Impress Me Not: The Handyman

Chapter 63

The days seemed to just fly by. They all merged into one, even when Niko wasn't hanging around Solomon. It was nice being able to relax with someone after a hard day's work. Or simply having someone to always come home to.

Solomon didn't stay over at his place that often. Since he still needed to take care of Maya and make sure she got to school on time, Niko was usually the one who spent the night with him. He never thought that he could be comfortable living in a place as small as that. But with Solomon everything was comfortable. Just being able to sleep with him in his arms was blissful. He didn't know just how much Solomon liked to cuddle. It was cute, and it only made him want to keep him in his arms forever.

He never knew that life could be this great. Maybe he was still riding off the high of it. It had only been a week, but it felt like much longer. And Solomon was the only one that he hoped and prayed to stay with forever.

Angel seemed to be enjoying his happiness. His friend was excited that he was finally doing something other than working and partying. Niko still wanted to get him out sometime, just so he could have fun himself. Maybe he could introduce him to Solomon.

Angel was more happy when he finally told him that he was trying to be there more for Jay, though. That was always something that he would get on Niko's case about.

"It's best you try to as early as possible, anyway," Angel told him. "If you had waited too long, then it might've been too late for there to be any closeness to you."

"Have you even tried talking to your kids?" Niko asked him. Angel always looked guilty when his own children were brought up. He supposed that was why he tried to convince Niko to be there for Jay more in the first place.

"I talk to them occasionally," Angel shrugged. "I call them on their birthdays and on holidays. But most of them don't answer. The one's that do cut the conversation short."

"None of them will even give you a chance?" he hated that thought. While Angel had put more effort into his work than his children, it really did seem like he wanted to make things right with them. It hurt his heart just seeing how sad those eyes got when they talked about it.

"It's difficult when they don't even know me," Angel answered. "I was barely around at all when they were growing up."

"I just don't get why they would all hate you like this," Niko frowned.

"That's a complicated story," Angel said. "I'm just glad that you're trying to be there for your son. I'm one of the many examples of why you shouldn't wait to do it."

"Didn't you say that your wife was trying to push you away?" Niko remembered something that Angel had told him a long time ago. "Wasn't she the one who told you that she wanted you to work more, or something?"

"Yes," Angel sighed again. "I simply thought that it was due to her worrying about money, or wanting me to be successful. I didn't know the true reason until many years later."

"What was the real reason?" he had never told Niko the story. As much as they talked, Angel had always tried to avoid this subject.

"She was having an affair," he said, his voice low and almost hostile. "I found out one time when I tried to surprise her by flying in early one Christmas eve. That was the night I got her to admit that she was just trying to push me out. After all the excuses and things she could try to blame on me, it all came down to the fact that she was no longer happy with me."

Ouch. That stung even hearing it. And people had told him that he was heartless. He had never done something like that.

"I'm sorry, Angel," Niko said. "That's horrible."