Lost in his embrace

Chapter 7

Tyler seems to linger a bit longer in the balcony so maybe I will just get out of the room and find something to fill my empty stomach but before I can even make a step towards the door. My eyes catch my phone light up and beep on the bed. I pick it up. The text message is from Britney which I expected already. I forgot that she sent me a message saying she would come over our house at around eleven or twelve.

I glance at the clock to know how many minutes have passed since the last time I checked it.

She just lets me know that she's already on her way and that she will arrive before twelve which means, she will be here after a fifteen-minute drive. Britney has been in our house multiple times already, and everytime she's here, our house will be engulfed with nothing but her loud voices, laughter, and her main point of coming: gossips. One of the reasons why my parents take a liking on her. My parents don't really like the house to be so quiet, which is a stark contrast if I compare them to some people.

I sent 'OK'. I also ask her if she brings some food in case my parents didn't cook because they were obviously in a rush earlier. I don't wait for her reply and just place the phone back on the bed before I get out of the room. My stomach growls almost every second in utter hunger and I wish my parents made something in the kitchen—or at least a leftover if they don't want me to starve to death.

I look through my shoulder, making sure Tyler is still in the balcony before I halt my steps halfway through the stairs. I pick something I hid in a flower base that hangs on the railing of the stairs; it's a phone. There are flowers everywhere in our house and I thank mom for it because it's really a huge aid. The ones that hang on the railings are real, except for the one I used to hide my phone because I replaced it with fake one, including its soil, but it still looks downright real so I doubt that my mother will take notice the slight changes, and about the phone, I always make sure I place it under the fake soil so that they can't see it.

I quickly dial someone's number while my eyes look back and forth at the door of my room and my phone apprehensively; I can't get caught. Although, doing this feels like I don't trust this person but I have no choice—I'm left with no choice. I feel sweats of apprehension forming across my temple while I type the number. It's very clear that I haven't eaten a food nor at least drunk a water because my fingers surprisingly shake rhythmically; it might be a sign that I'm about to pass out—or perhaps a sign of tremor but hopefully not.

It rings for only a second before I hear a man's voice—Tyler's voice on the other end of the line say, “Hello?” Obviously, he doesn't know this number. I bite my lower lip, draw in a deep breath before I immediately end the call. I hide the phone back under the soil. I don't know what I want to prove— or If there's something to prove but I can't call him using my main number.

I purposely left my phone, the one I usually use, inside my room so that he won't suspect me, if ever.

“Dad?” I call my dad, while I descend downstairs but I'm just elicited with deafening silence. It's totally understandable if my brothers leave the house today and go somewhere but my parents? It's sunday and they never leave the house every sunday—atleast they promised me that they wouldn't leave the house on sundays because according to them, it's a family time—our time together. Unless, there's an emergency or something that needs their presence. If so, they should have atleast told me.

“Mom?” Again, there's no response. My cat suddenly appears nuzzling my ankle with her furry head.

I pick it up and caress its head with the back of my fingers. “Do you know where mom and dad are?” she just licks the back of my hand before she tries to get off of me. Cats can be so clingy sometimes but most of the times you can't lay a finger on them because they are moody and they got an attitude when they grow.

I can attest to that. Before, I didn't like cats—pets in general; loathe is actually the right term to say it because when I was a child, like about four to five years old, we used to have bunch of kittens and the mother of those kittens scratched my face for no reason. I didn't get traumatized because of the scratch but because of the blood I got from that multiple scratch. Hence, my absolute dislike with pets but just like I said everything might change at times.

I put her back on the floor before I decide to go straight in the dining room in hopes that I could find my parents or my brothers there.

“You can't find them everywhere in the house because they are not here.” I almost flinch by the sudden voice behind my back. I turn around to see tyler slowly descending downstairs. He shoves both his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie that I mindlessly placed on the bathroom's counter earlier while he has a smile om his face; I remember it being wet. I forgot to ask if it's his but as I can clearly see, it's definitely his.

So he knows. That's why he just let me moan—which was almost a scream earlier while we did that thing because he knew all along that there are no people in the house but us and my room isn't in any way soundproof at all so if someone passed by my room, He could clearly hear us loud and clear. I got completely apprehensive for nothing. If I had known, I would definitely scream at the top of my lungs and enjoy that moment. My parents were still in the house when I woke up earlier? Why didn't my father tell me that they would leave this morning so I could just drive them to their destination. I'm sure Tyler could wait for me.

Tyler looks ready to leave already.

“Where did they go?” I ask him but he just shrugs his shoulders which makes my eyebrow raise in confusion; I thought he knew where they go.

I look straight into his blue eyes. “They didn't tell me. They just asked me to inform you that they are visiting a place today.” His voice is calm.

My father could actually tell me but he chose not to.

I smirk and roll my eyes at him. “That's why you were so comfortable about me screaming your name.” He laughs and puts his fist over his mouth.

They would rather choose tell it to someone over me, their son. I already know why they didn't dare mention it to me this morning. It's because they were afraid that I would go with them which is mostly true.

In truth, my parents are always like that, If their departure is about works or whatever reasons they have, they won't let me go with them and I doubt that they are just going to visit a place. Unless, it's nothing important so I could go with them.

Childish may it sound but when our businesses have started to be well-known across the city, My parents gradually lose their time on me and so do my brothers. I may act matured to everyone at school but in the house, Especially in front of my parents and brothers, I'm the most childish son you can get; They still treat me like I'm not nineteen at all and I somehow got used to their treatment.

“It's a friend of mine.” Tyler's sudden voice snaps me back to reality. His voice is laced with seriousness.

My mind can't process what he just said. “Who?" He takes his hand off the pocket of his hoodie, props it across the top rail and then taps it with his fingertips continously while he keeps his other hand shoved in one of the pockets.

I see him lick his upper teeth with his tongue while his lips are closed before he says, “The one who called. It's my friend.”

He looks straight into my eyes while his fingertips are still tapping across the top rail. Does he feel better tapping his fingers across it? My cat comes back meowing. I don't know what she wants this time but I just decide to pick her up from the floor and I hope she wouldn't try to get off of me like the last time because she almost gave me scratches on my arms.

“I see. Britney will be here in a minute,” I remind him. I softly pinch the nose of my cat when I see her about to drift off to sleep in my arms before I bring my gaze back to Tyler.

He just nods.

He then takes his hand off the top rail before he steps closer. Britney must be here in a minute and she will certainly catch me and Tyler inside the house if Tyler wouldn't leave now.

It's okay for me but to Tyler? Unless, that issue of his has been fixed already. By the time, he pinches my cat's nose, the crunches of leaves and the sound of an engine pulling into the garage resonate inside the house. I look through the glass window and I see Tyler follow my gaze from the corner of my eye.

It's Britney. She can't see us from the outside if she looks through the window but we can clearly see her from the inside.

“I can't go out through the front door.” I hear him whisper while his eyes still train through the window.

“Head towards the bathroom. Go that way, I'll follow you there in a second.” he nods before he sprints towards the direction I pointed.

Britney gives a honk on her horn two times before I see her climb out of her car. My mouth waters and my stomach growls audibly at the sight of two boxes of pizza in her hands. I forgot to eat again but I have to set aside first my hunger in behalf of Tyler. I gently put my sleeping cat on the floor but she instantly wakes up at the sudden feel of cold surface of the floor. I mumble sorry—Both for the cat and Britney before I hurriedly walk towards the front door to lock it up.