THE SWEETEST SIN(BxB)

23: The Email.

GAVIN.

Gazing at the laptop screen, I scrolled through the work emails, discarding irrelevant emails and replying to important ones. It was going to be a long night because of the pile of work that was calling for my attention. With my parents away on a business trip in Spain, I was left in charge of the company. My work involved going through the daily reports, emails, and a bunch of other boring stuff. So most nights, I would stay up working.

This is unfortunately one of those nights.

I envy my roommate who has been snoring in his sleep, without a care in the world. With no responsibility towards a multimillion-dollar company. Sometimes, I wish I was born into a regular family. Wish I were a normal teenager, living a regular life. But sadly, I am a Mileford. My whole life was planned out even before I came into this world.

Know what the funny part is? Most people envy my life. They wish that they could switch lives with me. According to them, my life is perfect because of my fat bank account, expensive cars, and luxurious mansions. Things they can only dream of. If only they knew the real me. Not the guy who walks around confidently, making everyone think that his life is a bed of roses.

I am just a boy with a pile of mommy issues. A boy who is scared to be alone. A boy who over the years has put on a façade of being the big bad bully so that nobody can hurt him. My mother always told me that, the best way to make sure nobody ever hurts you is by hurting them first. An advice that I have lived by most of my life.

I was okay playing the bully. Nobody dared go against me and that alone, made me feel powerful. Untouchable. Until a certain blue-eyed petit boy stormed into my life and knocked me off my high horse. Like a mason, he tore down my walls, exposing the real me and I let him. I should have been strong enough to fight him off. But I was weak. My mother was right all along, I am weak and pathetic.

But is it a bad thing that Carlito makes me weak? Maybe. Maybe not.

I feel naked before him and that terrifies me. But it also makes me feel closer to him. He makes me feel okay to not be okay if that even makes sense. He makes me believe that I am worthy of love. Despite every horrible shit I have done.

I never thought that a day would come when I would feel this way for someone. It's why I am scared that I will fuck it up. I always fuck things up. It's my superpower. My mother knows it and she never misses an opportunity to remind me of how much of a fuck up I am.

Fuck. This is not the direction I wanted my night to go. Me drowning in my thoughts like some loser.

Sighing, I resumed skimming through the emails. I was almost done with the emails when another email arrived. "Fucking hell!" A groan of frustration fled my voice box. This email better be important or I'm going to murder whoever sent it.

The email was sent by someone called Nora Marino. That name was familiar...where the fuck had I heard it before? Could it be the lunch lady? Don't think so. Her name is Agatha something. I swear I have heard this name before. I don't remember where though.

Clicking on the email, I read its contents.

Hey, Octavia. It's been a while. I tried to call but my calls weren't going through. So I decided to email you. I hope that you reply after reading this. Octavia, I know that I swore never to bring this up...but I couldn't stop myself. Yesterday I saw him. He has grown so big and handsome. He has my late papa's eyes too. It's been seventeen years since I last held him in my arms. I know we had a deal that I would give him up in exchange for papa's cancer treatment money. But after seeing him at my café yesterday, I realized what a mistake I had made. I should never have given him up. He is my son. My blood. I will give you back every single penny that you used to pay for my late papa's treatment but please give me back my son. That's all I want.

Thoughts raced through my mind as I read the email. This Nora person gave up her son and my mom had something to do with it. This is certainly the biggest skeleton in my mom's closet. I need to know more about this story. So, I called one of my trusted sources. Stepping out of bed and strolling to the window, I waited for him to pick up the call.

It was dark outside and the downpour from earlier had ceased and was replaced by light showers. The sound of croaking frogs and chirping crickets echoed birthing life into the night.

"Hello." A sleep-riddled voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Fab." I greeted.

"Gav, do you know what time it is?" He lamented.

"I know that it's late and I'm sorry for ruining your sleep. But I need your help." I stated, staring at the drops of rainwater licking the window and cascading on the glass surface.

"Okay. What sort of help? Has someone leaked a fake sex video of you again?" He teased, a small laugh reverberating from him.

"And I regret telling you about that." I don't regret telling him because had I not told him then he wouldn't have helped. Fabian works at the company but he is loyal to me. He is the big brother I never had. Being the IT guy, he is good with tech stuff it's how he was able to discern that the sex video was fake.

"I'm sorry, it was too funny." He added.

"Okay, now back to the reason I called. Do you know a certain Nora Marino?"

"No. But I'm looking her up. Why did you ask?" His competency never ceased to impress me.

"She sent an email to my mom earlier. It's about her son who my mom knows about." I stated.

"Found her. Her full name is Nora Esmelda Marino. She works at Café Marino in River Bridge Town. Has a sister Celestina Marino and a nephew Lorenzo Marino who recently moved to River Bridge high as an exchange student."

"Hold the fuck up! Lorenzo as in Mr. Tattoo ass?" The world is a small place indeed.

"Yes, Lorenzo has tattoos if that's what you're asking," Fabian confirmed.

"Also, did you say Nora works at Café Marino?"

"Yes, she owns the place. It was passed down to her by her late father, Alonso Marino."

Suddenly, the images from earlier sabotaged my brain. I was at the café with Carl. We ordered an expresso and cappuccino. Nora, the owner of the place served us our orders. She seemed friendly, judging by the way she conversed with Carlito. Then, she asked for my name and Carl told her. When she found out that I was a Mileford, her mood shifted from happy to anxious. She even inquired about my mom. It all adds up now.

"I know her and the café she works at. Tell me, have you found anything on her son?"

"There are no records indicating she had a son." He confessed.

"My mom must have had it erased. Covering up her tracks. Thank you Fab, I'll take it from here."

"Are you sure? You know how dangerous your mom is. If she finds out that you are snooping on her business. There is no saying what she will do." Fabian warned.

"I know Fab. I'll be careful." I assured him.

"Good. Now go to bed because I know you've been up most of the night. You need to rest." He advised.

"I still have work," I stated, strolling back to bed.

"Gav, the work can wait. You need to rest. Your mental health comes first." He advised.

"I wish it were that easy, Fab." A reply left my lips.

"It can be easy if you abstain from work for a few days. You should take advantage of the school trip to relax and spend quality time with Carl. Take him on a romantic date in the woods, compose a romantic poem for him-"

"Thank you very much for the suggestions. Goodnight, Fabian." With that, I hang up. Jeez, he can be too much at times. Anyway, he is right about me taking time off from work and spending as much time as possible with Carlito. I want to get to know him and make beautiful memories with him. Everything else can wait.

After shutting down the laptop, I placed it on the bedside table and then went to the bathroom to empty my bladder. It was 3 am when I traveled to slumber land.