The head boy

Part 48 - Loveless box

(1 months later, Tom's POV)

2pm: William will bring me the results on this year's exams.

4pm: My mother will call and I will act like I didn't hear.

5:30pm: Lin will come into the study one last time this year and dagger me with those dark brown eyes of hers and just like with my mother, I will ignore it.

7pm: I will leave this study for two months, summer is on its way and I have to abandon my most cherished treasure during this long period of agony that is called "holidays". I'll make myself busy of course, there's no time to waste in a fancy hotel somewhere in Bali or even sipping a cocktail on the beach. People with ambitions work, people with ambitions don't waste time in frivolous activities such as...ugh, holidays...

My phone rings, it's my brother Jonathan, that's odd, we hardly ever phone each other...Maybe it's an emergency, I answer it.

"Hello?"

"Ha!" Oh my god... "I knew you would answer if you didn't know it was me!" my dear mother gloats through the phone.

"Mother, what a marvellous surprise," I sigh.

"You, my darling, are invited to your own house tomorrow and before you tell me that you can't, let me remind you that college is over, you're free like a bird for the next two months and even though you probably have planned everything to keep yourself busy I'm sure you kept this weekend free to breathe after such an eventful year," Eventful seems to be the adequate term, indeed.

"I can't, I'm busy even this weekend,"

"I also knew you would say that, that's why I checked with this charming boy named William beforehand," William I'll have your head. "So Saturday, it's settled. Love you darling, bye bye," she hangs up before I get a chance to say anything.

My mother is a canny creature, I must give her that...

***

As expected, this ended in a tea party with my family and some friends. And obviously, I disappeared with my grandfather and grandmother in the glasshouse.

"You look thin, too thin," My grandma pinches my cheeks as she inspects me. I let her do so without complaining.

"Leave him alone, he's not a little boy anymore," My grandpa grumbles.

"No one asked you, old thing. I'll be back, I'm gonna make you my new specialty with herbs and honey, good for digestion, sleep, and delicious," she leaves, humming happily.

"Her new doctor gave her that recipe, it tastes like horse shit," Grandpa grumbles again.

I wonder how herbs and honey can taste like horse shit but, after all, my grandfather is an undefeated king when it comes to complaining.

And then there's silence, I feel like we understand each other through silence, no words needed, I've only felt like that with two people in my life, understood.

"I'll drink it and tell her it's good anyway," Upsetting my grandmother isn't a clever move.

Then there's silence again, just the sound of the water splashing softly in the pound, the sound of birds too, at this time of the year my father usually opens a few windows to let the warmer air in, some birds found this place years ago, a place shielded from bad weather and predators, they come back every year, I enjoy their presence.

"It might surprise you, but you look different and somehow I know that your 'assistant' has something to do with that," I frown at that, my assistant? "You know, this girl you brought home right before Christmas? You didn't fool anybody though, my boy. You've never had utility in assistants so it was no big surprise to me when you announced that she was the one for you," Ah...that assistant.