Your Memories Stay With Me

Chapter 2: His Doubts

The pair of lovers, who had just exited the white vehicle after parking it safely in the garage, were greeted by a teenage boy who was running out of the house with a game console. With great excitement, Net's younger brother approached his partner, who was by his side.

" P'James, my mom bought me a new console; let's play." The 13-year-old boy excitedly showed off what was in his hand to his elder brother's lover.  

"Ne, let us in first; it's too hot here." Net interrupted his brother before James could open his mouth to answer.  

Inside the living room of their main house, Net's older brother sat with his fiancé on the big leather couch situated in the center. When they saw the three of them coming inside, the soon-to-wed pair greeted James with familiarity and a big smile plastered on their lips.  

"P'James, P'James, let's go to my room and play." The youngest child, Ne, tugs on the hem of the other's shirt to get his attention.  

"What are we playing?" James looked at the boy and smiled.  

"The one we played last time, I want to rank up; please help me." The youngest enthusiastically replied but was shut down by his brother.  

"James will be staying in my room; he came here to study, not to play. I'll play with you instead," Net offered, but was immediately turned down by his brother.  

"No, you stink at playing games. The last time we let you play, you just dragged us down, causing us to almost lose the game. It's a good thing P'James helped us win. I don't want to play with you; I want P'James."  

"Hahaha, N'Ne seems to be more attached to James than his own brother," Net's older brother's fiancé commented.  

"N'Ne who do you like more, Net, or James?" The eldest of the three brothers chimed in, asking their youngest, who did not even take a minute to answer the question.  

"I like P'James the most," Ne answered while clinging to his elder brother's boyfriend, clearly teasing him, which evoked laughter from James.

"Brat, he's mine," Net indignantly declared, as if feeling threatened after seeing his lover adoringly laugh at his younger brother's silliness, which caused all of them to laugh out loud, turning the mood in the house lively, and causing the two elders who just came in and witnessed this scene to smile a barely noticeable grin for a split second before turning back into their calm demeanor.   

"P'James?" A voice tinged with doubt and delight called out his name, causing him to scan the restaurant he just entered, trying to find where the voice came from.  

James noticed a tall young man, with a surprised look in his eyes and a smile on his lips, approaching him. The doctor examined that familiar face closely, trying to recall where he had met him when the man's face overlapped with the beaming face of the youngster, who used to always come to him first each time he visited his ex-lover's place.  

"It really is P'James," the man exclaimed after getting a closer look on his face before calling out his mother. "Mom, look, it's P'James."