Chapter - 38
Nani had made one terrible mistake.
He had told Sky he was getting too good at flirting.
Sky, apparently, had taken that as a personal challenge.
---
The next morning, Nani walked into the kitchen.
Sky was already there.
Black shirt.
Sleeves rolled.
Coffee in one hand.
Phone in the other.
Nani yawned.
"Morning."
Sky looked up.
His eyes travelled over Nani for a second.
Then-
"Morning, pretty."
Nani stopped walking.
"...What?"
Sky took another sip of coffee.
"Good morning."
"No. You said something else."
"I said good morning."
"You said-"
Sky smiled.
"You're hearing things."
Nani narrowed his eyes.
"You're starting early."
"I haven't started anything."
"You're suspicious."
Sky put his coffee down.
"Come here."
Nani didn't move.
"Why?"
"I want to look at you."
Nani's ears immediately turned pink.
"You see me every day."
"I know."
"Then?"
"I still like looking."
Nani stared at him.
"...You're annoying."
Sky smiled.
"And yet you're still standing there."
---
Dew walked into the kitchen.
He stopped.
Looked at Sky.
Looked at Nani.
Then slowly backed out.
"Nope."
Nani turned.
"What?"
Dew pointed at Sky.
"He's doing something."
Sky calmly picked up his coffee.
"Doing what?"
"Rizzing."
Nani covered his face.
"Dew!"
Dew grinned.
"I've seen this movie before. I'm not staying for the sequel."
He left.
Tee passed him in the hallway.
"What happened?"
Dew whispered,
"Sky discovered flirting."
Tee's eyes widened.
"That's dangerous."
---
Nani sat at the breakfast table.
Sky sat opposite him.
For approximately thirty seconds, everything was normal.
Then Sky slid a plate toward him.
"Eat."
Nani looked at it.
"Did you make this?"
"No."
"You ordered it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You skipped dinner."
Nani blinked.
"You noticed?"
"I notice everything about you."
Nani nearly dropped his fork.
"...Can you stop?"
"Stop what?"
"Talking."
Sky leaned back.
"You don't want me to talk?"
"No."
"Then I'll be quiet."
He became silent.
Nani lasted ten seconds.
"...Okay, you can talk again."
Sky smiled.
"I knew you'd miss me."
Nani groaned.
"You're unbearable."
"And you're cute when you're embarrassed."
"I'm not embarrassed."
"Your ears are red."
Nani immediately covered them.
Sky laughed.
---
Later, Nani was standing in front of the mirror, fixing his hair.
Sky walked past the doorway.
Stopped.
Came back.
Nani caught his reflection.
"What?"
Sky leaned against the doorframe.
"Nothing."
"You're staring."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Sky shrugged.
"You're pretty."
Nani turned around.
"Sky!"
"What?"
"You can't just say things like that!"
"Why not?"
"Because-"
Nani struggled.
Sky stepped closer.
"Because?"
Nani looked away.
"...It makes me nervous."
Sky's expression softened.
He stopped just in front of him.
"Good."
Nani looked up.
"Good?"
"I like knowing I can still make you nervous."
Nani's heart gave an embarrassing little flip.
He tried to hide it.
"You're very confident."
"Not usually."
Sky gently fixed a strand of Nani's hair.
"Just with you."
Nani went completely quiet.
Sky smiled.
"See?"
"See what?"
"You're blushing again."
Nani pushed his shoulder.
"Go away."
Sky caught his wrist before he could walk past.
"Wait."
"What?"
Sky looked at him for a moment.
Then smiled.
"You're wearing my jacket again."
Nani looked down.
The oversized black jacket hung around him.
"Oh."
Sky's fingers lightly adjusted the collar.
"I like that."
"Why?"
"Because every time you wear it..."
He leaned slightly closer.
"...you look like you belong beside me."
Nani's brain stopped.
His cheeks turned bright red.
"That was unfair."
Sky chuckled.
"What?"
"You knew exactly what you were doing."
"Of course."
Nani stared at him.
"You've become shameless."
Sky's smile widened.
"Only around you."
---
That evening, Nani was sitting on the sofa scrolling through his phone.
Sky sat beside him.
Nani suddenly held up his screen.
"Look."
Sky glanced over.
"What?"
"Someone sent me a compliment."
Sky looked at the message.
Then at Nani.
"Should I be jealous?"
Nani grinned.
"Maybe."
Sky leaned closer.
"Why would I be?"
Nani raised an eyebrow.
"Because they're flirting with me."
Sky nodded thoughtfully.
"Then I suppose I should remind you."
"Remind me what?"
Sky gently took the phone from his hand and placed it on the table.
"That you already have someone who thinks you're ridiculously attractive."
Nani stared.
Sky continued,
"Someone who knows how you take your coffee."
A pause.
"Someone who knows you steal blankets."
Another.
"Someone who knows you pretend not to be sleepy because you want attention."
Nani's smile slowly appeared.
"And someone who knows..."
Sky's voice dropped softer.
"...exactly how much you mean to him."
Nani's teasing disappeared.
He leaned into Sky.
"You're really good at this now."
Sky wrapped an arm around him.
"At what?"
"Making my heart do stupid things."
Sky smiled against his hair.
"Then I'll keep doing it."
Nani laughed softly.
"You menace."
"Your menace."
Nani looked up.
"Mine?"
Sky nodded.
"Yours."
Nani smiled.
"...Okay."
And somewhere down the hallway, Dew heard the laughter and whispered to Tee-
"He's completely gone."
Tee nodded.
"Absolutely."
Dew sighed.
"Imagine telling the old Sky that one day he'd spend his evenings flirting with one person."
Tee smiled.
"He'd probably threaten us."
From the living room came Sky's voice.
"I can still hear you."
Dew immediately shouted-
"GOODNIGHT, BOSS!"
Nani burst out laughing.
Sky shook his head.
But he was smiling too.
....
Nani hadn't visited his family home in a while.
Not because he hated them.
Not anymore.
Things were simply... folded between them.
The old wounds hadn't disappeared. They had just stopped bleeding every time someone touched them.
That afternoon, Nani sat across from his father at the dining table.
His father looked older somehow.
Tired.
For a while, neither spoke.
Finally, his father sighed.
"Your relationship with Sky..."
Nani immediately groaned.
"Dad."
"I'm not saying anything."
"You were about to."
"I was."
Nani rolled his eyes.
His father almost smiled.
Then his expression became serious.
"Alisha contacted me."
Nani's eyebrows lifted.
"Mrs. Alisha?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"She wants to meet you."
Nani hesitated.
"Is she okay?"
"She said she is."
His father paused.
"She told me not to make it complicated. Just meet her normally."
Nani thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
---
Later that afternoon
Nani arrived at Alisha's house.
He knocked.
The door opened.
A familiar mature face appeared.
Alisha smiled softly.
"Nani."
He smiled back.
"Mrs. Alisha."
She immediately shook her head.
"Don't call me that."
"Then what?"
"Alisha."
Nani smiled.
"Okay, Alisha."
She stepped aside.
"Come in."
Nani entered.
Then stopped.
Two children were sitting on the living-room carpet.
They looked up at him.
One stared curiously.
The other immediately ran toward Alisha.
"Mum!"
Alisha laughed.
"Come here."
Nani's expression softened.
"These are..."
"My children."
Nani blinked.
"Oh."
Alisha introduced them.
The younger one stared at Nani for several seconds.
Then asked bluntly,
"Are you Nani?"
Nani crouched down.
"Yeah."
The child nodded thoughtfully.
"You're pretty."
Nani burst out laughing.
"Thank you?"
Alisha covered her mouth, laughing.
"They have absolutely no filter."
"I can see that."
The older child tugged Nani's sleeve.
"Will you play with us?"
Nani looked at Alisha.
She smiled.
"If you want."
Nani immediately sat on the floor.
Within minutes, the serious conversation everyone had expected had completely disappeared.
Nani was building a ridiculous tower out of blocks.
"Don't knock it down!"
The younger child immediately knocked it down.
"NANI!"
Nani gasped dramatically.
"You betrayed me!"
The child started laughing.
Nani chased them around the carpet.
Soon both children were laughing.
One climbed onto his lap while the other tried to steal his phone.
Nani laughed so hard he nearly fell backward.
Alisha stood nearby, watching quietly.
Her expression softened.
For a moment, she looked genuinely happy.
Nani eventually settled on the sofa with both children tucked against him.
One rested against his shoulder.
The other held his hand.
Nani gently played with their hair.
"You're both little troublemakers."
The younger one smiled.
"So are you?"
Nani laughed.
"Apparently."
---
Outside
A black car stopped near the house.
Sky stepped out.
He'd come to pick Nani up.
He entered the house expecting to find him waiting.
Instead-
He saw Nani on the sofa.
Two children cuddled against him.
Nani was smiling.
Soft.
Relaxed.
Completely happy.
Sky stopped.
His expression changed.
Dew, walking behind him, immediately noticed.
"Oh no."
Sky stared.
"Who are those kids?"
Dew looked at him.
"Uh..."
Sky's jaw tightened.
"Nani looks very comfortable."
Dew sighed.
"Sky."
"What?"
"Those are Alisha's kids."
Sky looked at him.
"I know."
Dew stared.
"Then why do you look like you're about to declare war on two children?"
Sky remained silent.
One of the children hugged Nani tighter.
Sky's eye twitched.
Dew whispered,
"It's not Niran, Sky."
Sky frowned.
"I know."
"They're innocent."
"I know."
"You're jealous of children."
"I'm not."
Dew folded his arms.
"You absolutely are."
Sky looked away.
"I just don't like how attached they are to him."
Dew stared.
"Bro."
"What?"
"They're kids."
"I know."
Dew sighed.
"You're impossible."
---
Nani finally noticed Sky.
His face lit up.
"Sky!"
He carefully moved the children aside and stood.
Sky's expression immediately softened.
"Ready?"
Nani nodded.
"Almost."
He turned toward the children.
"I'll come visit again."
The younger one immediately hugged his leg.
"Promise?"
Nani crouched down.
"Promise."
Sky watched.
Then looked at Dew.
Dew was already shaking his head.
"Don't say it."
Sky muttered,
"I wasn't going to."
"You were."
Sky sighed.
"...I wish we had our own child someday."
Dew went completely silent.
Then slowly turned toward him.
"Excuse me?"
Sky looked perfectly serious.
"What?"
"You went from jealous to planning the next generation in thirty seconds."
Sky shrugged.
"I was thinking."
Dew stared at him.
"Please don't think."
Nani walked back toward them.
"What are you two talking about?"
Dew immediately pointed at Sky.
"Your boyfriend is malfunctioning."
Sky gave him a warning look.
Nani blinked.
"Why?"
Dew grinned.
"Ask him."
Nani looked at Sky suspiciously.
"Sky?"
Sky simply took Nani's hand.
"Nothing."
Nani narrowed his eyes.
"You definitely said something."
Sky smiled.
"Come home with me."
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
Nani laughed.
"You're suspicious."
Sky pulled him gently toward the door.
Dew followed behind them, muttering,
"Jealous of children. Unbelievable."
Sky didn't even turn around.
"I heard that."
Dew smiled.
"Good."
Nani looked between them and started laughing.
For once, the laughter followed them all the way to the car.
And Sky?
He kept holding Nani's hand the entire drive home.
Perhaps a little too tightly.