Purple Ink (SatoGou)

Chapter 20

"Oh," Gary says, shaking his head once. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

"You have a boyfriend?" Misty asks. There's no judgement in her voice, only curiosity and surprise.

I nod. "Yeah, and... Do you remember Red?"

They both furrow their brows and exchange a look. I realise it's been a while, so they probably don't, but then Misty's eyebrows fly up again. "Your pen pal from like, an age ago?"

"Mhm. Well, it's him."

She makes a choking noise. "What? How? I thought Red was a girl?"

"I didn't tell you all, but I carried on writing to him, right up until the summer. I thought he was a girl too, but he wasn't, and he ended up being my flatmate at university."

Gary laughs, crossing his arms over his chest while Misty continues to look completely shocked. "Something like that would only happen to you," he says, shaking his head. "What's his real name, then?"

"Goh," I say, my insides igniting at the sound of his name. I wish he was here now, so he could meet them. I wish he could see the shock on their faces, and laugh alongside them. But I won't need to wait too long, hopefully. "I think you might get to meet him soon."

"Please tell me he's coming for the New Year celebrations," Misty says quickly, her face lighting up. I smile wide, seeing her excitement, and nod. She claps her hands together, and I feel the warmth spread through me. She rarely ever shows so much emotion, and I love that she's so happy for me.

"You didn't tell me that," Dawn says, slapping my arm gently. I shoot her a sheepish smile to say sorry, and she scoffs.

"I'm really happy for you, Ash," Brock says, meeting my eyes across the table. "I could tell there was something going on."

"Thanks, Brock," I say, grinning. I look around the table at the rest of my friends, all so happy and excited for me, and feel a rush of adrenaline. The rest of the time is going to feel like forever, waiting for Goh. There is something I need to do first, though, and I decide I'm going to do it today.

— — — —

"Are you hungry?" Is the first thing my mom says to me when I walk through the door and hang my coat and scarf up. Thankfully, she has a fire burning in the hearth, and it's actually warm in here. I shake my head, swallowing nervously as she glides from the kitchen, a wide smile on her face. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Thanks, mom." I try to smile back. She turns to walk back into the kitchen. "Wait. There's something, um, I wanted to ask you."

She turns back to me, expectant. "Sure. What is it?"

I push back the stupid nerves. She's my mom. My whole life, she's been the mother that all the other kids love, because she was far too kind and giving. She doesn't have a bad bone in her whole body. So why am I so afraid to tell her? A few seconds of silence pass, and I see her brow furrow, and realise I must look nervous. I clear my throat. "Well, there was someone from uni that I wanted you to meet. I was gonna ask if they could stay here for a couple nights during the New Year."

Her face barely changes. If anything, she just looks confused. "Of course. I'm always happy for your friends to stay. Have you been working yourself up about that, darling? You look nauseous."

"Well, it's because they're not exactly my friend, mom."

She tilts her head, innocent as ever. "What do you mean?"

My heart is pounding against my ribs so hard I think it might break free. "He's my boyfriend," I spit out before I can stop myself, and then cringe inwardly, waiting for her response.