Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Nate's POV

The feeling of long fingers caressing through my hair along with the light giggle of a baby woke me up from my slumber.

Feeling uncomfortable, I let my eyelids opens to see the image of my big sister standing beside my bed, carrying her baby in her arms and both of them smiling down at me.

" Hey ! ", I quickly jumped up smiling in surprise.

" Hey ! ", she laughed. Her one and a half year old baby girl, Angela made grabby hands at me whilst smiling cutely at me with her gums.

" When did you c..come ?", I asked her whilst stretching my arms to Angela, who happily crept into my arms and onto my lap, giggling in excitement. She and I are great friends.

" Just now.", Anna replied.

" David's also there ?", I asked referring to her husband.

" Yeah..he is downstairs talking with Dad and Mom.", she replied and sat down on the edge of my bed whilst smiling fondly at me.

" Why you came s..suddenly ?", I asked.

"Why ?", She frowned. " You didn't want me to come ? Between this is my home too. I can come here at any time. I don't need anyone's permission."

"Oh..Okay okay.." I laughed at her whilst caressing Angela's soft hair. " So y..you came knowing I came ?"

" Hmm..Mom called morning. But I didn't come to see you or anything. I had earlier itself planned to visit Mom and Dad today."

I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. She is always like this. But she actually loves me a lot.

So, right now I'm in my home. I managed to catch yesterday evening's train and reached here today morning. 13 hours journey ! I don't even need to say it was tiresome. For flight, it would actually take only less than an hour. But I can't afford a flight. We aren't actually rich.

I couldn't get proper sleep last night. The freezing night along with my fear of getting robbed or kidnapped didn't actually let me close my eyes for long. So I had just lied down to take a nap after lunch. But unfortunately for me, here somebody has arrived to annoy the hell out of me.

" Mom said you are in a sad mood since you came. What happened? And why you came suddenly without telling earlier ? ", she asked.

I let out an inaudible sigh. Don't know what all questions she is gonna ask next. Anyway I'm not telling about Ethan, no matter what. But she is really good at getting secrets out of my mind.

" It's almost t..two months since I left. I felt like coming. And I just th..thought to surprise Dad and Mom. And I'm not in a s..sad mood. I was just tired.", I replied.

" What if you got kidnapped ? Where will we search for you ? Or what if you fell asleep and went somewhere else ? You seriously shouldn't pay such surprise visits, Michael ! ", She chided.

" C'mon..I'm an eighteen year old boy.", I groaned.

" Oh..really ?", she clicked her tongue on her cheeks and rolled her eyes, disapprovingly. She still thinks I'm a baby.

" You are the one in the b..bad mood. You are simply getting angry at me s..since you came ! ", I said and pouted.

She let out a sigh and soon a laughter followed. " I'm not getting angry at you, Mickey. I was just concerned. ", she said and caressed my cheeks. " So tell me how is your new school and everything."

" Everything's great.", I replied.

" Really ?", she asked.

" Yeah..", I nodded.

" Okay then tell me everything. How's teachers ? How's your friends ? And how is that girl, your roommate ?", She asked excited and anxious.

" Teachers are g..good. yeah..my friends are nice to me. And r..roommate is great.", I replied. I've actually said the same thing over and over again while she and my parents calls me on phone. Again she is asking.

" Oh C'mon Mickey..tell me everything in detail.", she groaned.

Thankfully for me, Angela started to wail in my lap, wanting attention. I raised her up in my arms and started shaking her, causing her to giggle.

Right then David stepped into my room whilst smiling. " Why don't you guys come downstairs ? Let's have tea and talk. And Mom has prepared some special snacks.", he said.

" Oh..then let's go downstairs. C'mon Mickey.", Anna said and grabbed her baby from my hands. She whimpered to come back to me but soon jumped into her daddy's arms as David had a cookie in his hands.

We went downstairs and had tea whilst chatting. I pretended sleepy and responded very little to David's and Anna's numerous questions. For everything they ask about my school, I say ' Good' or ' Great' and they frown at me. I had actually had a one round questioning from my parents, this morning. Now it's the second time and I'm already tired.

I came home to find some peace. But it seems like here also I won't get any peace. My family's excitement to know about my new school and their numerous questions are making me crazy. But what is making me more crazy is the fact that Ethan isn't picking my calls or replaying my texts. I think he blocked me.

It's so many days since I talked to Ethan. I don't know what to do about this anymore. Even Grace or Gavin isn't helping. They are saying Ethan might be still trying to move on, that is why he is ignoring me and probably he would start behaving normally to me after sometime and so I should give him some time.

But I want to talk to Ethan. His ignorance is suffocating me. I feel like I'm literally going mad.

And they also said he is full time chatting with that Gabriel that he barely has time to even reply to their messages. I fucking hate Gabriel. Where did she suddenly pop up from ?

At night, after dinner, Anna again came to my room. She and David were staying here tonight. They would return only tomorrow evening, since tomorrow is Sunday.

" Is there something wrong Mickey ? Do you have any problem there at school ? Don't hesitate to tell us if there's any.", She said as I was lying with my head on her lap, looking blankly at the ceiling and she was running her fingers through my hair.

" A boy told me he likes me.", I let it out.

Anna's hands suddenly ceased moving on my scalp. " Then..?", she asked mildly after a second, as if she isn't surprised. But I know she is surprised and she is just pretending like normal to get everything out of my mind.

" Then I told him, I'm s..straight.", I replied.

" Then what did he say ? Is he still behind you ? Is he dangerous ?", she asked, trying to be less anxious but eventually failing.

" He isn't d..dangerous or anything. He is a nice guy. ", I said.

" So he is now behind you ?", She asked again.

" Uhm..not actually. He m..moved on. He's behind a girl now.", I said.

" Oh ?? So he isn't actually gay ? ", Anna looked at me confused. Then she let out a sigh. "Anyway thank God ! It’s solved. So now, what's actually your problem ?"

" I don't have any p..problem. I just told you. That's all.", I said.

" O...kay. But why you think he is a nice guy ? You said he is behind a girl just after he told you he likes you. He seems like a play boy.", Anna said, again starting to run her fingers through my locks, soothingly.

" He isn't actually that much of a p..play boy. Actually that girl also has a crush on him. And she is really b..beautiful.", I said.

" Oh..", she nodded and continued caressing my hair. I lied silent for a long time, looking at the ceiling.

"Mickey, tell me what is the thing that is worrying you. You know you can tell me anything.", she finally said.

" He was actually my f..friend. He isn't talking to me now.", I said.

" I see.", she hummed. " You have other friends, right ?"

" Yeah..but..Ethan not t..talking to me making me crazy."

Anna was silent for a few seconds and I kind of regretted what I said. " You were that much close ?", she asked.

" Ahmm..kinda.", I replied. " He was my partner in H..history and arts assignment."

"Mickey....Do you...Do you like him ?", She asked finally after an eternity. A part of me actually wanted her to ask me that question but the other part totally dreaded it. And I actually don't know the answer to it.

" Shall I r..reply honestly ?", I asked her hesitantly. I could feel Anna growing a bit tense as her fingers turned a bit cold.

"Yes..", she nodded. " Tell me what's on your mind."

" I'm actually really m..miserable now. Last Wednesday there was a f..football match. And Ethan is in the t..team and he fell down during the match and he s..suffered a concussion. He got three stitches on his head. So he went home to take rest. And now he isn't picking my c..calls or replying my texts. S..seems like he blocked me. I don't know how he is d..doing right now.", I told her my worries.

" Do you like him ?", she asked me, blankly.

I sighed and sat up. " I don't know. Can you imagine me dating a boy ?", I asked. " Oh ! First of all he moved on."

" So you like him !", she gasped.

" No ! I- I don't ! ", I said nervously.

" Yeah..I can imagine that.", she then said. " There's nothing weird in that. But....ahm..I prefer you get yourself a girlfriend. You like girls, right ??",

" Ahmm..y..yeah.", I nodded.

" Mickey, I'm totally not against homosexuality. But when it comes to reality you know, it's actually really difficult to be unique in society and keep going forward when a lot of people are there to criticize you and pull you down. It would be really hard for you. So if you like girls, isn't it better you date a girl and then marry her and start a family life together ?"

" Y..yeah..", I nodded. "And Anna, I don't think I like Ethan like that. I j..just want him to talk to me and be f..friends.", I said. That was a half lie I guess. I actually like Ethan more than a friend.

" Okay.", She nodded. "Anyway tell me about this Ethan guy. ", She said.

No way I'm going to say he looks like Alex. I need to shut up already.

" I don't know m..much about him. He is a sports person, a football player, w..well built, handsome, above average in s..studies I guess. That's all.", I said.

" Can you show me a pic of his ?", She asked.

" I don't have his p..pic.", I said.

" He surely has Instagram or Twitter, right ?", she asked.

" I don't know his I- ID.", I said

" Really ?", she frowned.

I nodded. " M..maybe I'll try to search and show you t..tomorrow if possible ? I feel s..sleepy now."

" Uhm..okay then sleep. ", she nodded and stood up from my bed. " I ruined your sleep evening also. Let's talk tomorrow then. Goodnight."

" Wait ! Will you tell this to Dad and Mom ?", I asked.

" Do you want me to ?", she asked.

" No..", I shook my head.

" Then no.", she said smiling.

" Goodnight.", I smiled back. She then turned her heels and walked out of my room.