Pseudo-shadows were naturally created on the ground, moving with abstract shapes as two men walked under the moonlight between the dim lights of the city park. Along the way neither of them spoke, just continued to walk following where a pair of feet went in an uncertain direction. It was Austin who followed Kenan within one meter. That was his order, keep Austin at a distance even though his eyes might never keep their eyes off Kenan.
The chorus of crickets rang out, bringing a faint smile to Kenan's lips. A step moment when you can hear the sound of crickets in the middle of a metropolitan city park whose air has been polluted with smoke and pollution.
"Still like the sound of crickets?" asked Austin to start the conversation, when he accidentally peeked at the smile.
"Hmmmm ... isn't it rare to find the sound of such tiny creatures in a place like this?"
Austin didn't answer, and Kenan didn't respond to any of his reactions. He dragged his feet over to the metal chair right under the tree, then sat himself down on it.
"So, what did you do after being away from home for so many years?" Austin asked. He was standing right next to Kenan who was sitting with his elbows on his knees.
Hearing the question come out of Austin's mouth, Kenan looked up, squinting at the younger man's eyes. "What's going on? Why do you look so curious?" His lips turned up in a lame smile.
"I asked you a question, but why are you asking?" Austin's brow furrowed, a little disappointed that his simple question went unanswered.
Ignoring Austin's response, both of Kenan's shoulders shook inexplicably, he covered his mouth with the back of his hand; trying to hold back his laughter. While the man next to him frowned even more in confusion. Kenan's crisp laughter broke out and aired for a few moments in the middle of the silent night that was disturbed by the noise of motor vehicles. Not long after his laughter stopped, the noise of the car returned to dominate in addition to the song of the cicadas.
"Since when do you care about my life?" Kenan sighed, leaning his back against the back of the garden chair as he gazed up at the starry night sky.
Still watching the older man, Austin only realized when the sentence that had just come out unwillingly from his mind. After his lips were so smoothly spitting out a few questions out of hundreds of questions piled up, now his lips felt numb when he meant to say all the answers that had been arranged in his mind. Austin cursed it, his mouth and mind could not compromise.
"I-it's ..." Austin stammered. What was up with this reaction? He felt like he was different when he was with Kenan. "... It's because my dad keeps asking me stuff like that, and you know what? It drives me crazy."
"If your father asks you like that, let me give him my own answer. I'll answer all his questions until he has nothing left to ask." Kenan seemed to think for a moment, then said, "Oh yes, I also have a question for you."
"What is it?" Austin sat down on the lawn chair right next to Kenan, his eyes never ceasing to stare at the man.
Kenan glanced over, his lips returning the lopsided smile. "So curious."
"Aren't you the one who's curious, to the point of wanting to ask me something."
"Ah you're right, so umm ..." There was a pause, "... It's about—"
"My household?" guessed Austin, and he was right.
"Yes, what was the compelling reason that made you give up all freedom in favor of a family?" asked Kenan, his tone low, "You hated that bond called 'marriage' so much but, now you're just entangling yourself in it. Can't you say no?"
Austin's eyes dimmed, changing his sitting position to lean against the chair while looking up at the sky. One word slipped out in response, "Tree."
Kenan gasped, the word tree seemed to have many meanings to him. Austin continued without taking his eyes off the sky. "At first, I also intended to refuse. However, my father forced me to date Helena even just once. He said that if we didn't try it, we wouldn't know if we were compatible or not, isn't that funny?"
Kenan responded with a faint smile.
"When Helena and I first met, she was so cynical. Not like the other woman who was always after me. Just like someone I knew." Austin's beady eyes glanced at Kenan briefly, "I question her; If you wanted to be something, what would you want to be?"
"She said; she wants to be like a tree in someone's heart. Something simple, yet its position is unassailable. No matter what happens she will never move from her place despite the scorching heat and rainstorms. Sturdy and steadfast."
Kenan listened intently, his eyes moving down to stare at the ground through a blank expression.
"Just with the tree's answer, I loosened the door and let her break into my heart, now ... i think I love her." Austin slowly looked at Kenan. "But ... now there's another feeling that has returned to the bottom of my heart. A feeling that died years ago, it's now growing back like a sprout amongst my current love."
The wind rustled through the finished words of Austin's reply. Afterward, there was a long silence between Kenan, Austin, and the sound of crickets.
"I have a suggestion for you," Kenan stood up from his seated position, stuffed both hands into his pants pockets then turned to look at Austin. "Wouldn't it be better if you pulled out that sprout soon, before it continues to grow and become a parasite in your love?"
The stared one stayed where he was, his mouth slightly open without mumbling a word even through a gesture, probably locked tight.
One step Kenan took, turning away without looking at Austin he said, "Let's go home!" After taking one step forward, the man shuddered, shivering as a gust of wind through the thin white shirt pierced into his pores. Intending to hug his own body with both arms to block the wind, Kenan's movement was halted as a black coat enveloped him from behind.
"You need this suit more than me," said Austin who was now standing behind Kenan.
"Thank you." Kenan smiled for a moment before finally resuming his steps one meter ahead of Austin. The man followed behind him as he continued walking.
*
As Austin requested, Kenan stayed back at the man's penthouse one day after they went to the hotel together. Four days later, they went about their daily lives as usual in the penthouse, as if what Austin had done to him the night he got drunk had never happened at all. Kenan also joined Austin for breakfast at the table, while Helena was still in Paris.
Austin thought that Kenan would give him another temper tantrum for a few days, but he didn't expect that Kenan's anomaly would only last as long as when he spent the night at the office.
On the way to work, Austin sat with Kenan in a car side by side. Kenan pretended to keep himself busy by reading some documents that he took from his briefcase.
He did so so as not to feel the ongoing awkwardness. To his right, Austin was leaning against the open window, looking out as his eyes occasionally glanced into the rearview mirror to see Kenan's serious expression as he read the writing on the sheet of paper. Inwardly Austin gave praise to the man beside him, so diligently working, except he knew that Kenan had other intentions.
His cell phone rang. Austin took it from his pocket and checked the message that had just come in. It was a message from Helena sending a selfie of herself in front of the Eiffel Tower. Underneath it was a message.
[Bonjour mon cher!]
[Morning too.]
And both ends of Austin's lips pulled upwards as he replied.
[Did you miss me?]
[ Very much, ]
[ I'll be home in two days, keep missing me. ]
[ Always, ]
Next, Helena sent a short voice message, which Austin played close to his ear.
"I love you!"
A smile spread across Austin's lips when he heard it. Meanwhile, someone who did not intend to listen to the recording merely tilted one corner of his lips. Sensing the atmosphere of dislike from Kenan, Austin deliberately tilted the voice message back. "Je t'aime aussi."
Kenan didn't understand a lick of French, but he was sure it meant something similar to what Helena had said, so he just put the sheet of paper back in his bag and stared out the window.
After putting his cell phone back in his pocket, Austin turned to Kenan. He asked, "Are you jealous?" A smirk was perfectly etched on his lips.
Kenan turned his head, looking at Austin with an indifferent expression. "Why would I be jealous of you?" he asked.
Austin smiled wryly. "I didn't say you were jealous of me, but you are jealous of Helena, right?"
"I'm not jealous of her either, I just get amused when someone deliberately flaunts their affection in front of me."
"Oh, so you're jealous?" Austin nodded twice, raising one eyebrow with a playful smile.
Kenan didn't answer, he just clucked his tongue. Serving the barbarian was the beginning of bad luck that led to other bad luck. It didn't take long for Kenan to be patient with the barbarian next to him, his eyes caught a building he recognized Kenan said to Austin's private driver, "Uncle, stop here!" He forgot he wasn't taking a taxi.
The middle-aged private driver looked confused. Nevertheless, he pulled the car over.
Meanwhile, beside him Austin exclaimed, "Don't stop the car! Keep going—"
"Wait," Kenan hurriedly opened the car door and got out without heeding Austin's call. "Thanks for the ride, I'll walk from here."
"Kenan!" called Austin from inside the car. While Kenan ignored him, he continued to walk staring straight ahead.
Exasperated, Austin got out and chased Kenan from behind. "Kenan!" he called again. However, his voice was drowned out by the sound of Japanese-made vehicles whizzing by on the highway. At eight o'clock in the morning, traffic was heavy because it was time for people to go to work.
"Kenan!!!" Austin shouted.
Realizing that his actions had attracted many pairs of eyes from the road users, the man immediately got back into his car and told his personal driver to get back on the road. As soon as he passed Kenan who was walking on the sidewalk, Austin immediately closed his car window, but his gaze continued to look at the figure on foot with an indifferent expression. Even after Kenan's shadow was as small as an ant, Austin didn't want to move his gaze forward. The driver could only shake his head at the argument.
*
Austin threw his bag on the table as soon as he entered the office. His face was contorted in annoyance at being ignored. In his entire life, no one had dared to ignore him except his father and the man with the rabbit teeth.
"Why is your face bent like that?"
A low-pitched question startled Austin. His face was filled with unexpected shock at the sight of a middle-aged man sitting on a blue sofa.
"Dad, why didn't you say you were coming?"
"Should I report it to you first?"
"No, Dad. I just ..."
"Oh, where is Kenan?" he asked.
"He's not here yet."
"Well, I'll wait until he comes." The middle-aged man leaned his back against the back of the sofa, trying to be as relaxed as possible, occasionally glancing at the watch in his hand.
After a few minutes, the person he was waiting for arrived.
Monsieur Serge looked at his two sons sitting side by side, Kenan on Austin's left. While his assistant came in to set down the glasses he used to brew tea, the middle-aged man had come just to invite Kenan and Austin to have tea together.
The process of brewing tea began, Monsieur Serge painstakingly poured a few spoons of green tea into a porcelain teapot and brewed it with hot water.
While on the other hand, Austin who was bored with his father's frequent tea drinking took an initiative to divert his boredom. His idle hand began to move from behind the table to Kenan's right thigh.
This successfully made the man next to him wince in surprise, but only stayed silent while looking at Austin sharply through the corner of his eye. Instead of moving his cursed hand, Austin now squeezed Kenan's right thigh. The man glared angrily with bulging eyes at Austin, but Austin's face remained calm as he stared at the porcelain glass cup placed in front of him. No one noticed the movement of Austin's hand under the table.
That deft hand now moved to the side of his waist. Kenan hurriedly tried to grip the hands that were moving around his waist and thighs. And at that moment, Austin who didn't want to let go looked at Kenan with a smile. Likewise with Kenan, he also looked at Austin, but not with a smile, but with a cursing expression.
Austin's hands couldn't be kept away from his waist. Like wood, Kenan thought. His teeth were chattering, his eyes bulging. And the one he was glaring at just flashed a charming smile. Inwardly Kenan cursed, if it wasn't for being in front of his adoptive father—he would have kicked Austin in the crotch right now. Not caring about his dick that might not function normally anymore.
Austin could see the menacing glint in Kenan's eyes as his hand now pinched the man's ass. Those eyes seemed to say, I'll break your hand if you don't let go.
But that glint was met by Austin with a defiant look. From the interlocking eyes, there were flashes that attacked each other to the bead of the gazed eye and formed an invisible bond of flashes from eye to eye.
"Ehem!"
The sound of heavy thudding broke the bond, both pairs of eyes spontaneously staring in unison at the owner of the voice. Almost an important figure in front of them, Kenan and Austin immediately looked down even though they were still glancing at each other.
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