° if you have a good heart, you'd always find a good home. °
Chapter 21
Sky's house looks so normal compared to everything I imagined. I was expecting a house fitting to his character; a bad boy's house. I don't know what exactly is a bad boy's house but it didn't think it'll be a normal home with a fence, lawn, flowers and all.
Maybe spiky chipped painted fence. Over grown lawn like ours (I was supposed to fix that) maybe, a door bending by it hinges and rooms that are cold and lacking that family warmth or something. But I'm met with the exactly opposite. The inside more baffling than the outside.
There's a wide flat screen television at the living room and two chairs; one extra long sofa and an arm chair with a bean bag. There's a glass coffee table at the middle with a ceramic panda bear on it. There are also pictures of Sky and his father. Sky and both his parents. One with his dad and a blonde woman and even one with Sky and a girl dark haired like him and I guess that's Charlotte. I don't ask any questions so as to not bring out any bad or sad feelings, he looks like he has had enough for one day.
I hang my jacket on the coat hanger, throughly impressed by the normal beautiful neat house. I follow Sky into what turns out to be the kitchen and from the looks of it, is as neat and shiny as the rest of the house. "Wow, Sky," I touch the granite counter. "Your house is awesome."
"Guess the picture my dad is trying to potray is working then," Sky says opening up the fridge.
"Picture?" I sit on one of the high stools present.
"Yeah," he leaves the fridge carrying a jug of juice. He waves his hand around, "the semi perfect family." Sky sighs at the confused look on my face. "My dad is convinced my mum left us because she didn't think he was man enough to take care of himself and survive. He also believes she might come back one day so he makes an effort to keep this place all prim and perfect so in case she does arrive she won't be able to smell our dysfunctional family from a mile."
"Oh."
"It's all bullshit though," he pours juice into two glasses. "Might be neat and all but it's all bullshit."
I wrap my hands around the glass he pushes to me, "do you think your mum would return?"
He shakes his head, "no but if I'm still here and she does come. I'll burn the house to the ground."
"Yeesh."
He gulps down the entire glass and smiles at me, "sorry, too harsh, right?"
I sip out the juice, "could be harsher."
"Could be," he ticks his tongue, making me look up at him. "You look beat, are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that," I say, deflecting. "Did you catch any wink of sleep last night? You're exhausted."
He shrugs, "I'm starving."
On cue, my stomach rumbles and I remember that I haven't eaten anything since last night's dinner. "Me too," I stand up, "do you have anything I could cook for us?"
"Yeah," he answers, his eyes suddenly glinting in excitement. "The house is stocked full, I can't remember the last time a proper meal was made here."
"Perfect," I start opening cabinets and drawers, searching for something I could whip up.
"Oh my goodness, it's actually going to happen?" Sky eyes, cupping his face and looking at me. "You're going to cook!"
"Sky, please shut up before I change my mind."
"Okay, I'm going to go take a shower and leave you to do your magic." He starts backing out of the kitchen, "no pressure."
Really? I laugh as he leaves my eyes settling on packs of spaghetti. More searching both in the fridge and around and I find cheese, potatoes, meat, varieties of vegetables and beans. They have basically everything. There's a little debate in my head but alas I settle on making a more filling and proteinous meal: jacket potatoes and beans.
I start making the meal when suddenly the house starts booming with the music coming from upstairs. I laugh when I hear Sky scream and I get into a cooking mood, shaking my body a bit to the music. He must have a sound system up there, amazing.
Minutes later when the meal is almost done, Sky comes dancing into the kitchen singing to Happier by Marshmallow. He has different clothes on now; shorts and a plain white t-shirt with the a yellow Marshmallow on it crossed lines as eyes and a curved line as a smile. The musician's symbol. His hair is sticking out everywhere but it isn't wet, just looks throughly toweled and he smells so fresh, I feel like I can smell him all day.
Sky dances around me as I round up my cooking, blaring out the lyrics with his one foot away from awful voice. I laugh until tears fill my eyes and when I can't take it anymore, I struggle to hold him, placing a hand over his lips. "Please, stop!"
He laughs, easily freeing himself from my hold because I was still shaking slightly from all the laughing. "How hurtful!"
"My ears-" I bend, resting my hands on my knees. "My ears are bleeding, I can't take it anymore. Please."
"Okay but I'll stop if you sing," he bargains.
I stand up straight, blushing at the thought of it. "No way, I can't sing."
"Well, I'm continuing then, non stop!"
"No, please. Fine," I yell my hand on his face and he grins truimphantly. "Oh Christ."
"Now or never, start!"
Taking a deep breath, I start singing shyly, my voice coming out slow. But Sky keeps egging me on and I turn away from him, shutting my eyes and trying to sing louder. My face feeling like if an egg was poured on it, it'll fry.
♪
Then only for a minute
I want to change my mind 'Cause
this just don't feel right to me
I wanna raise your spirits
I want to see you smile but Know
that means I'll have to leave
♪
Sky is still there when I open my eyes and seeing the awed look on his face boost my confidence. I heard my mum say I have a nice voice and once she forced me into the church choir but I ran away. I was too scared of singing around people, stage fright gripping my bones like cold. Somehow with the way Sky was dancing, I was so shy. There's no way I can do anything more embarrassing that what he's doing.
"Oh my gosh, Israel!"
I place my spoon on his lips before he can say anything more. A coy smile on my face, my eyes narrowed with determination and I close my eyes, tossing my head back and continuing the song.
♪
Lately, I've been, I've been thinking
I want you to be happier, I want
you to be happier
Even though I might not like this I
think that you'll be happier, I
want you to be happier
♪
Sky dances and I sing to the last bit of it like we weren't the one looking deadbeat a few minutes ago. When it's all done, we laugh heartily and settle down on the kitchen counter to eat.
"I don't know what you're so afraid and shy about, your voice is fantastic," Sky compliments. "If you decide to take up a career in singing, I'd be in total support and I'd even help create your first fan base."
"Sky slow down and no way," I shake my head. "I'm never going to take a career in singing. I have the worst stage fright ever and being a musician is not my thing."
"Sucks then, you'd have made a great musician, like John Legend."
"I'm highly flattered."
He moans as he eats, making me blush badly. "You once said you're not interesting or good at anything. Well, I hope you know just how wrong you were, you're a fantastic singer and a badass cook, and many others that I hope to discover with you."
"I-I-" I pick at my hair not knowing what to say.
Sky chuckles, "cute."
"Shut up."
"If I get a quarter for every time you tell me to shut up, I'd have had a half full tip jar now."
"Well," I take a full spoon of potatoes and drop on his plate. "Eat and shut up."
----
After the meal, I definitely start to feel better, plus I'm starting to think that with Sky Hunt, I can only feel wrong for so long. Sky also looks better and we decide to take a tour around his house, ending up in his room.
"My dad has a girlfriend but they fight so much, I don't think it'll be going anywhere," Sky answers when I ask him who the blond lady in the picture with his dad is.
"She's pretty," I slowly enter into his room, getting hit my his scent and aura immediately. "If it get serious, would you like that?"
He nods, slumping down on a spinning chair. "Yeah, I would. It's about time he finds someone to keep him company so he won't be so lonely."
"Mm," I look away from a giant picture of Alan Walker on his wall, "when my parents sometimes fight I use to imagine them being divorced and it's so horrible. I don't think if they ever do get divorced I'd be okay with other partners. I don't think I would."
"Yeah, it's not always easy but then the choice isn't yours and when you love someone, you'd always them to be happy."
I study a drawing of flowers on his wall and the bushes spell out, 'smile'. Like a reflex action, I smile. "Yeah, that's true. You're so wise."
"All in a day's job."
As I guessed, there were two giant sound systems in room and his entire wall was covered in pictures, drawings, paper of some kind with some writing, a map of the world and there was a painting that I could understand. The room was so Sky Hunt. His bed was covered in white sheats and a teal blue comforter matching his pillows covering. I remember seeing him in teal more then once. On the table were various papers of different sizes with different pencil drawings on them - architectural technical drawings.
"Whoa..."
"Yeah," he awkwardly scratches his neck, "I'm getting better."
I pick one up, it's a rough unfinished sketch of the skeleton of a building. "This is really good, Sky."
He leans closer to me, "think I'm gonna pull it off one day?"
"Totally, the next big thing is what you'd be."
He chuckles, his cheek pressing me and spreading warmth all the way to my heart, "thank you."
I pick the next paper up and it's of a red bench. This sketch is clearly finished and looks so real. Sky takes my hand in his and pulls me closer to the window, opening his binds and pointing out, "there."
I follow his finger and out there on his backyard is the actual red bench. It so amazing, I forget to speak for a second. "You made it," it wasn't a question.
"Yeah, I'm going to donate it to the beach, my second favorite place in the world," he says, his head on my shoulder. "Like isn't it a crime that there's no bench there? What if someone is germophobic or allergic to sand? It's not fair that we're all forced to sit on the sands."
I turn to him with a smile, "are you germophobic or allergic to sand?"
He blushes, "no but-"
My finger on his lips shushes him and before he could say something else, I hug him. My heart was swelling so big, I thought it'll burst if I don't have some sought of contact with him. A hug would have to do. Sky stays frozen for a moment before his arms wrap around me, his head resting on mine.
"You're so amazing Sky, there are no words."
"This is enough," he says, his voice deeper and suddenly husky. "This is more than enough."
We go through a few more of his drawings after all and he says he rarely draws humans, only when he absolutely can't help it. He says maybe one day he'd draw me with my permission. We talk about most of the pictures on his wall until his eyes start fluttering close, struggling to stay open.
"Do you want to go?" He asks, dragging us both to his bed.
It's not yet late enough and I don't want to leave him just yet. "Not really but you want to sleep so maybe I should."
"Then stay."
"What?"
He crawls into the bed like a child, lying down with little pout. "You don't want to go, then stay. I want you to stay."
"But-"
"You could use a nap too," he pats the bed beside him with a smirk, "come on sweetheart."
"No way," I shake my head. "I should go home."
"You should," he nods, "but we both want you to stay, so... A quick nap won't hurt Israel."
"I could really use a nap," I say, my defense weakening. But not beside you, Sky. I look at him and the welcoming space beside him. I'm not sure I'd sleep at home either ways and he's probably not going let it be. I'd feel guilty if he refuses to sleep again, denying himself rest so he can take me home.
"So come on."
But I won't sleep with my body next to his, my thoughts would be overloaded and I might be choked to death with the hate and disgust I have for myself. I nervously tap my hands on my pants and I remember Darcy's pills. That should work.
"I'll be right back Sky," I rush out, running out of the room in the wake of his groan.
I go downstairs and after a little more debate, I drink down two of the little pills. Before rushing back to the room and getting into the bed with Sky. His eyes are already closed, his breathing steady. "Are you already asleep?" I whisper out.
He gently shakes his head, "no but anytime now. I blame your awesome meal."
I smile, "yeah, I blame my awesome meal too." Silence descends on us and I start to feel the effect of the drugs slowly. "Sky, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
I don't know what's pushing me and I feel like I already know the answer but I just have to hear a confirmation. "Are you gay?"
Even in my semi drowsy state, I can feel the heavy silence and tension in the air. If he says no, I'd be disappointed. If he says yes, I'd still be disappointed. There's no going around it, I'm doomed.
"Pansexual but I tend to like guys more so... yes, I'm gay."
I don't say anything, my eyes already closed and heavy. The only response I give is turning around so I'm not facing Sky or the ceiling anymore. My hands clutching my extra pillow so tight, almost as tight as my heart was feeling inside.
I shouldn't like you Sky.
But I do.
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