Curving His Straight Line

Chapter 8: One Bad Summer Vacation

We prepared early today to meet up with our friends at Betty’s. It’s also going to be our last day with Celine so I get why Pears is eager.

But still, last night, we slept as he embraced me, we didn’t talk about it because he woke up earlier so I didn’t know if he opened his eyes while his arms are wrapped around me. We asked permission from my mother and of course, she said yes, plus it’s officially the first day of summer.

I hope it will be fun.

As we arrived there, Betty’s family prepared some food, and as expected Gary was so happy with it.

We indulged in our food and had a great time together, we spent the whole day playing in Betty’s backyard. Smiles and laughs were floating above us until the inevitable topic was brought up.

“I’m going to miss you guys.” Celine said as she was giving us a sweet vibe.

“Go back as you as you can alright?!” Gary hilariously threatened her.

“Of course, I’ll be back as soon as the enrolment begins.” Celine told us.

“Where are you going again exactly?” I asked her.

“Uh, it’s very far you probably don’t know it guys.” She answered me. “By the way, I wanted to thank you guys, before it was only me and Betty, and if it wasn’t for Pears hat day, I wouldn’t have met you guys.” She gave Pears a sincere look which made Pears scratch his forehead.

“Uhm, actually it was Dion who pushed me hehe.” Pears said, and made them all looked at me.

“Really? Why?” Celine asked and I was left speechless, thankfully Gary came to the rescue.

“Blabla, let’s group hug now!” Gary insisted.

We formed a small circle and hugged each other while smiling. After we all said goodbye to Celine and as we were about to leave, Pears was still talking with Celine.

I didn’t know what it was, do I want to know? I don’t know either.

Gary surprisingly hanged onto me heavily and asked, “So, what do you want to do tomorrow, huh?”

“I don’t know.”

“How about we hang out just the two of us, huh?” Gary suggested.

“Haha, Betty and Pears will be furious.” I warned him.

“Well, Betty told me she will be busy tomorrow, and you need to think of a way to get rid of Pears for a while.”

“But what are going to do?” I asked Gary.

“I need to tell you something privately and I know, you need to vent out your emotions too far from Pears, so I got you.” And I really needed it, I’m glad Gary has my back.

I smiled at him as I started to think of an excuse for Pears.

While Pears and I were walking together to our house, he seemed happy.

“Hey, what are you smiling about?” I asked him.

“Uhm. It’s just… I’m excited because it’s summer, aren’t you?”

“It’s fine but I… need to go somewhere tomorrow.”

“Sure, I’ll go with you.”

“No, I need to go somewhere alone tomorrow, just me, you can stay at our room video games while I’m out.”

“But… where are you going?”

“Ah… nothing important.” He seemed slightly pissed about that as he didn’t question me further and just remained silent as we reached our house.

The following day he was still quiet but I don’t have any intention of revealing where I am going, like please give me some time away from you, away from this source of pain.

“Hey, I’m going now, see you later.” I said to him before but he just looked at me and gave me a half-inched smile.

I immediately went to Gary’s and he let me into his room.

“So, what did you tell Pears?” He asked me.

“Nothing?”

“And?”

“And what?”

“He just let you leave?”

“Well, he seemed a bit sulky before I left.”

“Oh, you look like you’re in trouble for later haha.”

“He’ll let it go I’m sure, so what are you going to tell me huh?”

“Okay, you will be the only person who will know this okay?!” Gary told me while scratching his fingers.

“What is it?”

“I like…”

“You like Betty? Come on you’re too obvious.” I stopped him.

“Really? Am I!?” He really looked alarmed.

“You always ask Betty to come with you to buy some cotton candy or drinks or anything, but most of all you two are getting along well.”

“You think?”

I nodded. “So, you already told her?”

The question I handed made Gary choke, so I laughed.

“Why would I?!” He asked me.

“Why not?” I gave him the best answer.

“DJ!” He called my name as if I wasn’t being serious but I was.

“What? What if Betty likes you back? And honestly, I think she does.”

“No, no DJ, don’t give me that?”

“Don’t give you what? The right advice?”

Gar sighed.

After a while. “Alright I’ll tell Betty, if you tell Pears.”

“What?!” I was shocked by what he said.

“Tell him you like him.”

“Uhm, Did you forget, he already knows-“ Gary cut what I was saying.

“Uh did you also forget? You told me that you told him that it was just nothing big of a deal, but it was, and it still is.” Yep, Gary is right, but what’s the point of opening up over again?

“There’s just no point of telling him again.”

“What if there is? Celine is out of the picture now, plus, you haven’t really talked about it though, right?”

Yup, he is right again. “May I remind you, that Celine is our friend and she is just out of the picture temporarily.” I told him.

“And maybe this is the perfect time to let him focus on what he really feels about you.” I can’t believe I am actually considering what Gary is insinuating.

“You’re getting back on me huh?” I rolled my eyes at him.

“Of course, we’re together in this and if things go wrong, let’s just keep the memories as a one bad summer vacation.”

I was silent for a minute, thinking about it thoroughly.

Pears dropped that topic about us because I told him to, but what if I didn’t? Would our situation be different from now? And if it was just the same, maybe it is just fine, like Gary said, a bad summer vacation.

Thinking about it now, it was really a one bad summer of my life at some point, but let’s not jump ahead.

“Hey! Do we have a deal?” Gary positioned his hand, waiting for me to shake it.

And I did.

“Great, now we tell each other their responses, okay?!” Gary was so hyped while I was still confused why I took the deal in the first place but maybe, just maybe I wanted to take the risk than lose the chance.

A roller coaster ride summer will always be better than a plain and boring one.

After talking about stuffs including how much he likes Betty and how much I was hurting every time Celine and Pears are close with each other. Then right after, he played another classical romance film, a stranger will never guess that Gary is actually a fan of these. Maybe this is also why he is so invested in love topics.

I didn’t wait for the night to settle for me to leave, Pears is waiting for me so…

Before I left Gary’s house, he made sure our deal was legit and not just a nonsense talk.

So here I was, standing at our front door, thinking about a way to tell him, how serious I am about the letter.

When I entered my mother was preparing food.

“Oh, you’re home, did you and Pears have a fight?”

“No ma, why?”

“Because you left at the same time but he got back here first.” What!?

“He left?”

“Yes, weren’t you together?” Did he follow me?

“Uhm, we… we were, I going up to my room now, ma.”

“Alright little DJ.”

I came up and he was there playing alone.

“Hey.” I tried to talk to him but he was ignoring me.

“You’re like this again. I’m sorry.” I apologized to him but he was still focused on the video game.

I let him for a while and changed my clothes in the bathroom. It was time for our dinner and we both go down but he was still not talking to me.

At the dinner table, everyone was silent.

“How’s your thesis going Chloe?” My mother broke the ice.

“It’s okay, I wouldn’t let myself fail of course, I will graduate.” Chloe answered

“Congrats in advance sister Chloe.” Pears spoke.

“Thank you, Pears!” I almost didn’t notice that after all the time Pears was staying with us, he created a good relationship with my sister.

And he was still ignoring up to bedtime.

We were both lying on our bed. Both facing on the opposite sides.

“You still won’t talk to me?” I asked him for the last time that day.

“Why you and Gary are meeting secretly?” So, he really followed.

“We… talked about something.”

“And I can’t hear it?”

“Yes… because you were the one we were talking about.”

 He was quiet.

“I’m going to tell you this, I… uh, remember that letter? The truth is Pears, I like you, I really do, and it hurts me to see you with Celine honestly, I know I pushed you to talk to her in the first place but I thought I was helping myself move no, because after all this time, I’m still into you. Gary knew about this that’s why sometimes the two of us were talking privately. I know I told you my feelings are not a big deal, because I really thought myself that but in reality, my heart screams your name. I want to be by your side always, the laughs, the games, and even the dramas, I love it all. I might sound stupid now but I don’t care anymore, I didn’t give you the chance to say what you feel last time, so I am asking you now.”

There I said it all to him.

“Pears?”

He wasn’t responding.

Did he fall asleep?

Sigh.

I was about to close my eyes and just let it go when I felt him moving.

He wrapped his arms around me, hugged me backward and buried his face close to my neck as he whispered.

“Let’s sleep, goodnight.”