Colliding Rulers

The Confrontation (4)

Third Person's P.O.V

Cale drove to Joshua's residence to get that answer. He defined jawline clenched as he stirred the stirring wheel, gripping it as if his life depended on it. He parked the car and made his way to the door. He knocked and waited for someone to open it. To his surprise, it was Joshua's mother that he was face to face with. But that didn't change the reason why he was there.

Mrs. Mendez wasn't at all surprised to see Cale there. She was told by Joshua that he had broken up with Cale and didn't give him any reason. Mrs. Mendez noticed the subtle change in Cale's aura. He wasn't the same boy she knew back then. He changed. His bravery and him holding his chin up meant that he was in a better place now. He can finally stand up on his own. He looked steady and determined. She knew that her son was going to have a hard time tonight, but it was inevitable.

Cale was also someone that got caught up in the situation, and Joshua was too hurt to even think about that side. Cale's side. Mrs. Mendez let Cale in without any words. She shook her head, sighing and already planning on what to cook for her son to feel okay. Cale smiled with respect, not forgetting the fact that it wasn't his house and she was his former lover's mother.

"Thank you," he said.

"Joshua's in his room." she simply said, telling him to get down to it as fast as possible. The fastest the better.

Cale trudged along the staircase and hallway. When he got to Joshua's room, he knocked and opened the door. Assuming that he was right, Joshua would be sitting and scrolling through his phone. When he opened the door, his assumption was right. Joshua was sitting on the edge of his bed, scrolling through his social media. Joshua didn't even notice that someone came inside his room.

"Ehem," Cale cleared his throat to make his presence known. Joshua looked up and blinked, making sure that it was really Cale that he was looking at.

"What- what are you doing here?" Joshua put his phone down beside him and straightened up. He hadn't changed his clothes since earlier and he looked a bit messy. He had a crying session with Gevia earlier and that messed up his neat appearance. His eyes were puffy and his lips were as well.

Cale felt bad that he was there, but he didn't want to run away again. He's had enough. He had run enough. He wanted to know. Cale took in a sharp breath, preparing himself for what might come. There was no other way to say what he was going to say, but only directly.

"Mom said a bunch of things," Joshua's heart dropped, increasingly getting nervous.

There it was. The thing that Joshua was scared of. Cale's mom finally told Cale what had happened before he decided to break up with him. Joshua fidgeted with his own fingers, twirling. His eyes focused on Cale's and saw that Cale wasn't wavering. Joshua silently gulped. His mind was racing, saying that he wasn't ready for another crying session.

"Uh-huh, and?" Joshua tried to play it cool, but Cale saw right through him.

"Did you.. accept money from my mom?" Cale turned around before Joshua could answer.

Cale gave Joshua the benefit of the doubt. Cale laughed at himself, now hearing how crazy his question was. He shook his head in disbelief, but Joshua's silence made him rethink. He slowly turned around and saw a guilty Joshua. Joshua looking away meant a 'yes', and that his mother was right. Cale wasn't sure of what to react. He wasn't sure if he felt betrayed or pained.

"You.. did?" Cale asked again. Joshua inhaled and exhaled. He stood up so he could look at Cale in the eyes.

"Yes, I did."

"I-"

Cale took a step back. In the end, his mother was right. Joshua was a gold-digger and he couldn't believe that he judged Joshua wrongly. He shook his head, battling with his own thoughts. Joshua didn't even try to defend himself. He was tired of all the drama in his life, and he wanted to rest. He wanted Cale to silently leave.

"My mom was right. You are a gold-digger." Joshua felt a pang of pain in his chest. He never thought that he would hear that come out of Cale's innocent mouth. He somewhat knew that that was where it was going to end, but actually hearing it was a different kind of pain.

Joshua pursed his lips, and tried to push his tears back. He didn't want to cry in front of the man that he loved dearly. He has had enough for one day. He swallowed back his pain and let out a shaky breath.

"Please leave." Cale left without a single word, slamming the door shut.

He drove home angry and hurt. He was angry with the world. He felt betrayed by the only person that he trusted, excluding Alex. Joshua's knees felt weak. He fell on his bed with quivering lips.

"I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry." he repeated those words like a mantra, hoping that it would work, but it didn't. Cale's words pierced through his ready heart. It broke down his shield, penetrating so much that it hurt.

As soon as Mrs. Mendez was done cooking Joshua's favorite dessert, she made her way to Joshua's room, lightly knocking before entering. She saw her son's pitiful state and felt bad, but still thought that the pain was necessary. She needed Joshua to know that honesty would be painful, but also satisfactory.

She placed the plate down and went to her son's side, giving him a hug and a kiss on the head. Joshua hugged his mother, his only compatriot for life. He allowed himself to be vulnerable again. He cried and sniffed. His mother was beside him. Her motherly embrace made Joshua feel secure. He, as if, went back to being a child where his mother was his shield.

"Mom, why does love hurt so much?"

"Honey, it should be. If it doesn't, it's not love. But it should be the two of you on both ends. You can't expect to hold both ends alone. You're bound to break if you keep everything selfishly to yourself, including the bad part."

"What's so great about love anyway? It's a painful process. It's you against the world."

Mrs. Mendez made circular movement patterns on Joshua's back. She smiled, realizing that she never had the time to actually talk about things like that with Joshua. He wasn't guided when it came to love. Seeing how his father left them at a very young age, Joshua was bound to ask a lot of things. She felt bad to assume that Joshua knew his way in everything. Joshua was still a teenager after all.

"Honey, isn't that why it's so beautiful? It shows how much you're willing to go for your partner. It shows you the strength you put together in your relationship. Trials aren't there for you to follow, but for you to break and grow together."

"But it's tiring, mom. I'm tired."

Joshua had been crying the entire day. He felt drowsy. Soon his eyes slowly started to close and his breathing became normal. Mrs. Mendez smiled to herself and laid Joshua down on his bed comfortably. Tucking him into his bed and kissing his forehead. She placed the dessert on his bedside lamp and turned off the lights.

Cale dialed up Alex's number and called them so they could finally drink their problems away. Alex hesitantly told him that they were going to go. Once the plan was set, Cale made sure to look his best. He was going to get laid tonight and no one was going to stop him. He sprayed cologne and styled his hair. He made sure that he was delicious before driving to the club.

He passed by his mother on his way to his car and she struck up a conversation with Cale.

"Where are you going?" she could smell the excessive amount of cologne that Cale used, and she couldn't say that she was happy about it. She was still scared of her son, but she needed to know where he was going.

"Why are you even asking when I know that you're going to have someone tail me again? Huh."

He left the mansion and rode to the bar where he and Alex were going to meet. When he got there, he already saw Alex eating some fries. He sat opposite of Alex and ordered their drinks. Alex examined Cale's get up.

"Woah. What just happened?"

Cale told Alex everything, not caring if Alex had anything to say. He ranted and ranted until he finished three shots of whiskey. Cale was tipsy by now, but didn't seem to care.

"Are you going to dance?" Alex shook their head 'no' and Joshua sprinted to the dance floor while shouting, "suit yourself!"

Alex immediately texted Gevia everything and the two started talking through text. Alex wanted to call Gevia but the blasting music was preventing them from doing so. Alex looked as if they were in a different world. The music and the stench of alcohol were immediately forgotten. Now all Alex could think about was Gevia, and Gevia forgot about studying.

"Hey, beautiful." Cale said to a random girl who was by herself. The girl spun around and saw how handsome Cale looked. She took the bait and danced with Cale.

"Hey, handsome."

She grinds on Cale's semi-erect crotch, applying a gentle amount of pressure. They were enjoying the time of their lives. Cale's hands traveled along the girl's body, not minding any boundaries. The girl was okay with it. She allowed Cale's hands to move freely across her body, giving him access to anywhere his hands wanted to go.

Cale backed away, inches from touching the girl's breasts, but the girl was too frustrated. She grabbed Cale's hands and guided them to her own breasts. Cale liked the gesture and fondled the girl's breasts while they danced. Cale was too intoxicated to even care. The girl pulled Cale's collar and smashed their lips together.

Cale could taste the bitter taste of beer. He was fully aroused and the random girl could feel his bulge attempting to get out of his pants. She wanted Cale's crotch inside of her and couldn't wait any longer.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

Alex snapped out of their world and noticed that Cale might have passed out on the dance floor. They went to check in on Cale and saw him dirty dancing with a girl. Alex shook their head and sighed, dragging their feet towards Cale. Alex yanked Cale's shirt, making him fumble backwards.

"Hey! What's the big-" the girl couldn't finish her sentence when she saw that she was blessed with meeting two good-looking people in a single night. Her eyes immediately roamed around Alex's body like a succubi. She put on her flirtatious smile and walked towards Alex, but Alex took a step back and turned around, dragging Cale's shirt.

"I wasn't done!" the girl shouted, feeling down that she let go two handsome people in one night.

Cale let Alex drag him towards Alex's car. Alex was disgusted with Cale, but they didn't have a choice. Alex drove him to the nearest hotel and checked him there and leaving him there. Cale was already asleep throughout the whole entire thing. When Alex got home, they showered and texted Gevia goodnight.

"What the actual f**k?" Alex couldn't help but ask. They couldn't believe that Cale jumped to conclusions right after telling himself that he didn't want to jump to conclusions. But Joshua needed to communicate as well, for them to work.

"What a bunch of idiots."

Then Alex went to sleep.