HENPECKED 01: Julien Rousseau [BXB] [MPREG]

CHAPTER 11

"Dad, do you think everything will be the same when I go home?" tanong ni Julien sa kaniyang daddy habang abala ito sa pagla-laptop.

They were in his dad's office, about to take a break for the day in a few minutes. Ganoon sila sa opisina, sabay silang mag-amang kumakain ng tanghalian at sabay rin silang pupunta at uuwi sa bahay nila.

Sinarado nito ang laptop bago siya nito sinagot. "There might be a few changes."

Tiningnan niya ang ama na may halong pagtataka.

"What would it be, dad?"

"Like how you expect Hero to look?" natatawang sagot nito sa kaniya.

Isang bagay na hindi niya nagawa habang nasa abroad ay ang makakita ng kahit isang picture ni Hero. His dad forbade him from having any communication with Hero. Even sending a single text message was a major no-no. Isa pa, hindi rin siya pinayagan ng ama na maghanap ng isang tao sa Pinas para padalhan siya ng mga pictures ni Hero. Ayaw kasi nito noon na matukoy ng kalaban na may koneksyon pa siya sa kaibigan o sa kung sino man doon.

They had to fool their enemies into thinking that Hero had nothing to do with him. So, in order to do that, he suppressed any small connection to him.

Alam niya kung gaano ka tuso ang kalaban ng kaniyang ama. Kung gaano ito ka dumi makipaglaro, at kung gaano kasama ang ugali nito.

"I think he would look the same as the last time I saw him. Fat cheeks but definitely adorable," Julien said with a smile. Bahagya niyang nalala ang mukha nito. Buti nalang at marami siyang stolen pictures ni Hero noong nag-aaral pa lamang sila sa Elementarya. May mga pictures rin silang dalawa na magkasama sa kaniyang cellphone. Iningatan talaga niya ang mga iyon para kahit papano ay may makita siyang mukha nito. Plus, he brought the t-shirt that he stole from Hero's laundry basket to France. He framed it and hung it in his room.

Mayroon ring siyang mga pina-frame na nga larawan nito na nilagay niya sa kaniyang kwarto at pati narin opisina. Even a picture of them together was always in his office, on his desk.

"No, son," his dad chuckled at his response. "Hero is far different from what you are expecting."

Bigla namang napaisip si Julien sa sinabi ng ama. Trying to imagine how Hero would actually look like, Julien's dad added, "He's not the cute, adorable, chubby Hero you knew, Julien. He's different now and I know it's for his health condition."

"What do you mean, for his health condition? Is he not doing well? Is he alright?" Nag-umpisa na siyang mag-alala sa dating kaibigan.

"There's nothing to worry about, Julien. He's alright now." His dad explained how Hero had been diagnosed with diabetes and had to undergo dietary changes to manage his health condition.

Kahit ilang beses sinabi ng kaniyang ama na okay na ang kaniyang kaibigan ay hindi parin mapigilan ni Julien na mag-alala.

It had been years since he'd been away from the person he longed for. He finished his studies in France, opting for a program that would benefit him: business. After all, that's how his life revolved—around business.

Sa mga taon na iyon ay hindi niya maitangging sinubukan niya ring kalimutan ang kaniyang dating kaibigan. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the thought that Hero was the reason he had to leave. Hindi mawala sa kaniyang isipan ang mga ngiti nito. Their shared hugs, and especially that time when Hero kissed him on the lips because he gave him a lot of presents, lingered in Julien's mind. He couldn't move on from his childhood friend.

Sa mga taong iyon ay mas nakomperma ni Julien na hindi lang isang simpleng paghanga ang nararamdaman niya sa kaibigan. He definitely fell for Hero head over heels. And, take note, he had never been in a relationship because he couldn't get Hero out of his mind.