Roundabout Way to You

20. Caught

Even the air conditioning that was in full swing couldn't stop Sarth from sweating buckets under the scrooching stare that Anwit was directing at him.

Mihit had to stay another night in the office. So, he had called Anwit, requesting him to take in Sarth for another night. His apartment was installed with biometric locks and only had his own fingerprint. Sarth wouldn't be able to stay there unless he himself came and opened the door for him.

When Sarth came back Anwit was already waiting for him. They hadn't had the 'conversation' about what happened in the morning as both of them were in a hurry to get to work. But now, Sarth was completely trapped.

"I am going to need an explanation, phi," Anwit had his hand folded across his chest as he sat across Sarth. "I am really curious na. How did they know my name? How did they even recognize me? And most importantly, what made them think that I would date you? I really need answers to these questions."

Sarth felt as if his brain had stopped working he couldn't even think of a lie that he could tell Anwit so that he wouldn't get suspicious.

"P' Sarth, are you going to tell me or should I call your mom and ask her?" Anwit showed his phone. Bella had given him her number before leaving.

"No, Don't!" Sarth exclaimed in fear. If Anwit made the call, the castle he made from his lies would collapse in front of his parents and he knew for sure that they wouldn't let him off if that happened.

"Great!" Anwit smiled. "Start talking then." He placed the phone on the table between them.

Sarth bit his lips and took in deep breaths before starting to talk. "Actually, due to some personal reasons, I had to move in with my parents for a while."

"What does that have to do with my questions?"

"That's what I am getting at." Sarth gulped. "My mom and Aunt Jolly wanted to set both me and Hit up for blind dates." He fiddled with his fingers as he was so tensed. 

He didn't want to be kicked out at night. He knew that he would be if he continued. But he had no way out of the situation. "Both me and Hit didn't want to be set up. So, I lied that both of us were seeing someone."

Anwit raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. Sarth currently looked like a kid who was caught stealing candy from the candy jar to him and he found it kind of cute. An urge to tease the older guy rose in his mind.

"Please continue," He pressed his lips together to prevent himself from smiling.

Throughout the conversation, Sarth had his head hung low. He didn't dare raise his head and meet Anwit's gaze. If he had he would have seen the mischievous smile that was threatening to break on Anwit's lips. 

"That was when my mom went through the phone and found those pics that we took together last time."

"The one that you clicked on the day after you got dumped?"

"I didn't get dumped!" Sarth said defensively.

"Yeah, you got duped," Anwit chuckled.

Sarth didn't refute that. He was indeed duped by his ex-girlfriend.

"So, what happened after your mom saw our photo? Did you tell her you guys were seeing us?" Anwit could guess that much by joining the dots.

"I had no other choice! You guys fit in perfectly to the situation!" Sarth got defensive again.

"You had no other option? Of course, you had a choice. And that choice was to agree with your mom and go on blind dates."

"I just got out of a very toxic relationship. I need time to heal my heart."

"Heal your heart?" Anwit laughed. "Do you want to be left on the shelves?"

"What the heck do you mean by 'left on the shelves'? I can still find a girlfriend myself!"

"Come on, phi. You in your forties and you want to find a girlfriend?" Anwit laughed out loud.

"What's wrong with me finding a girlfriend? And for your information. I am not in my forties. I am yet to enter my thirties, alright?"

"Thirties or forties, just admit that you are an old man, phi." Anwit giggled.

"So what if I am old? Don't older people find girlfriends?"

"They do. But only the ones with some qualities."

"What qualities?"

"Qualities like... being rich, which apparently you are not. Handsome..." Anwit looked at him from head to toe. "That too you are not." He sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

"I am not handsome?" Sarth asked pointing at himself in disbelief.

"I don't like to shun anyone for their appearance, but I think someone has to give you a reality check, right? I am volunteering myself for that." Anwit smirked. "You are just a normal guy, phi. You don't stand out in the crowd. Just look at those limbs of yours, they are so thin. Even the scarecrow placed in the rice field has thicker limbs than you."

Sarth looked down at his limbs in dismay.

"Have you seen P' Yut's forearms? Have seen the veins? You know, girls love it."

"So, what if my veins don't show like his? I am not going for the blood donation campaign or anything that the girls need to find my veins."

"This. This exactly is your problem."

"'What' is my problem?"

"You airheadedness."

"Are you calling me dump, kid?" Sarth was enraged.

"Are you not?" Anwit smirked seeing Sarth starting to get worked up.

Sarth suddenly went quiet. There were many instances when he felt that he was dumping himself. Like the time when he caught Kitty cheating on him. He felt so dumped when he realized that she had been cheating on him for years that too with different people. He felt dumped when her colleagues told him that she used to brag to them that he was just a money-making machine to her.

The smirk on Anwit's face faded as he saw Sarth go mum. He realized that he might have crossed the line in the previous statement. "Phi, some people would find you funny and cute na." He had to salvage the situation.

"You don't have to console me, kid. I know whatever you said was true." Sarth said with a straight face, but his voice was cracked.

Anwit's words had touched a raw nerve in his heart. No matter how happy he acted, how he acted as if the end of the relationship hadn't affected him, he knew from the inside that it had left a deep scar in his heart. He had invested a lot in the relationship through the years, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. It hadn't been easy for him. 

"I am sorry that I dragged you two into such a situation. I will make sure that our moms won't disturb you anymore." He said sincerely. He no longer wished to continue the conversation. He wanted to be alone. "I am pretty tired. I will be retiring to bed early tonight."

He stood up to leave.

"Phi, wait!" Anwit immediately stood up and grabbed Sarth's hand, making the latter stop. "I was only joking, phi. I~"

"I already told you that it was alright," Sarth replied without turning around to look at Anwit.