ILY

ILY So I'll Keep a Secret

Topaz was right. Mrs. Layton was almost done with dinner when they arrived.

"Just right in time, I am about to finish." Mrs. Layton said when she opened the door. "You and Topaz can go rest for a while. I'll get you two when I'm done preparing the table.

Jethro carried Topaz to the sofa so she could stretch her legs. He placed the backpack beside Topaz.

"Jethro, you won't say anything, right?" Topaz asked as soon as Mrs. Layton left for the kitchen.

"Say anything about what? Our kiss?" Jethro was trying to make Topaz feel at ease. He was wrong. She instantly blushed after hearing about their kiss.

"Sorry, I did not mean to tease you." Jethro was quick to apologize.

Topaz looked at him and smiled a bit. "Of course, I know you did not mean anything by that."

Jethro saw a chance. "About that..."

Mrs. Layton suddenly appeared. "Dinner is ready," she said.

Jethro scratched his head. He missed his chance. He helped Topaz to her wheelchair and led her to the dining area.

Mrs. Layton prepared steak. He suddenly felt hungry. They didn't have a decent lunch after all.

"So how was today?" Mrs. Layton started the conversation. It was pretty obvious that she wanted to know how their day went.

"We went swimming." Topaz was quick to reply. Her voice was happy.

"Swimming?" Mrs. Layton looked at Jethro as if she wanted to confirm her story.

"Yes, we went to Timothy Lake earlier. I thought that Topaz might like some sun and fresh air since she had been at home most of the time.

"So how was it?" Mrs. Layton tried to hide the worry in her face, but it was too obvious in her voice.

"Don't worry Mom, I had a great time. Jethro took great care of me. And you know what, I even managed to float. For the first time since the accident, I enjoyed the sun on my face. It was really great Mom." Topaz assured Mrs. Layton.

She gave Topaz a timid smile and reached for her hand. She gently pressed it and said, "I am glad that you enjoyed going out."

"Can Jethro and I go out next week too?" She asked.

Mrs. Layton looked at Jethro, "only if you are going out with Jethro."

"Of course, I would love to." He looked at Topaz smiling.

They continued eating. Jethro was more focused on the food and not on the conversation. Topaz was mostly leading, sharing details of what they did earlier. Every detail except the kiss and what happened earlier.

Jethro felt guilty having to hide those details from Mrs. Layton. But he promised her that they would keep it a secret.

"You are not talking too much" Mrs. Layton finally noticed.

"Oh, It has been so long since I heard Topaz this happy, I wanted to hear directly from her how our day went." Jethro blushed a bit. He was telling the truth. He was happy hearing how Topaz was gladly sharing how their day went. It was like she was giving a review on how he did with their date. Although deep down inside, he was wondering if she was telling the truth or if she was just trying to sound happy so that Mrs. Layton would not notice that something different had happened that day.

"By the way, Topaz, remind me that I prepared something for Clyde too. I might forget to give it to Jethro later." Mrs. Layton told Topaz.

"Don't worry, I will remind you, Mom," Topaz said.

"By the way, are we going to push through with the video shoot on Monday?" Mrs. Layton asked Jethro. She was starting to involve him more with the conversation after noticing how quiet he was.

"Yeah, I'll go after class to help out Clyde." He prefers working later since he does most of his content in the morning. And he doesn't want to be a bother with the flow of customers," Jethro explained.

"As I can remember, he plans to take the videos inside the kitchen, where the real action happens on Monday afternoon, and then he will get shots of the customers and the actual shop in the morning." He looked at Topaz and Mrs. Layton. "I do hope the schedule is convenient for you."

"Of course. I spend most of the day in the shop so I'll be available anytime Clyde needs to shoot. Thank you for doing this for us." Mrs. Layton reached for his hand and pressed it as she had done with Topaz earlier.

"Clyde loves what he does and if he sees an opportunity to help someone with his craft, he really goes out of his way to do so." He said, smiling.

"You'll be coming with Jethro on Monday, right?" Mrs. Layton was now looking at Topaz.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss the action. Besides, I am curious about what Clyde does." She looked at Jethro.

"How long has he been doing this?" She asked Jethro.

"I think maybe three, almost four years," Jethro said. "Actually, it was a struggle at first. My Dad was not saying anything but he was also not pleased with how Clyde's life was going. But he was his only brother, so he stood there, ready to catch him if he fails. Besides, I also guessed that they felt more comfortable knowing that Clyde was always available to look after me". He shared.

"Is it really lucrative? " Mrs. Layton asked. "I mean I just Googled about influencers and content creators and some of the personalities that I found were crazy rich." She added.

"Actually, Clyde was not really making money at first. It was during his second year in content creation when things started to go his way. Back when he was just starting, he would take odd jobs every now and then. And my parents would always give him an allowance. He hated that but he knew that he needed help." Jethro remembered those days when Clyde was just starting out.

"I knew that things were getting better for him when he started to decline the allowance that my parents were giving him. In fact, he was not accepting any money for groceries and for household bills anymore." He shared proudly. "The only thing that my parents finance at home is my allowance. Everything is being paid for by Clyde. So I guess he is making a lot too, maybe not a fortune, but enough for an above-average lifestyle."

'Wow, do you think I can do that too? Well, not for the money or anything. Share cooking tips, recipes. The things that I do at the shop. I think it would be a great advertisement and promotion for the Aroma Mocha." Mrs. Layton asked, she sounded excited.

"Anyone can be a content creator. I'll tell Clyde that you are interested. He has a lot of books and references to help you begin."

"How about you?" Topaz interjected. "Did you ever consider doing the things that Clyde does?"

"I am barely getting good grades." He said sheepishly. "I am focusing on that for now. I can explore other things once I am doing better with my studies."

"Topaz here can tutor you if you are having problems with some of your subjects." Mrs. Layton offered. Jethro was flattered. Mrs. Layton obviously wanted him to be around her.

"Yeah, I could help you out if you need some help." Topaz seconded.

'I'll keep that in mind especially with finals just around the corner." He laughed a bit.