Hatin' Hue: A JOKEN AU

HH 15

"Tanga asan kayo?" Silver on the other line exclaimed in shock.

"May mas itataas pa ba 'yan, par? Dito nga sa bahay ko, paulit-ulit naman," Han whispered back, making sure Caleb, who was sleeping on his side, wouldn't hear.

Silver remarked, "Bihis ako, samahan ko kayo diyan," but Han turned him down right away.

Sounding a little stressed and agitated, Silver said to his pal, "Aba! Gumugusto ng bebe time? Akala ko ba tinapakan ang buong pagkatao mo ng mga Hue kanina?"

"Sige taasan mo pa, bespal. Ako susugal dito? Alam kong masasaktan lang ako sa dulo," Han responded.

He looked at Caleb, who had just finished crying and had fallen asleep soundly. He continued, "Pero sa dulo pa naman masakit siya."

Silver yelled, "Tangina ka," so loudly on the other end that Han was startled and dropped his phone, waking Caleb.

"What's that?" Caleb sprang up right away.

"Light sleeper ka pala, cute," Han pondered.

Han answered, thinking he had an excellent alibi, "Nalaglag lang phone ko, nagsend kasi si Silver ng selfie," but he saw how quickly Caleb's mood changed.

"Si tamang hinala nga pala 'to," Han thought.

"You know, jumpscare," he said, and Caleb grinned and nodded in response. He continued, saying, "Tulog ka na ulit."

Caleb answered, "No, I need water; my throat dried up," to which Han inadvertently gave him a long, hard look from his lips all the way down to his neck and they gulped in unison.

There was silence for a long moment, and then Han bent his head to look at Caleb's lower abs. "Too big," he murmured. He exclaimed, "Tubig! Oo, kauhaw! Diyan ka lang! Dadalhan na rin kita!" and bolted for the kitchen.

Han wanted to rip off his hair and slam his head against the wall, but he was unable to do so. Instead, he let out a silent scream to let out all of his feelings for Caleb while they are under one roof.

With his arms folded, Caleb leaned on the bedroom door frame and asked, "Anong ginagawa mo?"

Tranfounded, Han quickly gave Caleb the glass of water. But the closer they remained from each other, the more unsteady his heart beat grew.

The water sloshed down Caleb's shirt as Han's hands kept trembling. "Shit," was all Caleb could say.

Han said, "Sorry! Sorry," and turned to bring him a tissue. However, to Han's further surprise, Caleb had changed out of his wet shirt and remained topless.

Han's trembling made Caleb think he wasn't comfortable around him. It started on their way home earlier when Caleb observed how uneasy Han was getting. He remembered the conversation he had with Crimson.

"Are you sure you're not coming with me? You know it's still unsafe out there," said Crimson.

Han kept cutting in, "Gar, mas ligtas pag kasama niya ako."

"Mr. Hue knowing that I'm with you would just feed his ego even more," Caleb replied.

"Ha? Bakit?" inquired Han.

Crimson replied, "About that, what will happen?"

Then Caleb said, "I think I bought us some more time. He's furious, and that will take about a month before he'll approach me again," causing Crimson to sigh with relief.

Han questioned, "Anong meron?" but the two chose not to address him.

After seeing Han's uneasiness, Caleb made up his mind to tell him everything. He said, "Let's talk."

Looking at Caleb's bare upper torso, Han said tremblingly, "Usap lang?"

"I mean, usap lang tayo walang problema," Han said, reaching into his closet for a shirt. "Medyo nagamit ko na 'yan pero nalabahan naman na. 'Yan muna isuot mo habang hindi mo pa naa-unpack mga gamit mo."

A smile appeared on Caleb's face as though Han had tugged at his lip strings.

"May sasabihin din ako, pwedeng ako muna?" Han questioned tensely, fumbling with his fingers and unwilling to look directly into Caleb's eyes.

Caleb hummed as he nodded. Han cleared his throat before saying, "Sa maikling panahong nagkasama tayo, nakilala na kita sa malalim na paraan. May mga nasasabi kang hindi lubos na totoo. Binabalot ng masasakit na salita ang takot sa puso mo."

"Han, I really thank you for understanding, but can we cut the chase? Marami pa tayong kailangang pagusapan other than our arguments," Caleb responded.

Han once more cleared his throat, saying, "May mas malalim kang rason kung bakit bigla mong naisipan ang ganong deal. Alam kong hindi ka pa handang sabihin kung ano 'yon, pero handa akong maghintay at tumulong. Isang buwan? Pumapayag na ako."

Caleb was caught off guard, feeling as though there was a lump in his throat and kept coughing. Panicked, Han said, "Huy, Cal! Ayos ka lang?"

Caleb replied, taking a long breath, "Actually, I was about to tell you my reasons."

Han regarded Caleb with a puzzled expression as his heart began to race upon hearing Caleb's next statements. Caleb said, "After months of being away, I had only recently returned to the mansion the day we first met. Mr. Hue persisted in having control over my life, and made a big decision that was against my will, which is why I left. And it kept happening every single time I stayed with my so-called family."

Caleb added, "Before I got stabbed, Crimson came to actually warn me for possible dangers along the way," to which Han was simply paying close attention.

"Dangers? Normal sa inyo 'yan, hindi ba?" Han questioned inquisitively since Hues are notoriously known to be the "Kakambal ng peligro" and that's why people are terrified to be near them.

"Tama, but it's a different kind of danger this time. Crimson told me that our engagement has been leaked to other powerful families, and they were opposed to it," Caleb answered.

With wrinkled brows, Han said, "Teka, engagement?"

"Yes, naniniwala sila na when Nase and Hue unite, their family businesses will collapse, kaya gusto nilang hindi matuloy," Caleb responded.

"Teka! Si Crimson at ikaw?" Han questioned, his brows even more pinched in shock.

"Yes, Han. Can we focus on the story? They've been attempting to kill me because of this. They want me gone," Caleb continued.

"Hindi eh, teka. Kailan pa?" Han kept asking.

"See, you're not paying attention to the story. I told you I left the mansion for a long time nung may big decision si Mr. Hue na against sa will ko. And that was it," Caleb answered with a scowl.

Han, still in shock, cried out, "Tekaaa! Ikaw? Eh si Gold? Siya dapat, mahal niya si Crimson."

Caleb answered, "Mr. Hue doesn't want Austin to be in danger."

"Eh ikaw?" inquired Han.

Caleb responded, "He's fine with it—"

Han cut him off and swiftly continued his real question, "Eh ikaw, mahal mo rin si Crimson?"

Han's question stunned Caleb. With their hearts racing quickly, they fixed each other with solemn glances.

With a gulp, Caleb responded, "Someone else has my heart."

To be continued...

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ Author's notes:

TGIF! And thank y'all for reading!

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