Running From Him (ManxMan) ✔️

Chapter 34: Figure Him Out

The water fell off of his face and splashed down into the sink, swirling around the bowl and taking down any bits of dirt that it could. Santiago sighed, bringing up a towel to his mouth and gently drying the skin there. He looked into his sad brown eyes and dull skin and attempted to morph his face into a smile.

It didn't work.

Sighing again, Santiago turned away from the mirror and exited the bathroom. As the days went by and he dealt with Clark's second rejection, he noticed the energy slowly leave every part of his body.

Santiago had never realized how close he had been to Clark or how much the relationship actually meant to him. But now that he could feel and see the toll it was taking. Santiago tried to ignore it though, and when he was dressed and sure that he had everything he needed to take on him, he left his bedroom.

The room the Stevens family had given him was pretty nice. The second largest room in their three-story townhouse, it had an adjoined bathroom and enough space for a dresser, queen bed, and desk. Santiago spent most of his time in the living room, chatting with the children of the family and finishing homework.

But, it was nice to have so much free space in his bedroom since it was the only place in the house that he could call his.

Santiago went down the wooden tiled stairs quickly, soon entering into the kitchen where most of the family sat. Their mother, Ms. Caroline, was eating a place of toast and eggs a cup of coffee next to her dish. Her eldest child, Mike, eating a similar breakfast.

Her second son, Sable, was digging into a bowl of fruit loops instead. While he splashed around milk and cereal bits, his mother sent silent glares in his direction but did not say a word. Her son gave sheepish smiles back but never altered his approach.

His mother sighed deeply before looking up, finally seeing Santiago entering into the kitchen.

"Santiago! Good morning." Santiago stretched his lips and raised his cheeks, creating an expression that resembled a smile. Ms. Caroline did not blink, accustomed to this new behaviour from Santiago. It had been going on for over a week and she ignored it now.

After saying a quiet "good morning" himself, Santiago went to the cupboard to get himself a bowl of cereal. He went to reach for the fruit loops, but at the memory of Sable devouring them messily, he chose Honey Nut Cheerios instead.

The four of them had a quiet gentle breakfast. During their conversation, Santiago decided to tell them about his plans to see his friends for the day.

He didn't mention that one of the key purposes for it was to discuss Clark but Santiago thought that he didn't need to share that much information with the family. It was better if they stayed blissfully ignorant of the issues he faced. Santiago liked it and wanted to keep it that way.

~~~~~~~

Jasmine had set the group up in her family's game room. Everyone was sitting on the floor, cups of lemonade in hand and hands digging into bags of chips and pretzels.

Jasmine believed that whenever a serious conversation was to be had, snacks should be present to keep all parties calm and satisfied. Santiago could not say that he agreed but he did not argue. He was being fed and that was what mattered.

They started talking about other things and catching up on each others' lives. No one wanted to take the conversation to the serious topic that they came for and, for a while, avoided it.

Mark, while talking about himself, ended up being the person to bring it up.

". . . when I saw that Buff Cat online, I sent it to everyone but I ended up stopping before I sent it to Clark." The mood instantly became solemn and the consistent sound of crunching and sipping suddenly stopped all at once.