Break Even

‘Good morning,’ VII greeted me as he went inside my room with Shin..

‘Good morning too VII’, I greeted him back.

‘Ugh… here, this is for you’, he told me as he handed me a basket of strawberries.

I smiled a bit, ‘Thanks a lot’.

‘Sure no problem’, he answered.

Shin pouted his lips, ‘How come you brought something for Prince and nothing for me?’

VII smiled, ‘Oh I forgot to bring something for you’, and chuckled.

Shin sniffed, ‘You’re making your baby sad Laurence…’

‘Oh sweetheart, I can’t think of anything to bring here for you but my heart’, VII smiled as he pinched Shin’s cheek.

I coughed.

They both looked at me and chuckled.

‘Sorry about that my little Prince’, Shin told me as he sat beside me, ‘Shall we eat this now?’, he pointed at the strawberry basket.

‘Sure’, I looked at VII, ‘Sit down too VII’.

‘Thanks’, he uttered.

We were in the living room, chatting with each and eating the strawberries VII bought for me. After quite some time, my father came to check if I was doing well.

‘Oh hi there uncle!’, Shin greeted dad.

‘Good morning Dr. Caelum’, VII greeted him too.

‘Hello Shin and hello VII’, he looked at them and turned to me, ‘How are you doing now son?’

‘I’m fine I think?’, I told him.

‘What are you feeling?’, dad continued asking.

‘Well nothing much but my shoulders is kinda tensed’.

He massaged my shoulders, ‘Your muscles are still stress son’.

I nodded.

‘Stress?’, VII asked.

‘Yeah he has some anxiety attacks and depressions caused by too much stress’, dad explained.

I looked at VII, ‘But nothing really serious’, I uttered as my mom came in the scene too.

She kissed me on my cheek, ‘How are you doing my handsome son?’, she smiled.

‘Recuperating’

She nodded and looked at VII.

‘Hello Mrs. Caelum’, VII greeted her.

‘Hi there’, she greeted him back. My mom’s faced moved from left to right, then right to left. It’s as if she was looking for something.

‘Something matter aunt?’, Shin asked.

‘Where’s… Ryuuka?’, she asked.

‘Ugh…’, Shin looked at me, ‘Aunt?’

‘Hmm?’, she mumbled, ‘Where is my son-in-law?’

VII finally spoke, ‘Before I went here, I saw XXVII in his room playing with his daughter’.

Mom wondered, ‘Oh? Wouldn’t he visit his fiancé?’, and looked at me, ‘He hasn’t visited you since you got sick, am I right?’

I looked at my father, escaping to answer my mom’s question, ‘Dad, when can I be able to go back to university?’

‘Next week’, he smiled, ‘Don’t worry; I have excused you already in all of your subjects’.

‘Really? Did you release an excuse letter for me?’

My mom chuckled and sat beside me, ‘There’s no need for that my baby, mom and dad took care of everything’.

‘Huh?’, I was confused.

‘Some power of connections’, she winked.

‘Ah I see’, I sighed.

‘Hmm?’, mom continued.

I shrugged my head, ‘Nothing’.

‘So, what shall we do now?’, Shin interrupted.

Then suddenly, one of our maids approached us.

‘Your visitor sir is already waiting outside’, she told dad.

‘Visitor honey?’, mom asked.

Dad nodded, ‘I’m expecting someone, please excuse me’, and he left.

‘Who would that be?’, I asked.

‘It’s probably some patient?’, Shin answered.

Mom nodded.

‘Dr. Caelum receives patients even here at your house?’, VII asked.

‘Special cases only, ones that are very dreadful’, mom answered.

VII nodded while Shin smiled at him.

The door opened and I saw father with a very familiar but unexpected apparition.

Shin and VII looked at the door when they saw my eyes flickered.

‘In law!’, Shin exclaimed.

‘Hey’, he said.

Mom stood up and approached him, ‘I know you would come for my son’, she said as she kissed him on his left cheek.

‘No’, dad interrupted, ‘He came here because I ask him to, so if you excuse us’.

‘Excuse me Mrs. Caelum’, he told her as they left and went to the office room of my dad.

‘Peculiar? Ryuuka called me Mrs. Caelum?’, she wondered.

My breathing started to be poles apart; it’s as if something is blocking my air passage.

Shin sat beside me, ‘Are you okay Prince?’, his voice was disturbed.

‘I think he can’t breathe?’, VII told Shin.

‘Son?’, mom readily approached me, ‘What’s the matter?’

But I can’t speak.

Shin stood up and went to get dad for me.

‘Oh my god, what shall I do?’, mom panic.

‘Calm down Mrs. Caelum’, VII calmly said, ‘I think he’s anxiety is attacking’, and looked at me.

Finally someone understood what was happening to me that time.

Then my dad with Shin approached me.

‘Son?’, he called for me, ‘Can you hear me?’

I nodded but I can’t still talk.

Dad held on my forehead, ‘Anxiety is attacking him again’, he told them.

My breathing became much harder this time.

‘You need to relax son’, dad told me.

But I cannot, I closed my eyes and my head started to crack like hell. I am having chest pains too, like my heart’s palpitating.

‘Oh gosh, what’s going on with our son honey?’, mom flustered.

‘Prince relax!’, dad exclaimed.

Then suddenly, a warm hand pressed on my forehead and caressed my cheek, ‘Relax… I’m here’.

I opened my eyes and saw Ryuuka in front of me.

He didn’t smile, ‘Get a grip’, and his eyes were empty.

‘Ryuuka…’, the only word I can utter.

He lifted me, ‘We should lay him in his bed’, he told them.

We went to my room and there he carefully laid me in my bed, ‘Prince…-’

Mom interrupted, ‘Are you okay now son?’

As I was staring at him, my breathing started to be normal and my head slowly stopped aching.

Dad put on his stethoscope and heard my heart beat, ‘You’re okay now’.

I nodded.

When I looked back at where Ryuuka was standing, he wasn’t there anymore. I searched for him and saw him going out of my room. I tried to call for him but my mom halted me, ‘You take a rest now son, we’ll leave you’.

‘But - ’

And they left me. Soon after, I fell asleep. After couple of hours, I was woken up by Shin.

‘Wake up Prince’, he nagged me, ‘You have to eat your lunch now’.

‘Where is…’, I couldn’t continue.

‘In law?’, he smiled, ‘His downstairs. He was here with you a while ago, I saw him staring at you while you were sleeping’.

I smiled, ‘Really?’

He nodded, ‘Shall we go now?’

I nodded and we went downstairs.

In our dining area, my mom insisted to sit beside me so she can take care of me.

‘I cooked your favorite dish’, mom told me.

‘Thanks’, I told her and looked at Ryuuka. This time when I was looking at him, he wasn’t looking at me and I noticed that his eyes were unstable yet again empty.

‘So boys, do you like the food I cooked?’, mom asked us.

Shin nodded, ‘Yeah aunt! It’s so delicious!’

‘It is very appetizing Mrs. Caelum’, VII added.

‘Ryuuka?’, mom called out.

‘Nothing changed Mrs. Caelum, you’re still a very good cook’, he complimented her.

Mrs. Caelum again, I asked myself.

‘Oh? Thank you Ryuuka’, mom told him.

‘Mrs. Caelum…-’, Ryuuka spoke.

‘Mrs. Caelum?’, I interrupted him. My voice was a little soft but I think he can hear me.

He looked at me.

‘Mrs. Caelum?’, I repeated.

Shin stopped eating, as well as VII and looked at me.

‘Yes’, he finally answered rigidly, ‘It’s the rightful way to address my friend’s mom, right?’

I was shocked and became speechless of what he just said.

Shin and VII looked at each other, there eyes were like questioning and so am I.

‘Friend…?’ I whispered but he already talked to my dad.

‘Anyway, Dr. Caelum, I have finished reviewing the papers you gave me’, Ryuuka told dad.

‘That’s great’, dad sipped on his wine, ‘Let’s talk about it after we eat’.

I was still shock of what he said. I stood up, ‘I’m done. Thanks for the delicious meal,’ I looked at Ryuuka and waited for him to look at me too. But he didn’t and so I left. I stayed in my room and took a pillow on my hand. I hugged it tightly as I wriggled my toes on the couch.

‘Prince?’ Shin sneaked on my door and went inside with VII.

I didn’t respond.

Shin sighed as he sat on the floor, ‘What does in law mean by that? Friend? Huh?’

I shrugged my shoulders, ‘I can’t understand him anymore.’

‘He seems to be in bad mood or something?’ Shin added.

‘Is it because of me?’ I asked.

Shin shrugged his head, ‘I don’t know but like what I told you a while ago. When you were asleep, he was with you all the time. He was just sitting on the floor and staring at you while you were sleeping. He even fondled your hair and kissed your lips’.

‘He kissed me?’ I asked.

Shin nodded, ‘Laurence? You look serious’.

‘I’m always,’ VII finally spoke.

‘I mean… oh Laurence!’, he exclaimed.

VII chuckled, ‘Kidding, anyhow, well I was just analyzing Leader. It seems to be something is wrong with him. He’s acting strange’ and lit a cigar.

‘Hmm…’, Shin mumbled.

‘What do you mean VII?’

‘Well…’, he paused and looked at me, ‘Base on my observations, he looks like he’s thinking about something, or he’s like confused about something. But he doesn’t want that to be very obvious and so he’s masking himself by emptying his face’.

Shin nodded, ‘I see, I see…’

‘And why is he doing that?’, I asked.

‘That… I don’t know’, VII answered and he continued smoking.

I sighed as Shin approached me and tapped my shoulders, ‘Oh Prince…’

At night, the same thing happened. Ryuuka didn’t talk to me; no single word was address to me. He’s cold… very cold to me, and I don’t know what should I do. I wanted to talk him but someone is always interrupting us.

After dinner, I went to the garden to breathe some fresh air. I sat on one of the benches and looked at the starless sky.

‘No stars huh?’, I know it his voice but I want to make sure and so I looked at him.

He was looking at me, or rather staring at me.

‘Since when did you have that anxiety attack?’, he asked as he stood beside me and rested his back at the Cherry Blossom tree.

‘Ugh…’, I looked away and felt that my cheeks were burning, ‘Weekends I think?’

‘I see, I learned about it just today’, he told me.

‘Huh?’, I looked at him, ‘Didn’t VII told you?’

He was still staring at me with the same stunning face, ‘No. I wasn’t asking anything about you’, and he looked away.

When I heard him say that, I felt that something cut deep in my heart. I was speechless.

‘Anyway, there would be a party… an open house party in the university next week. You should come, parties are good stress reliever’.

I nodded; I was still shocked of what he previously said.

‘Will you come?’, he asked.

‘I’ll see if dad will let me’, I whispered.

I wasn’t looking at him but I felt that he moved somewhere from where he was standing.

‘If you come, I’ll come in the party too’.

That made my heart jump a little, ‘Really?’, I looked at him, ‘You’ll come with me?’

He looked at me too and smirked, ‘I never said that’.

‘But…’ I sighed.

He approached me and patted my head, ‘Go to sleep. You need to rest now spoiled brat’, and he started to walk away from me.

‘Ryuuka,’ I grabbed onto his wrist, ‘I…I-‘

‘What?’ he was staring at me fiercely, his voice was very stern, ‘I told you to go to sleep and rest, right? Don’t be such a nuisance, Prince,’ and he removed my hand on his wrist.

‘I am sorry…’ I murmured.

He turned his back on me and walked away.

Just like that? What’s wrong with him? And what’s with the spoiled brat? Nuisance? Am I that annoying now, huh? Damn it. I really hate this kind of scenarios. Honestly, my heart’s bleeding with the way he talked an acted in front of me.