Chapter 64: A phone call from Michael’s mother
"Noah, I want to tell you something," Michael said, his eyes pleading with him to hear him out.
"What is it?" Noah asked.
"For the meantime," he said, "...let’s not go outside. Let’s just remain indoors. Can you... Can ’we’ do that?"
Michael pursed his lips. He didn’t know if Noah would find it weird.
He might ask why the sudden idea of a lockdown. He would definitely ask because it was strange for him to suddenly say that they should remain indoors and--
"Okay," Noah agreed without hesitation, shocking Michael.
"Okay? Did you just say okay?"
"Yes," Noah answered. "I think it’s a good idea."
"Huh?" Micheal was flabbergasted. "Don’t you find it strange that I would suddenly ask you to do that?"
"I do, but you must have your reasons," Noah said. ’I was going to suggest the same thing, but I didn’t have a reason, so you made it a whole lot easier for me,’ he thought.
"What if I don’t have any?" Michael asked. "Are you telling me you’ll listen to me regardless of whether I have a reason or not?"
"Why not?" Noah asked and squatted in front of him. "It’s not like you’re doing this to harm me. We’re just staying indoors. It’s cozy,"
At the mention of that, Michael felt something prick his conscience.
Noah had no idea he was doing this to keep him away from the people who were looking for him. And this was an indirect harm.
"Anyway, I think we’ll be having most of our supplies delivered to us for the meantime," Noah said, and began to pick out comfortable clothes to wear indoors.
Michael looked away, wondering why Noah was being so trusting. If he were the one being lied to and he found out, he would never be able to overlook it. So, he was scared of Noah’s reaction once he found out he was hiding things from him.
(Don’t worry, you’re not the only one hiding things, and trust me, Noah knows exactly what’s going on, but just can’t say. Ops, was that a spoiler?)
Noah glanced at Michael from the side, and seeing his worried and guilty expression, he sighed silently and thought,
’I think it’s best this way,’
So, just as Michael suggested and Noah agreed to, they both stayed indoors. The only time they opened their doors was when they needed to take their delivery or take the trash out, which Michael volunteered to do.
He didn’t know if those people followed him or if they were lurking around the area, so he decided he would be the only one showing his face.
Michael was under the impression that Noah was just cool with everything and had no suspicion, but he had no idea that Noah had his own secrets that he didn’t want him to find out.
If they stayed indoors, they could both protect their secrets.
*Ding e Ding dong-dong! Brrr! Ding e Ding dong-dong! Brrr!* Michael’s phone rang with a weird ringing tone, and he turned his head towards the room where he kept it.
"That’s strange," Michael exclaimed. He never got any calls. I mean, who would call him?
He had no friends, no colleagues, and had been disowned by his parents.
"What’s strange? The fact that your phone is ringing or that you have such a weird ringing tone?" Noah asked, and Michael scowled at him.
"Of course, it’s the fact that my phone is ringing. There’s nothing wrong with my ringing tone, hmph!" He said, and Noah laughed.
He had said that to tease him.
"I got it. I’ll get it for you," Noah said and got up to go get the phone.
They were in the living room, watching a movie, when the phone rang.
"Noah, is it the landlady?" Michael asked when he was sure Noah had picked up the phone.
That was the only person he could think of that would call him, and on an evening too.
"The rent shouldn’t be due till about three months, so I wonder why she’s calling." Michael thought out loud, but when Noah returned with the ringing phone, he said,
"It’s your mother,"
Michael flinched. His... Mother?
"Ha, did you make a mistake?" He asked. "Surely, my mother wouldn’t have any reason to call me." He said, but then the phone stopped ringing.
It didn’t look like Noah had seen it wrong, and he stretched the phone towards Michael, yet Michael was reluctant to take it.
If it was indeed his mother... Why would she be calling?
Maybe it was a mistake. She might’ve butt dialed or something. But he had confirmed that they blocked his number so how could a butt dial ring a blocked number.
He wanted to believe it was a mistake, but the phone rang again. She was calling a second time.
Michael looked up at Noah, a bit of hope lighting in his eyes.
Maybe his mother had missed him and decided to call.
Ever since they threw him out, disowned him, and gave him the severance fee like he had been a stranger who came into their lives for a brief moment, his parents had never contacted him.
He tried reaching out to them a few times, but they had blocked his number. He even went to find them at home, but the helper also sent him back saying they were busy and couldn’t meet with ’guests’.
So, he had become a guest to them, huh?
He was sure his brother had influenced them so much to the point that they didn’t even think about him.
So, maybe all hope wasn’t lost after all. They could still forgive him. They were his parents after all.
He took the phone from Noah and answered it, expecting the hear the warm and worried tone of his mother.
"Hel--"
"What did you do to your brother?!" His mother’s voice raged into his ear, cutting his greeting short.
It was a worried tone, alright. But not on his behalf. He cut the call without hesitation and threw his phone aside.
"Haa!" He let out a depressed sigh. "I knew it was too good to be true." He exclaimed, but then the phone began to ring again.
