No Filter

Chapter LXVII (67)

I hand Bear the one hundred multiplication math sheet. I place it in front of him. He looks at the sheet set in front of him and wrote his name at the top.

"You have five minutes to complete as much problems as you can," I instruct. I look at my phone and unlock it. I press the stop timer and look at Bear. He gets ready, and I press the start button, declaring, "Your time starts now." He begins to solve the problems.

I observe him, filling it out, and I can only hear my own heart beating. It was beating fast. I walk around my table and sat in my chair. My legs were twitching, and my stomach grew jitters. I tap my fingers gently on the table, trying to distract myself, but I couldn't.

I touch my forehead and feel the sweat on the back of my palm. Why was I sweating? I swallow hard and bite my tongue. I stand up from my seat a little too fast. The chair rolled back against the wall, causing a loud thud. Bear lifts his head, and I give him an apologetic smile. "Sorry," I said, sitting back down.

He shifts his head down and continues. I open my phone to see the time: three minutes and twenty seconds left. Too long. I hold my breath and suck it up for the time to past. I was too nervous for this.

I stand up from my seat and walk away. I stand in front of him like before and see him almost done. I wet my lips and scratch the back of my neck.

Ding!

I flinch and turn to my phone. I hear Bear setting his pencil down, and I turn around. He holds his paper with a smile. I take his paper and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replies. "Ms. Hernandez, are you alright?"

I put on a smile. "Yes. Why would you ask that?" I question.

"Because you seem a little nervous," he answers. "I am worried about you." I look into his eyes, and I felt guiltiest than ever.

"I...I am..." I manage to say. His eyes grew, and I couldn't handle the pressure. "I'm...I'm sorry. I am not."

"Ms. Hernandez," I hear Liam's voice. I turn to the door and see him standing in between the doorway.

"Lia—" I catch myself, "Mr. Payne, can I be excused for a bit?"

His brows crease, and he nods his head. I stumble to walk to him, but I made it pass him. I walk down the hallway and to the stairs. I set my hands on the rails and grip it tight. I hear footsteps approaching me.

"You know, you can tell him," Liam says.

I shake my head. "I don't know. I am scared that he will hate me. I know there are some kids who doesn't like the person their parents are with. I would know. I was one of them."

"You're thinking too much," Liam says. "Bear loves you. He thinks you are great." I shrug. I turn around and face him. "You didn't want me to tell him, and you're not going to tell him, so what should we do?"

"I don't know," I answer. "I am not ready to let him know yet. I can't let him hate me."

"He's not going to hate you," Liam assures, taking a step closer. He touches my arm and rubs them softly. "How many times do I have to tell you? If it drives you this crazy, then we both can tell him. Do you feel alright with that?"

I nod my head. He pulls me close and blows a kiss on my forehead. "Okay, let's go then," he says. He grabs my arms.

"Wait, right now?" I question. He nods his head. "Why not later?"

"Because I know you, Ally," Liam explains. "If it's 'later', then it's never going to happen. You're going to keep on stalling." He knew me very well. His words reminded of the time I did do it when I wanted to tell him how I felt. I just never really got to it. Not even in person.

"Okay," I said, biting my tongue afterward.

He leads me into the room, and my legs begin to shake. He sits me down in a chair beside Bear. Bear looks up at us and creases his brows, puzzled. "Dad, is everything okay?"

Liam nods his head, leaning against my table. "Yeah, everything is great," he replies. "Ms. Hernandez and I have something to tell you."

I hold onto the edge of my seat and bite my tongue.

"What is it?" He asks.

Liam looks at me, and I give him an assuring look. He shifts his eyes on Bear and says, "You remember the story that your mom told you. The one about me and my best friend."

Bear nods his head. "Yes. It's been a while since I heard it, but I remember mom told me that you and Ms. Hernandez liked one another, and you guys still do."

My eyes shot up while Liam's brows furrow. "H-how do you know that, son?" He asks.

Bear sighs and explains, "It wasn't that hard to figure out. Dad, you smell like Ms. Hernandez. You really think I couldn't figure that out."

"Smart kid," Liam mumbles.

"Bear," I raise my voice. He turns to me, and I manage to ask, "so you don't hate me?"

"Hate you?" He questions. "Why would I hate you? You are the best. You look after me. You teach me. And I appreciate your company. It beats the time when I'm alone. And if you and my dad are happy, then I'm happy."

I smile and caress his hair. "You are a gem, Bear," I said.

He turns to his father and tells him, "Just don't hang out too much, Dad. Ms. Hernandez and I already hang out a lot. We are already began before you did with her."

I chuckle and turn to Liam to what he has to say to that. "How about this...?" Liam leans forward. He kneels down in front of Bear and speaks, "You can keep Ms. Hernandez during the day, and I can have her at night and the morning."

I nudge Liam on his shoulder. "Liam!" I exclaim.

"Hey," He rebuttals, rubbing the spot I nudge. "Fine," he turns back to Bear. "You can have her during the weekdays, and I can have her during the night and weekends. Fair?"

Bear nods his head. "Fair," he repeats.

They shook on it, and I shake my head at Liam. Liam looks at me and mouths 'I love you', but I rebuttal with a skeptical look.

Liam stands up and states, "I will let you guys go back to schooling. Don't wait for me if I am not back before dinner."

I nod my head. He walks pass me, and for a quick second, I thought I smelled smoke. Smoke from cigarettes. I smell my shirt and then the air, which returned to normalcy.

Hmm, my senses might be off.