Picture Me & You- The Perfect Two

71. Take Responsibility (b)

"...did my... my parents, they didn't come, did they?"

Rome stopped in his tracks hearing Pick's hoarse voice, hand on the doorknob.

"Your dad's not in the country right now. And..."

"Does she know?" Pick had asked quietly. "Uma, does she know I almost died?"

Rome blinked. It went completely silent on the other end, as if the other person was hesitant to answer or they really had no answer to give.

"Forth. Say it" he heard Pick's pained voice.

"Well, one faggot less in the family, is what she told me"

And Rome's eyes bulged out. How could a mother say that about her own child?

"That's how it is, huh? So be it" Pick sighed, sounding resigned and Rome felt his heart clench for the guy. His parents really didn't care if he lived or died? How horrible could that be?

He himself could never imagine as his parents were his rock, his shelter, his escape. He had always felt that was how most parents were. That was how Beam and Kao's dad was, how May's parents were. But then again, he'd also seen parents like Emma's or Beam and Kao' mom. But still, to hear such a thing a parent said to their own flesh and blood...

"So, this Rome? He will be discharged tonight"

And again, Rome's attention was diverted.

"Oh, so he's really okay? Thank God! Wait, he didn't come to see me, did he? I didn't do something weird to him, did I?" Pick panicked and hissed in pain. Then for a moment, the guy went quiet. "He didn't come to see me? Oh..."

Now why the hell did that idiot sound so disappointed? Do I owe him a visit just cuz he saved me?

Well, duh!

"What shit you did to him?"

"Oh, are we gonna have a heart-to-heart? So, I'll be the only one sharing how I screwed up with my guy, or are we both doing that?"

"Forget it then!"

And Pick laughed. "Alright then..." He went on telling the person how they met.

"...I stalked him cuz the two were inseparable. I used to think he was her boyfriend" he laughed.

What the hell? Rome thought.

"Ah, boy was I wrong. We started annoying them, then we became friends and started hanging out and soon, they both joined the club, which helped save it. And Porsche fell for Emma. That's when my job as a wingman started. I started hanging out with Rome so Porsche could hang out with Emma"

Well, that was nothing new. Rome knew it all.

"I felt, at ease. Yeah, that's what I'd call it. I was at ease, I was comfortable, I was... myself. I could be grumpy or sulk, I could be angry or sad or have fun, I could be... free. I still had no fucking idea he was gay or that he liked me. By the time I did, I was perplexed. I ran as far as I could, I mean, I'm a fucking Rachatrakul" he heard Pick laugh humorlessly and sighed. He knew that too. But there was also what he didn't knew and was about to find out.

"But I had no idea I was already so accustomed to having him, I was already under his spell, I just took far too long to realize it"

Rome's eyes widened.

"You wanna know what I did to him? I rejected him, over and over again, and then every time, I went back looking for him, I went back, knowing he liked me and knowing I wasn't interested in him. I wanted to stay close to him yet, I...  I... now, I look back, I see why I got crap from both Porsche and Emma over how I treated Rome.