Henry Stickmin: Secret Criminal (Mr Henry Toppat Book 1)

Chapter 3- Never Fall Apart (Part 2)

I starred at Charles blankly, him still holding out his hand for me to take and still grinning at me.

What should I do? I was going to leave everything behind soon but yet still want to indulge in a relationship with my best friend. I felt like all my braincells just disappeared and left me to make this hard choice.

"Charles, did you put in a lot of confidence to ask me this?" I stuttered, trying to muster a smile.

"Yes, of course I did Henry! I spent an hour at home planning for this." Charles answered.

An hour? Wow, he really must want to dedicate himself to me. Won't his poor heart be shattered if I abandoned this life for my criminal one? But at the same time I didn't want to waste Charles's efforts at a proposal. For a long time we have made each other happy, and have supported each other true tough times. Do I really want to be that guy who destroys relationships?

Pushing away the rash thoughts in my head, I spoke from the heart.

"Charles, your friendship was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I always thought of ways on how we could be closer to each other. And now, you served up a way for me, so how could I reject your beautiful offer? And bros must always stick together, right?"

"Yeah, we'll never fall apart!" Charles exclaimed.

I felt guilty throughout the whole of the meal, especially since it was Charles who was going to pay for it. As he ate his meal, he was smiling in excitement, and all I could offer was an empty smile.

I imagined Charles to be lying in his bed, heartbroken and crying when I leave.

"Charles, do you have any siblings?" I asked, trying to shove away my thoughts.

"Nah, I was just an only child." Charles stopped eating to take a sip of his wine.

"Won't things get lonely at home?"

"Of course I was lonely when my parents were not around, but then a new family moved in next door. They had one child too. Seeing how lonely we would get individually, our parents set up a play date for us to get to know each other better."

"What was the kid's name?"

Charles placed down his utensils and sighed for a moment, before speaking again.

"Her name was Jasmine Nair."

"What a nice name." I commented.

"She was just a year younger than me, but was beautiful beyond the heavens. I can't stop thinking about her since the first day I met her."

"Wow, she seems so beautiful now."

"I never got to know how she would like when she grows up."

A look of resent flashed by Charles's eyes. I took out a packet of tissues when a tear fell form his eye.

"Hey, you good, buddy?" I asked with intense concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." he said as he took a tissue to wipe his tears.

"What did you mean by that?"

"When Jasmine was 18 years old, she got a serious cancer, already at stage 3. A day before she was going to receive her treatment, she died in the hospital.  I was called there to see her body... I couldn't bear to leave her, but the doctors pulled me away."

Charles used his fork to push his food around. I picked up his hand, and he looked up at me.

"Do you think she's happy up there in heaven? According to what you say, she seems very deserving to be there."

"Of course she's happy, she deserves to be happy!" Charles exclaimed and slammed the table gently, but it still attracted the attention of a couple near our table.

"Charles, eat up your food first, and if you want, you could stay over at my house for the night, to make you feel better." I offered.

"R-really??" Charles wiped his tears and looked up at me. "Thanks Henry!"

Looking at my life, I wonder how father and mother would think of me now. Please be proud of me, but you have no reason to.

After paying the bill, Charles drove off to my home where he would be spending the night.

"Stay there Charles, I have some spare clothes for you." I said, then disappeared into my room.

Charles obediently sat on a chair at the dining table, starring at the wall. I came out five minutes later after choosing some clothes suitable for him.

He came out just as I placed down my phone. He was wearing my sweater and white shorts, the sweater was a little too long for him, but that was all I had in the smallest size.

"Um... Henry? Isn't this a little too big for me?"

"Who cares about size when you look so adorable in it?" I blushed and said. Walking over, I wrapped my arms around him, embracing his softness. Charles stood there in awe for awhile, before he hugged me back. The way this was going, I felt like I could just fall asleep standing without even letting go.

"Henry, you might want to change first." Charles let go of me. I almost couldn't, he was too comfortable.

"What show is this?" Charles sat beside me on the sofa after leaving the kitchen.

"Well, I don't really know much about it yet, because I just started watching it." I replied. Charles then starred towards the screen, and I didn't even notice when he leaned his head on my shoulder.

After the programme ended, I turned off the TV and said that we should get to sleep. Charles still needed to drop by his place before he got to work.

"Get in here with me Charles, it's very windy outside."

Charles slowly climbed into the bed and we both snuggled under the blanket. Soon afterwards, Charles must have felt very cold, so he moved closer to me and hugged me to sleep.

Looking at him from my side, I felt guilty in so many ways. I cried a little, hopping he would not be able to hear me.