Day Fifty-Eight…
~~*****~~
[ At Stephen's Cabin… ]
Stephen darted his gaze back and forth between his two best friends, Nathan and Aiden. The two were both silent and just kept drinking their beers. Aiden already finished five bottles while Nathan just started drinking.
Aiden was the first one who invited them for a drink. It did not take long before Nathan joined them. Without saying a word, Nathan grabbed the beer in Aiden's hand and drank it as if he was thirsty.
"Can you slow down a bit? The two of you will get drunk easily if you keep drinking like that." Stephen stole the bottles of beer from their hands.
Nathan glared at Stephen while Aiden grabbed a different bottle. "Just let me do this, Steph. I want to forget something!"
"How about you?" Stephen turned to Nathan. He didn't know what happened to these two. No one was telling him.
Nathan just ignored him. Just like Aiden, Nathan grabbed a different bottle of beer and opened it.
'Sigh. I guess. I should let them drink and get drunk so that they will speak to me.' Stephen sighed deeply.
Fifteen minutes had passed and Aiden began to speak. He was already tipsy.
"Stephen! I already drink ten bottles but why? Why can't I forget how Cherry rejected me?"
Stephen: "..."
Nathan also paused for a moment when he heard Aiden's last statement. Both Nathan and Stephen watched Aiden in disbelief. So the reason why he was drowning himself with alcohol was that he got rejected by Cherry.
"Ah, your first rejection," Stephen mumbled, smiling faintly.
Aiden narrowed his eyes at Stephen. "Stop smiling. And don't laugh at me. It is not funny at all."
Aiden pounded his chest using his fist. "I… I didn't expect that it hurts so much. My heart feels like it is being torn right now." He began to complain to his best friends.
Nathan and Stephen just allowed him to speak. It was best for him to let it all out. They were just there to listen.
"I have never experienced this. My self-confidence disappeared after this rejection. Am I ugly? What's wrong with me? Am I not attractive?" Aiden continued to speak.
"Maybe you are not her type. Furthermore, you have a bad reputation," Nathan frankly said, not filtering his words.
"Ouch! I'm your friend. You should support me and boost my confidence," Aiden lamented, putting on a pitiful face.
Stephen could only shake his head helplessly. Nathan was not the kind of person who would comfort someone with his words. Stephen could only tap Aiden's shoulder.
"Just charge this to experience. Everyone could experience some ups and downs and learn from his failures." Stephen thought that Aiden would realize his misdeeds after this rejection. Besides, he made some women cry before. Now, it was the right time he should reflect on his action.
"Argh! How can I face Cherry tomorrow? I feel so embarrassed. I shouldn't have confessed my feelings!" Aiden felt like crying. "Steph. Can you help me? Erase my memory just like how you erase Phantomflake's memory!" Aiden pleaded desperately.
Pak!
"Ouch!"
Nathan smacked Aiden's forehead when he mentioned Phantomflake's name. "Don't mention her."
Aiden could only pout his lips and rubbed his forehead.
"Your experience is not very traumatic. Why would I erase your memory?" Stephen said nonchalantly. Aiden's request was ridiculous.
"I think I need you to erase my memory too," Nathan blurted out of the blue.
Stephen and Aiden were stunned for a moment. They both turned in Nathan's direction, eyeing him with disbelief.
"Why?" Both men asked Nathan in unison.
But Nathan just gulped his beer and looked outside the window.
"Nate, you should have requested Stephen to erase your memory about Monica's death. It is something very traumatic to you!" Aiden remembered that Nathan suffered a lot from so many nightmares and sleepless nights. He always dreamed of Monica dying in his arms.
Pak!
"Ouch."
At this moment, Stephen was the one who smacked Aiden's forehead.
"Monica is not Shining Star. She deceived me. And I will find out the reason why." Nathan declared to them.
"OMG. She deceived you. Then how about Ethan? Is he your son?" Aiden asked him exasperatedly.
Both Nathan and Stephen shot him a cold sharp glare. Meeting their deathly glare, Aiden could only hit his mouth and shut up.
"Ethan is my son!" Nathan firmly said.
"But Kathleen said Monica was dating a guy in secret. She might be cheating on you. What if that guy is Ethan's real father?" Aiden was not able to control his blabbering mouth. He was drunk so he would say anything that comes to his mind.
"Aiden, Stop!" Stephen scolded him already.
Nathan could only clench his fists. He didn't know what to feel if ever Ethan ends up not being his biological son.
"My father and I already confirmed his identity through a paternity test. Of course, he is my son!" Nathan insisted on it.
"Yeah. Let's not argue about this. Anyway. What is your plan for tomorrow?" Stephen just wanted to change the topic.
"Nothing!" Aiden promptly responded. "I will just stay here and do nothing!"
The three continued drinking without knowing that someone overheard their conversation. Little Ethan was outside the cabin when they talked about him and Monica.
'My mother deceived my Dad? I might not be Dad's son. My mother had another guy?' Ethan felt disheartened by that possibility.
Ethan left the cabin without letting them know of his presence. He ran away and looked for a place to hide. He ended up passing through the camping site. He bumped into Jane.
"Ethan?"
"Miss Jane?"
"It's already nighttime. What are you doing here? Are you hungry?" Jane asked Ethan softly.
The young boy just bobbed his head. He was glad to meet Jane there.
"Okay. Let's eat. I'll call Dave and Abi to join us." Jane was about to approach Dave and Abigail's tent when Ethan suddenly stopped her.
"Miss Jane… can you please hug me?" Ethan was asking to be comforted by Jane.
"Is there something wrong?" Jane held his shoulders, asking him.
"Nothing. I just need your hug right now," Ethan mumbled in his pleading tone.
With a faint smile, Jane pulled the boy into a warm hug. "Don't be sad. I'm just here for you. Tell me anything. I will listen."
"Miss Jane… what if… What if I'm not Dad's biological son?" Ethan asked her.
Jane was taken aback for a moment. She was reminded of the DNA test she asked Stephen to do before she returned to her original body. It was a paternity test between Vincent and Ethan.
"Where did you get that idea? Of course, you are your Dad's son. He loves you." Jane stroked his head, consoling the boy.
"I love my Dad too… I don't want to have another father." Ethan shared his feelings with Jane.
Jane could only bob her head. 'Sigh. I forgot about Ethan's feelings. I don't want this kid to be hurt. I think I should forget about finding the truth about whether he is Nathan's biological son or not. I don't want him to get involved in this mess. This kid is innocent. He shouldn't suffer because of Monica's lies.'
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