Chapter Nine: He's No Longer a Little Brother

During the first year, it spread to the whole school that Drake is a son of a very wealthy businessman who sent him to M Senior High School to teach how it's like to be a commoner. Living in one of the most expensive apartments in the suburb is considered "low-key"… that's how rich his family is. The rumors painted a scenario typically used in Idol dramas. So, aside from his looks, Drake was liked by many because of his status.

During the first month, Nick became friends with him first after their group task on a subject. Their group was being criticized because only the group leader did the job. In the middle of the criticism, Nick couldn't help his laugh. During the most serious moment, he can't help but find it funny that they are being criticized that they didn't do the task when he didn't even know that there was such a group work given and he happen to belong in that group. He was trying hard not to laugh, but even Drake who thought his charm will get him through the group work got infected and laughed. Soon, Jude and Rocky became friends with him too since they came from the same middle school.

It felt nice to have real friends who did not approach him because of the rumors that he is the son of some wealthy businessman. Nick was the core of the group at first, but due to Drake's popularity, Nick and Jude sucked up to him so that they can catch some girls for themselves. Rocky was different. He's too into basketball and odd things. He's a simpleton who befriends whoever his friends befriend. He enjoyed the dynamics of this friendship. But there was also a plus one because he's friends with Nick.

It was Keith, the guy from the other building. He'd go to their classroom once in a while at first. He'd just sit there and scroll his phone after saying a greeting to them.

He went to the same middle school as the other three but he was very smart that he never get to be in the same class as the three idiots. So, Jude and Rocky never got close to him. Not because he's smart, or there was not enough occasion to be close to him, but because his personality is so dry. That's Drake's first impression of Keith.

Many girls were confessing and courting Drake at the peak of his popularity. He liked the attention he gets from them. He likes being told that they like him. So, he went out with those he thought was pretty. People like him for his face, so why can't he do the same? One day, the girl he was dating went to their classroom. She was a third-year student, very mature, and very touchy. She hugged him and even kissed him in the classroom causing the others to cheer and cause a commotion. The girl stepped back a little and nudge Keith's elbow on the desk. Just a slight movement caused his hand to slip and the phone to fall on the desk.

Keith glared at the girl and picked up the phone to continue reading, looking at her like a bug and ignoring her because she's just a bug.

Arrogant. Drake thought he was too arrogant.

To his surprise, Drake didn't think that with Keith's personality, there would be girls who would like him too. They just wouldn't dare to confess because his parents are teachers in the school. Mr. and Mrs. Lim wouldn't hesitate to flunk their students. Their class is hard as it is and their standard is too high. They have loud mouths and getting reprimanded once for poor performance, was more intense than the pressure they get from their parents.

He can't stand him at first, but he is Nick's friend and he also didn't do anything to him. So he kept up appearances. Keith would seldom hang out with them, talking short sentences here and there, and go into his own world by pasting his eyes on the phone screen or just by sleeping. Truth, the reason he called him "boss" was not because he's one of the parasitic friends who enjoy copying Keith's workbooks but because he acts like he's a boss, so might as well call him that.

The first and only group video call initiated by Nick that day changed how he see Keith. The conversation revolved around Keith, his family kept opening his door and telling shameful things about him. Then, he saw him talking to dogs. He seemed like a sociable person when he was talking with those dogs. He seemed like a person under his sister's bullying. He seemed so different as if everything he's known for were just the outer layer of an onion. After that layer, there's another side of him, still him, but hidden.

The curiosity made him more interested. When he called Keith privately, he discovered that Keith was actually nice and easy to talk with. He also discovered he can be clumsy under pressure. He never thought Keith would cry like that. It made him think that after that cool uninterested façade he shows at school, there's a very obedient son who hugs his parents' thigh on the next layer. Then a dog lover who treats dogs better than people. Then after that layer, there's this childish baby who would also throw tantrums and cry. It was interesting but each layer grew on him, it made his eyes water, it made him like every single layer this little onion has because even with the varying sizes, Keith can be really sweet.

He wanted to be close to him. Then, the next day, Keith stood up for him. There's another layer… a layer that made his heart thumped so fast. A layer that was full of air and rudeness he thought he already knew. He stood up for him and believed him.

He wanted to be close to him quite literally too. He sat beside him. Put his arm around him and talked to him as close as possible. And Keith blushed with every little move he pulled. Keith blushed from ear to ear, smiled, laughed, and then make some expressions that were so different from the snub Keith he knew before.

Then Keith got sick. He met his family. He met the people who warmed Keith to become the person he is today. His heart was jealous for a moment. But, then, he learned the answer to his question. If he doesn't want to be just friends and is afraid to become his boyfriend, how about being brothers?

With a mentality that he wants to be the older brother, he stayed and slept beside him. It was hard to sleep somewhere foreign. It was hard for him to sleep in a small place and with someone else. He's used to sleeping alone. But he still insisted on sleeping beside Keith. He hugged him closer to him. His heart was loud, it made it harder for him to sleep.

He woke up with the other patients' coughs. He woke up when the door opened. He was awake the whole time but pretended to be sleeping. He still doesn't want to part with Keith. Then, a light peck landed on his lips and Keith had some slight movements. His heart almost stopped beating. Then Keith kissed him more. His lips were dry at first but the second time, he felt his warm wet lips trying to kiss him as gently as possible. His inexperience was cute. The moment he wanted to kiss him back and show what a real kiss was like, his sister coughed and talked. She took Keith out for a talk.

Keith likes him. There's no doubt. He wants to get closer to him but how close does he want them to be? He doesn't want to be just friends. But he wasn't sure about going further to being boyfriends either.

He was left there thinking about what just happened. Now, being brothers will also not suffice for him. Kissing… He wanted to do that again with Keith.

The fact that Keith was a man was never part of his thinking process. Keith makes him feel good about himself. Keith likes him. Keith also wants to do that with him. In the same way, he likes Keith, he wanted to do that to him too, but can he make Keith feel good about himself just like how Keith affects him?

The next day, he met with his mother. She grew up with him until middle school. Contrary to the rumors about him, his mother is not rich at all. His mother made him feel that her life was a mess because of him. She has been meeting him and asking for money from him for the reason that he owes his life to her. She lives in Taipei but she even traveled for hours just to take money from him since he has been ignoring her messages. It was a sudden meeting and without listening to his mother's insensitive rants, he gave him the money after withdrawing from an ATM in the mall, and he left.

Can he make Keith happy? Can he give Keith the same warm Keith can give to him? Can he be someone different from what his mother has told him all his life?

No.

So, he cornered Keith to cut his feelings once and for all. He ended up hurting himself and hurting himself in the process. He's filled with insecurities and it was hard to gain confidence when he contrasts his and Keith's upbringing. He can't voice out all these when Sister Kylie asked him in the hospital. He couldn't.

He kept thinking about how he made Keith suffer. It felt like he became the person his mother told him he was. Someone who made her life a mess. Now, he's doing the same to Keith. The days passed by and he was juggling between feeling guilt and insecurities.

Then Keith called him out of the blue using Nick's phone. The voice sounded kind as always. Keith immediately knew he's having a cold. Then he cried once again… he's regretting being a coward. He's regretting rejecting Keith's feelings. He's regretting not kissing him when he had the chance.

Then he remembered what Keith said that day to reassure him. "Don't worry, I'll get over you soon…"

He ordered some fast food and he planned to go to the pharmacy in front of the hospital to buy cold medicines since he was told to do so by Keith. He just did not expect that Keith would send Nick to his place and give him dinner and medicines.

"Keith looked so worried, you know. He prepared all this because he's thinking that you might be dying from cold. He even told me to stay and take care of you."

'Seriously. How could he get over me when he's overreacting with a simple cold?' He felt happy and proud.

"You're the person Keith is in love with, right?" Nick asked.

'Hmm. Of course, it's me. Isn't obvious, already?'

"You're also in love with him, right?" Nick asked rhetorically.

While he was eating what Keith sent him, Nick was sitting, looking at him, waiting for the opportunity to gather some data. He heard from Keith that Nick's mother is a gossiper, looking at how hungry Nick is for gossip, He thought the apple does not fall far from the tree.

"What?"

"So, are you two gay?" Nick immediately asked.

"What? Are you going to judge us?" Drake drank the soup from the flask that Keith uses to drink hot water at school.

"No. What kind of person do you think I am? I just want to learn more about my friends." Nick smiled. "So are you guys, gay?"

"Well, I never questioned what I am. I really don't know. I mean, I still think of myself as a man."

"Yeah, after all, you've been dating around pretty girls". Nick suddenly paused and looked at him like he was seeing an enemy. "Then, what the fuck are you? Why are you liking Keith then? Are you just curious? Confused? Or are you just playing around?"

"I don't care about gender. And it's my first time really liking a person. I like him." He put his chopsticks down. "No. I might be in love with him."

"So, are you bi then?" Nick monotonously asked after hearing a cheesy line.

"I don't know. I'm not sure." Drake honestly answered.

Nick was satisfied. Just like how he doesn't copy Drake's assignment because he understands that Drake was also clueless about the answer, he backed down and did not push him on that topic anymore. He went to the other topic he was more curious about.

"So, what's the status between you two? Are you fling or boyfriends now?"

Drake looked dejected. "I kind of got scared and rejected him."

"Oh." That explains why Keith looked so sad when I talk about Drake. "You like him, but you rejected him? Because he's gay?"

"No. Well, I was stupid. I don't think I deserve him."

"Yeah, you're very stupid. God is quite fair. He made you handsome and rich but to balance things out, he made you the stupidest when it comes to this. Nice."

For the following days, Keith would go to Nick's house to borrow his phone. He'd call Drake immediately. They'd talk about what happened at school, what happened at Keith's home, how he miss using his phone and PC, and his foot's recovery.

Nick wanted to be the perfect wingman. He's getting impatient at how ambiguous the two act in front of him when it was obvious how in love they are. So, he skipped basketball practice and dragged Drake to Keith's house. There were two dogs outside, Kittie and Kimmie, who ferociously barked at the unfamiliar face. Drake wrapped his arms around Nick, shaking uncontrollably because he got scared of the dogs.

Nick laughed at his reaction. Drake's a big guy and he's shaking like this because of a few dogs. So, instead of going to Keith's house, he brought Drake to theirs and went to Keith's. Then, he saw Keith typing on his PC that was awkwardly arranged in their living room. He took away the headphones on his ears to catch his attention.

"What the fuck!!! Go away! Don't bother me!!!"

"Drake's waiting for you in my room." Nick proudly said.

Keith blushed and laughed. He opened his browser and clicked the site he bookmarked. "What the hell. I'm not in the mood for jokes Nick. Get the fuck out of my face."

"I brought the guy you love to my house because your dogs were about to eat him!!!"

Keith stopped. "You knew I love Drake?" He was embarrassed but he asked him anyway.

"You've been borrowing my phone to call him, how dumb can I be if I don't notice that you two are flirting right in front of my face?"

Keith ran to their bathroom, took a light shower, styled his hair, and wore his favorite light blue shirt that has white shark line patterns. He was contemplating whether to wear shorts or a pair of jeans. I'm at home, why should I wear jeans? That's too obvious. So, he wore denim short pants. He brushed his teeth and made sure he looks fresh as if he was not a heartbroken mess who's still hoping that Drake would somehow get possessed and like him back too.