Husbands But Not

29: Bastard 3

Kent

Sometimes I've thought of recovery as a road to healing and finding peace within yourself. I never thought of it as a bandaid or medicine or anything along those lines.

It could be way simpler.

I didn't need a psychiatrist and I didn't require medical attention. I wasn't bandaged nor was I bruised. For the longest time, I had forgotten how it felt to not feel.

But right then, all I thought about was how the road to recovery starts with ice cream.

We ate a lot of ice cream as we sat in Noah's window seat. The seat he slept in when I crashed in his bed. His favourite place in the whole house. The seat where he sits in when he's feeling down.

I never wanted to be a seat so much.

We watched the last wave of the sun's aura fade into the sky; stars flickering into view one by one.

Noah's eyes reflecting the evening sky was the work of ten galaxies merging into one homogeneous swirl settling behind his irises and waiting for the comet in me to burn through.

His dad suddenly appeared in the doorway. "You smurfs ready to go?"

I had totally forgotten that I needed to get home before dad did. God knows if he had noticed me gone, or if he had bothered to check on me, or if he was going to wish me goodnight or hit me goodnight.

He was so unpredictable it was maddening.

Noah put away the nearly finished tub of ice cream and stood up. "Where to?" He said as he cleaned up.

"The Mug Drug. They're throwing a farewell celebration for Major Alder." His dad walked into the room slowly. He was a very graceful man. "He's retiring upon next week's elections."

I've never really known Major Alder, but I've heard he was a really good, honourable person. I already knew who was gonna replace him as Major, and I had been dreading it for a while now.

"Do you wanna go, Kent?" Noah asked.

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"You're more than welcome to come along." His dad, coach Grayson, said before leaving the room.

Mesmerising was the way he switched between parent and teacher.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Noah added. He gave me his hand and lifted me up from the seat.

He didn't let it go.

"We'll drink some juice, listen to music," he twirled me ballerina-style, "And maybe dance a little."

"Are you asking me for a dance, Noah?"

"What, no Grayson?"

"No Grayson, no Sinclair."

"Just Noah and Kent, huh?"

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Beautifulest."

--

The car was generally silent. Nothing but the low hum of the engine and Noah's dad Evan's snores. He fell asleep right after we pulled away from the curb.

It wasn't that long of a drive, and Noah was feeling extra clingy tonight. I didn't mind it, though.

The café wasn't crowded, but it wasn't exactly empty. The stage was set up neatly. It was a fairly small stage at the corner of the room, while booths and tables scattered across the spacious hall. A service bar stretched along the left wall, end to end.

I spotted Noah's friends in the farthest booth. Noah walked to them, me strolling a little behind.

"Motor X would definitely win the league." Curly was talking. Spyder was next to him, while Ruby and Sawyer sat across of them. Upon our arrival, they all moved clockwise so Noah and I could sit.

"We didn't think you'd come, babies." Ruby said. Out of all his friends, Ruby was the most sincere. Curly was a brutally honest person. Spyder was Spyder, and Sawyer was only recently their friend so I didn't know much about her except that she was smart and pretty.

"Glad you're here." Spyder said, albeit he didn't sound as sincere. "I have to go help my dad." he could've at least come up with a new excuse.

"I thought you and Spyder worked things out?" I whispered so only Noah could hear.

"I thought so too. Guess not." he sighed.

Soon enough, Spyder had disappeared behind the stage where I assumed his dad was. The table was back to its chatter and the Mug Drug was slowly getting more crowded.

Then suddenly a round of applause broke out when Major Alder walked in with his son and daughter. Elliott and Marissa Alder looked just as radiant as their dad. For someone who's retiring, Major Alder didn't look a day over 40.

Elliott was known across town for his extravagant floral decorations. He covered every event that needed a sense of earthly style.

"Do you want anything to drink?" I asked Noah as I stood up.

"Get me whatever you get." He said with beaming eyes.

"Alright. I'll be back in a minute."

I didn't know the magnitude of impact a minute can uphold. A minute was all what was needed for me to know a crucial part of a bitter fact.

The road to recovery suddenly felt a little more troublesome than the smoothness of ice cream.

During the minute that took me to get to the drinks bar, a different minute took Noah to respond to his dad. Another minute took Noah to hear what was being said backstage.

Sixty seconds was more than enough for Noah to learn the truth that I didn't know about myself. The truth that I was indeed, a bastard.

A/N:

You know the deal:
Chapter was late because bad mental health (better now)
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Love my girlfriend
The usual.
Next chapter in the upcoming few days.
Gracias amigos.
More soon x.