✒ Chapter 44 : I really want to kiss right now.

Saturday morning...

Dizzy, Ethan woke up early from an unfamiliar bed.

"Where am I?" Ethan asked himself. He noticed that his T-shirt was loose so was his jersey shorts. He suddenly remembered what happened last night.

***

"Sleep beside me, Cent" Ethan pouted, tugging Center's shirt as the tall guy trying to escape from temptation.

"No, I'll sleep outside" Center replied, frowning.

"You're going to abandon me again?!" Ethan started crying miserably, the power of alcohol and pure love.

"Fine, I'll watch you till you fall asleep" Center sighed and sat on the bed side.

"Hold my hand then" Ethan demanded like a kid and offered his hand. Center held his hand, hoping that this fantasy would last longer. Ethan wanted to puke and he couldn't managed to get inside the bathroom, he ended up puking at Center's shirt. Center had to change his clothes and lent Ethan his clothes too.

***

"Oh my god!" Ethan gasped and covered his mouth. His face flushed red as he remembered everything that he did last night. A knock on the door startled Ethan so he immediately pretended to be asleep again. Center came inside with a soup and medicine.

"Oh? You're still asleep? I'll just bring this back and return here when you're awake." Center said and walked towards Ethan. The smaller boy was hiding half of his face under the blanket when he felt Center's warm palm on his forehead.

"Good thing you didn't catch a cold. Just a hangover, huh?" Center chuckled and turned his back to let Ethan rest. Ethan peeked at the spoiled brat being caring and sweet towards him.

"Cent" Ethan called Center's name softly but the spoiled brat pretended not to hear it. Just hearing Ethan calls his name makes his heart ache. He continued walking towards the kitchen and sat on the chair. He stared at the soup he made for Ethan and looked at the dirty sink. He didn't know how to cook and he did his best to make a good soup for Ethan. He searched it on the internet and woke up early so he could make one. He has tried different kinds of 'soups' and all of them were failures. The last one was the best he could make. He was about to call for a delivery, he gave up about giving this 'garbage' to his puppy having hangover, but Ethan appeared in the entrance of the kitchen.

"Hey" Center greeted his best friend with a smile. He immediately hid his hands plastered with band-aids because of the cuts he got from chopping vegetables. Ethan frowned and glared at Center. He knew that Center was hiding something from him when the spoiled brat kept bowing his head.

"Let me see your hands" Ethan said and placed his arms on the table, waiting for Center to show his hands.

"You don't have to see it. They're just cuts since I don't know how to chop vegetables. Try to taste the soup I made for you. I can make delivery if you wouldn't like it." Center said and held his hands firmly under the table, it started to become itchy.

"I won't say it twice, Cent" Ethan said seriously with a concerned voice. His angelic aura surrounding him, Center couldn't win against it. The spoiled brat rolled his eyes and showed his hands on the table. It wasn't just cuts, it really looked and felt painful. Ethan held Center's hands gently and he was about to kiss Center's hands, but Center pulled them away immediately.

"Eeth, please don't fool around with me anymore. I know you're sad because you just broke up with your girlfriend. It's not my fault this time, so please behave yourself." Center said. He had a feeling that Ethan was being sweet again because the angel knew that Center would forgive him for teasing him anyway. He hated it when Ethan would use him as an excuse or a stress reliever.

"I want to see how you cooked it." Ethan said and pushed the bowl away from him. He was being childish in front of Center and it was unexpected.

"I guess you're still drunk." Center sighed. He didn't know how to handle Ethan's changes of behavior anymore. He couldn't even tell if the Ethan he used to know still see him as a friend, a slave or a toy he wanted to use only for fun.

Ethan frowned and shouted,"I'm not drunk!" 

"Then why are you behaving like this?!" Center's veins popped out from his neck and forehead as he clenched his fist that hit the table earlier. The loud thud was enough to make Ethan flinched.

"Weren't you happy with your girlfriend just few days ago? And then, you came here last night crying and drunk because I assumed that you two broke up. I was there to comfort you as your best friend. But what were doing? You're spitting nonsense again and you're acting sweet around me! Are you not done fooling around me, Ethan?" Center asked with a cracked voice.

"You really enjoy seeing me falling head over heels for you? Making my hopes up and then dump me in the end over and over again?" Center asked in disbelief.

"Cent, it's not what you think it is" Ethan said while rubbing his palms softly.

"Now what? You're gonna tell me that you love me again? Eeth, I'm still broken and I'm trying to let it go. Please don't tell me lies that would make me believe again." Center begged Ethan.

"Please don't lie to me anymore" he added.

"I love you, Center" Ethan said while bowing his head. Hearing those words from Ethan's mouth felt like torture for Center.

"Bullshit!" Center shouted.

"I love you. Please believe me, Center." Ethan said as he looked at Center in the eyes. Center looked at Ethan, hurt and hopeless. He knew that Ethan was playing with his feelings again.

"You're unbelievable, Eeth." Center said and a tear escaped from his right eye.

"Please listen to me, Cent" Ethan begged and moved closer to Center.

"Yeah, I'm listening" Center replied while nodding, he didn't show any interest at all and just waited for Ethan to talk --so he could finally make a decision later.

"I don't know when it started. I was pretty sure that I only see you as a friend since we were younger. But when I said to you that I wanted to be happy, a part of me wanted to hear you say that you want to be my happiness. But when I started dating seriously, I began to think no one else but you." Ethan did his best to explain his feelings towards Center. He started crying softly as the memories began to build up inside his mind, corrupting all the bad memories and turning them into beautiful ones.

"I badly want to play music with you again when I saw you playing guitar at the garden. I kept remembering your grinning face when I'm at home. I began to miss you so bad I would just cry myself in bed at night. I... Center, please believe me. I- " Ethan's words were cut off by Center's tight hug. The smaller boy was crying so hard that he started hiccuping.

"Hush stop it already. I believe you now. Stop crying, Eeth." Center begged and hugged Ethan even tighter. Ethan remained sobbing under Center's chest as the taller guy tried his best to comfort his crying puppy.

"Please stop crying" Center begged but everytime he tries not to make Ethan cry, the smaller boy would cry even harder.

"I hate it when you don't want to look at me anymore" Ethan complained.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for that."

"I hate it when you ignore me in front of other people" Ethan murmured and Center just kept nodding.

"I hate myself for realizing it too late." Ethan said and buried his face on Center's soaked shirt.

"Say it first and I'll do the same." Center demanded while grinning down at Ethan.

"Say what?" Ethan frowned.

"That you love me" Center answered with a smile.

"I... I... No way! I'm not saying it first!" Ethan said and pushed Center away. Center pouted and made a disappointed face.

"You just won't admit how hard you have fallen inlove with me. Fine, I will tolerate you as long as I can." Center sneered.

"But, I really want to kiss right now." Center demanded with his super puppy eyes, making Ethan gasped in surprise.

"Are you serious?" Ethan asked, unprepared, he wished the ground would swallow him raw right now.