Most Wanted

Chapter 7

After that, the next few weeks, Varian got Hugo to do more things with him. He was aware that he himself was lonely, so he never minded Varian's company at all. Even if he could feel his crush running deeper as time went on.

Varian found him trimming the rose bushes one day in the garden. "Hey, Hugo!" He beamed.

Startled by Varian's sudden appearance, the blonde yelped and accidentally cut one of the roses off the bush. His face turned bright red as he turned to the other who was giggling.

"Sorry, Hugo."

"You really gotta get a belle," Hugo muttered. He picked up the rose off the ground.

If someone were to ask him why he did what he did next, he could never answer. He stood up and scraped off the throns before tucking it behind Varian's ears. He stepped back to see Varian a blushing mess, which made him laugh. Blushing a tomato red himself, Hugo scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"I'm sorry! I don't know why I did that!"

"No, no... you're ok..." Varian took out the rose and rolled the stem between his thumbs as he looked away shyly.

In Bayangor, the most common way to tell someone that they were interested in them was to put a single red rose in their hair behind their ear. It was a way to let them know without saying anything.

"I'm so sorry. That was foolish of me..." Hugo covered his face with his hands. "I don't know what came over me..."

"No... I'm glad you did that... actually... it's nice to know that there are still people out there who want me and not just... Mazouwi..."

"Did you ever have the choice in any of this?" Hugo asked.

Varian glanced around the garden and sighed. "Come on. I'll explain." He lead him into the manor and into the his room. He closed and locked the door. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Hugo. "I did choose this."

"Oh..."

"But not because this is what I wanted. I say I chose this, but I didn't have much choice. It was the only way I could find to save her. You see, my mom got super sick and we sold as much as we could to pay the bills, but my mom was only getting worse. Eventually, the doctor decided that she needed to transfer to Corona for better medical care, but we didn't have that money. Mazouwi was always sour that my mom married my dad. I was going to keep the tradition of turning him down, but when he offered to take care of my parents for just two years of being his, I said yes. My dad was so mad when he found out..." Varian chuckled. "But I did know exactly what I was doing and getting myself into when I signed that paper that sold myself for two years..."

"Oh, wow, I..." Hugo was speechless.

"But it's ok." Varian smiled through the pained look on his face. "My mom's better. They're still in Corona... I can't wait until the end of these two months when I can go back and see them. I haven't seen them since I came here. Mazouwi wanted my full attention."

"But... you were only seventeen when this happened?"

"I was sixteen when I signed it, actually. I didn't move in until my seventeenth birthday however."

"Shiiiiit..." Hugo muttered.

Varian chuckled. "I know right?"

There was a long silence until Hugo finally reached for the door knob.

"Hugo," Varian said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Can you... can you stay?"