A Love to Last

A love to Last Ch. 04

"Mom? David gasped. He didn't move an inch.

Claudia started getting inside, staring at her son like he had said something abominable.

"Mom?"

"You brought a stranger to my house." It wasn't a question. "And not only that but you also slept with a stranger. How dare you, David! Don't you have any sense of decency left in you?"

David shook his head. "No, mom, you don't understand. This boy is...."

"I don't wanna hear it." She rudely dismissed it. "I have heard enough. I thought you had class and decency but you're proving me wrong. You picked up some whore at a club and brought him here, in my house. I can't believe you. Haven't I taught you anything?"

"You've got me wrong, mom." He said, shaking his head. "This boy isn't a prostitute or whatever you're thinking. He... he is someone I have been looking for for so long now. I met him at the club and he left before I could wake up."

"From the look of things, you slept with this boy. Tell me..." She crossed her arms. "...who sleeps with someone they don't know on the first day? You met this boy yesterday, brought him home and he slept in your bed. That sounds like a typical prostitute to me." She shrugged. "And I hope he didn't steal anything of mine."

"Mom!" David raised his voice, surprising her. "Please, just stop. You don't know who this boy is and I won't let you judge him."

With those words, he walked past her but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Where do you think you are going?" She asked harshly. "And how dare you talk to me like that. Do you realize that I am your mother?"

"I am sorry mom." He sounded frustrated. "But I need to look for that boy. He couldn't have gone far."

"You'll do no such thing." She snapped, raising her finger at him. "Do I make myself clear?"

"But mom..."

"I'll not take this nonsense from you." She warned. "You'll go back to your room and I don't wanna hear about this ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Mom, please." He pleaded. "This is very important to me."

"I don't care." She yelled. "Go back to your room or I'll order the guards to lock you up in your room."

David groaned, stamping his foot on the floor. He stormed out of there, cursing under his breath. She had ruined the chances of him going after the boy. He was very upset with her.

"What's going on here?" She asked the stunned Amber. "What's wrong with your brother?"

"I don't know." She said under her breath. "He's been looking for a boy. I didn't even know he was with someone last night. Honestly, I've never seen him act the way he did and it got me scared."

"A boy?" She raised an eyebrow. "Which boy is that?"

"Someone he met sometime back but didn't know who he was." She sighed, scratching her head. "But I'll tell you everything else later. You just returned."

She went to her mother and wrapped her arms around her. But she was worried about her brother. She kept thinking about him and what he had said. She needed to talk to him but at that point, she needed to calm her mother down.

David on the other hand reached his bedroom and locked the door. He leaned on the wall as he scanned the room like he had been there for the first time. The memories hit him all at the same time. He remembered bringing the boy to the room, how he appreciated his room and told him what would make it even better.

He remembered the boy dancing and them making love. David didn't even realize there was a tear going down his cheek. He walked to the bed slowly and once there, he pulled the top duvet down and saw blood stains on the sheets.

He slowly passed his hands on the sheets and his heart broke. How could he have been stupid as to have overslept and not even hear when the boy had been getting up? He cursed himself for being so stupid to lose the boy again. He didn't even know his name or where he stayed. What was he thinking of him?

"How do I find you?"

***

Ben was seated on the bathroom floor in the shower. The water that hot him was warm but all he felt was this coldness around him that the warm water couldn't melt. There was blood where he sat and pain on his ass but he didn't care.

The memories of the previous night made him so scared. Now that he was sober, he remembered everything that had happened. The man he had met and slept with. He couldn't believe he had lost his virginity to a complete stranger.

He remembered that the man hadn't wanted to have sex with him. He was the one that had initiated it like some common prostitute. Remembering the whole thing made him feel so weak and worthless.

'Make me forget!'

A great sob escaped him, and he covered his face with shaking hands. He had wiped his eyes so much that they were red and swollen. He had been in the bathroom for hours. His tears spilt over and flowed down his cheek together with water like a river escaping a dam.

Waking up on a stranger's chest with his arms wrapped around him was the hardest thing ever. He had to escape from that place without anyone seeing him. He didn't know how he had done it but it was a success. He had been in pain, confused and with a hangover. He was lucky Jim was still asleep when he came back home. Otherwise, he had no idea how he'd have explained that he lost his virginity to a stranger.

Elena had succeeded in making the day he always cherished into a nightmare. First she had destroyed his mother's memories and now she had led him to sleeping with a stranger. She had won and he had lost. His mother must have been so disappointed wherever she was.

When he thought about everything, he could hold the heartbreak no longer and he fell to the floor in a disheveled heap as his grief poured out in a flood of uncontrollable tears.

***

'Ben, calm down.' A calm voice spoke on the other end. 'You're only hurting yourself and it's breaking my heart.'

"How could I?" He said in between sobs. "I can't get those memories out of my mind no matter how I try. I feel like just dying. I should have just died with her."

'Shut!' The woman snapped on the other end of the line. 'You're not gonna speak about death with me, do you understand? How dare you even say that to me.'

"it's true, isn't it? A lot of people would have been happier." He furiously rubbed his face. "How do I even go out there and face the world after what I did last night. I feel like they all know that I slept with a stranger."

There was a silence on the other end of the line. Ben thought she had cut the call but...

'It's that evil woman's fault.' She said angrily. 'Is there no end to her being evil. I always warned my brother that nothing was gonna come out of that woman and I still maintain my words. If she didn't do her evil, you wouldn't have gotten drunk and get taken advantage of by a stranger.'

"He didn't." Ben said followed by a stream of tears. "He wanted to stop but..."

'Don't blame yourself, my son. You're not to blame. I swear when I see that woman, I am gonna give her a taste of her own medicine.' She was so mad that he could feel it. 'There's no way she can be doing all this and get away with it.'

He couldn't say a word but just cry.

"Should I come to you?' She asked softly. 'Do you need me?'

"No!" He shook his head. "There's no need for that. It will only cause more trouble and besides... I don't want anyone else finding out about this. Daddy is gonna be so disappointed."

'And who's to be blamed if not for that evil woman.' She yelled. 'She can't keep escaping all these things that she does. She needs to be answerable at some point. And Ben... I told you to come stay with me. But you completely refused.'

"You know why I couldn't come with you." He said softly. "It would have caused so many problems between you and daddy."

They continued talking and she was trying to make him feel better but it wasn't working. He couldn't erase those memories of his passionate night with a complete stranger. She was the only one he needed to talk to, his father's sister. She had been like a mother to him but she was all the way in Singapore. She was an amazing woman and the closest thing he had to a mother. But he didn't wanna her to come back for the sake of peace.

***

David was seated in his room, leaning towards his bed with his mind elsewhere. He was only putting on a black cargo short with a white tee. His room was a mess, just like it had been when he had woken up. He was in pain... the pain of missing the boy. He didn't even know it was possible to miss someone so much that he didn't know a thing about.

His mother had forbidden him to go out that day and she had given the guards specific warnings about letting him out of the house. He had been in that position for a long time. He didn't have his breakfast or supper. He didn't know what time it was and he honestly didn't care. All he wanted was to see him again.

He heard a knock on his door but didn't even bother answering. After a few attempted knocks, whoever was at the door opened and let themselves in. He didn't bother finding out who. He felt someone leaning towards him and placing their hands on the shoulder.

"I tried asking the guards but none of them saw him." It was Amber and she sounded very concerned. "The maids didn't even see him too. Are you sure that it was the same boy?"

"I am not crazy." He said softly, staring at her. His eyes were red. "I know who I was with last night. His blood is still on my sheets in case you wanna confirm."

"No!" She shook her head. "I am just concerned and very worried about you. I know you don't believe it but so is mom. You haven't come down since you came up in the morning. You haven't had anything to eat or drink."

"Eat?" He laughed sarcastically. "I don't need no fucking food. I just need him. And if mom was concerned, she wouldn't have had me locked up like some fucking prisoner. I would have had my chances of finding him but no..." A tear went down his cheek which he furiously rubbed. "...I am stuck here like some rat in a cage."

"I promise that we're gonna find him." She took his hand and kissed it. "We're gonna find this beautiful prince charming of yours."

"I don't even know his name." He chuckled in pain. "I don't know where to start from. Even after I found him, destiny is still trying to play tricks."

"I know it's not gonna be easy." She smiled, cupping his cheeks. "But there's always a starting point. Why don't you start from where you met last night."

And that idea that first started as a joke grew in his mind. He hugged her tightly.

*

The next day night, David went back to the bar where he had met the mystery boy but he didn't see him. He asked around with the description but no one seemed to have seen him. Those that had seen him told him that he wasn't a regular and they saw him for the first time that night.

David tried his luck, he stayed there for many hours but there was no luck. He began a series of visiting the bar at night but not even once did the boy appear. He didn't wanna give up so he continued searching for the boy anywhere he could find him, parks, malls, schools but there was nothing.

As he continued his search, Jim didn't give up on him. Though not persistent as he was before, the boy was constantly showing up at his house, having a wonderful time with his mother and his sister, cooking him food and talking to him. Though David was reluctant to accept anything Jim was providing, his mother convinced him as she was taking a liking for the young boy.

Days to weeks and weeks turned to two months of searching, but there still no sign of the boy. Before that night, he used to meet the boy in different situations but after that night, there was no sign of him. It was the most painful two months of his life. But he still held to hope that he was gonna find him.

He didn't understand one thing though, how the boy had appeared into his life and disappeared mysteriously. Was their encounter supposed to be a one-time thing only? And he also couldn't understand how his feelings weren't disappearing. But guess only time was gonna tell when they were supposed to meet again.

***

Two months later...

*

David threw his jacket on the bed and threw himself there like a five year old child with his arms and legs spread. He had been so tired after so many meetings at his company and deal signing. Two months and he had managed to take his company to a whole new level. He was a businessman to be reconned with. His mother was very proud and he was sure his father was.

Knock knock!

"Come in!" He said, a little too loudly.

His mother and his sister came in and they were all smiling. They sat with him as he rose and tried his best to smile.

"Hey there, baby." Claudia greeted, resting his hand on his thigh. "How was your day?"

"I have had better days." He said with a chuckle. "It was too busy but very successful. Why aren't you coming for work again? I feel like there's a lot for me to do alone. I could use your help."

"Because this is your moment. You've been doing so much better." She caressed his cheek. "And I am very proud of you. I will be back soon enough, I am just resting. And besides, soon, Amber will finish and you'll both manage the company. Then my work will be done."

David glanced at his sister and winked. But at that moment, something came to his mind. He looked at the both of them, wondering what they were both doing there. It surely wasn't to welcome him back. There was something they wanted.

"Shoot!" He said as he crossed his arms on the chest. "I know you have something you wanna talk to me about, mom."

"Okay!" She raised her arms as if she was surrendering. "You caught me. I wanna talk to you about something, something that's gonna make me so happy if you say yes."

"Okay." He was curious. "The suspense is killing me. What is it?"

"It's about..." She paused and took a deep breath. "...It's about you and Jim. Don't you think it's about time you guys became a couple? The boy has been coming here for the last two months and he's been so helpful."

David lost the smile on his face and just stared at his mother with a blank face. His heart began racing and he felt like he was on trial. Instantly, the memories of the boy began kicking in like a drug. He missed him so much.

"But mom, I thought I already told you that Jim and I can only be friends." He sighed. "You understood that. Besides, I am in love with someone else."

Claudia laughed, squeezing his knee. "When your father and I got together, I did not love him. I never even thought that it was possible for me to love him because I had just come from a terrible heartbreak. But look at the life we lived. He made me the happiest woman on earth and gave me two wonderful kids that I love."

"But..."

"The point I am trying to make is, it doesn't necessary mean that you need to love the person to be happy." She pointed out. "The ones that love us are the ones that make us the happiest."

David dropped his eyes to the floor.

"I understand you, my brother. More than anything, I understand." Amber said though she felt bad for him. "But you yourself told me that you believe in destiny and fate. Maybe you and this boy weren't supposed to be. But Jim has been here with you even when you push him away. That boy loves you so much and he is willing to do anything for you. Who wouldn't want someone like that in their lives?"

"She's right." Claudia said with so much happiness. "It's not only you but I like Jim, he's like another son to me. He's handsome, classy, rich, honesty and humble. Personally, no one can beat that boy with those qualities. And I cannot afford to lose him. I want a son-in-law like Jim."

David felt a pain rise from deep within. It had been two months and there was no sign of the boy. He wanted to hold him, kiss him and hug him but he was nowhere to be found. How long was he gonna be tortured because of that.

"Listen.... I cannot mislead you as your mother. I know what's best for you and all I want is your happiness. This boy..." She couldn't even finish her sentence as she laughed. "...I don't know what I can say about him. I can see him running this house as my son-in-law."

"Mom, I just have a lot in my mind right now." He gave an excuse. "Jim is a wonderful guy but..."

"No buts..." She said softly. "...he's perfect and if not for anyone, do it for me. Please." She put her hands together, pleading with him. "Give Jim a chance and see what your sister and I see in him. I promise that I won't ask for anything anymore if you do this for me. Please..."

"Mom..." He held her hands, shaking his head. "Please, don't beg in front of me. You know how I hate that."

"What can I do?" She said in a sad tone. "I am a mother after all. And I want to see my children happy."

"Don't beg. I..." What he was gonna say was gonna hurt a lot. "...I'll see what I can do but please, don't beg in front of me."

When she heard that, she felt like sunshine had returned in her heart. She gripped her son in a very tight hug, feeling like she was on the moon. Finally, she had convinced her son to accept Jim. She was hoping that he was gonna do as she said.

David on the other hand was in dilemma. Was he going to fulfill his mother's wish or continue looking for a boy he had no idea he was gonna find? He didn't know what to do.

***

Jim picked up his bag and started heading out. It was a little bit too late and he was sure that his brother was waiting for him. He had come to the Paola mansion like he used to do almost every day and he was still leaving without his love. He took a sigh as he began heading for the exit.

"Jim!"

Jim heard a voice behind him and he made a quick turn. When he saw David coming towards him with one hand in his pocket and his shirt untucked with a serious face, he felt his heart race. He knew the guy had come to tell him what he always tells him.

"David, I was just leaving." The boy said abruptly. "I... I am sorry."

He turned and started leaving quickly but David rushed to him and pulled him back. They were now face to face, staring at each other. David could see the fear the boy had and he felt bad because he had imparted that fear in him.

"Please, let me go." Jim pleaded, feeling his heart bleed. "I don't wanna say anything that will make you say those hurtful words again."

David swallowed his saliva and he felt like he was swallowing something big.

"Why are you always here despite everything that I have said to you?" David asked in a low voice. "Why do you always come back despite my rejection?"

Jim felt tears building in his eyes. "Because I still have hope that maybe one day you will give me back the love that I feel for you." He said painfully. "Because no matter how you treat me, the love that I feel for you keeps getting stronger. And I keep telling myself that it's not worth it but my heart keeps telling me otherwise."

David tried to fight his tears but they built up like a storm. He didn't understand who the pain he felt was for. It was intense and it was eating him from the inside.

"And I understand, David..." He chuckled bitterly. "...I have never ever chased a man before but you, I can't even explain what I feel for you. It's the first time I am feeling this way. Back then, it was men that used to chase me and not the other way around."

He furiously rubbed his tears.

"But this is what love has done to me." He chuckled bitterly. "I am in love with you, David, and no matter what I do, it won't go away. It hurts seeing the person your heart is yearning for so close to you and yet you can't even reach them."

David suppressed his tears but they came flowing. He knew that he deserved to find that boy but it was like no matter what he did, it just drove them apart. He understood what Jim said because he was also feeling the same way.