" Love Untitled " ~ The Road Home ~ BOOK SIX

BOOK 6 > Ch. 4 ~BENEDICT~

If I could change the world overnight, there'd be no such thing as goodbye. You'll be standing right where you were and we'd get the chance we deserve. Try to deny it as much as you want, but in time our feelings will show.

'Cause sooner or later, we wonder we gave up...  

The truth is everyone knows, almost, almost is never enough, so close to being in love. If I would have known that you wanted me, the way I wanted you. Then maybe we wouldn't be two worlds apart, but right here in each other's arms. Here we almost, we almost knew what love was. But almost is never enough.

~Richard Armani Castro

i...

Richard Armani slowly paced back and forth, his hands on his back, while his face dead serious. Angry and deadly serious. He did this in front of the ten-year-old Benedict, all bruised and scars on his arms, most especially on his face. There were a lot of nasty things playing roughly on his mind and he knew that the bottom line of the domino effect of it all was because this was all his fault.

The large Library located in their condominium echoed his footsteps as he stopped in front of his son, filth all over his torn school uniform, while his newly bought shoes were barely unrecognizable because his kid just had himself involved in a school fight against a much larger pupil than him. From where he stood, he also saw visible revolting red, almost black violet scratches all over Benedict's right and left arm. He was bullied multiple times, that was according to his testimony in front of the school's Principal, and he only fought back. Richard Armani eyed the ceiling and sighed out loud, in all hopes that he can handle this on his own. Being a single parent isn't easy and he realized that now. Most especially if he's raising a boy in his almost adolescent stage.

" Benedict, look at me. "

Benedict slightly flinched from his seat. He assumed that he scared his son as he spoke for the very first time right after he ordered him to take a seat. Still, the not-so-little-boy anymore wasn't close to following his instructions. A few seconds had gone and Benedict's head was still looking down, unmoved by him.