Tasting it
1544 Words
“Why are you looking at me like that?” The man’s chest went up and down as if he was enduring something.
“Like what.”
“Like I am crazy.”
Milo coughed loudly; he used his left hand to hold the steering while he patted his chest with his right hand.
“You are overthinking. Which church did you say that I should drop you at?” He changed the topic and looked at the man from the corner of his eyes.
“Not a church. Go straight, I will direct you.”
Not a church? Was it a home visit?
Milo had t0 force himself so his thoughts would not go awry as he drove down according to the man’s instruction.
Lux was a beautiful town even before its renovation but it was not the beauty of the town that was in Milo’s mind. As he drove, the road started becoming more familiar with each passing minute.
Was there a church near his place or was a priest living close to him? He had grown up in Lux and thought he knew everyone.
“Here. I will get down here.” With that, the handsome man opened the door, it looked like he was all too eager to jump down from the car.
By now, Milo had already noticed something was wrong but he did not speak, just watching him quietly.
The man opened the small gate and walked to the front door of the all too familiar house that Milo had grown up in.
What next? What was he going to do? How did he enter his house the first time?
If Milo had a problem he acknowledged, it was that his curiosity was damn too much. His green eyes were fixed on the figure on his door, not even blinking in the slightest.
Milo’s mouth fell agape.
The man just took out a key, opened the door, entered inside and shut the door behind him.
Milo jumped down from the pick up truck and rushed into his house.
The man was making himself at home, removing his shoes.
“Hey, you! How did you get that key? What are you doing in my house!” He tried his best to control himself but the day’s events made him spark, “Who the f**k enters someone’s house and sleeps on their couch? If you are crazy,. Then head to a Hospital, do not parade here in front of him. Get out!” He opened the door wide for this weird ass stranger to get the hell out of his house.
The man looked even more dumbfounded than him but remained calm, “This is my house.”
The sound of teeth rubbing against themselves could be heard, “The f**k are you saying?”
“My name is Perseus. Perseus Creed.” Those light brown eyes gazed at him as if looking for a sign or something in his eyes.
Milo was so angry his eyes were blazing but when those brown eyes met his, he felt a little guilty for some reason.
“I did not ask you your name. I asked what you are doing in my house, how you got my key and….” There was a saying that one does not slap a smiling face. Milo might be so mad and so stressed but facing the calm man, no Perseus who did not show any sign of anger at his outburst, it was as if his fire met water.
“I think there is some kind of misunderstanding here.” Perseus said, his voice was a deep baritone. Every word he said was clear and powerful. It was like a subwoofer, gently reverberating in Milo’s ears.
Everything fits.
His voice matched his face; his face matched his name.
They did not belong here. That feeling came strongly to Milo. Not here in Lux, with their pick-up trucks and traffic jams.
He took a deep breath, calming himself down and pulling away the wits he could manage from his lack of sleep and food,
“Is your father around? Or your mother?” The man asked again.
It was as if cold water splashed Milo and he shook his head coldly, “No. They are both gone. I am the only one. Perseus, you have been scammed. This house is not for sale.” It was not hard to fill in their gaps, with the renovation happening in Lux, this kind of fraud was not rare.
Perseus dipped his hand in his pocket, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Milo, “I have the necessary documents.”
Milo took the paper from him; it was a deed for the house. Perseus Creed was clearly written on the paper along with a name that Milo had not seen in a very long time. Tyler Foster. His no-good ancestor sold the house to the government.
“You have been scammed. This person Tyler Foster, the only place you can see him is in the Cemetery, The government bought this property years ago. I am just renting it from the Landlady. Who processed the documents for you? You can go to the police and report it.”
“Police?” Perseus pink lips pressed together in a thin line, “I can’t. Go to the police, I mean.”
Was he a fugitive? No wonder he can be scammed so easily.
“And the person who gave you the key?” Milo’s knuckles clenched, he does not mind going over and teaching the person a small lesson.
Perseus looked at him still calmly, “Gone.”
“Ah!”
They both stood there quietly, the man was tall and handsome with golden curls framing his face. Even though he had no particular expression on his face, he looked very much like an abandoned puppy.
Milo sighed; he also was feeling like a deflated balloon, “There is an inn at the outskirts of town, just near that forest. I can take you. Let’s go.”
Perseus did not move and Milo paused in his step to look at him.
“I don’t have any money.”
Could he be a little more embarrassed to say that? At least lower your head. Milo thought in his mind.
One would think that he had just announced that he had gotten a scholarship from the most prestigious university in the Republic.
“So what are you planning to do?”
Perseus just stared at him.
Milo took a deep breath and closed the door. It was already dark after all. Sending someone out here after almost burying him seemed a little too mean.
“You can stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we will figure it out.”
“Thank you.” Perseus followed him as they entered the house.
It was a three-bedroom bungalow with two bathrooms. When his mother was still around, his grandfather had the master suite, while he and his mother shared a bathroom.
It was just that since his grandfather died, Milo had not moved out of his childhood room.
Maybe this person was the push he needed to move to the master suite. As for tonight, he glanced at the tall man walking next to him. They were both men, they could share a bedroom for a night.
He opened the door to his mother’s room. It had already been cleaned out, nothing of hers still remaining.
“You can use this room tonight. This is the bathroom. I would get some clothes for you.”
Perseus was just wearing a shirt and a trouser.
Repayment for almost burying him, Milo thought as he headed outside the house to a grocery store.
He returned and headed to his room. Perseus was at least two inches taller than he was. Milo took a clean long shirt and shorts.
He went back to the room.
Perseus was standing by the window looking out. He looked so picturesque, one could stare at him for hours.
If he had such a face, wouldn’t he have made it as a model long ago.
“You are back.” He said, turning to face Milo.
Milo nodded dumbly and then shook his head and nodded properly.
“Got you some toiletries and something to change into. Follow me.” Milo said and started heading back to the kitchen.
“I am not a good cook so you just have to manage.” Especially with those lips that looked like they had only touched fancy foods like caviar and blue cod fresh from the waters of who knows what.
They headed to the kitchen and Perseus sat down on the table, he looked around with an emotion that Milo could not fully understand. More like nostalgia. Was that the reason that he bought the house? Did it remind him of something?
Milo felt curious again.
“You have not told me your name.” Perseus asked.
Milo grinned, “Well, you did not ask.”
“I am asking now.”
“Milo. Milo Foster.”
“Milo.” Perseus said.
It was the name he said, Milo had never heard his name like that before. Like he was tasting it.
- Writer
