章節 8: The Runaway Man

Glenn Jay Alonzo looked exactly like his father during his prime, if not twice attractive. While he didn't have the prominent facial hair of Richard, there's no mistaking the twenty-year-old young man took after his father's image. Just one stare and he can immobilize anyone with his soul piercing coffee-colored eyes.

But, of course, not every adonis face had an angelic personality.

Yves' left eyelid gave a slight twitch. "I am not flirting with anybody."

"Oh, come on now." Glenn shook his head as he sniggered flippantly. He sauntered forward; the sole of his expensive shoes scratching against the pavement in every step. He paused in front of Yves, stared at him for three seconds, before bowing down to level their gaze. "You almost kissed my dad. That isn't flirting to you?"

Okay, maybe there was a slight flirting that occurred, but he drew the line before it escalated.

Yves cleared his throat and looked away. "Just to keep things straight..."

He's not. Okay, wrong joke.

"I came here first. And your dad followed."

"Followed? Sure." Glenn took one step closer and hovered over him like a school bully. He sneered. "But that's because you left breadcrumbs on the trail for him to follow. You think I'm dumb not to know such tactics? I know we're just the same age, so I know how your mind works. What? Trying to find a sugar daddy to pay your tuition?"

Yves kept his back plastered against the concrete wall, finding it ridiculous to be intimidated by a brat four years younger than him who needed bodyguards within a fifteen-meter radius. Unbothered, he crossed his arms and stared back. "First of all, I'm older than you. I'm already out of college for more than two years now. And I already have a job, so what tuition are talking about?"

Glenn blinked, taken aback by his unfazed expression, but he didn't back out. Instead, he charged twice as strongly as he did with his accusations. "Really? So what do you do for a living? A gay escort that caters to sad old men with your body?"

The thin thread of his patience snapped, and his hands flew to Glenn's collar. Yves gritted his teeth. "Don't insult me like you know me, so be careful with the words coming out of your because you don't know what I can do to you."

"And what are you gonna do, huh?" Glenn smirked, spreading both arms wide in a call for a challenge. "Are you gonna seduce me too, like how you're seducing my dad? That's not gonna work on me."

"You're not so sure about that," Yves taunted in return and advanced, forcing Glenn to backtrack a couple of steps back until his foot bumped against an enormous black pot at the chapel's entrance.

Glenn gripped his wrists and tried to wrench his hands off of his collar, but Yves didn't budge. He glared. "I wouldn't be doing this to the son of a government official if I were you. This could get you in trouble."

Yves only tightened his hold against the fabric. It was oddly endearing to watch Glenn struggle, so he bent Glenn's upper body to level their gaze, purposely bringing their face close to each other. "Do I look like I care?"

Fear flashed in Glenn's eyes, followed by a shimmer of repressed emotions Yves was quite familiar with. Though it could be just a trick coming from the incandescent light above them, it made him slightly sympathetic and let go of Glenn.

Eadric, who had caught a whiff of the tension between them, approached. "Everything okay here?"

"Fine," Yves said, patting Glenn's chest to remove the crease he caused on his expensive suit. "We're just getting to know each other."

Glenn slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me. I don't want your gay virus infecting me."

Yves laughed, unaffected. "Homosexuality is not a disease you'll catch like a flu, but your homophobia is definitely an emotional malaise brought by your own thought you're guilty of having."

"The hell are you blabbering about? I am not—!"

Without warning, Yves grabbed the buckle of Glenn's belt and tugged him forward until their nose touched. "Then don't be too bothered about other's sexual preference. It has nothing to do with you. Unless you're threatened by the so-called gay virus you already have all along."

Glenn reacted the way he expected. His hand closed around his neck to strangle him, but Yves deflected it and grabbed his collar again. In one swift motion, Yves stomped his foot on the ground shoved Glenn in the pot head first. Not even Eadric was fast enough to stop him.

"Get me-! Get me out of here!" Glenn's voice rang inside the pot, his legs flailing in the air as he struggled to get out.

Eadric tried to help him, but Yves kicked the gigantic pot to topple it over, and Glenn rolled along with it. It fell into the two-step stairs and kept on rolling until it collided against a lamppost, breaking into several pieces.

"Glenn!"

Dazed from his around the pot adventure, Richard rose from the debris with the help of his bodyguards. He dusted his suit, then glared at Yves. "You! You'll pay for this! Get him!"

Well, fuck! That pot must have cost a million!

Yves backed away and sprinted to the nearest exit. But where would he even go? The other side of the chapel was already a descending slope and past the bushes was a steep deadend. He stared at the road below the elevated land. On estimate, it would be at least ten feet if he jumped, or more.

"Sir!" Eadric called. "I'm sorry, but you need to come with me."

"Come with you? Why would I come with you?"

"You just assaulted the congressman's son!"

"And why is that my fault?"

Eadric exhaled through his nose. "I'm really sorry, but this is my job. Please don't make this any more complicated and come with me calmly or I will have to use force."

Why did it come into this? He just wanted to enjoy his night and celebrate his friend's wedding.

Yves' shoulders sagged. "If that's how it is..." His rounded eyeglasses glinted under the pale moonlight as he took a fighting stance. "Then come at me like your entire career depended on it. Let's see what you're capable of."

"What's with youngsters so feisty nowadays? Damn, I sounded like an old man just now." Eadric sighed and brought a hand to the back of his head, his biceps bulging through the suit's sleeve while he massaged his nape. He looked at Yves pointedly and held out his palm. "Look, I know the congressman has taken a liking to you, but hurting his son won't save you from it. Just come with me and I'll make sure nothing bad will happen to you."

Yves stared at the hand as he weighed the situation. After a moment, he relaxed, and he accepted Eadric's hand. He didn't fight back when Eadric pulled his arms behind and guided him back to the chapel. But when Glenn charged towards him, he head-butted Eadric from behind to free himself from his grip.

Glenn swung his fist, aiming for his face. "You fucking fag—!"

Yves blocked the fist and delivered a straight jab to Glenn's nose. Before Glenn could recover, he grabbed his arm and slammed him against his bodyguard, who came up behind him. Then he scurried away from the chapel as fast as he could.

"G-Get off me! Go after him!"

"Ugh! Y-Yes, sir!"

Instead of running on the road, Yves climbed up the hill to an empty helipad. He increased his pace on the way up and spotted Alexandra near an intersection as soon as he reached the top.

"Beb!" Alexandra jogged towards him, holding her long gown. "I've been looking for you! What are you doing out here? Mountain-climbing in the mountain? Really, Beb? What's next? Swimming in the fountain? I can't believe—!"

"Alex! Oh my God! Shush!" Yves looked behind him, his eyes frantic. "Go back inside. I need to go."

"What? You can't just—!"

"There's no time to explain. Just tell Pat and Nico that I said happy..." Yves gasped at the sight of the Glenn's bodyguard running towards them. He didn't know what to say anymore, so he just blurted out what came to mind. "T-Tell them happy marriage, happy Valentine's and happy new year! Bye!"

"But, Beb—!" Alexandra's speech cut off as Yves sprinted away, so she just yelled. "But it's the middle of July! And we didn't bring fireworks!"

"They'll do their lovely fireworks later!" Yves entered a foggy path, and Alexandra's squeal about the explosion of love in the bedroom faded into the background.