Chapter 8

Henry 

“How could you make me wait that long?” she snapped. “I should’ve just stayed at my building instead. Honestly, look at you.”

Her scolding was so loud that I had to clamp my hands over my ears.

“Oh, now you’re covering your ears?” she said, rolling her eyes.

I pretended not to hear her and forced a small smile. Thankfully, Adeline didn’t press the issue.

We took a cab to Uncle Kay’s house. The ride would take about an hour, so I decided to get some sleep. Adeline stayed busy on her phone, which meant I didn’t have to worry about her starting another argument.

I meant to rest for just a few minutes, but I ended up dozing off completely. A sudden bump in the road jolted me awake.

“Ahh, what was that?” I muttered, frowning as I rubbed my puffy eyes.

I glanced outside and noticed the car had stopped. We had already arrived.

After paying the fare, Adeline and I stepped out and headed toward the building.

Uncle Kay’s estate was filled with similar-looking houses, making it nearly impossible to find the exact apartment. So we waited while Adeline called him to come get us.

“Hello, Uncle,” Adeline said softly, and I shot her a look at the sudden sweetness in her tone. “We’re at your estate.”

The call ended shortly after, and I turned to her with a questioning look.

“What did Uncle say?”

“Uh, he’s not home. Kingston will come pick us up.”

“Really?”

Kingston is Uncle’s youngest son, and our cousin. The calm expression on my face instantly brightened with excitement.

I hadn’t expected him to be around, which was why I wasn’t particularly thrilled about spending the weekend here. If I’d known Kingston wasn’t at school and was actually home, I would’ve been eager to come much earlier.

Adeline noticed the sudden lift in my mood and tilted her chin smugly. “I thought you didn’t even want to come.”

I ignored her.

Just then, we spotted a figure jogging toward us. I looked up to see someone dressed in bright colors slowing to a stop right in front of us.

I froze for a second.

Then my face broke into a wide smile as he rushed forward and patted my shoulder. “Kingston!”

It was really him, dressed in his usual flashy sweatpants.

We hadn’t even begun catching up when Adeline suddenly cleared her throat loudly.

I glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”

She sneered, ignoring me, then turned to Kingston with a deep frown. I could tell she was upset that he hadn’t greeted her first.

“Adel, why do you look so ugly?” Kingston blurted out, his words completely unfiltered.

My mouth fell open. It wasn’t just what he said, it was the horrified expression that followed, as if he had only just realized how reckless his mouth could be.

Oh God.

I didn’t dare look at Adeline’s embarrassed face. Quickly, I grabbed Kingston by the sleeve and dragged him away.

“We should head inside first.”

Without waiting for her reaction, Kingston and I bolted off, putting as much distance between us and her as possible.

Right on cue, Adeline’s furious scream pierced the air.

“Kingston, get back here! You’re so dead!”

She screamed so loudly our ears nearly burst, but we didn’t slow down.

It wasn’t until we got closer to the house that we finally eased our pace. My face felt slightly pale from the run, and I bent forward, resting my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. Adeline was still far behind, there was no way she could catch up to us now.

After catching our breath, we looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Adeline was furious! She had actually made us run like a pair of mischievous kids.

When we got inside, the living room was empty. I immediately turned to Kingston.

“Where is everyone?” I knew Uncle Kay wasn’t home, but what about Aunt, Nora, and Dora? Nora and Noah were twins, Kingston’s younger siblings.

“They went to visit a nearby friend. They won’t be back until evening,” Kingston replied, heading straight to his room.

I trailed after him. The moment we entered, I flopped onto his bed, completely at ease, while Kingston dragged a nearby stool over and sat down.

I sank into the bed comfortably, and with no one else around, I didn’t bother holding back my words.

"Kingston, will you do the talking or should I?”

Kingston glanced at me puzzled.

I flashed him an impatient grin. “Have you forgotten our last phone conversation?”

Kingston seemed to drift into a trance, but only for a second. At my words, he suddenly gasped.

He leaned back against the stool and muttered a curse under his breath. “Why did I have to remember something that awful?”

Even though his voice was low, I heard him clearly.

“Awful?” My eyebrow arched.

During our last conversation, Kingston had admitted that he liked one of his school mates, a pretty girl, and I’d encouraged him to tell her how he felt. But judging by his mood now, I had a feeling it hadn’t gone well.

He couldn’t have been rejected… could he?

I studied him carefully, hoping to catch a clue from his expression.

Kingston stayed silent, and I didn’t dare break it. Just when I thought the awkward quiet would stretch on forever, he suddenly tossed his phone onto the bed in front of me.

“What is it?” I asked, confused.

“I can’t be with her. I found out she already has a boyfriend,” he said flatly, and I froze.

“But—”

“Look at the picture. You’ll see I’m not lying.”

My gaze dropped to the lit-up screen. Reluctantly, I picked up the phone.

There was a photo of a beautiful girl, the same one Kingston had told me about before. I recognized her immediately. My mouth fell open, but it wasn’t the girl who shocked me.

It was the man standing beside her.

“H–How… how can it be him?” I whispered, unable to close my mouth.