Flaws Within

LOVE OR HATE

Javier lay in bed, unable to fall asleep as his mind constantly revolved around Juandre's condition. What had happened to him that was still so traumatic? Despite the potential consequences he might face if Juandre caught him, Javier made the decision to investigate. With a heavy heart, he finally awskened from his bed and cautiously sneaked into Juandre's room. The lights were all bright, illuminating Juandre in a statue-like sleep. The room was freezing cold and a bit messy, just like before.

After ensuring Juandre was alright, Javier made his way to his office at the end of the bungalow. Stacks of files were neatly organized on the bookshelf next to the computer desk. As he went through numerous reports, he stumbled upon one that caught his attention - a report from Juandre's therapist. Javier was curious to learn that Juandre had been attending therapy. As he continued reading, he came across the therapist's observation after their sessions.

"He hardly spoke, instead he just stared at me in response to every question I asked."

Never speaking? Strange. It had to hold some deeper meaning. Lost in his thoughts, Javier's focus was interrupted by a loud ringing, signaling an incoming call. He hurriedly answered, making sure not to make any noise.

"Why are you awake at this hour?" Javier inquired, recognizing his mother's voice on the other end.

"Do you think I can sleep when you're not around? Javier, why don't you come back?" Albertine asked with a tinge of worry in her voice.

"Even if I wasn't living with Juandre, I could never go back to that house. It never felt like home to me," Javier sighed as he whispered slowly rejecting to live with his father.

"Javier, please understand that your father is truly concerned about you. He does care," Albertine pleaded, attempting to make him see reason and return back.

"It's funny, he cares so much, yet he constantly compares me to every other kid on this planet. I'm the way I am today because of him. I don't have the strength to stand up to people who hurt me, and it's funny how everyone I meet seems to have the mission to hurt me," Javier replied, his voice revealing the pain he holded, the warmth he always needed from his parents.

"Javier," Albertine called out his name, but he abruptly hung up the call. Standing there in silence, Javier tried to convince himself that his father didn't truly care about him; he only enjoyed playing the victim. Lost in his own worries, he slowly made his way back to his room without returning the file to its proper place.

FLASHBACK:

"I specifically wanted to meet you, not him. And please, don't call me sir. You can call me uncle," Louis replied, offering a warm smile while taking a sip of his third drink in the past 10 minutes.

"Oh, I see. Alright, Uncle Louis," Javier responded with a smile, not dwelling too much on why Louis hadn't met Juandre.

Suddenly, the peaceful conversation between Louis and Javier was abruptly interrupted by the loud sound of a door slamming open on the terrace.

"Why did you bring him here? What do you want now!" Juandre yelled as he entered the terrace. His anger was evident in his voice and he stood close, eye to eye with his father. The fierce glare in his eyes showed no mercy, as if he could harm his father right then and there.

"Juandre, you're misunderstanding. I was simply having a conversation with Javier," Louis tried to calm the situation, asserting his dominance over Juandre.

"Lies! All you ever do is lie! And why wouldn't you? You have all that money and power to hide your disgusting acts, don't you?" Juandre coldly exclaimed, his voice piercing through the air. He stared directly into his father's eyes without even blinking once.

"Enough!" Louis yelled as he raised his hand to strike Juandre, but before he could reach him, a warm hand grabbed his arm, stopping the violent action.

"I may have respect for you, but that doesn't mean I will let you harm him," Javier spoke up, his gaze fixed on the stunned Louis. As Javier's eyes shifted to Juandre, he stood there, flinched and frozen, unlike his usual self. It was the first time Javier had seen him not taking action for himself, especially towards someone he despised. Why was he standing weak? Javier wondered silently before taking hold of Juandre's arm and leading him away from the terrace.

"Please, slow down! I understand you're angry, but why should I suffer for it?" Javier pleaded repeatedly as Juandre drove at a reckless speed. The dark and silent road echoed with the harsh scratching noise of the speeding car. Unfortunately, thunderstorms added to the already tense atmosphere of fear for Javier. The chilling weather made his entire body feel cold, causing him to flinch with each burst of thunder.

Praying for one more chance at life, Javier desperately hoped for a safe escape from the car. Especially since the driver already struggled with darkness. His hands trembled, fear enveloping him in the eerie atmosphere.

"Why did you meet him? How much money did he offer you?" Juandre demanded, pinning Javier against the wall as soon as they reached home. Juandre's grip on Javier's hand tightened, causing the ring on Javier's finger to cut into his skin, leaving permanent blood splatters on the wall.

"H...he just wanted to have a conversation," Javier tried to explain through his bleeding hand, attempting to remain composed despite the pain. Juandre's ice-cold gaze pierced into Javier's soul, freezing him in place. He could feel the cold touch of Juandre's fingers on his warm, bloodied hand. Juandre's eyes remained as cold as ever, the way he looked at Javier sending shivers down his spine.

"Do you even realize what he could have done? Do you have any idea!" Juandre yelled at Javier, his words inflicting pain upon pain. Even when Javier attempted to push back and defend himself, Juandre's strength was overwhelming.

"Listen to me carefully. You will never meet or speak to that man again as long as you live. And if you do, don't expect me to come to your aid when you're on the brink of death," Juandre declared with a chilling tone, warning Javier clearly.

Javier nodded, tears streaming down his face. The blood from his hand dripped down his arm. The coldness in Juandre's voice and eyes inflicted a different kind of pain. Javier lowered his gaze, avoiding the piercing stare, while Juandre clenched his jaw before finally stepping back from their intense closeness.

END FLASHBACK

He stumbled as he realised all the people inflicting pain upon him. His ex, Juandre, his father, and even his former friends who had turned into bullies after Andriel leaked those photos. The entire university seemed to despise him, and he had lost the person he loved the most – Andriel. Unable to sleep, he decided to return to the bar he frequented during his university days, unaware that Andriel and his friend group would be there.

"You're awake? Still have a low tolerance for alcohol?" Andriel's voice reached Javier as he sat on the bed, reading a book.

Javier's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the person through his blurred vision. His head pounded from the alcohol, memories of his past flooding his mind. He realized he had gotten drunk and fallen asleep, only to wake up in Andriel's house. Taking a deep breath, he felt a mixture of relief and anxiety knowing that he was fully dressed and untouched.

"Why did you bring me here?!" Javier voice shaking, a mixture of fear and anger coursing through him as he distanced himself from Andriel. Tears welled up in his eyes as he trembled, unable to comprehend what could happen next and how Juandre would react.

"You're acting as if I kidn*pped you. Well, you see, what belongs to me finds its way back," Andriel replied, stepping closer to Javier, scanning him from head to toe. He attempted to touch Javier's cheek, a wicked smirk on his face, but Javier pushed his hand away.

"Whoa, look at that, you've found some courage. You're nothing without me , you do and act as I want you to, don't you?" Andriel scoffed, continuing to approach Javier, invading his personal space, touching him and tormenting him. Javier kept backing away, each step filling him with more fear, until he realized there was no more room to escape.

"Andriel, please step away... I beg you," Javier pleaded, his voice trembling, while Andriel stood there, smiling and taunting him.

"You've become even more beautiful since the last time I had you," Andriel whispered, his eyes fixated on Javier's. He reached out to touch Javier's face, but a loud doorbell from downstairs interrupted their encounter.

Andriel opened the room's door and headed towards the stairs, with Javier cautiously following, hoping to find an opportunity to escape. As he glanced around the house, memories from the past hit him like a cold wave. Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from behind, and as Javier turned to look, he saw Andriel on the ground. The main door swung open, revealing two fully armed bodyguards entering the house. Javier tried to comprehend how Juandre's hired bodyguards had managed to find him at 4 a.m. in his ex's house.

In a moment, Javier's gaze shifted to Juandre, who came into the house with a gun in hand. Fear gripped Javier as he stood there, stunned, realizing that Juandre was staring at him. Juandre approached Javier, his eyes surprisingly lacking their usual coldness. Removing his coat, he wrapped it around Javier's shoulders, providing warmth to someone shivering from fear. Juandre gently held Javier's trembling warm hand, unintentionally comforting him. Javier instinctively tightened his grip on Juandre's hand, finding warmth in his presence. As Juandre drove back, Javier sat quietly, pondering over why he had held Juandre's hand when he was more scared of Juandre than of Andriel. Perhaps it was because he believed Juandre was the lesser of two evils. Lost in his thoughts, Juandre's cold voice penetrated the silence of the car.

"Why did you go out without informing me?" Juandre asked.

"I... I'm sorry," Javier hesitated, wishing not to be interrogated further.

"I didn't ask for an apology. I asked for the reason," Juandre repeated, his usual icy energy radiating.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go to the bar," Javier replied, explaining why he had ventured out.

"Next time, I don't want you going anywhere without informing me, unless you actually want to be with Andriel," Juandre warned, assuming that Javier wanted to see andriel.

"No... never. I didn't want to see him, not even at the reunion," Javier replied, making it clear that he had no interest in encountering Andriel. However, as Javier's hand gripped Juandre's on the steering wheel, he could sense Juandre's tension increasing.

"You're burning up," Juandre said as he placed a hand on Javier's forehead. Javier lay frozen on the bed, trying to comprehend why Juandre had instructed him not to move a muscle while attempting to cool down his fever.

"Are you alright? Should we go see a doctor?" Juandre inquired, noticing Javier's harsh coughing and visible discomfort.

"I... I think I'll be fine. You don't have to worry," Javier replied, his voice filled with confusion as he didn't want to inconvenience Juandre.

As soon as juandre gave him medicines, he then removed the bandage Javier had on his hand after the incident that happened at the speech event. He gently applied aid and putted a new bandaged over the permanent looking scar around his ring finger. As soon as he is done applying aid, he quickly stood up and left the room in a hurry. Javier proceeding everything about Juandre's behaviour, why did he left in such a hurry? Javier thought to himself.