Chapter 22: Woods.

Kai

"Son... come in," My dad spoke, his hand gesturing towards a seat in front of his desk. I stare at him with my brows furrowed before walking towards the chair in front of him. "Can you just call me Kai... or Mr. Everest at work? It's loud enough that everybody knows I'm your son," I replied as I sat down into the leather chair that fits my body like a glove. Dad just had to have the best things in his office. I wouldn't mind changing office with him.

He was studying some documents that he held in his hands. His eyes sharp while he scans every single thing that would be deemed off by him. I didn't say a word while I wait for him to finish his work first. There was no actual reason to why he was calling me here but... I think it's-

"You know what I want to take about, don't you?" He spoke, cutting my inner thoughts. I glance at him with stammering lips. Opening my mouth, I began to speak. "The... um-," There was no way to deny what he wanted to talk about, and I know too much that I can't escape.

Slumping my shoulder, I look down to my shiny black shoes. "Yes...,"

Dad shakes his head, but he let out a sigh. One that really sounds concerning. Not being all too present to continue his work, he sets the documents aside and turns to face me. Slowly, his hand went up to intertwined with each other as he closes his eyes.

"Are you going through a rough time right now?" He questioned, taking me by surprise by how different his question would be.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I returned, rubbing my sweaty hands over my trousers.

Dad sighs again, opening his closed eyes as he stares at me with all the evidence and supports he needs to take me down in one single blow. If there's one skill that he required from being with mom, it was his debate skill.

"You suddenly filed for a leave which you have never done before but then, of course, I have no power to restrict you from taking them. Then... you were on a sick leave yesterday which was pretty weird because if you were sick, it would take days or at least two days for you to recover because I used to take care of you often...,"

"I have-,"

"Also... did you ever realize or did you ever know that you've made mistakes in all the reports you've handed in this week? What is going on, Kai?" The old man ended, having me stunned in my seat because I had no reason to say that it was not true. I couldn't even build up a lie.

Looking down again, I fiddle with my fingers. "I don't have any excuse, sir," I mumbled, feeling ashamed of myself for even being the way he described.

"No... I'm not mad... it's just because I'm worried," He reassured, but then continue to make the most mind-boggling statement ever. "By any chance... is preparing to get married makes it hard for you to balance your time at work? If so, then I can give you another whole week for you to do that,"

"What?!" I choked onto my breath.

He puts his hand on the table, pushing some files away. "I heard that you're back together with Stan. Am I not right? So I assumed that you two are preparing to get married because before this, you have never been this jumbled up,"

The idea of getting married never even talked between us. Especially now that we're nothing, how can I even go to that thought?

"It's true that I'm back with Stan...," The twenty-two-year-old Stan. "But we haven't talked about marriage...,"

"Oh?" He raised his brows. Even though dad knows we have broken up, just hearing other people say that Stan and I back together makes him believe them so much more than me. But even if it wasn't true, I still don't want to tell him that we're not back together. "Yes... that being said, I'm sorry for not being able to focus on my work lately. I'll make corrections on those reports immediately,"

He didn't seem to believe all of what I said but even so, he let me go to continue doing my job. "Alright then, you may leave," He said, and timidly, I stand up and walk towards the door to get out. But as I open the door, he calls. "Kai, you know I asked you all of this because I really care for you, right?"

I always know that he cared... even mom. Since I come out to them, they really showed that they cared. But I can't just tell him all the things that I need to handle myself. There is so much burden being handle by the old man. I can't let this one become another.

"Of course, dad," I responded, then walk out of the office.

That went better than I thought. I can't believe dad really thought that Stan and I are getting married. Sure, it has been his talk a lot, but I didn't realize that it would be taken seriously. Who would have thought?

Suddenly, my phone rings from the inside of my pocket. The vibration sent through my body gives me an alert wake to who might be calling me at the moment. Quickly, I take my phone out from the fabric hole and turning it to face me to see the name of Stan's best friend.

"Felix?" That was unusual for him to call me. We usually just texted each other.

Without hesitation, I answered the call. "Hey, Felix. What's up?"

"Hey... Kai. Are you free to talk right now?" He replied. I look down to my watch to see if I had any time left considering that dad called me minutes before lunch break. When I saw that the time showed thirty minutes left to my lunch hour, I went back to the phone to give him the good news. "Yeah. Sure, I'm free. What's the matter?"

"What else could there be? I need to talk about Stan,"

Now, I was frowning. "Why?" The man exhaled a loud breath through the phone, he sounds very fatigue.

"I met with a twenty-year-old Stan the other day and I think you know what I'm talking about," He answered. I hold my phone tighter when he mentioned the twenty-year-old Stan who was now a twenty-two-year-old Stan. "How did you...-,"

Before I could ask him how he even met that Stan, I was cut off. "Doesn't matter. Come meet me at the café,"

"You mean his café,"

The tired man scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. Now come on and get here," As soon as he said that, I ended the call and went out to get outside towards the café. Stan's café. I was curious about what he wanted to talk about and because of that curiosity, I walked faster... well ran faster.

-

Sitting inside this café had made me feel different. So different that I had to look and stare at everything that was inside the café. There were so many people that had come to try and taste the delicious things they served here. When I first entered the door, I was met with a busy state of workers including Felix that worked really hard to satisfy the customers. What makes me feel weird was how come they don't hire many workers? I certainly know that Stan's company earned big enough to pay much more workers.

"I haven't been able to contact him since then," Felix spoke, his hands clutching together. Once in a while, he would look back to see if the other workers are doing fine. To my eyes, they were great. "Before meeting him here before... I met him when I was walking to get to the near grocery store and I figured that that wasn't the Stan now... was it?"

I nodded at him. So far all of his stories about Stan being not his present age was true. But why was he telling me all this...

"What are you seriously saying here, Felix?" I asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"What I'm like trying to make sense here is that all I see is his past self. But where is he?!" The man answered frustratingly. That question of him had made me remember about another question as well. "The guy hasn't been in contact for one month! Don't you think that's concerning? Stan lives with you, right? Then why is he being silent and how come you don't feel that it's really weird? Are you two fighting?"

All that question came attacking me like spears being heated in the hot coal. It made me realize that I have been holding Stan's past self here and forget that I need to figure out where the hell is Stan himself. That I needed to figure out what was happening here not keeping his past self stranded here longer than he should.

Why am I so stupid?!

"I- I have to go!" I get up quickly - storming off from the café so fast that everyone had their eyes all over me as I ran out.

"Kai?! Wait!" Felix shouted, but I kept running away and go back home. I didn't care if I didn't go back to work. I should... I must tell him the truth.

Keeping him here is not going to make Stan come back from the past.

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