156: CH 155: Age is Just a Number

CH 155: Age is Just a Number

"Yan, are you in h—GAH!"

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On a stool, Ambryan Hathaway sat with his knees spread apart. His elbows rested on his thighs as he stared at the floor. The usual scowl on his face was gone. Instead, his eyes broadened by a fraction. He perceived nothing from reality. 

His hands balled into fists.

The sleeves of his dress shirt creased over his muscles.

"Holy sh—" Richard exclaimed, spinning on his heel. Not a strand out of place in his curly bronze hair. He accused a finger at his best friend. "Why didn't you answer me? If I didn't know any better, I would have figured you were a real statue just then."

Officially stepping into the kitchen area, he rounded the island counter and patted Kiri who got up and left. He threw his hands in the air with a puff of breath. "Man, tough crowd. So… are you gonna tell me why I'm here or not?"

Richard opened a top cabinet for empty glasses. He had brought wine like he usually did during these visits. He picked a white one this time. If Ambryan was having trouble, a red wine might only make it worse.

But, his best friend would still demand for some alcohol.

With Ambryan's back to him, he poured the wine in a glass and tasted it.

"I kissed Evangeline today."

Richard spit out the white wine. "What?"

Ambryan turned the stool, folding his arms over the island. His expression remained the same. Yet, his eyes had hardened as the scene replayed in his head. "I said that I kissed Evangeline today."

"Why?" Richard wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. He almost didn't believe his ears—even when Ambryan mentioned it a second time. 

"Because I wanted to."

He slammed both of his hands on the counter, the words finally sinking in. "Wait, hold up. You like her? Since when? I didn't think you even flirt in your messages. You acted weird last time too after you saw a video of her in that bakery." 

"You can't just tell me you wanted to kiss her! Where is this desire coming from?" Richard finished. He faced his own struggles. As far as he knew, Ambryan never kissed any of his flings. It was something he found inessential for the 'relationship.'

Ambryan lifted a hand as if creating a gesture to explain. 

Then, the motion stopped halfway. 

"It just did."

"It just—okay." Richard snorted. He pulled out a stool from under the island and sat down. He pushed the wine forward, actually regretting that it wasn't red. "What changed? Since when were you someone who acted on impulse?"

Ambryan poured himself a glass. "I've been trying to figure that out for the past week."

"And?"

He raised it up to his lips and met Richard's steel gray eyes for the first time since the latter came. "I never came to a conclusion so I decided to act on them, hoping the answer comes to me."

It took awhile for him to accept the possibility that certain things might not have logic—especially when it erupted his chest. Any sort of research gave little information. Everything seemed to conclude that was simply the way things were…

… when it came to a heart's reaction.

"Oh, boy." Richard dragged a hand over one side of his face. This was going to be a long night. "But, woah. You actually feel something for this girl."

A moment of silence enveloped the two gentlemen. Ambryan finished his first glass of wine and went for another. He had expected Evangeline to be surprised by the kiss. Instead of keeping her close, he had actually pushed her further away.

Had he been too forward? Should he have said something? Given a sign? How did these things work anyway? It seemed simpler in movies. He didn't remember anyone running from a kiss though.

Placing a hand on his forehead, Ambryan closed his eyes.

A thought occurred to him.

"Should I mention that she reminds me of someone in my past?" 

Richard was glad he wasn't drinking for this one. He might have showered Ambryan in wine if that were the case. The surprises just kept coming. Now, Ambryan had a previous lover? Just how much did his best friend hide? 

When did he even have the time?

"You have a girl in your past? Since when?" He demanded. Ambryan changed before his eyes. He was no longer the cold, cryptic and calculating person that he knew. For once, he seemed more human than ever.

Ambryan drank from his glass. "It's been about twenty years since I last saw her, I guess…"

"Twenty years?!" Richard blinked, counting backwards. "How old were you?"

"Almost 9."

"So you were 8?" His jaw slackened. That sounded quite early—very early for someone as serious as Ambryan. He would have never guessed it! He didn't know Ambryan back then either. It was part of the mysterious past he never knew about. More numbers whirled in his head. 

He could have sworn that Evangeline was 26 which meant…

"How old was she then?"

"4?"

"You mean to tell me that you linked Evangeline to this 4-year-old you knew in the past?" Richard exasperated. A kid! They were kids! Her more than Ambryan! That was a time when children didn't think too much of their actions. Romance didn't exist in their reality yet.

How could this be possible?

He shook his head, his brain working on overdrive. "Is that why you suddenly like her? She's your first crush or something?"

"Why are you taking this negatively?" Ambryan frowned. To him, Evangeline turning out to be this person that he knew seemed reasoned. It explained how Evangeline managed to entice his emotions. 

Because she had already done it all this time.

"A 4-year-old and a 26-year-old are practically two different people. Even if they turned out to be one person, that doesn't mean she's still the same." The words flowed out like a river from Richard's mouth. "Telling me that this is a part of the reason why you kissed Evangeline means that it and your feelings are meant for your first crush who—as I said—exists in the past."

Ambryan chose to stay silent. If there was from that past who became different, it was him. He had tried to recover most of his memories from back then. It proved to be difficult after blocking out a specific time in his life. 

He could only remember them vaguely.

"If it is Evangeline, it's good that you met her again. But! Please see her as she is now." Richard concluded. He tried to explain as best as he could. It turned out to be harder than he thought. Hopefully, it made sense somehow.

"Am I not?" Ambryan defended. "I don't think I'd kiss a 4-year-old."

"That's not the point."

"Then, what is?"

Richard groaned, rubbing his temples. What sort of miscommunication were they having? 

How else could he phrase his thoughts. 

"Forget about the 4-year-old! Just think of Evangeline as Evangeline. Find out if you really wanted to kiss her or some old crush you had and lost."2

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"Hello? What's the status inside this room?" Andie asked, knocking on the open bedroom door. She found Eve on the bed with her legs crossed. The latter had her laptop open. If she hadn't been here earlier, she might think nothing was wrong.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd say it's cute that you freaked out on your first kiss but running away is still rude."

Eve rolled her eyes. "It wasn't my first kiss."

.... Andie marched right over. She placed one hand on her hip and pointed a finger at her best friend. These surprise attacks had got to stop. "Okay, which boy did you kiss that I didn't know about? I don't remember you mention that you kissed anyone from the blind dates you went to years ago."

"Why would I kiss those?" Eve questioned, scrunching her nose as if she smelt something rotten.

"How should I know?" Andie sighed. She plopped down on the bed with her legs crossed over the edge. The laptop monitor was turned away from her. "So who was it?"

Eve bit her bottom lip. It had been long ago. She didn't even remember until today when she wondered if she overreacted. Her mind went back to all her experiences in the romance department. The trip down memory didn't take long.

As someone who focused on her work, she didn't have many to begin with. 

Except for the ones Andie forced her to meet.

"It was that boy…" she started to say as she cleared her throat. Unlike those blind dates, this person had a relevant presence in their lives for a time. "You know the arrogant one from school. You always fought with him until he transferred."

Andie scowled. It became her turn to take the trip. They had been together for almost all their lives. That was more than two decades of memories. Thankfully, there were only a few boys that held significance.

One of them being a snarky one who always stood on a pedestal.

"You mean Noah?"

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