A Promise Of Romance (MewGulf AU)

🌻Chapter 41

🌻

Gulf would go back to his room at the boarding house once a week to pick up his mail and check his answering machine, but it had been two months since he'd really come home to stay.

The first thing he did was check his answering machine. It showed 10 calls, but there was only one actual message: 'It looks like you're out on the town again. Call me back. A friend of yours called us asking about you."

It was the brusque voice of his older brother.

He checked the time, it was noon in Thaildand. His father and brother would be at work, so probably only his mother would be home. He made the international call from his room. But he got his house answering machine. It looked like his mother wasn't home either. He left a brief message and hung up. "It's Gulf. I'm doing fine. I'll call back."

He had to keep an eye on the phone charges, but if he didn't keep in touch occasionally, he was afraid his family would act like he had been abducted.

Next, he turned to the accumulation of mail.

He was surprised to catch sight of a familiar name from his past on one of the envelopes. It was from Bright. He hadn't heard from his friend since their fight in the last year of high school. He hurried to open it.

'Dear Gulf,
We had a reunion for the drama club the other day and Boat told me that you were on England."

(Boat had been a mutual friend of theirs.)

I had been looking forward to seeing you there, so I was surprised. That's just like you. I was a little surprised at how few of the people there were still doing theater, but I was glad to hear you're still working hard at it. I'd really like to see you again.'

Gulf smiled bitterly. "That's too bad. I can't go back to Thailand for a while yet."

Their fight had been entirely his fault. But he was happy to see how little Bright had changed.

He got out some writing paper to begin a reply.

'Bright,
Thanks for your letter. I'm getting some really rare experience here  but I'm paying dearly for it. I met this person at my job and...'

He realized that he was about to write Bright about Mew. He crumpled the paper up and threw it in the trash. The feelings Bright's letter had awoken withered away.

'I wonder what Mew's doing.'

An image of the man completely alone in his enormous apartment floated up in his mind.

'Probably getting drunk as usaul.'

He could never forgive Mew for what he had done to him. But it was also true that seeing Mew looking so hopeless afterward had been unbearable.

'He seemed pretty drunk then too..'

Gulf shook his head. When he thought about how Mew had hurt him, he know that no matter how much Mew apologized, he would never forgive the man. But the hatred and pity he felt for Mew welled up inside him, battling each other. He knew there was a part of him that could never hate Mew, and he was astounded by that.

For the first time in ages, Gulf left for school from his own home. He had to leave earlier than at Mew's apartment, but he'd carelessly woken up like always and had to rush out of the room. Of course, he'd skipped breakfast too. And he felt a little sad that there was mo one to say goodbye to.

After he had left, the phone rang in his empty room. It rang for long moments before the answering machine picked up.

"This is Bright. I'm in London right now. I'll call you back later."

It was Bright. But Gulf was already long gone.

TBC