I See You[MxB]

Chapter 9 | The one with the volcanic eruptions

"You cannot be cruel to a teenager. That is abuse, Richie."

The old man eyed Preston from head to toe. His stance was defensive - hands a little stretched out and right leg in front of the left one. He resembles a wounded and scared animal, a snort escaped the teenager. Oh, his imagination! He must be the scared one as Richard was fit even at his age, whatever the magic number might be. The man was fair, probably six feet tall with a long face and a mustache that a higher rank would maintain. Belly fat was a given with age and this old man was surely not allowed anywhere near the gym in case he keeled over and died.

"Richie?" a voice questioned and Preston whirled around to face the owner of the voice. Katie was looking all sorts of confused with the pet name.

"Yes. Mr. Homes did not have a nice ring to it. Made it sound like I am hanging out with an old man."

A giggle slipped past her lips. "Is that not true?"

"No. I am hanging out with a gorgeous woman," Preston supplied cheekily in a husky baritone. Katie almost squealed. The guy was charming, she had to give him the props but she was not alien to his reputation. Before she made the decision to be a permanent house nurse for Mr. Homes, she met many students from Hazelwood High in the clinic where she previously worked. Preston was a God in their eyes. It simply translates to him being a disaster. From what she heard, he was the richest kid in school, all the more reason to keep him at arm's distance. Rags and riches don't go well together except in English alliteration.

Giving Mr. Homes a glance, she raised an eyebrow towards Preston.

"And Richie!" he exclaimed smugly as if Richie was not an old man.

Katie was not irresistible to his charms, but she would try damn well hard to not be swayed by them. She left him and her employer alone, fleeing to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Preston had convinced Mr. Homes of their friendship and they sat in quaint garden chairs at the porch. He was not interested in the wrinkled mass of skin and bones. The sole purpose to play comrade was to keep his ass safe from Princey. Stumped about what their topic of conversation should be, he took the neutral route. "So Richie, how long has Katie been with you?"

"Katie?" The man resembled a lost puppy with his head tilted as he tried to figure out what Preston was talking about.

"Yes. Your nurse."

"Oh. I- Nurse who?"

"Nurse Katie." When the man owlishly blinked, then it hit Preston that weak memory was one of Richard's issues. "The one who parades your house in a nurse outfit. That was not helpful, was it? Uh...that pale skin girl with the long hair and blue eyes?"

"Blue eyes! Okay. She...what was your question again."

"Time!" Richard jumped from the sudden outburst. The teenager noticed and winced. It was time to suck up. "Sorry. Please sit down. How long have blue-eyes been here?"

"One year."

"Do you like Katie?" The old man went from excited to bashful with merely four words. Preston could not suppress his laughter. Nudging his company, he teased the man as one would a friend. "Oh, you do." The old man fell into rounds of giggles, embarrassed that the boy would take his reaction otherwise.

"I like her. She is a good person."

"Is that the only reason, hmm? Tell me. Hmm?" He wriggled his eyebrows and punched Richie on the arm playfully.

Katie ignored the first set of giggles but her feet went on auto-pilot when she heard Richard giggle a second time. Astonishment shone in her eyes as she found the men bonding. It was unexpected for her employer to find kinship in Preston. She deliberated if it was short-lived, hoping it was not. They sobered up noticing her presence in the doorway. It all smelled fishy to her. Alas, she let it go.

"Do I want to know?"

Both men shared a look - of the unspoken pact never to utter the matter in front of any woman - and shook their heads. She retreated and did not disturb them until it was time for snacks. Chatter replaced the quiet in the house. Preston was having a ball, it was far better than the awkward conversations with Alastair Cabot. Thinking about Alastair turned him into an embittered man. And Katie's next question dampened his mood further.

"How is Mr. Cabot?"

"Alive. An asshole. Absolutely appalling. Abominable. Awfully audacious. Agonizingly Alastair." He uttered the name with disdain. If he was a cartoon character from the better, old Disney, then his ears would be producing smoke and the lid of his head would be rattling similar to a pressure cooker to eventually erupt like a volcano. The changes in the nurse after his venom-filled answer were palpable. Her chirping aura had transformed into horror.

Were they speaking of the same Alastair Cabot? She pondered.

Having a hard time digesting what Preston said, she waited for the shock to subside. Contrarily, it increased as Richard gave a short laugh and exclaimed - "I love alliterations!"