Liar's Desire ✔️

8| Unexpected Guest

Carlos's POV

I had snuck into Tristans house through his bedroom window. Honestly, I just wanted to apologize for throwing him into a panic but I didn't expect to witness a conversation between him and his...mirror? 

"I could love you if you were mine!" I could hear him singing some rock song in the shower, "This is all just a waste of time! If you were mineee I wouldn't minddddd!" 

I awkwardly stood outside the bathroom door and slowly backed away, I felt like I was witnessing something that was not supposed to be witnessed. 

He kept singing and I felt bad for breaking in. I could've just knocked and I decided I was going to sneak out through his window to enter again but this time by knocking at the front door. 

"Good evening Mrs. Kim!" I exclaimed, "Is Tristan home?"

I knew the answer to that, in fact, he was singing in the shower in that very moment. 

"I didn't know my son has friends," she said, "We're just about to have dinner, would you care to join us?" 

"I don't have any other plans," I said, "I would love to join your family for dinner!" 

I could smell gimbap and kimchi coming from the kitchen. I had the worst spice tolerance so I knew that I was going to suffer. 

"You smell way better than you did before, Tristan," his mother exclaimed. 

Tristan looked at me in terror, "What are you doing here? Did you get lost? I can help you find the bus stop! Do wealthy people take the bus?" 

I tried to contain my laughter, he was way too paranoid. 

"He's staying for dinner," his mother said. 

After his mother set the food on the table, we all sat down. Tristan was across from me and his mother was next to him while his father sat next to me. 

"So, how do you know Tristan?" his father asked me. 

"School friends," I said, "We were classmates." 

"Which class?" his mother asked, smiling ear to ear. 

"Math class," I responded. We used to have a lot more classes together but decided not to mention that. 

"You and my son should hang out more often! Honestly, he's such a bum staying at home all the time. Actually, today is his first meal in three days!" his mother exclaimed. 

I looked at Tristan then stared at my feet. I had taken my shoes off at the entry and my socks looked like they had gone through a lot. 

Tristan didn't seem to be doing too well. I wondered if it was because of the little stunt I decided to pull the other day. Now I regretted it even more. Now I was the one who was sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry. I shouldn't have done that. Maybe I was the horrible one. 

"After this you're going to study, Tristan," his mother began, "Not like you do anything else." 

Tristan rolled his eyes, "Whatever." 

He was staring at his food and I knew that something was off with him. He was acting like I did before I transferred. 

I looked at him and he looked back at me. It looked like we were having a staring contest except blinking was allowed. I took a bite of my food and he did too, I knew that would get him to eat. He ate two more pieces and got up, "Aight, bye." 

"Tristan! Where are your manners?" his mother yelled, "Sit back down!" 

She was scolding him in Korean and I understood every word she said. I just awkwardly sat there and listened to him get degraded by his own mother. 

When she finished yelling at him, I excused myself, saying that I needed to use the restroom. 

"Tristan! Go make yourself useful and show your friend where the bathroom is!" she yelled. 

I didn't actually need to use the restroom, I just needed Tristan to listen to my apology. 

"Why are you here," he asked in a disappointed tone, "I don't deserve to be looked at or talked to or---."

I cut him off, "I'm sorry about what happened about a week ago."

He didn't say anything. He looked like a deer caught in headlights as he backed into the bathroom door, which wasn't completely closed causing him to fall to the floor. 

I went to help him up when I noticed all the glass on the floor, "What is this?"

He still didn't say anything, he looked so disturbed. 

His eyes met mine and he looked like he was about to cry. I didn't know what to do so I just sat beside him on the floor. 

"Want me to help you clean the glass before someone else see's it?" I offered. 

He shook his head, "I've already done enough." 

I stepped over him and found a bunch of paper towels underneath the sink. With the paper towel, I began to clean the glass off the sink. 

Tristan got up and used a paper towel to clean the glass off the floor. After I finished cleaning the sink, I couldn't help but notice him staring at a large piece of glass on the floor. 

"Tristan, you okay?" I asked him.

He didn't respond and just kept staring at it. 

I picked it up and threw it away. He was still staring at the spot it was in before and I had no idea what to do. 

I snapped my fingers in front of his face, "Tristan!" 

He got up and threw away the paper towels, "I finished." 

When we went back to the living room, his mother asked, "What took you two so long?"

She noticed the wounds on his fist and looked worried, "Did you two fight?"

"No Mrs. Kim, the door just wouldn't budge," I lied. 

She breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down. 

"Thank you for having me over for dinner," I said as I closed the front door, "Bye, Tristan."

He looked like he wanted to say something but didn't say anything. 

"Tristan! Where are your manners? Say goodbye!" his father yelled. 

"Bye, Carlos," Tristan said softly. 

That wasn't the Tristan I went to school with. The Tristan I went to school with was invulnerable but now, he wasn't the same.