"Ayo, your phones ringing." Caleb said to Jason, passing his phone to him.

Jason took a quick look away from the game they were playing and onto the phone screen.

When he saw his dad's id name, he groaned. "Wait, pause." He said to Mike before placing down the controller.

Mike pouts. "Aw man, I was about to win!"

Jason leaves the room and picks up. "Hello? Dad?"

"Son! It's been awhile since we last talked, huh?"

Jason could hear his old man's laugh from the phone.

It has been awhile.

"Yeah.. how are you, dad? Everything doing alright there? Want me to come back?" Jason furrowed his eyebrows while asking, worried.

"No, no. Everything is alright. The thing is.. I need you to go to the airport to go pick up someone."

Jason leans on the wall. "Is it cousin Allan? Okay, I'll go pick him up."

"Uh.. yeah. Your cousin. Yeah, go pick him up quickly."

Jason, ignoring his dad's nervous laughter, hang up the phone.

Your cousin is finally coming home?

Yeah, I honestly miss that asshole.

Childhood besties are the best.

Jason leaves Justin's room and goes downstairs to go see Nick.

•~•

"You're doing it all wrong!" Javi frustratedly grips his hair as he watches his friend, Carson, play a game on Dan's laptop.

"I'm pretty sure I'm doing the right thing." Carson disagrees as he continues to literally mess up and miss all the important things needed in the game.

Javi looks at Dan. "You know it's wrong, right? Tell him!"

Dan simply shrugs. "Well.. he might look extremely foolish right now and is most likely to lose any minute, but at least he's trying. Kind of.." He trails off, not even sure himself.

"He isn't even trying!"

"I am trying!"

Nick giggles at his friends for arguing over such a trivial matter.

They were all currently in Carson's place. Them playing in the living room while their caregivers play videogames in Justin's room upstairs.

Javi, Carson, and Dan were all sitting on the floor,  facing the coffee table where a laptop rests on top of it.

Carson, the one currently in control of the laptop, and was the one playing the game, was in between Javi and Dan.

Nick in the other hand, was sitting on the couch, just right behind Carson.

He had his hands on the said boy's shoulder as he continues to laugh at his clueless friend.

He was watching Carson play, and was actually pretty amused by it.

It was pretty obvious that the boyo did not know how to play the game right at all, he only did what he wanted and was just aimlessly wondering around like a fool.

As he was laughing, he saw his daddy walk into the room.

He looks up, eyes asking 'do you need anything, daddy?'.

"Baby, I'll have to go somewhere.. I'll be back, okay?" Jason says to the once seated Nick, who has now stood up and was right in front of Jason with a pout on his lips.

"Can I come with you..?" The younger asks, not wanting to be apart from his boyfriend/caregiver.

Jason smiles as he ruffles the younger's hair. "There's no need. It'll be quick. So be a good boy and wait for daddy, okay?"

Nick deepens his pout, but obliges on what his caregiver's wants. "Otay, daddy.."

"Now go back and play with your friends, I promise I'll be back." Jason gives Nick a peck on his left cheek.

Nick whines. "Gib me big boy kiss please.." He said, puckering his cute lips.

Jason laughs and did what his cute little boyfriend wanted, he kissed him.

Nick giggled.

"Okay, baby. Go sit down now, I'll be back shortly."

Nick nodded obediently and went back on his seat behind Carson.

Jason then went out and drove towards the airport, expecting to be reunited with his cousin, who has been his partner in crime since childhood.

•~•

Jason looks around for his cousin.

His dad said he was already off the plane, and was now walking toward the exit.

Jason waited outside.

As he was looking through his phone, someone has tapped his shoulder.

He looked up, and saw the person he wasn't expecting to see today.

"Darlene?"

Darlene smiled. "Hi, Jason.."

Jason froze, not believing that the person in front of him right was the same girl that left him before to go abroad with another man, not forget to mention that said girl was once Jason's princess.

"Why are you back?" Jason asked, glaring at her.

Darlene frowned. "Why do you look so mad? You're not happy to see me? Here I am! I finally came back from abroad." Darlene spread her arms wide, expecting Jason to hug her.

But he didn't, so she awkwardly retreated back her hands.

"Why would I be happy?" Jason asked.

Is this girl for real?

She just gonna act dumb after all that?

Tsk.

Darlene furrowed her eyebrows with a frown. "I don't understand.." She said, looking pretty clueless.

Jason looks away from her, not wanting his anger to get the best of him. "Whatever, I was supposed to pick up Allan. I better go find him now."

Jason was about to walk away when Darlene suddenly grabbed his arms, preventing him from leaving.

"W-wait! Did your dad tell you that?" Darlene asked, which made Jason confused.

"How'd you know that?" Jason asked skeptically.

Darlene sighed. "I was the one that asked your dad to tell you to pick me up. But I guess he told you it wasn't me you were supposed to pick up?"

Jason stared at Darlene for a second, then looked at his arm who was still being gripped.

Darlene then finally let go of his arm. "If you don't believe me, go ask him."

Jason let out a 'Tsk' before walking away to call his father.

Darlene was about to follow him but Jason gestured for her to stop.

"Stay." He said before continuing to walk away not far from her.

She obeys, and stays in her spot.

"Jaso—"

"Dad! Is it true? Allan wasn't the one I was supposed to pick up?"

Jason heard his dad sigh from the side.

"Yes. I assume you already met with Darlene?"

"What?!" Jason exclaimed rather angrily. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Son, I know you wouldn't come if I told you it was her. So I just had to make you think it was someone else."

Jason groaned, closing his eyes as he inhaled deeply. "Why are you doing this?"

"This is your chance to fix up things with her. I'm giving you a chance to get her back, have her marry you. She will make a good daighter-in-law. She is a businesswoman, she can make you manage her business with her."

And that made Jason even angrier. "I don't want to be involve with her anymore!"

And I don't care if she's a successful business person now!

"And why not? Come on, Jason. Stop being immature."

"I refuse." Jason stubbornly says.

Jason's dad sighs again. "You know what? Okay, that's fine."

Jason widen his eyes, not expecting his dad to immediately agree with him.

"But can you at least drive her to her house at least? It would be a bit rude for you to just leave her there."

Jason nodded. "Fine."

Might as well.

Jason hang up.

He puts his hands back inside his pockets and walk back to where he left Darlene.

Darlene was still obediently standing there, waiting for Jason.

When she finally saw him coming back, her eyes brighten up. "You're back."

"Yeah, yeah." Jason said, grabbing her luggage, not even sparing her a glance in the process.

"Let's go."

Darlene's expression seem to brighten up at that sentence, and followed Jason to his car.

•~•

"So.. Jason. Can you at least tell me why you closed all contact with me? You left me all confuse, not knowing why you just cut me off just like that without an explanation." Darlene asked the questions she has been wanting to ask Jason for a long time now.

Jason stayed silent, not answering her.

Darlene didn't stop. "What did I do? Did I do something wrong to make you angry?"

"Tsk." That was all she got from Jason.

Darlene gloomily sat back and just kept quiet the whole ride.

She was just so confused.

They were doing alright before, what happened?

The last time she saw Jason was also at the airport.

He asked her not to leave, but she didn't have any choice. She had to leave so she can learn more about her family's business in Hong Kong.

The look on Jason's face when she told him she had to leave broke her heart.

Jason brought her to the airport that day.

But when she was already off the car, he drove off somewhere she didn't know.

She thought that he didn't have the heart to see her leave, so he left immediately.

Darlene gloomily dragged her feet inside the airport with a heavy heart.

But once she got there, she saw her older cousin, who was like a brother to her.

Her once gloomy expression immediately disappeared when she saw him.

"Hey, Couz!" Daren waved at her.

She ran to him and gave him a hug.

"Daren! Why are you here?" She asked, breaking off the hug.

Daren put his arms around her shoulder and whispered to her ear. "I'm going with you to Hong Kong!

Darlene gasped. "But mom said you aren't allowed to come with me! She said I had to be independent for once and not always have you help me.." She said sadly.

Daren laughs. "Don't worry, she doesn't have to know! Remember what I said when we were younger? I can never let you go through struggles alone!" He said, making her smile again.

"Yeah.. thank you, Daren." She giggled.

Daren pinched her cheek. "Your cheeks are getting chubbier. Have you been eating a lot of Kit Kats again?"

Darlene laughed while Daren squashed her cheeks together, making her lips look like from a fish's.

"Stop it!" She said inaudiblely.

Daren did stop, but he was still laughing.

And Darlene laughed with him.

"Let's go?" Daren asked, gesturing for them to leave.

Darlene nodded happily. "Let's go!"

They both happily left to go to the plane.

Jason watches from afar, his heart crushed into a thousand pieces.

In fact, he didn't drive off to go home, he went to get his last gift for her before she leaves.

It was a teddy bear that had his voice recordings in it, and a small heart shaped necklace with their picture in it.

But as soon as he came back, he saw her with another guy, hugging and being all close with eachother.

She looked happy.

She didn't look sad that she had to be apart from Jason at all.

Jason didn't clearly see the guy, but at that moment he didn't even care.

He watched them from afar, frozen in place.

He watched them both leave while laughing and joking around with each other.

When they were no longer in Jason's line of sight, Jason decided to just go home.

Starting from that devastating day, his mood toward people became really aggressive and grumpy.

And while his new mood started, two new family members moved into his and his dad's house.

His step-mother and his step-brother.

Darlene sighed as she goes to text her cousin.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Couz

Couz: have you arrived?

Me: yeah..

Me: i think it'll be awhile til i fix this though

Couz: don't worry about it, i got you

Couz: just come back after a few days so your mom wouldn't get suspicious

Couz: if she knew you came back she wouldn't be too happy

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Darlene sighed.

Daren was right. She was still not supposed to go back till she completely fixes every problem in the company.

But she couldn't wait any longer, she needed to see Jason.

She needed to talk to him.

But it seems Jason doesn't want to talk to her.

Her gloomy expression suddenly became startled when she saw where Jason was driving at.

"What are you doing?" She asked frantically.

Jason gave her a look from the rear mirror before calmly saying. "To your mansion?"

Darlene's eyes widen. "No! Don't go there!"

Jason furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Then where am I suppose to take you?"

"To a hotel." She said quickly.

Jason gave her a weird look. "You don't wanna see your mom? Has she been saying things to you again?"

Darlene's heart sped up as she heard Jason's concerned tone. "N-no.. I just, want to sleep at a hotel for the time being." She quickly made an excuse.

Jason nodded and drove away from the same path he used to always drive through when he goes to visit Darlene.

Jason bit lip, not wanting memories to go back and mess with him.

He has a boyfriend now.

"We're here." Jason said.

He drove to a near hotel.

Darlene got off the car and got her own luggage, not wanting to bother Jason with it anymore. "Thank you."

To her surprise, Jason followed her inside the hotel.

She didn't ask.

"Sorry, ma'am, but all the rooms are booked."

Darlene looked at the receptionist with disbelief. "There's got to be one! W-where am I going to stay then.." She mumbled the last sentence.

"I'm really sorry, ma'am. But there is seriously nothing else I can do."

Darlene sighed.

Jason looked at her pitifully. He knew that she wasn't too independent and always relied on someone.

Now that she was completely lost and helpless and has no one to help her, it was truly pitiful to watch.

Darlene faces Jason with a worried expression. "W-where else can I go stay?.."

Jason shrugged. "At your moms?"

Darlene frantically shook her head. "N-no! I don't wanna bother her!"

Jason sighed. It was pretty obvious that she doesn't want to be seen by her mom, so he isn't going to push it.

"There's another place. But it isn't as decent as a hotel." Jason said, which made Darlene hopeful.

"Well then let's go!" She said, going back to the car in a hurry.

"Wait! I didn't tell you what it was yet!" Jason yelled as he goes to follow her.

•~•

"What's taking daddy so long?" Nick worriedly looks through the windows, in search of his caregiver's car.

"Maybe he got caught of something? Don't worry too much." Javi comforts his friend.

Nick nods. "I guess.."

Daddy, where are you..

•~•