"My teacher is late." Ayan pouts while looking at the gate for any cars to enter. He pushed his bangs aside as it kept falling over his forehead.He wants to be like his papa, with his hair flipped over and shiny too. However, his hair doesn't listen to him. He looks at his papa, who is discussing unknown things with Uncle Ethan."Papa, my teacher is late." Ayan pouts while crossing his arms over his Spider-Man T-shirt.Roman chuckled along with Ethan.Ethan steps towards the boy. "Is Dean your favorite teacher?"Ayan nods with innocent eyes. "Yes, the teacher is very nice. The teacher helps me with coloring. The teacher tells us stories. The teacher taught us to write a letter to mommy."Ayan peeks at Roman. "Papa has it. I gave it to my papa."Ethan furrowed his eyebrows. Before he could ask or Roman could interrupt, Ayan further added. "My momma is on a star." Ayan looks around. "Mumma is on a secret mission."Roman quickly picks up the boy in his arms. "Baby, you can't tell this to everyone. You know what a secret means, right?"Ayan's eyes turned circular with realization. He slaps his hand over his mouth. "Papa," he says, looking at Ethan. "Tell Uncle to not say this to anyone."Ethan, in confusion, asked Roman. "Is she an astronaut or works at a space station?"Roman pressed his lips into a thin line and shook his head. "She..." He bites his lips. "She is up in the sky and watching Ayan while blessing him."Roman looks at Ethan, expecting the man to understand his words, which he did. He parts his lips in shock and blinks while mouthing a sorry.Roman shook his head while Ayan looked at the duo in confusion. What's with the sudden silence?"Since you told me a secret, I'll tell you a secret too." Ethan looks around as though suspicious that someone might hear them.Ayan nods with big eyes. Roman smiled and listened to them as well. Ayan saw this and stated: "Papa is listening."Roman shook his head and pressed his right palm over his ear. "I have closed my ear."Ayan closed his left ear with his tiny right hand. The older men smiled at the adorable boy."So, your teacher will start teaching tomorrow. Since his job here is almost done, He can focus back on teaching you all.""Teacher Dream!" Ayan exclaimed with a toothy smile as he hugged his father tightly in happiness. Roman chuckled while holding the excited boy in his embrace."Yeah, teacher Dream. He often finds you all calling him that." Ethan replied with a tender smile. However, the boy was looking past him. At that moment, he heard a car passing behind him and parking in front of the office.Ethan smiled when he saw his brother stepping out of the car along with others. He quickly strides toward his brother."I'll be here. You quickly finish your work. We'll return home together." Ethan said while holding Dean's arm, who looked back at him and gave a nod.Ethan frowns, noticing the silence and emptiness in his eyes again. This look is similar to the one he saw long ago. This look, which he had ignored, was blamed on Dean's teenage hormones.Ayan pouts when his teacher doesn't look at him. He sulks, resting his head on his father's shoulder.Roman noticed this and patted the boy's back. "Let's go home. Your teacher is tired."Ayan looked up and whispered. "But I saw the teacher after so long. Papa, you said the teacher wanted to meet me."Roman bites his lips while looking in Dean's direction, who is walking towards his brother."Baby, the teacher is tired. You know how Papa gets tired, and we don't play games?"Ayan nodded, remembering those rare days. Surely, his father tries his best to always be charged."Papa sleeps on the sofa and falls asleep there." Ayan pouts, remembering his struggle to get the duvet and tuck his father. Something his father does whenever he sleeps on the sofa while watching cartoons."It's so difficult to pull the blanket." Ayan tightly holds an invisible blanket and attempts to pull it with clenched jaws and teeth.Roman laughs and smooches Ayan's cheek, who blushes and hides his face on his shoulder."My cute baby." Roman pressed another tender kiss on his hair, hugging the boy tightly."Can I get a hug?" Dean whispers, reaching Roman's ear, who widens his eyes and turns towards the man.Roman noticed the moist eyes and furrowed eyebrows as though they were controlling emotions. His eyes fell on Ethan, who stood afar and watched them. He doesn't know why he feels awkward hugging Dean now.Whenever they hugged, it was always away from people's sight. Like their own comfort zone.Ethan probably understood that he took his phone and started scrolling through it."Please," Dean whispered again, looking at Ayan, who was watching his teacher with curious eyes."Teacher like hugs?" Ayan asked with a wide, toothy smile. "I like it too. I'll always hug Teacher Dream now."Dean smiled at the tiny arms stretched to hug him. He looks at Roman, who blinks his eyes and opens his other arm for the model. He blinks his tears and lunges to hug them.Ayan holds Dean's shoulder in an attempt to embrace his teacher, whereas Roman's arm wraps around his waist and holds his other arm, supporting Ayan. Meanwhile, Dean is pressed close to Roman as his head rests on his shoulder. He gave a smile at Ayan and closed his eyes while his hand rested on Roman's heart.Ethan was watching the way his brother hugged his senior. His brother ran towards Roman as soon as he saw him. As though his feet had found their destination.For a moment, it looks as though they're a happy family.Ethan widened his eyes when he realized that Dean may have developed feelings for his senior. He doesn't see any other reason for contradicting his thoughts.He chose to hug my senior rather than his brother. He looks so content with them. He doesn't look like the old Dean.Ethan smiled at the trio.He doesn't look like Dean, who would prefer drinking and fighting rather than talking about his pain and worry.Ethan looks at them. One last time walked away from them while typing a text to Dean stating that he was going home.Freya was also staring at the duo from her car. She was fixing her makeup to look attractive with a wide smile, wishing to go to Roman. However, Dean crossed her path with quick steps.She clenched her fist as the fake long nails dug in her palm. Her manager sighed at himself."Since his son is not ready to listen to you," The manager started the car and said this while looking at Freya through the mirror.She snaps her narrowed eyes at her manager while the car drives away from Roman."You know Roman's mother, right?" The manager asked while driving through the highway.Freya frowns, looking out of the window. "You know almost everything now. What's with your dumb question?"The manager nods while keeping his calm. "Why don't you indirectly make her realize that you'll be a great wife for Roman?"Freya looks at her manager. "Elaborate,"The manager stops the car at a red light. "What I mean is, Roma would be expecting Roman to move on. Like any other mother, she wants her son to be happy and married. Since your friend is no more, I believe you can make the lady think you're the best candidate for her Roman."Freya has wide eyes. The manager turns around to explain further. "No child would go against their parents. At least, not when they're so old that anything can happen at any moment."A wide smile forms on Freya's lips for the brilliant idea. "Drive to Roma's house. I shall meet her now."She looks at the sky, where certain dark clouds form, and encapsulates the vast blue slowly.Just like she plans to capture Roman in her life, she will be so different that Roman will see just her and nobody else, no matter how colorful and calm other things are. It's just her and Roman.⋇⋆✦⋆⋇Would it have been good if we were given choices? Choices that would have been known even before we walk through one and think, What would have happened if I chose not to follow this one?Something like the choice to remember or delete something or someone?Nathan hugged himself while sitting on the floor, even though a wide carpet was present in front of the vast bed. Along with empty couches."Young master," a middle-aged lady whispered while kneeling in front of the man.Nathan looks at the lady as his lips wobble. "He doesn't love me." He lets the lady embrace him as he sobs loudly. His cries were resonating through the silent walls."You should give him some time." The lady whispered, carefully caressing his back.He has always been a good child. He never opposed anything and did everything his family expected. Yet, he just asked for one wish. He wishes to stay with his love forever.His tears tried to meld the broken pieces of his love. He kept himself together in the hope of meeting him one day. However, why doesn't the universe go as we wish?"Everything will get better, my child." The maid whispered while looking back at the secretary waiting outside the room.The man looks down while gripping a tray of a piece of steak with a glass of fruit juice and a small pudding."You need to stay strong." The maid whispered while wiping his tears.She looked at the clock, which ticked seven in the evening. "Please eat something or—""Or?" Nathan glanced at his secretary. "I am not allowed to eat anything, right? I am not allowed to eat until I apologize and seek their forgiveness. Why don't they just kill me?"The maid shook her head and cupped his face. "It's not good for your health, young master. Please don't forget that—""I have depression!" He showed his wrist. "That I tried to kill myself!" He looks around with gritted teeth. "They kept me in sedation for so long that..." He laughs bitterly while standing up."Whenever I wake up inject sedation. Whenever I tried to oppose, add sedatives." Tears glide over his cheek. "Maybe in my sleep, whenever I moved, they might have injected again and again, making sure I didn't break the calmness of their mansion." Nathan chuckled to himself.The maid pressed her eyes together, remembering her helplessness. She saw everything, and nothing was in her power to save the boy."Young master, please eat and take your medicine." The maid requested again and gestured for the secretary to enter the room.Nathan's eyes snap at the man. "It's all because of your lie! If you didn't say that, I'm dead. My Dean would have been with me." He holds the collars of his once-friend and jerks forward. The juice spilled in the tray as the man closed his eyes, taking all the words without reply."You killed me! You killed me in his eyes, and obviously, he won't accept me if I pop out of nowhere." Nathan pushed him away. "I might lose my temper. Get out!"The secretary looked down and walked out as fast as he could. He has his reasons to lie to the boy. But he never thought his lie would cause this much trouble. His best friend would be crying, and he couldn't bring his happiness back into his arms.⋇⋆✦⋆⋇Ethan watches his mom walk out of the apartment to meet her neighbor's friend. Her friend was away with family and returned today. Surely, there are enough things to talk about and pass the time.Ethan looks at his dad, clicking through the news channels. He sipped tea and placed his feet on the coffee table, sitting comfortably and reading headlines.Ethan sat next to his father. "I was wondering, when will you forgive Dean?" He lets out a sigh while looking at the TV. However, he got his father's attention as the man looked at him.When he didn't receive any reply, Ethan further added, "Will you kick Dean out because he's gay?"Mr. Rayden looked at his tea and whispered, "So, you believed that I hate Dean because of his preferences?"Ethan looks at his father with wide eyes. This was an unexpected reply."I didn't hate my son when he chose the arts over science. I didn't hate him, dear." Mr. Rayden gave a soft smile.He further added, "Why would I hate my child? I held him in my arms when he first cried. When he got a fever, I couldn't work in peace. I just wanted to get off work and hold him in my arms. I didn't hate him when he liked reading books over playing soccer or any other games."Ethan looks down and gulps down the tears brimming in his eyes."I'm just..." Mr. Rayden looks at the TV. However, his thoughts were far away. "I'm protecting him."Ethan nodded his head and said, "I know that the world is still against LGBTQ. Dean will have a hard time with judgmental eyes." He looks at his father. "But, when was society not judgmental?"Mr. Rayden looks down. "When my son was in the hospital bed, nobody was there to help us, not even with mental support. Why would those people's thoughts matter to me?"Ethan narrowed his eyes, now genuinely curious. "Then, protect from whom?"Mr. Rayden heaves a sigh. "How do you think Dean got a heart so fast when there've been multiple people waiting on the list?"Ethan blinks while remembering, "The doctor suggested, right? I mean, she was the one who did the transplant."Mr. Rayden shook his head. "A doctor can state an opinion, and it is accepted without objection from anyone. Don't you think it's suspicious?"Ethan looks down for a second. "What are you hiding, dad?"Mr. Rayden stood up, followed by Ethan."Dean was in love at his college." Mr. Rayden stated while Ethan widened his eyes.Nobody knows about it except him. Did Dean confess this?"No, Dean didn't say anything about this." Mr. Rayden glanced over his shoulder. "I got to know this from the boy's father. The founder of Emricon."Ethan falls on the sofa in shock. "The boy's father is the founder of Emricon."Mr. Rayden looks back at his son. "Yeah, he fell in love with a tycoon's son."Ethan looks back. "Dad, is the tycoon's son named Nathan?"Mr. Rayden blinks, trying to remember. "I don't remember the name, son. But I recently remember a young man being the CEO and MD of Emricon. I think it must be him."Ethan looks at his cold feet with wide eyes. "Dad, today Dean went to Emricon. Maybe, that's why he was looking so down.""WHAT!!" Mr. Rayden's voice reflects along with the snow from the sky. "Why?"Ethan looks at his father, "Well, our company has a tie-up with Emricon for this project and today they asked the models to visit their company."Mr. Rayden looks down with deep thoughts. "This can't happen. Dean shouldn't meet him. What if he is the same man? Things will not be good." Mr. Rayden shook his head. "Ethan," he says, looking at his son. "Please remove Dean from the project." He held Ethan's hand. "Please, take your brother away from him.""Nothing will happen, Dad. Dean is not the same anymore. He will not repeat the mistake.""Exactly. Dean will not cause trouble. Rather, Dean will be in trouble." Mr. Rayden looks around, not understanding. "If he knows about Dean meeting his son again, I don't know what that man will do."Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Dad, explain everything to me. You are talking in bits, which is not helping me."