The Truths That We Hide

𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲

While writing a message to his editor in the kitchen, Chris was drinking his second cup of coffee. His roommate was still on the bed sleeping after spending again most of the night at work.

He found it hard to believe that the man actually enjoyed being a bartender in loud bars full of drunk people when he could be sleeping at home.

But from what he had heard, Patrick had always been more of a night person. Waking up earlier than 11am was as impossible as making Chris eat sushi. Not a chance even if he was paid to do it.

Suddenly he heard steps from behind him and knew that it must be the man himself. Turning around, he saw Patrick walking towards the kitchen very slowly while blinking as if he was still half sleeping, wearing nothing but black boxers.

If Chris didn't know any better, his first guess would have been that the man had been drunk for hours and was now experiencing the aftereffect.

"Sleeping Beauty woke up from his beauty sleep?" Chris smirked, knowing very well that he wasn't in the mood of laughing. It was already 12pm and the sun had been up for hours, giving them very summer-like hot weather that people were enjoying outside.

"Shut the fuck up," Patrick didn't even turn to look at his newest roommate and friend, instead he went straight to the coffee machine. He cursed when he realized that there wasn't coffee made and that Chris had just drunk the last of it.

"There's no coffee anymore, you should go to get us some," Chris said.

"No shit, Sherlock," he answered, still not awake enough to realize quickly enough that Chris had just been too lazy to do it himself until what seemed like five minutes. "Wait no, I'm not going! You drank the last so it's your job to get more."

"I have work to do," Chris answered and immediately turned back to his laptop where his book was finished and only waiting to be edited. He should remember to call his publisher soon.

"And I just spent my night working!" The fight lasted a good ten long minutes because neither one wanted to be the one giving up and both were too lazy to go out only to buy coffee.

In the end, it was Chris who had to leave because apparently, it was only fair since he was already in clothes and fully awake after drinking two cups of coffee.

As if that wasn't enough, Patrick used the 'new roommate'-card and told that Chris owned him for letting him live with him. Quoting his own words, he could have easily let Chris live in the hotel until he was forced to go back to Colorado but he wasn't that evil.

Chris wished to go out later but Patrick needed the coffee right now. It only made Chris roll eyes but still did what the man asked.

After that, thoughts of Patrick and coffee changed to another person. He didn't want to think of the person who had already rejected him twice in his life. It was clear by now that he should just forget Bree completely.

After three days of pathetically trying to call her, he had given up and finally realized that he was right from the start. Bree hated him even after five years and her feelings wouldn't change. Now he only needed to find a way to forget the woman who still enjoyed playing with him and his feelings.

Ten minutes later he reached the grocery store where he quickly found what he needed. He was about to leave when he suddenly spotted the familiar red hair among the other customers. He had to blink three times just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things.

But no, she didn't disappear in the air like he had half-expected to happen. Instead, she was walking inside. It made him realize that since she hadn't seen him, he could easily pretend that he hadn't seen her either and leave home without giving her a second thought.

She deserves that, he thought angrily with his head while cursing himself for the stupid feelings that he had for her not even a week ago. And still had.

Now he actually considered if this whole thing was just a prank to make fun of Chris and humiliate him by not answering his calls after pretty much opening his heart for her and admitted having feelings for a woman. Real feelings.

That's when he laughed because he realized that if he was right, he had gone straight to the trap, got feelings for her and went to the little game that only she was aware of.

If that was her goal, she should be happy about achieving it. He was hurt and what could only be described heartbroken, something he had never experienced before.

He looked for her everywhere for so long that he was already given up when he suddenly saw her standing on the line, waiting to pay for whatever she was buying.

It hurt like hell. Even though she hurt him, it still felt like his heart missed a beat or two when he looked at her. This was the first time when someone had so much power over him. It was also the first and hopefully the last time when he let something like that happen.

Chris yelled her name which caused a lot of customers to look at his way but he wasn't interested in them. He kept his gaze at Bree who had just turned around. That's when their eyes locked and once again he was amazed by the green eyes that held so many feelings.

Now it actually felt like he saw the real Bree Collins who wasn't all that cheery and happy that she pretended to be but a woman who had experienced things that might have given her traumas for a lifetime.

He didn't know what they were but at the moment none of it mattered. He found her and he hated her. At least, he wanted to but he couldn't because she looked like she hadn't slept in years. Whatever the reason was, he wanted nothing else but make it disappear.

He watched quietly as Bree opened her mouth just a little bit only to close it immediately. She seemed to be having some kind of silent argument in her head that stopped her from coming to him. Then, without saying a word, she turned to look away and pretended that he wasn't even there.

What the fuck? Were they back at ignoring each other? He wasn't sure if he had patience enough to play these games with her again. He turned to look at the little boy standing close to her feet who hadn't made a sound. Quentin didn't look like the happy little boy he was with earlier this week.

But what stung the most that even after that had happened between them during the last few weeks after their first meeting, she didn't say anything about him to Quentin. She didn't let him know that she saw him so that they could talk.

Five minutes later he was still waiting for them. He wasn't going to leave until he got answers why was she behaving like this and what happened that made things change so much between them. For a second, he had thought that she was really going to give him a chance. But no, the woman kicked him out of her life before he was even in it.

He ran towards her yelling her name, not caring if people looked at him weirdly. She didn't yell back at him but at least she stopped walking and Quentin even turned around to look who was yelling at his mother's name. Then happened one of the most beautiful things that he had ever seen.

Quentin, who looked like saddest little four years old he had ever seen, smiled and the longer he did it, the bigger it grew. He was like a child on Christmas Eve and started to run towards him.

He hugged Chris' tall legs while saying things that he didn't understand because the boy was now crying. The sight broke his heart which both scared and confused him. He hadn't realized that he cared that deeply about this innocent child who was still hugging him as if his life depended on it.

Oh, the poor boy. What horrible had happened during those days?