the boy on the bridge ✔️

40. proud boy

Chapter 40 — proud boy

"We're not going out?" Elliot asks dubiously as they park in front of a fancy restaurant in Willowcreeks.

They have decided to go out on another date.

"We're out, dummy,"

"No, I mean," the curly-haired boy waves his hand around him, "We're still in town. Don't you wanna go out? Aren't you worried that..." he drawls, hoping he won't need to complete the sentence.

"Here we go again," Josh sighs, and looks pointedly at Elliot, "You know I'm starting to think that maybe you don't want to be seen with me," he tries to keep his voice light to imply that he is just joking but deep down he is fearing if that is the real reason for the latter's agitation.

"What?" Elliot recoiled, "No, never," he says and then exhales through his mouth keeping his gaze focused on the lap, "I just don't want you to regret this later on," he mumbles.

Oh this boy, Josh thinks to himself — he never pegged him to be so wary. The curly-hairy boy has always seemed so carefree and happy-go-lucky, that Josh has started to think maybe he was naturally just flawless, and is now realising that isn't true. Still, Josh can't help but like him even more.

"Eli," Josh murmurs and waits till the boy looks up at him, and once their eyes connect, he continued, "I like you," he says, as firmly as he can, "And nothing else matters to me more than that,"

"I like you too," he says, his gaze softening and Josh just can't resist — without another word, he leans in and kisses Elliot and really, nothing else matters to him.

He can only hope that the boy before him feels the same way as well.

⋘⋙

It is almost midnight by the time Josh gets home that night after dropping his boyfriend off at his home. Surprisingly enough, the night turned out to be quite pleasant — he was expecting for the townspeople to be gawking at him, approaching him and questioning about Elliot. It turned out that he had only been paranoid all this while; no one actually bothered them during their whole date, some adults waved at him and smiled but that was all. No stares, whispers — Josh can't have been gladder.

After the splendid night, all he wants to do is go back to his own house, go to his room, get on his bed, and just revel in this giddy feeling that he is filled with. But of course, he doesn't always get what he wants.

The first disappointment is seeing his father's car in the front lawn when he parks his own car in front of the house. He didn't know that the man would be back that night — he had told that he had another conference somewhere that he had to attend and won't be back for at least a few days. Every time he sees his father, anger would just threaten to get ahold of him.

He doesn't know how long he can go on like this anymore. It has been two weeks since he saw his father with his best friend's mother — he definitely cannot forget what he'd seen that day, but he also can't tell anyone about it either. He had wanted to confess it to his mother but he couldn't tell her, just like how he couldn't tell about it to his best friend. And here his father is happily controlling everyone to his wishes. He has never despised the man more.

Josh gets out of the car and walks into his house hoping with everything in his heart that his father had gone to sleep, so he won't have to face the man. But of course, luck was not in his side anymore. Just as he enters the house, there is his father, standing in the middle of the stairs. If only the blond were a few minutes later, he could've avoided the man, but unfortunately, he wasn't.

"Where were you?" Mr Goldmann asks his son.

"Out," Josh decides to give a short answer, hoping that his father will be too tired to interrogate him.