The Time You Were Gone | Eremin Story

A cry out

~Chapter 23 of part 2~

H

e hurried to unlock the door of his house as he didn't feel like carrying all this weight on his shoulders much longer. For his surprise though, it was unlocked.

Historia was insistent on keeping the door locked even when her brother and she were home, because even if they were, was there a way of them to protect themselves if somebody barged in? By this logic if the intruders were so well equipped what would be the effort of breaking a door down? Not that they had something that precious to be stolen from.

So, indeed an unlocked door seemed strange to him, but again the bags on his back directed his attention to entering sooner than later, so he did. And after all, he locked it after him.

Strangely quiet, but the slight smell of fried chicken made his suspicions of being left alone in the big house for his big return fly away. It was his sister's favourite meal and honestly he had grew nostalgic for these only few days of his going.

Stepping a few steps closer inside, he was about to yell the so typical "I'm home" before his eyes causelessly moved to the side, locking with another ones that seemed to be a complete copy of his own.

He realized the room was very well Illuminated. The curtains to the front porch were opened. And everything that was there to be seen could be seen. He didn't need to look at the window to know, his fathers eyes spoke enough.

Armin stared back at him for a few seconds before deciding to say it anyway. "I'm home." It left drier than it was intended.

His father was sitting on the sofa, which was faced backwards to the door and windows, with a book in his hands which was opened. On his back he wore a grey shirt his son remembered well from before. A shirt that stood as good as on another human being, when he was drenched from the rain and needed dry clothes and a shelter. His heart suddenly sank and as much as he didn't want to show it, he knew his eyes were wide open.

He prayed to God or whatever there was that could be prayed to that his father didn't see a thing. That until now he was reading his book silently and they weren't loud enough to be heard in this silent house.

"Welcome. How was the trip?" He got an expected restrained response he was glad to get this time. Could this mean he didn't notice? With his father he could never tell.

Armin tried to put a reassuring smile on his face as he nodded a few times more than the necessary. "It was awesome. My friends and I had lots of fun."

He didn't need to say anything else. If he wanted to speak about his trip, his sister was always available, and honestly his father never seemed too interested in what he had to say. But he couldn't help but notice his gaze didn't go back to the words on his book. He was still looking at him, protractedly.

Did he expect something else? Armin looked around nervously, trying to come up with something else that could be said but it seemed hard at the moment. "We saw the sea."

He also got drunk and had sex with another boy. And he enjoyed it. He felt like his father could read this in his mind.

"And how was the drive back?"

"It was.. Okay." He wasn't sure how he should reply to this. In the end he dared to say more. "My friend drove me back."

"Your friend?" His father asked.

"Yes." His son whispered back, still standing in the middle of the living room, without a dare to move.

He was about to remind him the name, but his throat had for some reason tightened. Even if it wasn't his lips refused to part away. So he just stood there.