“Dragon Guy, I…”
Dragon Guy’s loud scream cut off my words. Of all the doggone (pun intended) moments, Salazar had to jump at Dragon Guy and pull at his pants, almost revealing his briefs. As he yells at the mutt to stop making chew toy off his pants, I am grumbling to myself in the background cursing that damn dog.
“Get into your pen, now!”
Salazar whines as he is harshly escorted and locked into his pen. Dragon Guy gives him that annoyed pout I like to see sometimes before turning to me.
“Um, you were saying…?”
“Naw, never mind…” I reply, trying to suppress a grumpy tone as I sip my tea.
The mood is killed. There is no point trying to salvage it anyway.
We drink our tea in silence, occasionally making refills. I try to pick up the courage to speak what I wanted to say but it’s no use. My ready heart has already shrunken back into its cage of insecurity. All the stuff that I have thought about to prepare myself is all gone, and this awkward silence between us is not making it any better.
Now I know how it feels like when someone turns off the heat of the moment and the poor guy who’s all hyped up got his ‘little brother’ shrunken with loss.
Salazar howls, trying to get our attention and want out of his pen. Dragon Guy turns to glare at him, reminding him that he is being punished, and the mutt whines, looking away. Poor boy. He looks sorry enough. I guess it’s not really his fault. The mutt’s being himself after all. All dogs are playful by some nature. Can’t really blame him.
After all, I have him to thank for letting me see Dragon Guy’s briefs.
“Come on, Dragon Guy,” I plead for the mutt. “Cut him some slack. He didn’t mean it.”
Dragon Guy looks a little grudgingly at the dog.
“After all, I’d like to play with him for a little while. He seems lonely since we ignored him for tea.”
Finally, Dragon Guy smiles and lets Salazar out, much to the dog’s delight. We sit outside the porch on the backyard and while we continue having tea, I play fetch with the dog.
“Such a cute little dog,” I ruffle Salazar’s head and throw the ball again for him to fetch.
“He seems to warm up to you surprisingly well,” Dragon Guy comments. “You a dog person or something?”
“Not really. I dunno, I never got a pet. Never allowed to, so I guess Salazar knows that I need one.”
“Then lucky for you to be here.”
“So…” I watch Salazar running after the ball that is rolling away from him, “is this what you do every weekend at home?”
“Yeah,” Dragon Guy replies. “Nothing to do, just hanging out around here. And since it’s a family business, I sometimes get the privilege of hanging out at home more than at work.”
“Almost like me, except the family business privilege part.”
“You got a computer, right, Train Boy? Is it good stuff?”
“You don’t have one? That’s surprising.”
“Dear ol’ Daddykins doesn’t allow me to have computers,” Dragon Guy rolls his eyes and groan. “I never had a computer in my life. He says it would ruin my perfect handwriting and make my brain lazy. He only just recently lifted the ban and allowed me to have one after I managed to help him pull off a deal he couldn’t get, and that is after I badgered and blackmailed him to do so. I heard you can do shopping using the computer.”
“Yeah, online shopping. You never tried to use the computer somewhere else? Like at Muggle-born’s home or stuff like that?”
“I have. All the basic know-how of computing is in my head, but I just don’t have the real deal. Every time I need to do an assignment or do research back then I always had to depend on either the school or on Muggle-born, and now at work, because I need the computer, I’m always a little bit overtime than everyone else, which pretty much makes me more outside and less at home, thus the food-hunting.”
“Guess everything has its sources,” I grin.
“Now that I got the green light, I dunno what sort of brand or model I should get,” Dragon Guy laments.
“Wasn’t easy for me too, since there are so many new models nowadays.”
Salazar retrieves the ball. I throw it again for him to fetch.
“If you like…” I turn to him, “we can always shop for one together.”
“If it’s not too much trouble…” Dragon Guy turns to me expectantly.
“Not at all.”
Time flies by when you’re having fun. Before we know it, it is already 6:10pm. I quickly prepare to take my leave.
“Didn’t think it’ll be this late. Your parents might be coming home now.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Dragon Guy says as he looks at the clock with a faraway gaze.
“Wouldn’t be kinda…inconvenient for me to be here with you alone?”
“No worries. My parents know everything about you.”
W…Wait…Say what?
“They also know about how you rescued me and all those weekends together food-hunting. I told them everything. In fact, they have no objections over letting me inviting you here.”
“O…Okay…”
I feel like somewhere out of a stalker movie or something, or maybe even one of those scenes in ‘Meet the Parents’ where the guy gets awkward about people knowing everything about you, even your dirty little secrets.
“Anyway, I gotta get going,” I say as I give one last pet on Salazar’s head. “Thanks for the tea.”
“Don’t forget these.”
I take the box of teacups from Dragon Guy and made a sort of goofy grin, “Kinda weird preparing my own teacups for someone else’s tea.”
“No big,” Dragon Guy grins back in his own suave way. “So, you want me to walk you to the subway station?”
“Oh, no, no, you don’t have to. Thanks anyway.”
“But…”
“It’s alright. Besides, it’s dangerous walking back later alone after you send me off. I wouldn’t want anything happen to you.”
“Well…” Dragon Guy sighs, looking like he knew there’s nothing he could say to convince me otherwise. “Well, gimme an sms once you reach home.”
“Sure, I’ll do that first thing.”
We wave each other goodbye, and I thought I catch a little hint of that same sadness again he gave me when we were talking about the dog. Probably he’s just a little sad to see me go. After all, parting has always been our most hated moments when we’re together, just like we do when we had to part at Dragon Guy’s stop in the subway. I feel sad too.
More than sad, actually.
Like an emptiness.
An emptiness that couldn’t be filled no matter how I try.
And I know it’s because it’s my fault.
--:--
I hesitate for about 3 seconds before I conclude.
That’s it.
Twincest: Wha…?
GentleGiant: Nothing happened?
Moony: You’re kidding, right?
Chinatown: Impossible~!!
S&D: No way…
QuibblerGirl: You idiot!
Know-It-All: You got no determination, you moron!
GrumpyCaretaker: WTF did you even go to his house for?!
I knew it. Everyone is totally pissed at me right now…
PotionsMaster: Okaaay…Drama much? Neways, you’ve gone this far, Train Boy. What is your hesitation anyways?
Ablaze: Ain’t it obvious, brother? He’s got no experience in confessions of love whatsoever!
You got that right, brother.
We’ve only met 5 times so far. I’m…just considering the right time for a love confession.
Know-It-All: Today WAS the right time! It’s a rare chance for you to have Dragon Guy actually inviting you to his home! What were you doing?!
Wormtail: All you had to do was say “I love you”, that’s it! C’mon, say it with me now, Train Boy!
ParkinsonDisease: You love that Dragon Guy, right?! If you do, then just bloody hell say it out to him! Tell him your feelings straight and true!
Lil’Photog: Don’t be shy, Train Boy! Confess it now!
Headmaster: Love is not just a battlefield, it’s war itself! And those who have no fighting spirit should just high-tail and leave right now!
I know that! I know that! I know all that! You think I don’t know?? But…But…
But most important is…I don’t have the courage itself to say “I love you”…You guys can try telling me how I am going to gather this sort of courage…
Because I’m gonna need it.
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