In all his years of existence, Berry had never felt betrayal as strongly as he did at this moment, especially coming from Aspen. He licked and bit his lower lip, his anger and frustration evident. He would have punched the wall by now if not for the place they were in. His condition worsened when he saw Seth smiling like he was watching a comic movie.
"Hold on a second, you look familiar," said Seth, already standing up and staring intently at Berry, making him uncomfortable. "Do you perhaps have a sister in high school?"
Berry calmed down considerably after Seth mentioned his sister. He loved his sister very much, so naturally, he was curious about how this boy knew his precious princess. "Yes, I do have a sister. Do you know her? Are you a friend of hers?"
"I think her name is Miley or something of that sort?" said Seth with a thoughtful expression. "Miley and I are not friends. She is too loud, irresponsible, forgetful, and pitifully dumb. I can't have her as a friend."
Berry was already seeing red at this moment. Sick or not, he badly wanted to plant his fist in Seth's face. Maybe then it would fix his brain and show him his place. He was fine when the talk was about him, but now that it has shifted to his sister, he couldn't tolerate it.
"Look kid," he started, only for his hand to be grasped by Aspen. He harshly shoved the traitor away and kept speaking to Seth, "I don't care about the problems you have found with me, but don't you drag my sister into this! It's your loss if you are not friends with her because she is the second best student in the whole school, and calling her irresponsible, forgetful, and dumb would not change anything because she isn't any of those!"
He was heaving when he finished talking because he was just too angry. As the seconds passed, he only got angrier, especially when Seth began to stare at him like he was looking at an unruly teenager when it was the other way around.
"I don't need to be friends with the second-best student when I am the overall best. And I only called your sister all of those because, yes, she is loud, irresponsible, forgetful, and dumb. I have lost count of how many times she has stepped out of the school hostel without her inhaler when she is asthmatic. She ends up leaving everyone scared and panicked. Anyway, now that I have met you, I can understand why she is like that."
This was the final straw that broke the camel's back, and Berry stepped forward, ready to slap some sense into Seth. But once again, his hand was grabbed by Aspen, and even though he struggled, Aspen's grip only tightened.
"Leave my room if you are going to do this. I am a patient, and I need to rest," Seth said, lying back on the bed and facing the wall away from them. Berry was fuming, even more when Aspen dragged him out of the room and shut the door gently.
"What are you doing, Berry? You could have handled that better," Aspen chastised him the minute they stepped out of the room. "Seth is a patient, and you should have avoided this conversation with him. Did you have to go this far?"
Berry narrowed his eyes, wondering if Aspen had been possessed or something. This was the first time Aspen was telling him off, and that too because of a boy they had only known yesterday. "Are you being serious right now?" He barely said a word, yet Aspen was blaming this on him.
Aspen was about to speak, but he was hushed by the raise of Berry's hand. He pursed his lips, clearly aware that Berry was red with anger right now, but he had to prioritize the patient.
The unspoken tension between them was broken when Berry's phone rang, and he brought it out to end the call. But when he saw that it was a video call request from his boyfriends, he accepted it immediately. He couldn't wait to tell Stuart about his experience at the hospital, especially about Aspen's betrayal. So he walked away from the conversation with Aspen to talk to Stuart instead.
By the time he was done telling Stuart about his ordeal, he was already seated in the car on his way to the restaurant. His face was still red, and he badly needed consolation of some sort, but even after two minutes, he got nothing from Stuart. "You are not going to say anything?" He asked, slightly upset when he thought that Stuart was going to think him immature for exchanging words with a teenager, a sick one at that.
But instead, he heard Stuart say, "you went to see Aspen when you know how I feel about it?" Berry's breath caught in his throat, his eyes darting everywhere but avoiding the screen. Maybe he shouldn't have told Stuart about his ordeal.
Stuart looked upset, the light in his eyes dim, and his lips pressed together. He was in the office, doing his best to finish working on time so he could go back to Berry. But his boyfriend went to see someone else.
Berry could not speak, knowing very well that this time, he had kicked an iron plate. With a downcast expression and dropped shoulders, he apologized, "I'm sorry." Luckily for him, Stuart was in a good mood and quickly forgave him, and in a minute, they were back to smiling and laughing with each other. The whole issue about Seth and Aspen was long forgotten.
"I miss you so much. I wish I could hold you through the phone," Stuart confessed, his fingers on the screen, wishing that he could go through the screen. But he knew that he couldn't, which was why he could only pout sadly. Berry chuckled at this. Who knew his boyfriend was so dramatic.
"Now you make me miss you even more. Tell you what, get done with work on time, and I will come to you when I finish with the restaurant, hmm?"
Stuart smiled but he had already planned ahead, "I have a lunch meeting later today. Guess where I am holding the meeting."
Berry gasped, his face radiating with excitement as he replied, "my restaurant?" Stuart nodded and smiled, satisfied by the reaction he got from Berry. The man's smile was everything to him. "So you called the owner of the restaurant to place your order?" Stuart nodded proudly, happy that he had made an arrangement like this. He couldn't wait to see Berry in his chef attire.
"Tell me what you want for lunch, whatever it is you name it, and I will make sure to make it for you!" Berry stated confidently like he was a genie who just showed up after the kettle has been rubbed and was ready to grant the wish of his master.
"I was thinking about it, and I thought you could make my favorite meal," Stuart said, and Berry nodded. "I won't tell you what it is so you have to take a guess. Are you okay with that?"
Berry was tense when Stuart told him to take a guess, but when Stuart asked him if he was okay with it, the tension disappeared like the passing wind. "Of course I am. I, Berry Yates, am the number one chef in the world, and I won't be worthy of the title if I can't guess my boyfriend's favorite food. Don't worry, I promise not to disappoint you."
Stuart smiled again and wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by the urgent knock on his office door. He knew that his break was over, and it was time to go back to work. He looked at Berry dejectedly before saying, "I have to return to work now," he said and watched Berry's face fall. He couldn't wait to go back home so he could hug Berry until morning. "Lean closer so I can kiss you before leaving," he said, and Berry immediately pressed his lips to the screen, both of them exchanging a virtual kiss before the call disconnected.
Berry was still smiling at the blank screen, oblivious to the red eyes of the single driver who had just been thoroughly abused by him and Stuart.