Heartbreak hotel

Chapter 33

Silas was aware, on some level, that his attachment to Soren was considered ‘unhealthy’. But as he stared at his mother’s, both of whom were sitting at their shared desk, with Erza looking annoyed and Megan looking worried, both their brows furrowed, and while Megan’s lips were turned upward into a forced smile, Erza’s were turned downward into a grimace. He thought what they were suggesting was absolutely ridiculous.

“We’re not going to force you,” Megan replied, almost gently, as she ran a hand through her hair before placing a comforting hand on Erza’s shoulder. “But we do think you should consider this. You have to know you can’t continue, Silas. You’re both getting older, and while it was somewhat endearing in the beginning, this will become a sticky situation of co-dependency that we can’t allow.”

Silas was a little traumatised, but with what he had gone through, it was to be expected. There was nothing wrong with wanting to remain by Soren’s side, where he could keep an eye on the man and, more importantly, keep him safe. That was all he was doing. He would be secure by remaining by Silas’s side, and nothing like before could happen to him. He would not break another promise to him. Soren was completely broken, especially after the last promise he failed to keep to him.

A quiet knock on the door caused Silas not to answer his mother’s call as Ghost walked into the office. He hadn’t expected Silas to be in the office, as he looked slightly taken aback, but he ignored the man and fixed his gaze on the two women. “Can I speak to you?” he asked, shifting on his feet slightly. “About Michael?”

“Yeah, sure, come in,” Erza said, waving the man in and pointing to the small seating area. She stood up from her desk, and Silas snickered at her. She had been in a dress shirt, tie and a blazer from the torso up, but from the waist down, she was in Hello Kitty pyjamas with some cinnamon roll indoor shoes.

“Say what you want,” Erza deadpanned as she sat on the couch, crossing her legs. “I had meetings, and I was not about to fully get ready when they wouldn’t even see what pants I was wearing.”

Megan also stood up, and surprise, she was in the matching Hello Kitty pyjamas and said nothing as she sat next to her wife, opposite where Ghost had taken a seat.

“We’re not going to force you,” Megan said, smiling. “But do think about what we said. We think it’ll help you in the long run, Sy.”

“Fine,” he replied. Silas stared at Ghost quietly, scowling before leaving the home office. He took a seat on the yellow couch and stared at his phone.

Soren wouldn’t be home for a few more hours. He didn't want to deal with the others, which he knew he would have to do if he went over, so he remained at home and instead texted Soren to let him know when he would be home so he could go over.

Instead of anxiously waiting all day for the man to return, Silas turned on the TV and put on the show he had meant to catch up with for a while. It was released a few years ago, but he had been watching it as the episodes came out. However, life got in the way, and he never finished it. He played it and began to watch.

However, he hadn’t expected the front door to open, and he paused the second-to-last episode and checked the time, realising it was almost 1 pm; three hours had passed without batting an eye. He craned his neck to see Ashton appear at the door, blazer in hand, as he flopped onto the couch,

“Hi?” he asked, a little confused,

“Oh, s**t,” he groaned, running his hands through his hair. “Can you not tell anyone you saw me?”

“Aren’t you meant to be at work?”

“I needed a break.”

“Right,” Silas said, a little confused, but he didn’t question the man.

Silas continued watching the show, with Ash staring off in silence. When the door opened again, and Ghost stepped out of the office, both men turned to stare at him. Ash groaned as he grabbed his blazer and ruffled Silas’s hair, to which he swatted his hands away. “I gotta get back. Bubbles don’t know I’m skipping, stay safe, kiddo.”

Ash stared at Ghost and frowned. “Why is your son called Micahel?”

“After my brother, who died.”

“I see,” Ash replied, and then he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.

Erza popped her head out of the office. “Did I just hear Ash?”

“Yes,” Silas said, “he just left.”

She muttered something under her breath but nodded as she slammed the door shut. Silas heard Megan cuss her out for it, but then he heard Erza laugh in response.

Ghost frowned but didn’t say anything as he walked over to Silas and quietly sat on the couch. Neither man said anything as Silas played the episode. And for the entire time, they didn’t speak; they simply watched the show.

~*~