Forever and ever 2. The adventure starts now.

Part 93.

Tom's pov~

A back massage didn't sound too bad, but it didn't feel anything like it when I woke up the next morning with the pounding and stabbing of little palms on my chest. Parker was trying to find the right position, scrambling over me like a cat marking its territory. In his hands, he held a small teddy bear, its chest slowly rising and falling. A bear that was familiar to me and had been accompanying me for the past few months.
"What do you have there?" I asked, trying to slowly open my eyes to get a clear view of my surroundings.
"Your Pawty!" he replied. While Parker's Pawty was a small stuffed dog he always carried with him wherever he went because he loved it so much, he was probably right when he said that my Pawty was the little bear Y/N had gifted me for Christmas. I still kept it with me, maybe not as prominently as Parker, who took it to kindergarten, but the fluffy bear still slept in my bed. It always reminded me that Y/N's heart still beat for me whenever I pressed on its chest and it came to life.

"It's nice, eh?" Parker nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from the rising fabric. The sun beamed into my parents' small guest room, the clock in the corner still ticking as loudly as it did when I was a teenager. If I wanted to make the most of the day, I should start getting ready to take Parker and myself home as early as possible. Hence, I took a quick shower before heading downstairs to prepare breakfast for us.

The morning light filtered through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow on the countertops. My youngest brother, Paddy, was already seated at the kitchen island, munching on his cornflakes, which were quite soaked from the generous amount of milk. The sound of a comedy series played from his phone, occasionally drawing chuckles from him until my footsteps distracted him, and he looked up. His hair glowed red in the sunlight, and it seemed like he had grown it out quite a bit too since the last time I saw him. He looked different, more... mature. Unbothered by my presence.
"Since when are you here?" he asked, smacking on the cereal in his mouth. No 'good morning' or 'nice to have you back.' No, that didn't seem to be Paddy's mood. At least, not today.
"Well good morning to you too!" I still greeted him, tousling his hair as I passed by and retrieved two bowls from the wall cabinet. He quickly sidestepped, annoyed by my attempt to bring some cheer, scoffing with a furrowed brow. "Came back last night." I told him. "Mum and Dad picked me up. Where have you been? Weren't in the mood to pick up your dearest brother from the airport?" A wide grin spread across my cheeks. If Paddy was annoyed before, he made it even more evident now. He jabbed at his munchy milk with his spoon but brought about some decorum by stopping the show on his phone, which was causing commotion and restlessness in the room.

Suddenly, it was quiet, and the birds outside chirped in the cold, while the neighbors next door were rolling their bins onto the street.

Paddy shrugged, swiveling on his stool. "No time," he mumbled.

Placing two bowls on the counter, I checked out the cereal next to Paddy's orange juice. They were ordinary cornflakes, and I grimaced at the sight. Neither Parker nor I were the biggest fans. I, for one, preferred chocolate oats curnch, and Parker loved Honey Monster Puffs, which were highly coveted among kids. Not necessarily for the taste, but I suspected it had something to do with the yellow monster on the packaging. He absolutely loved it.

"Oh no? What were you doing?" It seemed like Paddy had lost his appetite as I joined him.
He stood up, his bowl still half full as he poured its contents down the drain, and loaded it into the dishwasher. "None of your business." He murmured, drying his hands with the towel next to the refrigerator.
Okay...
I knew he wasn't in a good mood, but I thought maybe I caught him on a bad day. Now, I began to speculate that I might be the reason behind his grumpy demeanor....
"Where are you off to now?" I called after him as he was putting on his shoes.
"Work. I have a job at the tennis club." he replied. That was the first time I really took notice of what he was wearing. Dressed in a white polo shirt and burgundy tailored trousers, he could easily pass for anything from a waiter to a professional player. The door slammed shut behind him, and Parker cautiously made his way down the stairs. That was the last I saw of Paddy that morning.

~

"Are you sure it was because of you?"
"Yes! Seriously!"
"Mhm..."
"Can you give it a try?"
"What do you mean?"
"Call him and see if he's as cold to you."
"Tom..."
"Please!" I begged, Y/N sighed, feeling it was too early to make so many calls.
"I'll be right back," she said, then hung up and I looked out the window at the blue sky. The weather was starting to improve, unlike the gloomy winter days the last time I was here.

Parker sat beside me on the couch, looking increasingly disinterested as noon approached, and I had promised him we'd go out for lunch. There wasn't much to eat back at home, maybe just a can of tomato sauce. When Y/N called me back a few minutes later, Parker was almost dozing off.

"And?" I immediately asked.
"Sorry to break it to you, but he seemed pretty much himself to me. Did you know he works at the tennis club?"
"Yeah..." I grumbled, realizing Paddy was genuinely upset with me.

"He's also saving up for a gift for his girlfriend," Y/N added.
His girlfriend? That was news to me. "Yeah..." I muttered again, this time with an eye roll. Why didn't he ever mention any of this?

"And he recently joined a tennis team!" She beamed on, managing to hurt my feelings without any intention.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Anything else I should know?" I shouted into the microphone. My frustration wasn't directed at Y/N at all, but rather at the fact that Paddy seemed to keep me in the dark about his life. Parker flinched next to me, definitely awake again.

Deep down, there was a part of me that wanted to be involved in Paddy's life, feeling protective and responsible for him, similar to how I felt about Parker. It irked me that the last real update from him was four years ago when he was around 14 approaching 15. That was the last time we were close, and I used to occasionally bring him along on my adventures.

So perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing that we had less contact lately, because my adventures were turning into hell holes not even the devil himself could survive.

Y/N chuckled softly, voices in the background already sounding unfamiliar to me.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you're just overthinking," she said, and I deeply hoped she was right. If things didn't improve between us tonight, the evening would turn out to be a complete failure. I let out a sigh, scratching my neck. "Yeah..." I mumbled.
"Are you ready? The ball won't hit itself!" I heard someone from Y/N's background yell, a voice that belonged to none other than Clark. It sent my blood boiling and veins pulsating. How could it not bother me when she hung out with him 24/7? It wouldn't even surprise me if they were sharing a bed, although at this point, I wouldn't be able to stay calm anymore.

"Sorry, I have to go. Clark's drilling me hard at 7 in the morning." I knew they were talking about tennis and were probably at the tennis court, but the remarks felt a step too far. I knew I should talk about my feelings towards their relationship, but if I would, Y/N wouldn't understand because of what a great friend he is. I was right when I told her she couldn't see how much he had her wrapped around his finger. He could control her, and if his intentions were truly as nefarious as my gut feeling suggested, something bad was bound to come my way soon.
"I'll call you later! Love you!" she rushed through the line, then hung up.

~There will be two parts today!~