Chapter 128: Chapter 128

Nate's POV

It's past 6 Am when Ethan pulls the car in through the gates of our house. We had started from hostel at 4, after our bit too courageous deed there.

Ethan had been waiting for it since a long time and I too was waiting for him to do it to me. But he wouldn't ask me. So at last I decided to ask him on our birthday. I wanted our first time to be special and memorable and I'm damn sure this past night will remain in our memories forever.

I know, If we got caught, we could have got dismissed from school without being able to write the last semester exams and it would have been a forever painful memory for both of us. But I knew no body would catch us as almost all the students had went home and only a very few were staying at hostel during study leave. And thankfully everyone in our nearby rooms had went home.

Ethan pulls the car into the porch and unbuckles his seat belt whilst rubbing his sleep deprived eyes. He could only sleep for less than three hours. I look at the rare view mirror and see whether my face is presentable and whether there are any hickeys visible on my neck. There is one under my collar bone and I quickly button up the second button of my shirt, which I had left open during the car ride for the cool morning wind to encase my body.

" It's okay..Mom knows..", Ethan chuckles looking at me.

" Yeah..how did she know ? Didn't I tell you to n..not mark me on my neck and you did that right under my chin on the day before w..we came here last month. Even Eve asked me whether there are l..lot of mosquitoes at dorm.", I say rolling my eyes. He shakes his head and laughs looking at me. " Uhm..why are you laughing now ?", I ask.

" C'mon baby..it's my birthday. So, don't get mad at me.", he says flashing his smile at me. Out of nowhere, the memories from a few hours ago flies back into my head and I start to feel my cheeks heat up. So I quickly turn my face and open the passenger seat door, quickly hopping out.

I go and ring the door bell twice and waits for Mom to come and open the door. Ethan joins my side and grabs my hands before the door opens, revealing Mom. She doesn’t look sleepy but her eyes reveal sleep deprivation just like ours. Seems like she hasn't slept. Cause she called us at 4 Am asking where we are. It's then we woke up and headed from hostel.

" So where were you guys last night ?", she asks in a husky voice, leaning forward as if to smell us.

" Don't worry Mom. We didn't go to any bar or club.", Ethan says smiling.

" Then ?", She raises an eyebrow.

" We went on a long ride.", he replies.

" To where ?", she asks.

" To heavens.", he grins causing Mom to scrunch her eyebrows at us.

" Yeah..to heavens. It's a famous n..night cafe in San Antonio. W..we went there and had dinner at midnight.", I quickly say.

" Oh..?? You didn't tell that when I called. And you guys went to San Antonio just to go to a cafe. It's at least two hours away from your school, right ?", she asks.

" Oh c'mon Mom..it's our birthday. Why don't you wish us ?", Ethan asks in a whiny tone. Mom's lips bunch into a smile and she opens her arms. Ethan quickly hugs her, his tall figure hovering over Mom. " Happy birthday.", she says patting on his back and he pulls away smiling wide.

Mom then looks at me and opens her arms again, smiling. I smile back and hug her. " Happy birthday Mickey.", she whispers in my ears, her tone sad and containing a lot of emotions. A shiver run down my body at the moment. It's the first time my real Mom saying Happy birthday to me.

" Okay, come inside boys.", She says pulling away from me and quickly turning as if she wants to suddenly hide her face. I know she is trying not to cry.

" Mom, you had woke up already?", Ethan asks as we walk inside.

" Yeah..I was waiting for you guys since you said you will arrive in two hours.", she replies going towards the kitchen. She doesn't have any need to go to the kitchen now. But she just wants to hide herself away from us.

" So Mom, you didn't actually sleep ?", Ethan calls out to her.

" Did you guys sleep ?", she asks back.

" Uhm..yeah..we slept for sometime. ", he says and walks towards the kitchen.

" In the car.", I add trailing behind him.

" uhm..yeah..in the car.", Ethan chuckles entering the kitchen. " But Mom, why didn't you sleep ? And are you making break fast already ? "

" No..I haven't started making anything yet. What do you guys want ? ", she asks turning from the counter and smiling at us.

" Anything Mom. Cause, everything you make is delicious.", Ethan says and she laughs.

" So you aren't going to office today ?", he asks.

" No..", She shakes her head, smiling and turns to me. " What do you want Mickey ?"

" Uhm..I want it to be a surprise. So Mom, make anything you like.", I smile.

" O..kay then.", She nods, as if thinking what to cook. " And Oh ! talking about surprise, did you tell Ethan about your surprise gift?"

" No..", I say whilst looking at Ethan

He looks at me in surprise, his mouth parted, making me smile. " You got me any gift ?", he asks.

" Actually yeah.", I laugh.

" Woah ! Where is it ? Give me ! ", he squeals.

" It's in your room.", I say and the next moment he rushes out of the kitchen and barges towards the stairs before sprinting up at high speed, can't able to control his anxiety to see what I got him.

" Go. Don't you wanna see his expression?", Mom says laughing and I nod and quickly sprints behind him.

As I step into his room, Ethan is standing near his bed, awestruck, his eyes wide and his mouth parted as he looks at the wall opposite the bed. On the wall is a painting I did, a painting of him standing in a large football ground with a big stadium and lot of spectators surrounding him. My birthday present to him.

It's one of the images I captured in my memory when Ethan won his match against Rydell high and became the best player of the match. He was smiling so victoriously that day and I copied that gorgeous smile as best as I could into the painting. However I made difference in his jersey and back ground. He is wearing the Jersey of Texas Longhorns football and he is standing at the Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

His current greatest wish is to study at the university of Texas at Austin and to become a quarterback of Longhorns football, the intercollegiate team representing Texas university. I'm pretty sure that he'll get admission there and make it into the team. And I wanted to prognosticate it through the painting.

I started working on this painting one month ago and completed it last week. That doesn't mean I took that much time to draw it. But I had to draw it secretly. So, I had been spending an hour or two at night to draw it. Last week I brought the painting here without Ethan knowing. It was in his trunk actually. Then while he was showering, I and Mom together got the painting out. Mom then did the framing and everything for me, this week and settled it on the wall opposite his bed, just like I wanted.

Ethan walks closer to the painting and raises his head, looking at it carefully. He grazes his fingers over my sign on the bottom of the painting. " Michael..", he says turning to me. " You are great ! ", he says in a whisper, his voice revealing the utmost sincerity. I smile at him, feeling my heart flutter.

" When did you draw this ?", he then asks looking back at the painting and carefully observing each and every detail of it. I then goes closer to him and tell him how I started drawing it almost a month ago and how I got his car key last week without him knowing and how Gavin helped me take the painting to the car trunk and then how Mom helped me frame it. By the time I finish saying everything, he is smiling wide.

" I knew you'd give me some present.", he says. " But I didn't imagine it to be something this great. You've drawn my dreams, Michael and it's truly amazing. Thank you baby.", he says and leans forward to kiss me. But right when his lips touch mine, we hear footsteps and he quickly pull away.

Soon Mom steps into the room, smiling. " Did you like his gift ?", she asks.

" Yeah..Mom..It's great ! ", Ethan says, still in awe.

" So Mickey, did you like the lamp he gave you ?", she asks.

" Oh..! You knew about it ?", I ask.

" Yeah..it arrived here last week and he took it to hostel when you guys went back to school on Monday. It was also in the trunk. You didn't know.", She says laughing slightly.

" Woah ! ", I couldn't help but laugh. I was about to say something, but then my phone rings in my pocket and I fish it out to see 'Dad' calling. "Uhm..my Dad.", I say and walk out of the room.

Cause Mom wouldn't like to see me talking to my parents. She still hates them. Only once after my parents came here and revealed everything, she picked my Mom's call. She then told my Mom that She don't want their sorry and they don't need to worry that she would take legal actions against them or ask for compensation.

That day they talked on phone for almost an hour and came to some adjustments and agreements. Main ones being, they won't let anyone else know the secret and they would let the both of us stay in both of our houses as per our wish. It's kinda funny. It's like I and Ethan are the children of a divorced couple and we can go to both of our parents houses as per our wish.

However only once after our last semester vacation, we went to Oklahoma. On weekends we always come here. And I'm gonna stay here this whole study leave. So we'd probably be spending majority of our summer vacation with my parents.

I go to the balcony and pick the call, placing the phone near my ear. " Hello Dad..", I say.

" Hello Mickey, happy birthday ! ", he says in a cheerful voice. Then he hands the phone to my Mom and she also squeals happy birthday into my ear. They then ask me what all we did and whether we cut cake and celebrated our birthday already. I tell them everything we did yesterday except the one thing. Ethan comes to the balcony just as they ask for him and I hand the phone to him.

I then make my way to Eve's room as I had seen Mom going downstairs. I open my little sister's room door to see her peacefully asleep on her bed. I slowly crawl up on the bed and lie down beside her, gently placing my arm above her body. She turns to my side and hug me in sleep, snoring softly. I smile and close my eyes.