14.

THEODORE.

"When did you start living alone?" I asked, after eating a mouth of pasta.

Not bragging here, but fuck it's so good. Daniel, on the other hand didn't seem quite fond of the food in front of him. Either he doesn't like it, or he's letting his thought run wild again.

I think it's the latter.

"Around 21. I mentioned before if you recall, my parents didn't like me being a batista. They wanted me to have a job that was more.. worthy of a status if I might add."

"How is being a barista someone that's not worthy in society? It's an awesome job!" I paused to think for a bit before continuing, "Hang on, we had this conversation before."

"Yes, but that was before you figured out who I am. Till now, I'm not even sure if I did the right thing in getting close to you again.." he drifted off.

I snapped my fingers in front of his face. "We are not going back there again. Focus on the present, Dan."

"Right. Sorry, it's become a habit."

I smiled at the man in front of me, who was picking at his pasta. He looked so lost, it almost seemed too cute.

Am I a sadist or something?

"So what happened after I knocked out? Other than your parents disapproving of you bring a barista?"

"Are you really sure you wanna know?"

"I'm not gonna go bolting out the door, if that's what you're worried about. And I didn't recall every single last detail. Might help if you fill me in."

He stopped swirling is fork in the pasta and placed it down. "There was a reason why I never bought you home," he started.

I decided not to interrupt and just nod my head. It's true though, I have never seen his parents before. I thought it was just me not regaining my memories fully. Turns out, there was more to his story.

He went on to tell me how homophobic his parents were, how he didn't dare break the image of being the good son that he was meant to be.

His parents were also very religious, which was one of the reasons why he didn't dare bring up the fact he was dating a man.

It hurt to know that he was afraid of some many different things, but it hurt me more to know that he had been dealing with all this shit alone.

There was one loophole in his story that had yet to be explained.

"If you didn't tell them about me, how did they find out?" I questioned.

He slumped back into his seat. "At that point, they were pushing me to continue my studies and become a teacher, something that I was considering to give up.

Church and worship was becoming something that suffocated me because all they were saying was that it was a sin to engage yourself in anything but heterosexual relationships. I, no matter how I tried, couldn't understand how it was a sin.

And then there was you. You were going on about kids and all, which didn't help one bit. Then, the thing between us happened and you lost your memories.

A part of me knows it wasn't on purpose but I put the blame onto myself. All the stress just accumulated and one fine day, I exploded."

His eyes reflected how sad and hopeless he was while recounting what happened. I couldn't bear to see him sad any longer so I went over and hugged him while softly patting his head.

Surprisingly, he didn't push me away.

"I told them that I wasn't who they thought I was, and that I didn't like girls. They were shocked but it was still bearable for the first few months. When they realized I wasn't going to change, they stopped talking to me and kicked me out."

To say I was boiling with rage wasn't even enough to describe how mad I was. I wanted to skin his parents alive for treating their own son like trash.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you. I was many years too late to hear all this."

He could feel a smile forming on his face as he leaned against my stomach.

"Yeah, but it's all good now I guess. I don't need to seek approval from them anymore," he said as he looked up at me. "But that doesn't mean I'm ready to be with you out in the open."

I raised an eyebrow. "Reading between the lines here. It means you will be with me eventually?"

A blush was forming on his face. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his dinner. "The pasta is getting cold."

I chuckled at the man who was getting a little shy. Fuck, he was cute.

"I guess waiting a little while wouldn't hurt," I teased.

"Whatever."

I sat back down on my seat and continued to look at Daniel who was now eating a mouthful of pasta.

Did I mention that he was cute?

"Thank you for opening up to me today. It means a lot."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Knowing you, you wouldn't stop bugging me about it until you squeeze the info outta me. Might as well tell you now."

I nodded my head in approval. He's right. I'm persistent like that.

Rest of our dinner went by with us reminiscing our past. The things we used to do together or the places we've been.

He also told me a little about what he's been up to. And how he's been in touch with Trinity and some of our friends in secondary school.

Man, I have a lot of catching up to do. And Trinity's gonna get an earful from me.

"I'll wash these," he stated as he took our now empty dishes and stood up. I opened my mouth to protest but he shut me up before I could continue.

"No, we're not using the dishwasher. Save some money and water. You'll do wonders for the Earth and your pocket."

I looked at him and mouthed the words "the fuck?" at him. I forgot sassy he can be at times, but who cares. I love it.

Buzz!

I looked over to see Daniel's phone lighting up from an incoming notification.

Hey, now I'm not one who would usually sneak a peak but the curious cat in me couldn't help it. I picked up the phone like it was second nature.

And because I knew his password, I unlocked his phone with ease. I know what you're thinking. When and how?

I memorized his password the day we went to the festival.

Speaking of the festival, tomorrow is New Years Eve. I should probably ask him out.

I swiped down on the now unlocked phone and read his message. What I saw was anything but dandy.

I know you're seeing him again, you pathetic little shit.

Now who the fuck was this guy? Judging from the string of numbers, Daniel didn't save this person's contact. Maybe he got the wrong person? Or it was just a prank.

The sound of the running water was cut off, indicating that Daniel was done with the dishes. I quickly locked his phone and put it back its original place.

Though there were countless thoughts running wild in my head, maybe it was better not to ask, just yet.

————————————————

A/N: This will be the last part where we address the past issues between these two because things are just gonna fly from here.

What's up with that message though? It came out of no where.

How was this part? At this point, just get back together and be open in public already!

Please comment your thoughts!

See you all in the next part!

Stay safe everyone 💕

-unedited-