章節 24: Better Off Not Knowing

"You haven't found him? There are three of you and you still haven't found him?"

"I'm sorry, Congressman, but he's—"

"I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" Richard seethed as he stabbed his bodyguards with a harsh glare that shut them up effectively.

Hours had passed since Richard went back to the cabin after meeting with the President. He was not worried over a toddler who couldn't handle himself out there, but he expected to at least hear from Glenn's whereabouts, whether from their bodyguards or from the boy himself.

The sun had already gone down and he still heard nothing from his son. It wasn't the first time Glenn had gone off on his own. Since Richard wasn't that strict for a father, he usually let him explore around.

But he brought Glenn with him for a reason, even if he knew his son wasn't keen to be around gay people. This wasn't the time to goof off alone without a bodyguard after what happened last time.

Richard speed-dialed Glenn's number again and perked up when it rang. He couldn't reach it earlier, which he assumed it was put on airplane mode or he's in a place with no signal. It rang once, twice, before Glenn finally answered.

"Where the hell—?" Richard's voice took a sudden halt as the front door open, and Glenn came in with his phone pressed to his ear. He ended the call, rested a hand on his hip, then sent a reprimanding stare. "Where have you been?"

Glenn shrugged nonchalantly with a wide gesture of his hands. "Around? I mean, we're in Baguio, Dad. Are you expecting me to sit here all day?"

Richard sighed, exasperated. "You could have at least informed me of your plans, Glenn."

"I'm not a kid, Dad."

"Then why didn't you bring one of the bodyguards with you? They've been searching for you the whole day!"

Glenn dropped on the couch and cast a look of disinterest at the said bodyguards. "You think I can have some fun with these three muscle-heads around? It's a buzzkill to have them following me every goddamn corner I go to when it's not even needed."

"Glenn—"

"Dad, look. I'm okay. Okay?"

Richard opened his mouth, then closed it again because he didn't want to argue. It's already a stressful day trying to figure out where this brat had gone off to, so he just sat on the couch beside Glenn. "Alright. So have you had dinner yet?"

"I already did," Glenn said, his face morphing into an up-to-no-good smirk. "This friend of mine brought me to very good place with delicious lomo ribs."

"Friend, huh?" Richard studied his son with critical eyes. "You've only been gone for half a day and you've already found another victim. What happened to that girl you were with from last time?"

"Don't know."

If there's one thing Richard wished Glenn didn't take after him, it was his disregard for the women he had hooked up with. It was only after he married Glenn's mother that he started paying attention, even to the point of disregarding what he truly wanted.

"Son, I hope you're not—"

"By the way, Dad," Glenn cut him off. "I'm going to meet with my friend tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Just have Eadric—"

"No, Dad. I want to go alone. I'm just telling you now, so you won't get paranoid again. No bodyguards. Or I'm sneaking off."

Richard's patience ran slim at Glenn's attitude. "And why should it be your rules over mine? I'm your father. If you want to have fun while we're here in Baguio, you'll have Eadric tag along wherever you go. I'll ask him to keep his distance so it's not a 'buzzkill' to you and your friend."

Glenn's shoulders slumped, but he stayed silent, which meant it's very likely he would sneak off again if given the opportunity. Just what kind of people he had associated again to keep their activities unsupervised? It's not like he would mind if they had sex or whatnot.

"Who is this new friend you wanted to be alone with, anyway?"

A wicked smile spread over Glenn's lips once again. He leaned a little to stare at him in the eyes before shaking his head. "You're better off not knowing, Dad."

———

Timothy's silence unnerved him the entire drive back to his apartment. It played on Yves' sanity that he wondered if his boyfriend had seen what he did with Glenn.

Yves needed to clear the misunderstanding before it grew into something else. He wasn't even planning to kiss the guy; it's just a gimmick to drive him away. But he had to make sure it wasn't just his paranoia trying to make a big deal out of it.

"Tim?" Yves called as soon as the motorcycle stopped in front of his apartment. "You'd sleep here tonight, yeah?"

"Nah. There's something I need to do," Timothy said, not even unmounting himself to walk him to the door, so he was definitely upset. "Go on in. I'll see you tomorrow, if you're not busy."

Yves pouted his lips and wrapped his arms around Timothy's waist. "Don't you have something you wanna tell me? You sounded so excited earlier when you called."

"Let's just talk tomorrow. I'm tired for the day. Aren't you?"

"I am. But I can still spare a few hours to listen. So why don't we head inside and talk about it?"

"Talk about what, Yves?" Timothy asked in a grave tone that confirmed Yves' suspicion.

"You only use my name when you're serious or mad."

"Why? Is there something to be mad about?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"No, you tell me. What the fuck was that about?"

'Shit! He was already cursing.' Yves thought, as he also cursed himself for his stupidity. He shoved his face against Timothy's neck and groaned. "It was nothing, okay? I swear, it's not like what you were thinking."

"Nothing?" Timothy scoffed. "You were about to suck face with another guy in public and it's nothing? What was that then, a prank?"

"No. Yes. Kind of." Yves tightened his hold around Timothy's waist when his boyfriend started pushing him away. "Let me explain, okay? I was just trying to tease him. He kept claiming he's straight when he's obviously... not."

"So you'd kiss him to prove a point?"

"No! Okay, I'm sorry! It's my mistake. I shouldn't have done that."

"Okay, let's say I'm going to accept that explanation. But what did you have to talk about in private, huh?" Timothy looked down at him, his anger fanning out through his misty breath. "What? Answer me."

"He just wants me to accompany him to some tourist attractions—"

"Oh, so he's asking you to go on a date. And what did you tell him?"

Yves sucked in a deep breath because his honest answer would drive his boyfriend angrier. If he cancelled his plans with Glenn, however, it could lead to something much worse.

"Well?"

"I declined, of course," Yves breathed out.

Timothy nodded, satisfied, but still ireful. "Alright. Then I guess I won't be seeing that guy around you anymore, right? Right?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay." Timothy tapped his arm to let go. "Go on inside. I need to go home."

"You're not coming inside with me?"

"No. I'm still pissed. But I will go back here tomorrow morning. I just need to cool my head off, alright?"

Begrudgingly, Yves let go of Timothy and watched him restart the engine of his motorcycle. He waited for a goodnight kiss, but his boyfriend drove off without giving him one, leaving him on the side of the road with a heavy heart.

His phone chimed in at the new text message.

Asshole: Don't forget tomorrow's plan :D

Yves gripped his smartphone tight and tried his hardest not to throw it across the road, his annoyance erupting in an uncontainable outcry. "Fucking asshole!"