“I told you, I told you,” Sheng said with tears in his eyes.

Gun was standing in the kitchen looking down at him with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.

He lifted his gaze to Dean and asked, “Why is your brother a big baby?”

“I am not a big baby. You can’t leave me again,” Sheng said, bursting into tears.

Dean picked him up, saying, “He didn’t sleep last night.”

Gun shook his head, amused. He had the best night and morning with Kai; he would not pretend that he missed home.

Nodding his head, he got breakfast done, and his father asked, “Where were you?”

“I told you, didn’t I?” He asked as he took a plate of breakfast to his father.

His father stood up and looked at his son. Gun stared at him, confused for a moment.

“What is it?” Gun asked.

His father lifted his hand and placed it on his neck. He tilted Gun’s head to the side and looked at the pink bruise, then looked at his son and said, “So how did you get a love bite if you were sleeping at your friend’s house?”

Gun’s eyes widened. He touched the place his father had his finger on. He rushed to the nearest mirror and saw the mark.

“Shit!” He screeched. Things between them were supposed to be a secret, but it was exposed.

Turning around, he looked at all the eyes on him, then ran past everyone yelling, “It’s nothing, I swear.”

Their father scoffed, then sat down and started eating, but the food never made it to his mouth.

Things were off lately with his son. First it was the nail appointment, then the lottery ticket he had never seen, then the trip to Singapore.

Eating finished, he made his way to Gun’s room and asked, “Can I come in?”

“S, sure,” Gun said.

When he walked in, Marwin looked at his son that was sitting in front of the dressing table covering up the love bites with foundation.

He sat on the bed and asked, “So, this boy, when am I going to meet him?”

Gun froze. He looked at his father in the mirror and thought about Kai. Kai wasn’t a boy, he was a man, and a rich and deadly one at that.

He slowly turned to him as he collected his thoughts and said, “Daddy, I, we’re, we just got together.”

“So it’s nothing serious?” He asked.

Gun looked away from him as he thought about it. “It is serious.”

“How long do you know him?” He asked.

“About two months,” he said. 

“What is his major?” Marwin continued.

Gun stared at his father and said, “He owns his own business.”

Marwin raised a brow. “How old is this man?”

Gun felt conflicted. “I don’t really know. I never asked.”

He took in a deep breath and said, “You’re old enough to make your own decisions. I know that things have been hard on you since your mother left and I wish for your happiness, but not if that will cost me my son. You need to be more responsible than this. Do you know him? Does he know you? Remember, Gun, everything about you is special and you shouldn’t lower yourself to someone else’s standards to be happy. I’m not trying to get you down, but I just want to know that my son is in good hands.”

Gun nodded his head and wiped the tears away. He smiled up at his father and said, “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

*

Gun sat down in the cafeteria and sighed. He looked around and saw that it was empty, then looked at the plate in front of him. He ordered sweet and spicy Thai chicken. 

The entire morning, he couldn’t get his father’s words out of his head. He thought he was good at keeping secrets, but they were better at figuring him out.

“What’s with the long face?” Jane asked as she sat down.

Gun looked at her and frowned. “Long time no see.”

“Really Gun? You’re the one that’s keeping a distance from me,” she said.

“Well, I wouldn’t if you chose a better boyfriend. Don’t you see what’s happening?” He asked her.

“I can’t help it. You don’t know what it’s like to be in love,” she said.

“Get the hell out of here if you came to shove that in my face. I don’t need to know what is like just to turn my back on my friend,” he said.

Folding her arms, she said, “You already moved on, so why are you going on about friends? And I am not the one who decided that he doesn’t want to be my friend.”

“How do you expect me to hang out with you when you are all over your boyfriend that wants nothing to do with me? Don’t you see it?” He asked her.

Jane looked at him, confused. She knew what he was talking about, but Champ never openly showed his dislike for Gun.

“Just give him a chance, please. Are you really willing to give up our friendship over a guy?” She asked.

“That’s what I should ask you and no, I am done giving him a chance. Do you know what it’s like to be in the presence of someone who looks at you with disgust and has this smile on his face that is so fake that it’s scary?” He asked her.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not willing to give up my sanity to be your friend while you are with him. Maybe once you break up, then I’ll consider,” he said, and stabbed the fork into the chicken.

Jane stared at him. Her mother had been asking about them because she was seeing less and less of Gun. He was like a son to her, and she missed him.

Jane realised she hadn’t been phoning and speaking to him as often as they did in the past and when you look back on the timeline, it all started when she started dating Champ.

Looking at her friend, she wondered if she should stay here and continue trying to persuade him. Sighing, she got up and said, “At least visit my mother. She misses you.”

Gun looked at her, then nodded his head. He missed her mother, too. She was the closest thing to a mother he had since he wanted nothing to with his own.