broken clocks| ⁽ ᵇˣᵇ ⁾

iii.

❛ CHAPTER THREE ❜

003.| 𝒐𝒉𝒂𝒋𝒊

THE BLONDE'S JOVIAL GIGGLES AND CARTER'S GRUFF LAUGHTER subside when Ohaji approaches. Both of their expressions sages at his presence—the girl's out of confusion as she looks at him with a pompous furrow while Carter's face sobered in a depleted mar as he hurriedly withdrew his hand from around the blonde's waist and took a few preemptive steps away from her. "Can we help you?" She asked, though her acidic tone contradicts her attempts at sounding helpful. She appeared and sounded annoyed at Ohaji for interrupting her conversation with his boyfriend.

Carter averts his gaze between the two of them and steps around the girl, who keeps her eyes attentively on him. "Can we talk later? I'm kind of busy right now." He ripostes pleadingly; the tenor of his voice lilts one of desperation and his eyes continuously wandered over Ohaji's shoulder—wearily searching the room for his father to assure that he hadn't noticed Ohaji's interception.

"I just wanted to—" Ohaji's sentence trails off airily when he feels the heaviness of a hand pressing against his back. From the way Carter's expression weens, he didn't have to turn around to know that Paul had made his way over to them and had come to dispel him away. His braying laughter ricochets throughout the room as he squeezes a hand on Ohaji's shoulder before stepping beside him.

Paul's mouth jutted upward in a rictus smile; the kind of smile that Ohaji recognized all too well as disingenuous. Paul stands between them; his height towering and exigent. He averts his attention towards the blonde, outstretching his hand towards her in greeting. "Olivia, it's always good to see you."

The blonde—Olivia—smiles at his doting tone as she wraps her hand around his and gives it a gentle shake. "You too, Mayor Kemp." Ohaji was bewildered that Paul's voice could actually hold a tone that sounded this welcoming and friendly; it was certainly something he hadn't heard prior to tonight.

"I see you and Carter are catching up." He acknowledges, greeting his son with a curt nod.

Olivia's smile widens in mirth at the mention of Carter. She nods, resting her hand on his forearm again. "Yeah, we are. Well, were." She says sardonically at the pretense, her insinuation regarding Ohaji's interrupting presence is blatant and all three of them turn to look down at him.

Paul's smile falters a bit, but he quickly pulls it upward to masquerade it before anyone could notice; well, anyone except Ohaji. "I see..." Carter alerts at his father's heeded gaze on Ohaji and immediately steps forward to intercept; placing a hand on his shoulder as he began guiding him towards the other direction.

"I'll be right back." He assures Olivia, sharing a knowing and apologetic look with his father before turning back around to Ohaji. "What are you doing?!" He exclaims in a hushed whisper through his bared teeth. He ganders around the room to assure no bystanders had overheard his reproach.

Once they're in a sequestered place out of the view of any wandering eyes, Carter's hand abandon its perch on his shoulder in favor of resting at the small of his back. They were standing outside of the gala's main ballroom, near the bathroom's corridor. The cacophony of music reverberated in the halls, spilling over their voices as they spoke in their sotto voces. Ohaji pouts at his boyfriend reprimanding tone, nearly shrugging his hand off of him as he recoiled from the embrace.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I haven't seen you all night; forgive me for missing you."

Carter sighs softly, reigned with gutted remorse. "Babe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get upset." He murmurs, reaching his hand out to grab ahold of Ohaji's. His doe eyes marred this solemn, apologetic expression that makes it hard for Ohaji's anger to persist. "It's just you know that this is important for my father and as much as I'd rather be with you instead of sucking up to a room full of people, I can't right now."