Last night when Gene returned from the hospital, he barely spoke. When I asked about his conversation with his mom, he was flat in his response, saying he just wanted to sleep. So, that's what we did. I was on the fence about it, but I decided to stay the night. In the morning, I woke up in his embrace. I had to get ready for work, but I stayed in bed a bit longer, taking in Gene's delicate features. His thick black locks of hair that needed a trim, as they were almost obscuring his eyes, his long, full eyelashes, his perfect pink lips...
Right on cue, his eyes fluttered open, revealing his sapphire-blue eyes and a child-like smile, filling me with hope that today would be better.
The image of his sweet face stayed with me all day at work, until I returned to his place in the evening. I freaked out at first, as he was nowhere to be seen at home, until I checked the backyard. He called out to me a house over, revealing him sitting around a table on the patio with Dante. I jogged over, causing Dante to laugh.
"You're like an over-protective Mom, Y/n! Next thing you know, you're gonna have him on a leash."
Mom? Oh you have no idea, Dante. I took the seat in between Gene and Dante. "I just want to make sure he's okay!" The idea of Gene on a leash did seem pretty funny, though. I shared a brief recap of my shift at the café at Gene's request, before Dante jumped in.
"F/n invited a few people to her and her girlfriend's place this Friday. Got any extra details on what it's about?"
It took every fiber of my being not to smile as I shook my head. "They haven't been living together long, so maybe it's a housewarming party." Which isn't a complete lie, as Sydney lived with their parents before finding a place to live with F/n. I haven't even seen F/n's new place!
"Huh, that makes sense. Man, I don't wanna go alone! It'll make me look like a loser...that's Gene's job."
"Hey!" Gene interjected.
"Do you have to have a woman on your arm, Dante?" I questioned.
"It's just what I'm used to, y'know?" A lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. "I know! Why don't you be my date, Y/n?"
I scrunched up my face. "No way."
Gene had a glint in his eyes, making my stomach twist. "What's so bad about my brother, huh? He's a catch."
I sent him a glare. "It'd just be weird, y'know." You're not putting this on me. I dealt with my brother yesterday, you can deal with yours.
"The most we'd do is hold hands," Dante said.
"Gross. Uh. No offense."
"Offense taken!"
Gene burst out laughing.
"Offense taken from you, too!" Dante exclaimed. "Guys, I'm not that stupid." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Over-protective Mom? More like over-protective girlfriend!"
There's no way Dante isn't as stupid as I thought he was...
"So there is something in that head of yours," Gene remarked.
"Stop insinuating I'm that stupid!" Dante snapped. "Why have you guys been keeping it a secret?"
"The only reason we didn't tell you is because we thought you'd freak out too much," Gene said.
Dante rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Me, freak out? Look, I'm acting perfectly normal."
"Yeah, cause you didn't just find out," I pointed out.
"Ugh, whatever! Can we just move on before you guys call me stupid some other way..."
I snickered. "Okay, tonto." Not sure if tonto or estúpido is meaner, but the latter would make it too easy for him.
Gene wore a Cheshire Cat grin. "Sí, es muy tonto."
"You know I'm bad at Spanish! I'm done with you two... I'm out!" Dante sprung to his feet and went inside, leaving Gene and I with a loud THUNK from the patio door.
Now with Dante gone...would I be a bad person if I wanted to ask about Gene's past? It's been eating me alive, and I know he should be taking it easy, but...
"What's the troubled look for?" Gene asked. "If it's about Dante, then don't worry. I doubt he's actually upset."
I shook my head. "No, it's not that. It's just..." I took a deep breath. "To be extremely vague, there's some things that are important for me to know, and... I'd like to hear about everything whenever you're in an okay place to talk."
"I think I know what you mean," he said. "Let's go inside to talk."
The way to Gene's room was heavy. With every step, it felt like the path behind me crumbled. The silence between us didn't help. Upon settling in his room, with us sitting next to each other on his bed, the silence was finally cut with a sigh from Gene.
"I can't just keep saying 'I love you' and talk about marrying you as if I haven't been keeping you in the dark about things... I've been reluctant to tell you anything because I'm ashamed about it all, and I didn't want to reopen my old wounds."
Old wounds...? "Gene, if it's that bad then you don't have t—"
"No. You deserve to know and if it's you, talking might help. Besides, I'm not sure if I ever healed, despite how long it's been." He took a deep breath. "After college, I had to move back in with my parents. I was busy with my unpaid internship for a few months, so I couldn't provide for myself. There weren't any record labels nearby that were willing to pay me since Hot Topic employee isn't exactly the experience anybody is looking for. The point of attending university and graduating with honors is beyond me. If I didn't go away for college then maybe..." he trailed off. "Anyways. I eventually got hired by the place I was interning at. My parents offered to let me stay at their place longer, so I did. Almost two years went by with me at my parents, and I felt trapped. To make things worse, as you know...my cat, Apple, died the week I turned 24, making my 'golden birthday'...not so golden. That day, after work, I..." His arms began to tremble.
I placed my hand atop of his.
"I...went out drinking. I was completely plastered and after I got home, it was pretty late. My dad happened to be awake, and he was pissed. He and I ended up arguing about how I still wasn't living on my own, which woke my mom up. My dad threatened to kick me out, so I was waiting for my mom to defend me." His eyes had a far away look to them, as if he were reliving the scenario. "She sided with him. The next day, I was kicked out. The last time I saw my parents was a month or so later, when I was moving my room furniture to an apartment with Sasha and Zenix. Well, then there's yesterday, with my mom. We talked things out, but...I found out my dad and her divorced over the summer. That's why I came home so dejected."
No wonder he went no contact with his parents... They kicked him out when he was struggling with a lot. I'm just glad he's still here, with him getting as drunk as he described. I don't think I've ever seen him drink... He also tends to talk negatively about bars and clubs. It makes sense now. I hugged Gene, struggling to find the right words to say. "I'm so sorry. Despite everything, I admire your passion. You've been through a lot, yet you've managed to achieve so much. It must really suck with your parents, though..."
"Thanks, that means a lot. As for my parents...I'm upset that they didn't tell Dante and I, but I'm glad my mom can find some peace. The only reason my mom sided with my dad was to try to keep their marriage together. They roughed it out a few years, but...I guess they both had enough."
"Why didn't your mom ever try to reconnect with you?" I questioned.
"I asked her that, too. It's a two-way street, after all. Apparently, she was punishing herself. I didn't ever contact her, so she thought that it was best to leave me be." He sighed. "She was already punishing herself by staying with my dad. From what it sounds like, I doubt I'll ever see my dad again."
Admittedly, I barely knew anything about Gene's dad, other than the fact he was distant and 'not too big on emotions', according to Gene. Oh, and that he helped Gene work on his first car. I guess that's one father-son bonding moment out of Gene's entire life...
"Anyways, that's everything," Gene said. "Are...you sure about me?"
I furrowed my brows. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just...what I did and how I kept it from you."
"It's not like you killed someone! You made a mistake. What's important is the food you have in your house, cause I'm hungry and tired from work."
A smile slowly spread on Gene's face while he did a slight head shake. "Leave it to you to make light of things."
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A/n: this chapter. was so. hard. to write. the backspace button and I are like, bffs at this point 😭😭😭 no thoughts head empty 😊
Thanks for reading kawaii potato cats! I love each and every single one of you very muchly! Catch you all later! Baii~ 💖Shadow🎮