Symbiosis: The Art of Relationships | Newtmas

Chapter 1: The Art of One Night Stands

Newt woke up one Sunday morning naked on a stranger's bed. His head was throbbing a little due to a hangover and his body was a little sore. He slowly opened his eyes to see that he was face to face with the sleeping stranger, whose name he recalled was Thomas. The latter had his arms wrapped around Newt's waist. Upon noticing this fact, Newt quickly pulled away from the hug. Cuddling was not really Newt's thing, especially with strangers who he had one night stand with.

A loud vibration came from one of the discarded clothes on the floor. Newt figured that it must be coming from his phone. He got up from the bed to pick up his pants and rummaged through the pockets to grab his phone. Upon unlocking it, he noticed that his sister, Lizzy, was calling. He checked the time - thirteen minutes to seven, which was definitely way too early for his sister to be calling. He also noticed the many notifications that came from Instagram but he ignored it as he answered the call.

"Hey, Lizzy--" He was immediately cut off by his sister the moment he started speaking.

"Who the hell is Tommy and why haven't I heard about him until now?!" She was yelling from the other line that Newt had to lower the volume of his phone.

"Tommy? Who's Tommy?" He was a hundred percent certain that he did not know anyone who went by that name.

"Really? You're going to keep this up after you basically told all your followers on Instagram?" For a second, Newt wondered if his account got hacked (that would explain the sudden boost in the notifications) but he did not have time to dwell on it as he noticed Thomas stirring on the bed. He was reminded that he was still naked at a stranger's home and it was no place to have a chit-chat with his sister.

"Lizzy, I have a bit of a headache. Can I talk to you later?"

"Yes, we are definitely going to talk later. Do not dare to spare any detail. By the way, I kind of told mum and dad about it and now, they want to reconnect with you. They're more understanding now so would it be all right if they call you?"

Newt's parents had cut connections with him ever since he came out as a homosexual a year after he graduated college. He loves his parents so much but he actually anticipated that, given how conservative they were. He saved enough money to live by himself in case the worst were to happen. It did happen. So, Newt had been living alone for five years now. Thankfully, Lizzy was more open-minded and she still kept in contact with him. Their parents were staying in London while Lizzy was staying in another state in the USA. The two siblings would occasionally meet each other whenever they find the time but their parents were never mentioned in their conversations.

"They are?" Newt could not help but sound hopeful. Of course, he was happy. He still loved his parents even after what they did to him. Since they seemed to have changed according to Lizzy, everything seemed to be all right again.

"Yes, of course, they are."

"Bloody hell, did the gays successfully brainwashed them too? Why are they so accepting suddenly?" He could recall his father saying that he was brainwashed by the gays at the time he came out. Newt was laughing softly not out of humour but out of gladness at the news. "Tell them to ring me. I'm free for the rest of the day today."

"All right then. I'll tell them to call you later and I will too. Bye-- and oh, before I forget, congratulations on your engagement! Love you! Bye!" Newt was silent even until after Lizzy hung up the call. His eyebrows were furrowed as he wondered- what engagement?

"What the hell?" Thomas suddenly uttered out, making Newt look at him. The former was still lying on the bed under a thick blanket and he was scrolling through his phone.

Newt squinted his eyes, a little confused and curious what caused the reaction, but the confusion and the curiosity were not enough fuel for him to ask anything. He decided to ignore Thomas as he picked up his discarded clothes from last night and started dressing up. A few seconds later, Thomas got up as well and wore a pair of clean sweatpants from his wardrobe.