The Consequences of Falling In Love

19: The Consequences of Losing

Did I mention this book has a lot of time jumps? Well...I just did! :)

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Royce had never been the one to make friends easily. Even as a six-year-old, he often struggled to initiate in small talks, not speaking much and people thought he was aggressive due to his angry expression. Nobody stepped ahead to be friends with him and those who tried didn't stick around for long. Either way, he didn't seem to mind.

Growing up, Royce's personal favourite time was when his dad used to take him outside to play football. It was something he truly adored a lot and after a fun game, Royce would wait in the park while his dad would go to buy ice cream even though his mother strictly told them to avoid sweets.

It was one of those days when he heard the sound of faint whimpers. Royce wasn't really supposed to move from his spot but after an intolerable amount of time, he ditched his ball and followed the sound, only to come across a boy who was crying his eyes out.

"What's wrong?" Royce couldn't help but ask sincerely. The other kid cried some more before noticing another presence. His hands that were hiding his face slowly came down, his eyes still filled with tears but upon seeing a new person—his features relaxed.

"I-I lost m-my dog." He said dejectedly, hiccuping so many times he could barely get a word out. As if speaking of his dog was too much of a pain, he started crying again. The boy appeared to be smaller than Royce with extremely curly hair, a small face, light skin, and exquisite, pale brown eyes. There were spots of blood smearing his elbow. Did he fell?

They were complete strangers but Royce felt the need to protect and help him. He extended his hand before he could change his mind. "Let's look for your dog together. My dad will be back soon. He can help us!"

The other boy wiped his tears furiously, a hopeful look flashing across his face as he grabbed onto Royce's hand in a rush. "Really?"

"Yes." He nodded with a cheeky grin, helping him stand up. "My name's Royce."

"I'm Nathan." He said bashfully, still keeping a hold of his hand tightly, scared Royce might disappear or run away. Royce stared down at their joined hands—thinking he might as well get used to holding them.

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The upcoming chapters will be PURE fluff since we'll be learning about how Royce and Nathan formed their friendship over the years so buckle up! <3