If You So Desire (sequel to Turn... and Walk Away)

Chapter 22

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Third Person POV

"Would you like to add the tip to the total, sir?" the restaurant cashier asked Tul as Tul handed his credit card to him.

"Sure," Tul replied. "The waiter who served our table was very attentive to us and was very prompt and friendly with his service. Please add fifteen percent of the total for his tip."

"Very well, sir, thank you so much," the cashier said as he rang up the amount and swiped Tul's credit card on his machine.

The cashier then handed two receipts to Tul, one for him to sign on the bottom part of the receipt and the other for Tul to keep as his copy.

Tul handed back the first receipt after he had signed it and turned around to tell his mom that they were all set to go.

Tul had not yet managed to say a thing to his mom when he heard a familiar voice say "Tul!" in a horrified tone.

What the hell. He turned around to see Max looking at him with an anxious and fearful expression. Tul was about to run away from him, fearing that Max was there to confront him, when he noticed that there was a good looking young man standing beside Max, clutching Max's elbow.

Aah, that explained why Max looked worried. Well, there was no need to run away in fear of hostilities breaking between him and Max. Max would surely not make a scene in front of his date.

Even though it hurt Tul to see that Max had definitely moved on, he managed to say in a calm voice to Max, "It's nice to see you, Max. I'm sorry that my mom and I cannot stop to chat. Have a nice evening."

With those words, Tul grabbed his mom's wrist and led her out of the restaurant as quickly as he could.

As they were walking to the parking lot, Tul's mom said to him, "I really do not want to interfere in your marriage with Max, son, but what the hell is going on between the two of you?"

Tul ignored his mom's question but just kept walking towards the mall's parking lot until they reached his car.

Before he started the engine, Tul turned to his mom, "I would like to tell you more about it, mom, but it would only give you a headache. I promise you I'm going to be alright."

"Then why did you spend the night with your uncle the other day?" his mom asked.

Oh that  tattle tale uncle of mine, Tul shook his head.

"Ok, the other day, when I was about to park my car in the basement parking lot of our condo unit, I saw him from afar standing beside his car which was parked in his allotted spot. I quickly reversed my car and drove away to avoid any further heated conversation and drove straight to uncle's place."

"Why would you think that he was there to confront you?" Tul's mom asked. "What if he was there to try to resolve whatever misunderstanding you have with each other?"

Tul honked at the motorist who cut too closely into his lane before answering.

"Mom, you don't know Max as well as I do," Tul assured her. "When he is of the belief that someone has wronged him in any way, he will enter into a heated confrontation with the other person and that is something that I cannot handle at this time. I just want to live a peaceful life, mom. Am I allowed to do that?"

His mom did not reply. Tul kept driving until he reached his mom's house.

After giving his mom a quick kiss, Tul drove away back to his condo unit.

Not too long after, just after Tul's mom had unlocked the side gate, before she could step inside her driveway, she heard a car screech to a stop behind her.

She turned around and saw Max getting out of his car and running towards her.

"Mom!," he called out to Tul's mom. "I tried to follow Tul's car but I was too far behind but when I saw that he did not turn into the road that leads to our condo unit, I kept going and I realized that he was going to drop you off at your house. It's a good thing that I know your house or else I would not have known where he went because I kept losing his car in the traffic."

Max had been talking so fast that by the time he finished talking he was breathless and gasping for air.

"What can I do for you, son?" Tul's mom asked him in a very compassionate voice.

"I ... I ... " to Max's great horror, big fat tears started rolling down his cheeks.

"What happened to your boyfriend?" Tul's mom asked.

"He's ... he's ... he's not with me. I got him a taxi to take him home so that I could follow Tul's car," Max explained.

"Was it okay with your boyfriend that you didn't bring him home first?" Tul's mom asked.

"No! I mean yes! I mean no! I mean ..."

"Hey, hey, slow down, Max. Just calm down, okay," Tul's mom reached out and started patting Max's shoulder to assure him that everything was going to be fine.

Max took a deep breath and started over. "Mom, that young man you saw with me, he's not my boyfriend, okay? It's true I treated him to a coffee shop and then we went to watch a movie and then ... "

"Max," Tul's mom interrupted Max. "You don't have to give me details of your daily activities. You are a grown man. You are free to do as you please."

"No, mom, no! I have to explain because I'm getting misunderstood here!" Max protested. "You have assumed that the person with me is my boyfriend, which he is not!"

"Okay, calm down, Max," Tul's mom advised Max. "Why don't you just take things easy for now. Don't try going after Tul because he's gonna try to run away from you. He thinks that the reason you're trying to see him is because you're going to make a big confrontation and he just can't handle that right now."

"Is that why he has been avoiding me all this time???" Max asked Tul's mom, his eyes growing wide with realization. "I thought it was because he was with someone else now and no longer wants to have anything to do with me."

"I know my son, Max," Tul's mom tried to assure a very agitated Max. "He would never take up with someone before terminating his relationship with you. If you haven't received any divorce papers in the mail, that means he's still all by himself."

Max quickly turned around to go back to his car but Tul's mom grabbed him.

"Not yet, Max," she said. "Don't go after him yet. He is still of the belief that you are after him to start hostilities. Your trip to his condo unit will only be wasted."

"But that is my condo unit as well!" Max protested. "In fact I might go to the manager's office right now to pay for the next month's rent before Tul pays it ahead of me."

"Go to the manager's office if you must, but don't try to meet up with Tul right now," Tul's mom advised Max.

"Okay, mom," Max said, giving Tul's mom a quick peck on the cheek before going back to his car and driving in the direction of his and Tul's condo.

Max's heart jumped when he saw Tul's car parked in Tul's allotted spot. His husband was at home right now. But he had to follow Tul's mom's advice, so he walked towards the building manager's office instead.

Max knocked briefly on the manager's door before opening it and walking inside.

Sitting on a chair right beside the manager's desk was Tul, in the act of writing a check for the manager.

Tul and Max looked at each other, their faces looking like deer caught in the bright headlights of an oncoming lorry. Both of them did not know what to do next.