The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)

B2 Chapter 8

ALASDAIR DOESN'T UNDERSTAND why a plate of caramelised mackerel, a bowl of rice, and puffs of tofu cream not only fill his stomach, but they also make him feel as if he's back at home. No, not the mansion, but back with his mum. The whole meal itself isn't even worthy of a five-star rating. Too simple. Too...lovely. Who cares if their personal chefs didn't cook this? He'd rather have this over those fancy delicacies his father always insists on having. Too cliché. Too bland. Too pretentious. At least these, all of these taste familiar. Especially the tofu. He loves tofu.

'You've done it again, Eien.' Jaxon pats his stomach, burping in the process. He and Declan chuckle. Noritaka follows quite too late, so the two laugh again. Eien shyly bows his head and thank them for the compliments. 'Seriously. You cook with love. That's something I lack. Ha!'

'What do you mean, Mister Evans? You don't cook.'

'Because I'm bad at it.' Jaxon spoons the remaining tofu and slurps it, earning a groan from Watanabe who's been too quiet ever since they entered the two's unit. He's barely touched the fish and mostly consumed tofu. Alasdair wishes Watanabe had lost his appetite and offered him the tofu instead. It's too good to be eaten by someone who's unappreciative.

Noritaka whines that he needs something sweet which Eien answers with, 'I am glad you still have room for a dessert. I didn't make it, unfortunately. I've run out of time. However, I do believe everyone will love it. It's umaibo. Who doesn't love umaibo?'

Watanabe dares to raise his hand but Declan swats it away. 'Yeah, everyone loves umaibo!' Declan declares.

'I love umaibo! Give them all to me!' Noritaka says.

'I knew it.' Eien pushes himself off the chair and approaches the fridge.

Alasdair doesn't fancy nor hates umaibo. He simply doesn't see the appeal. But if Eien says it's good, then he sees no reason to say no.

* * * *

He checks the time: ten in the evening. Shit. He forgot about his extra class. The moment Eien had told him that he was going to cook, everything became irrelevant. Kaito will surely call him and ask what's wrong. That doesn't matter. He'll say he got too busy reviewing with his classmates. Besides, it's still the examination week.

Musing how many excuses he could provide, it's slipped from him that Watanabe and Eien are missing. Noritaka is fast asleep, Jaxon is playing with his phone and Declan is bored to death. The unit itself is quite small, so the two can either be in the bedroom or in the kitchen. Perhaps he should leave them alone. After all, they have a problem that is needed to be patched up.

And yet why can't he stop himself from standing up and exiting the study room? Curiosity is the word he's looking for and certainly not jealousy. Why would he even—he shakes his head. Why is he doing this to himself?

Gingerly, Alasdair peers outside. He checks if the coast is clear before stepping out. Declan shoots him a glance and then goes back to rubbing his eyelids. Jaxon doesn't notice him at all. Now that he focuses more, it doesn't look like the blond is playing a mobile game. He's busy messaging someone.

He closes the door behind him and strides to the kitchen. To his disbelief, neither Watanabe nor Eien is here. That only means they're outside. Alasdair shuts his eyes, searching for Watanabe's energy. It's jagged, as though if he dares to follow it, he'll bleed. Watanabe's energy sometimes changes based on his mood. Luckily, Watanabe himself is predictable. So without any hesitation, Alasdair grasps the force and lets it guide him towards his friend.

Once he's outside the unit, his phone vibrates in his pocket. Must be Watanabe, he thinks. His shoulders sag after checking the caller I.D. 'Good evening, Father,' he says, gripping the device between his thumb and his middle finger as though it's a slimy thing.

'Good evening. How was the first day?'

He glances around. He has to make sure no one is hearing him or at least watching him. As a Yamato, he's used to being followed, being spied on. Who wouldn't be tempted to kidnap the son of a billionaire? 'It's fine. I'm confident I did well.'

'Good. I'm glad. Although Chris has called and said you didn't—' he blocks the rest. Of course, they'd told on him. He can't blame them. No matter how much their staff want to keep secrets for him, they're too afraid to lose their job. Not only it pays well, it literally holds their lives.

'I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you that I've decided to study on my own. Well, together with some of my classmates. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't be distracted by people I barely interact with.' He keeps his voice low and nonchalant. It's all right, Kaito is not the only one who has mastered that tone.

Kaito hums, drumming his fingers against his desk. Yes, he gets it, Kaito has to force him to listen to that stupid noise. 'I understand. Good luck.'

Thank goodness he's stopped himself from letting out a big breath before he could even release it. 'Don't worry, I'll—' I'll make you proud. 'I'll do my best.'

'Right. And Alasdair?'

He grips his phone tighter until he feels it getting warmer. 'Yes?'

'Nothing. I just want to say...well, good night.'

A lot of Kaito's actions have had caught him off guard and he easily brushed them off. But this...this is something his father barely does, so whenever it happens, Alasdair never knows what to do.

'Thanks. I mean, good night too. Have a nice dream.' He cringes at how idiotic he sounds.

'Yes, I will. Thank you. Goodbye.'

'Goodbye.' He waits for his old man to end the call before he lets his hand dangle beside him. What a mess. What a mess that he is. His heart throbs not with pain but with longing. Kaito hasn't always had been cold. As a child, there had been times when his father had spent fun times with him. His favourite part of their mansion is the playground. Nobody uses it anymore. All it is for is to hold the memories he keeps deep inside his mind.

Kaito used to help him with the swing, pushing him until it became dangerously too high. But little Alasdair was never afraid. Because his father always caught him before he could lose his balance. And then they would laugh and have a tickle fight. Alasdair lets himself smile. It's okay, no one is here to see him. No one—

'What are you doing here, Yamato-kun?' His face freezes as he regards the small boy in front of him. 'Are you all right?'

Alasdair scans the corridor. 'Where is Watanabe? Wasn't he with you?'

'Yes, he was. But he said he was getting too tired, so he decided to head back to his place. Don't worry about his bag. He'll pop here tomorrow. How about you? What are you doing here?'

I was looking for you. 'I had to take a call.'

'Okay. It's getting late now. I believe it is time to go home.'

He bobs his head. 'That's true. Although I suggest not to wake Noritaka up. I'll bring his uniform tomorrow.'

A small smile dabs Eien's lips. Jaxon calls it "the barely-there smile". And the title is fitting. 'You are so sweet, Yamato-kun. Anyone is fortunate to have you as a friend.' He doesn't know why he has this delusion that Eien will stand on his toes and embrace him or...no. What wishful thinking. 'Come on, Yamato-kun. It's not good to stay out here. You might get cold.'

'What did you two talk about, anyway?' he asks as they go inside.

'Nothing much. He said he needs me to understand his choice and that none of it is my fault. Honestly, our talk, despite how short it was, made me feel better about myself.'

'Did he say why he refused your help?'

'Not really. I detected a high level of stress. Perhaps it is guilt that has hampered his true desire to have his hand back.'

'Or pride.'

Eien pauses, chewing his lip. 'Perhaps.'