckily, it had left him thinking and going for what's more convenient to himself, without compromising his good will, but drawing a line when he must to"
Teo looked down, not knowing how to do that without coming out as pushy, and bossy, "You can't force your ideas onto them, that is as bad as not listening to your opinion on the matter either." The lady patted his back noting the conflicted gaze on the boy's eyes.
"For mutual understanding both must respect each other's beliefs, knowing when to draw a line. Not everyone thinks like you do and that's what might intrigue you about them. Learn along with them, opening up your heart might lead them to do the same towards you" she patted his cheek much like a mother does to her child.
Teo looked away, considering her words, he wants to be loved but forcing someone to fall for him wasn't the right path and that realization hit him hard, "Don't put on that face, did you do something wrong?" She smiled, poking his nose which tickled him, getting him out of his thoughts.
The blonde boy frowned, not knowing how to put it into words, "No… well, I don't know… Maybe I haven't done or said the right things…"
She shook her head when he hesitated to speak with a guilty tone, "I asked in general, you don't have to tell this old lady what it is. A yes or not is enough, but take into account everyone is a world coexisting in this universe, for it to keep moving in the direction you want to you must move in that path so the final results don't land so far from your final goal"
Teo showed a gentle smile, more at ease as he would be like a motor moving towards the path he wanted his life goes, "Thank you. It helped me a lot"
"It's nothing, as long as I can be of help. Work hard to make that man fall head over heels for you" she spoke full of hopes turning back to finish doing the dishes.
"He will and when that happens I'll bring him here" he gave her thumbs up before picking the clean plate she handed him as she chuckled, happy wishing to see those two growing older like her husband and herself.