My Boyfriend Ron

Albert

How are you, my dear boyfriend? Long time no see.

Albert's words were echoing in my mind. Before anyone else could notice the pale face, whether it was Adam or someone else, I hugged Albert tightly. "Really, long time no see?" My smile was wider than usual.

"Surprise!" Adam announced  as Albert and i moved towards them.

Kooni, overjoyed, stood up and twirled around, exclaiming, "Oh my God, Albert, I can't believe it!

Kooni and George hugged him, and George asked, "Where did you disappear to all of a sudden?" Albert didn't say much, just brushed it off. Albert hugged George, and after greeting everyone, Adam said, "Come on, he just got here, let him sit down and relax. You can ask him all your questions later."

As night fell, the cold intensified. Seeing Albert suddenly had left me speechless.

Albert was a year or two older than us. He was very handsome, and anyone could get lost in his eyes.

He was the librarian at our school. Although he was good in his studies, he couldn't focus much due to some family issues. Despite being a school librarian, his parents had left quite a burden on him. They no longer lived here.

The truth was, Albert had tried to assault a girl allegedly. His parents were deeply ashamed. His father was the sheriff. And then, suddenly, his family disappeared. But  as son, they left their home for him.

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My friendship with him started in the library. After his parents left, he was in desperate need of work. I saw him several times trying to secure the librarian job at our school, and I also noticed him frequenting at "Forso Diner" quite often. Just by looking at him, you could tell he really needed a job.

One night, I was working at that very diner. I took a ten-minute break from work and went outside to sit. My ears were tired from hearing Susan and Romina gossip all the time.

As soon as I sat down on the wooden bench outside, I noticed Albert sitting across from me on the opposite bench, just across the street. He had just walked out after talking to Susan, the owner of our diner. Susan had also gossiped about him with Romina.

Albert's hair and eyes instantly drew me towards him. Maybe there was some lust within me, but Albert's beauty was impossible to ignore. It was this very style of his that was making it difficult for him to find work.

I didn’t say anything to him; I just kept imagining him in my dreams at that time as i saw him. He was smoking a cigarette, and for some reason, the way he smoked intrigued me. I began to imagine myself kissing his neck, sometimes on one side, sometimes on the other. My soft lips were on his body, and as I kissed him, I started unbuttoning his shirt. But then, Carlos's loud voice dragged me out of my pleasant daydreams. "Are you planning to sit here all night?" Carlos's voice was so loud that Albert noticed me. Our eyes met, and my heart stopped right there.

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Everyone was quietly reading, but my phone kept ringing. Every time it rang, all eyes turned towards me, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of embarrassment. One of the boys stood up and loudly shushed me. I couldn’t get up and leave; I had to finish my work.

Albert came over to me and gestured for me to step outside. Embarrassed, I followed him out of the library. At that moment, I was fully alert. I needed to focus on studying, so I managed to control myself and not think about Albert.

"Can’t you keep your phone on silent?" he asked angrily as soon as we stepped out of the library.

"My phone fell this morning, and it hasn’t been working properly since. I did put it on silent, but..." I began to explain, but he cut me off mid-sentence. "I didn’t ask for an explanation. Get this junk of a phone fixed before you step foot in the library again," he said, walking towards the library door. Just as he reached the door, he added, "You’re not allowed back inside for now."

That was our first face-to-face encounter.

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"So this was your surprise," George said, placing a hand on Adam's shoulder. We were all sitting at the dining table. Kooni and I on one side, George, Adam, and Albert on the other. It felt like a clear divide—Kooni and I representing the middle class, while the three of them embodied the upper class.

"Yes, this was my surprise," Adam replied. Befor Albert, Adam had ordered some food which none of us knew. And now it was placed in front of us on our plates. I remained silent.

"A lot happened in our town. My parents left, and even though you all know there was nothing true about the rumors being spread about me, and after what happened with Adam's sister... I just didn’t feel like staying there anymore. The place started feeling cursed to me," Albert began sharing his story, one we were all already familiar with. Yet, we listened in silence. Adam's face become sad listening about his sister.

"I missed you a lot, Ron," Albert said.

"You miss me?" I looked at him, then at Adam.

"Yeah, you and your constant pestering in the library," Albert replied.

I felt relieved and started laughing, and soon, everyone joined in.  It felt like a secret was about to be revealed.

Meanwhile, Kooni's phone kept ringing, but she was ignoring it. George noticed something was off. He got up from his seat, walked over to Kooni, and gave her a peck on the lips, to which Adam exclaimed, "Oh, God!" Then, George slyly took Kooni's phone from her lap and answered it without even looking at the screen. They often played such pranks on each other. And I hated it.

On the other end of the line was Connie's dad. "Kooni, Kooni, come home quickly. Your mother, She is no more," he said crying loudly. Hearing this, George froze in shock, standing there like a statue. He wouldn't even move.