Published on: September 2, 2021
***
Mew was going back and forth after watching the clip, "It doesn't make sense"
"Why did he do that??"
"He is after your money" Pen answered without any doubt...
"Please pen... are you even hearing yourself"
"Why not??"
"He has gifted me this 1000s dollar watch a few minutes ago and you think he will care for some 20 or 30 dollar paper stone..."
"And out of all things a paper stone??"
"There are like some exclusive painting in my cabin, he could go for them, or some other valuable"
"Maybe be taking painting would not be easy"
"He had whole big fat ass suitcase with him at that time, he could have easily fit them," Mew exasperated
Pen was surprised by the way Mew talks, seems like that guy really rubbed something on him..
"But still it looks like he is after money, or maybe some high profile clients??"
"I am the one living under his roof for like more than four months", "he even doesn't know where I live, and he didn't question me once", "and about links he didn't ask me for once, he is doing good in what he does, he doesn't need me for his career growth"
"You are living with him?? What, why didn't I know", "So you are really??"
"Yaa why are you doubting me when I clearly told you", "I am going out with him", "Just don't tell my parents yet"
"Okay... so??", "Maybe he has a thing for stones??"
"He is still in my cabin look what he is doing"
They saw him sitting on the couch going through papers, then threw them slammed. Mew chuckled, Pen gave him a look like what is funny in that...
"He hates difficult words", "and called them way too fancy for his liking"
They turned towards the monitor again, and Gulf stood from his position roaming around looked at the paintings for a while,
Pen eyed Mew like "I told you"
"Believe me, he is trying to understand them, and I am pretty sure, if you ask him he will give you some bizarre answer, acting as an expert, he doesn't know shit about them, but he is gonna pretend as an expert" Mew chuckles again...
Pen just rolled his eyes and fixed on the monitor...
Soon he started to move towards the Mew's table, and sat in front of the crystal, with sparkling eyes.. He stayed there for a while, then picked up the crystal tossing and turning it carefully, and then with a blink of an eye he put it into his pocket and walk out of the Mew's office
They both looked at the monitor with gaped mouths and made eye contact...
Mew pulled out his phone and called Gulf multiple times, but every call went unanswered to the automated message, it is the same as last time, he was calling and calling and keeps on getting the automated message...
"I am going"
"Mew is it be okay??"
"What??"
"I mean he can be dangerous"
"He is not"
"But"
"Trust me, I know him, it is something else"
He ran to gulf's apartment it was unlocked, he called his name but gets no response.
The phone and car key were on the table, which means he is here, he checked out the whole apartment, bedroom, washroom, dressing room, called his name, but no he is not, where does he go...he went outside to check on the lift, the side area, but no he was not there
After looking at the outer area he came back and entered the apartment..
Gulf came out from the dressing room, his eyes were red and shock written all over his face, they stay there for a while without saying anything..
Mew smiled catching his breath, "You left??, I got worried"
Gulf looked in the apartment trying to hide his tears, "I.. I forgot to feed my cat"
Mew approached him with steady steps, "You don't have a cat Gulf"
"Ohh ya I mean fish"
"You don't have fishes"
"Ha ha ha did i said fish, i mean i forgot to turn of the lights"
Mew came and hugged him, "Are you okay??"
His vision becomes weary, but he nods his head, "yaa... I am fine"
Mew tries to back, but Gulf holds him tighter, "Just a little bit more" complying with the words he tightens his grip on the other's waist pulling him closer..
They stayed there like that for a long, until Mew's phone buzzed in his pocket... breaking the hugging spell...
"Hello"
"What does he said??"
"I will talk to you later"
Finally, Mew saw Gulf face, and his heart sank, it hurts... it hurts bad, he wiped the wetness from Gulf's face...but another drop fall from his already swollen red eyes, he wiped it again, but they keep on falling,
Mew felt his throat is chocked, why does it hurt this bad, he pulled Gulf again into an embrace,
Gulf clutched on Mew tighter and it felt like the dam has opened and he wailed louder, mew cried with him in silence, trying to suppress his inner turmoil.
Swinging their bodies, rubbing on Gulf's back, pressing his nape...Gulf keeps on weeping louder, hiccuping in between, his breathing was erratic, Mew's consolation was not working, his any physical touch felt worthless, Gulf wailed louder under Mew's skin... every shiver, every warm droplet wetting his neck made him burnt.. He wanted to stop it, he wanted to stop younger's agony, his grief, pain whatever it is,, it must stop...
Without Mew's brain functioning he bites on Gulf's neck and sucked on it harder, licking there for a sec, Gulf stopped he hold Mew's shoulder to see his face, it was wet he was crying, Gulf pulled his sleeves instantly and dried out the tears and snot from Mew's face...
"Why are you crying??"
Mew does the same dried Gulf's face, "Because you are crying"
He hugged him back, "God Mew you are such a crybaby"
"Yaa, look who is talking"
Mew didn't ask further questions, their tour to Mew's penthouse got canceled the energy from all the crying took over them and they fell asleep on the couch entangled with each other, in their formal attire...
***
"You look beaten up"
"Yaaa??"
"So??"
"Nothing"
"He is at fault right??"
"Pen I am having a headache we will talk later"
"But??"
"what you want me to ask him, Gulf I saw you stealing paperweights, seriously paperweights"
"No but"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice", "It just...", "I get that you are worried, but it is unexplainable right now", "I'll later" he tried to pass a polite smile, pen just nodded his head...
"Can i help"
Mew shakes his head..
***
"Why didn't you pick up the calls I was calling you for ages" Mild entered into the apartment holding plastic bags in his hand and found Gulf slouched on the sofa...
"Are you sick??" he checked on his forehead,
"P'Mild"
"Hmmm??"
"Will you cry if I cry"
"What??"
"Suppose I am crying, will you cry with me"
"You are not into drugs right??"
"Piii"
He brings his face closer to Gulf, sniffing on his, he noticed the swollen face and red eyes, "Ahhh it must be the case, you changed",
"Your eyes are red and you were spacing out, you are taking drugs" He concluded on his own after crushing Gulfs' face,
"Is it withdrawal symptoms??"
"Piiii"
He picked up his phone instantly, "I am gonna tell mum"
Gulf snatched the phone from Mild's hand, "I am seeing someone"
"Who??" Mild looked at his surroundings feeling spooky already, "you started hallucinating", "oh dear lord we need help" he again picked up his phone
"Stop, I am dating someone"
"Is that person has physical existence"
"Piii"
"Okay sorry but who"
"I can' tell you that"
"Okay??" , "so what you want??"
"Is it possible to feel tingly it is weird", "i don't know how to say it"
"Try to explain"
"I mean he is handsome, have a very nice body and all"
"So?"
"And he is..., he is..." sigh he fell on couch backward again..
"He is??"
"Can you wait, I am looking for words here"
"sorry go on"
"He does things for me"
"Like s*x??"
"No....What is wrong with you, isn't there anything apart from s*x"
Mild gaped, It is Gulf who talks about s*x all the time, to the point he starts getting headache, and now he scolding him like he is an innocent soul and Mild is ruining his perfect la la land...
"He is different, he does little things", "like I don't know", "and then he looks at me, and it felt weird, and it makes me feel like dying, but not like dying dying, but dying in a good way"
"Does it makes any sense"
Mild shakes his head, trying to process..
Gulf groaned, "And then, he says things, and it doesn't make sense but then it makes sense"
"And then he trims my nails for me, and then kiss me not kiss me like a kiss, but kiss me"
"And then he touch me, but not like touch me.. touch me, but touch something inside, i don't know"
"Are you sure, you are not on drugs"
"I am not"
"So, Are you in love"
"Am I??", "why??"
"What do you mean why"
"I mean how, he is just, i hate him", He plopped on the sofa with closed eyes giving his back to Mild,
"Stop sulking... you had a fight with him"
"No"
"Then get ready, you will be late for the venue"
"I don't want to??"
Mild pulled Gulf out of the couch and pushed him to take a shower... he came to the kitchen area to place the homecooked meal he bought along with and was surprised to see already food there, with a note...
"Take the medicine"
He opened the packet and saw painkillers in them, "Did they, so touching inside hannn"
He shakes his head, going through all scenarios but only one thing came into his head, he must be beast, if Gulf needs painkillers, he must be the beast, this is the only conclusion..
Gulf came out with sloppy feet, and massaged his head,
"Take this" mild handed the medicine to Gulf and sat across judging him,
Gulf took the medicine and plopped his head back, Mild saw a bold hickey on gulf's neck, "so??"
"Is he wild??"
"Who??"
"Your ummm, the man who do things for you"
Gulf looked at Mild confused, "What are you talking about??"
Mild pointed at his neck, Gulf touched his neck and ran to check his neck and got flushed with red tint...
It was....did Mew??, he looked at the hickey once again, it was not too dark that looks bruised, but dark enough to not get un-noticed, and then the memory of yesterday flashed, he blushed and squealed at the memory, touched the redness on his neck, a warm feeling dwelled inside him, his heart raced as he traced the mark once again.
"I am gonna cancel those four packs as kisses, this is my first kiss..." he squealed and patted on his flushed face... "I got a hickey" he trailed his thin fingers on the mark and squealed once again jumping...
Soon he got his senses back and smiled at his reflection in the mirror as his eyes met with himself in the mirror....all of sudden his happy bubble burst and got trapped in guilt, he doesn't deserve to be pampered, he doesn't deserve to get his nails trimmed, and cried for, he don't desrve him...
He came out with a long face,
"What now??"
"I am a horrible person"
"Please tell me in plane words, what is wrong??, I am not good with guess my mood"
"You don't have an ounce of maturity in you P'Mild"
"Ya, I lost it while dealing with you for years"
"And check your phone some Pixie is calling you like crazy"
"I don't deserve him"
"Is he the man??"
Gulf nod his head...
"Can you mope in car, we are getting late"
"yaa"
***
That night Gulf didn't talk much, they were sitting in silence some Romcom drama playing on T.V.
Mew pulled Gulf to his side... and kissed on top of his head, Gulf shrinks in tiny,,,
Sigh, "I will hear you"
"Yaaa??"
"Yaa"
"Yaa",
"Gulf??"
He pulled him to look into the eyes, "Gulf"
Gulf traced Mew's eyebrows, "you know why few people are loud??"
"Because they like to shout and go wild"
"Yaa??"
And then he fell silent again, this was unsettling so so unsettling, Mew is not used to see Gulf like this, he is still not sure what is the deal with paperweights but he is not gonna force...
"Gulf??"
Gulf sealed Mew's mouth with his hand, "Maybe sometimes they don't want to hear their inner voice, so they cover it with loudness"
After a few seconds of silence, "You mean to say you are loud cause you are avoiding your inner voice"
"I am not talking about me, I like being loud"
"Gulf??"
"I was trying to be insightful, does it sound witty"
"Yaa.. It does, i have to check twice whether it is my Gulf or not"
Gulf smiled and felt warm with My Gulf remark, "can i sit on your lap??"
Mew dragged him and settle him on his lap, "Better??"
"Yaa"
"Are you gonna get a boner again??"
Gulf pinched on Mew's sides..
Mew ignored the pain, and rubbed on younger's back, "Are you stressed about the work??"
Gulf played with Mew's tank top,"Not much"
"Does that man again called you mean things??"
"No... he was right, i need to change few chords"
"Do you want to tell me something??"
Gulf buried his head deeper... "I want to sleep"
Mew sighed, may be not today, how long they are gonna be like this, Gulf being depressed and Mew trying to figure out in darkness what is going on,
***
Today is Saturday night, he will be late...
And Mew is desperate to know what is the deal with paperweights, he waited for the weeks that Gulf will tell him, but he did not...
Instead, he tried to mask his usual self,, he tried to portray his old self being bubby and laugh but Mew can see he is not.. once Mew looked away he goes depressed again like he was wearing a mask, it is hard to see a lively person like this,
So if he has to invade on his own, he will,, he started looking at the living area, pull out the things, Gulf definitely gonna scold him for making a mess...he tried his best not to misplace things,
He checked out in the bedroom, putting all mattresses out, under the bed, even behind the curtains, looks like his brain stopped functioning in desperation, he went to the closet, checked out in clothes, between the clothes but no success.
He came to the living area and felt defeated, does he never gonna know what is bothering him, are they never gonna talk about elephant in the room, he gets the flashes of Gulf crying and trembling under him, it is so unsettling, he stood again, goes back and forth with a blank brain, what to do next,
He rewinds the night, again and again, the closet, Gulf came out from the closet he went there again and started looking at clothes, and every drawer, he checks on pockets of his jeans, hoods, everything, he was sitting in piles of clothes,
"What are you hiding??"
He starts siding the winter coats once again, checking their pockets.... But nothing,
"Ahhhhh" he grunted loud and dragged the hangers to one direction, and got faced with sliding door,
"There is another room here??"
He was living with Gulf for almost half of the year now and he didn't know there is room in the closet, he slides the door a little, the pitch darkness welcomes him he ran out and brought his phone for light...
He looked on the walls for the switch and when the light makes his visibility clear he gaped, the room was filled with all kinds of jewels, sparks, stones, marbles, mirrors, arranged systematically..
He go through all the things on shelves, some of the things are not even valuable they are just simple marbles, broken glasses, even toffee wrappers, some looks expensive, some jewels were real and some of them were artificial, he opened the drawers and they were filled with more things,
Mew opened every drawer and finally, he found two crystals in a box with few bangles...
*
*
*
Gulf entered into the apartment, and saw the lights on and T.V was playing some documentary, he switched off the T.V...
"Mew??"
"This guy, I told him not to leave things on places", he picked up the magazines from the floor and headed towards the bedroom,
"Mew??"
The bedroom was a mess too, "what was he doing??"
"Mew??"
Horror cross over Gulf and he ran to the closet..
His eyes pop out, as he saw the wristlet and paperweights in Mew's hand looking directly at him
***
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