Miles apart (Man × Man) ✔

17) i n t r o d u c e d

The day Miles was going to meet Ash's parents, started with a poorly slept night. He couldn’t even bombard Ash with voice messages about his stress over making a good first impression, because Ash was at work.

Luckily Miles could persuade Benjamin and Judith to go to a movie and have lunch with him. And so, even though he didn't dare to open up about Ash and how he was going to meet his parents, he was able to get his mind off those things for a couple of hours.

After the late lunch, Miles drove back home to pick up the present he had bought to Ash's mom and then walked to the mall from where he and Ash had agreed to continue on foot. Ash's parents lived in a poor neighborhood and bringing Miles' car there wouldn't have been the smartest move.

"Are you nervous?" Ash asked when he took a better look at Miles on their way out of the mall. He was wearing the same worn out clothes, making Miles worry he was overdressed in his designer denim jacket, beige chinos and striped Saint Laurent shirt.

"Whaaat? Me? Nervous?" Miles laughed, while fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Then, worrying the fabric was going to get wrinkled, he stuffed the hand deep in the pocket of his denim jacket.

"There's no need, they're nice."

Miles spent the rest of the walk imagining what Ash's idea of nice was. He could see himself sitting at a table, trying to crack a joke, while three people stared at him dead in the eye with pursed lips and furrowed brows. The thought made him swallow audibly, but it was already too late to turn around, so he kept dragging his feet in a forward motion.

They stopped in front of a one-story detached house, which was about the size of Miles' living room. It was a cute tiny cubicle with green walls, a brown tile roof and a bright red door. Everything was either faded, ramshackled, rusty or all the above, yet something about the house warmed Miles' chest. Unkept or not, it looked more homely than any of Miles' dad's estates ever had.

Ash knocked the door twice and in the brief moment they waited, Ash placed his hand on the small of Miles' back. Miles' heart was fluttering restlessly and his hands were clammy, so he wiped his palms to his jacket. He didn't usually feel that way about meeting new people, but things with Ash were rarely as they were with others. He had that kind of effect on Miles, making him feel things more deeply and bringing out new emotions.

Then the door opened, and Miles had to blink his eyes when he saw the man behind it. His resemblance with Ash was uncanny, even as he didn't have tattoos and his deep black hair framed his face in messy waves. He hadn't shaved and the bags under his eyes made him look older than he was, but he was handsome just as his son was.

"I'm Avi, Ash's father." The man held out his hand and Miles shook it while introducing himself.

Then Avi moved from the doorway and told them to come in. Miles followed them into a small hallway, eyeing the framed pictures on the wall. The pictures were drawn with colorful crayons, the lines of the stick figures wobbly and fledgling. Miles didn't even realize he had started smiling when he studied the drawings, until he saw Ash shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

"I gave up my hopes of becoming an artist not long after those." He sighed, amused.. and embarrassed. What was there to be embarrassed about?

When Miles was done with the art exhibition, he let Ash guide him further into the house. A homely aroma of cardamom and sugar wafted into Miles' nose at the doorway to the kitchen. The second they walked in a tiny woman in a gray apron greeted them with a joyous squeal and a welcoming smile. She was holding a wooden spoon, which she set down before rushing to Miles and Ash.

She said something to Ash in a language Miles didn't understand and kissed his forehead, like showing affection was the easiest and most normal thing for them. Miles' chest filled with warmth at the sight, but the overwhelming sense of longing turned the feeling bittersweet: why couldn't he have that?