thirty-one

Pete

"Where do you think you're going!?!"

Kaleb stood up from his chair and walked up to where I was canceling the call I just had with my driver and getting ready to storm off the door and into where Kao was.

"You just heard what Gum said."

I glared at Kaleb as I thought about what the mole bodyguard I assigned to watch over Kao in secret told me.

"Not really, you were screaming your lungs out after his first sentence. But that's not the point. The point is you're acting crazy again.."

Kaleb pointed out and only then I realized that was a really yell I graced my driver.

I thought I was just imagining it.

But I didn't need to admit that right?

Specially to my best friend.

"I'm acting crazy!?! You heard what the guy said, Kao could be in danger. He trusts people easily and has no self regard, I need to make sure he's safe."

Right.

This is a more pressing matter I could not let Kao be by himself now.

With what Gum just told me, there's a huge possibility that Kao could be in trouble.

"Pete! Are you even listening to yourself? Kao is a grown man and is capable of taking care of himself. Besides, you've reminded Gum over and over again to watch over and take care of Kao, what else is it that you want? Let the man breath."

I've praised Kaleb time and again about his intelligence and mindset and I never sugar coat it when I do because I was being honest.

But at the moment, I just wished my best friend is dumb.

"Kaleb, I've let him be for far too long and looked what happened? The guy hates me. I need to redeem myself. Or at least make up for all those times I was not able to protect him."

I know that it's been too long and too late now for me to act all knight in shining armor for Kao, but I was sincere when I said that I wanted to make up for everything with everything that I can and everything that I have.

But listening to Kaleb now, I must admit, I wa second guessing my ideas.

"By making him hate you more? Pete, I get you. I know where you're coming from. Trust me, I do. I also want that. What's best for Kao. But that doesn't mean we cage him this way. We already talked about this. You agree that you'll only be taking Kao in to help him get back on his feet and take back those five years that he lost when you weren't there. Can you just do it? And maybe see where it leads for the two of you in the future? Don't scare him. He might run away again and this time, he may never come back."

I groaned loudly.

Kaleb could really be a pain in the neck sometimes.

He and his wise words.

"Ugh! You talk too much, Kaleb!"

I hated it when he makes so much sense and a part of me still wanted to do the things he tells me not to.

"So what do I do now? Huh? Smart boy? You suggest I just let Kao be with those possible perverts???"

It's not that I don't trust Kao.

I trust him.

The and now.

And I've always had faith in him.

It's the people that he associate himself with that makes me skeptical.

Kao is just too kind and trusting for his own good.

"I'm sorry but the only pervert I know of around Kao is you, my friend!"

I gaped at Kaleb.

"What the fvck!?!"

I narrowed my eyes at him and gave him a death glare after but the jerk just laughed at me.

"I'm just kidding okay!?! But seriously tho, just let Kao be for now. It's his first day back in school, who knows, maybe those guys are just classmates or schoolmates trying to be friend him, exchange notes and maybe schedule study group or something. Just don't over think things, will you?"

Ugh!

Heaven knows that was what I kept on telling myself and spent days and hours convincing myself.

Let Kao be.

And just watch from afar.

But after five years of doing that and finally having him near made thing much harder and more complicated on my end.

"Besides, you promised you'll let him be. You promised him that you believed when he said he got this, don't go back on your promise now."

I didn't want to.

But what can I do!?!

"Kaleb, you don't understand."

I'm trying to make things right for me and Kao again all those time.

I just had to do what I thought could help make that happen.

"Oh, trust me, buddy, I do understand. Very much.But I just want you to take things slow. You survived five years, what's with a few more months of just staying quite on the sidelines?"

I looked at my best friend with a very reassuring demeanor at me but I just could not bring myself to be as optimistic as he was.

"Also, Kao promised that he'll update you with everything, you really don't have to worry that much about him."

My mood got lifted with that fact.

At least Kao was the one who offered the idea.

He even verified my phone number just to make sure he'd be able to get his call through every time he calls me.

I even added his phone to favorites for easier access.

"Just be more patient my friend."

Kaleb told me the same time my phone vibrated.

"It's Kao."

I beamed at my best friend.

"Yeah. I know. I know. It's Kao, and it's what makes you stopping yourself a little harder but just hang in there."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head at my best friend.

"No. I mean, it's Kao. He's calling."

Keng blinked at me before he nodded when he realized what I meant.

"Ohhh."

He hummed before he raised his eyebrows at me.

"See?"

I shook my head at him before I stood up to take the call.

"Hey! What's up?"

What the fvck!?!

Am I nervous!?!

"Hello, sir-,"

I rolled my eyes when I heard what Kao said right after my greetings.

It's one of the many things he asked me to allow him to do.

Address me with an honorific befitting our status.

And since, as he did, he is my employee, it's just right for him to call me sir or boss or whatever it is that he thought would shows honorific.

"-I uhm, I just want to inform you that I'll be home late today. On my first day of uni. Yeah, Uhm, we already have a group presentation for one of our classes and I Uhm, I need to brainstorm with my group mates, so yeah, I, just way to inform you that I will be late for work today."

Another thing that Kao made me agree on was allowing him to work as my secretary in those times that he's off school.

When he finally decided to take my offer and go back to school surprisingly with a different course from what I had always thought he wanted to study, I offered him a full student schedule on weekdays and work for me on the weekends if he's not occupied with his studies.

But instead of thanking and giving me a hug as what I had envisioned, Kao and I spent a good hour debating about his schedule and plan to work as my secretary in his time off university.

And of course, he won!

As always.

And after that talk, he got to decide to address me sir, go to the university through public transport as according to him, part timers don't have personal drivers-when I offered him Gum, work as my secretary when he gets home and letting him on things that concerned or is something related to him.

If I missed anything, that's because I'm still a little bit annoyed with Kao for being too hard headed and refusing me to help his life be a lot easier.

Although not too annoyed because at least he agreed to still stay with me in the house, this, time, with his consent.

And that means, no more running away.

"Yeah, sure, no problem. But, what time do you think you'll be done?"

I saw from the grand father clock on the corner that it's half hour past three in the afternoon already.

With at least two hours of public transport travel if he's lucky, Keno would most definitely be home after dark.

"We'll try to make this one quick. The topic is not that hard anyway. Maybe I'll be back by six or seven tops."

Kaleb was now on my neck breathing fire.

I pushed him away.

"Do you want me to fetch you later?"

I rolled my eyes at Kaleb who deliberately groaned a protest at me.

I saw him mouthed 'what happened to the breather!?!' but I didn't mind him.

I need to make sure Kao is safe.

"No! No. I mean, it's okay. I'll be fine. The bus is running twenty four seven no need for one of your drivers to get me."

I didn't mean one of my drivers, I meant me.

But of course, Kaleb didn't want me to say that with how loud he was glaring at me right then I almost wanted to kick him for real.

"Oh, okay. But if you change your mind, you can always call me or Keng or any of the drivers, alright?"

My best friend rolled his eyes before me and I just had to throw a discarded pen at him which he was quick to dodge.

"Yeah, sure, thanks, sir."

I hummed inwardly.

There's that word again.

It feels so strange coming from Kao.

But I guess it was better than him not storing to me.

"Yeah, okay. Sure. But hey, Uhm, just out of curiosity, who are you with? I mean, may I know their names? I don't know, just, maybe, I know, then or their families or something?"

I may have asked casually but I was already preparing a piece of paper and was holding tightly on the pen I threw at Kaleb earlier which he was just finished returning on my table and got myself ready to write down the names Kao confusingly narrated.

"Do you know them?"

Kao asked after he mentioned the last name and I had no idea who they were.

Their names don't ring a bell.

"Yeah, yeah, their family names are familiar, I'm just not so sure whether or not I really know them. Maybe later I'll remember. Thanks anyway. And you take care, alright. And call me. For anything. And I mean anything, okay? Kao?"

I lied.

Of course I should.

I needed to know who these people are and I thought Kaleb realized what was going on.

I almost wanted to kick him when he theatrically made a deliberate face palmed in front of me.

"Okay. Thanks. Bye."

I nodded at Kao as if he could see me, before I pocketed my phone back and turned towards my best friend who's also my closest aid -with the paper I've written the names Keno gave me.

"What's this!?!"

Kaleb furrowed his brows at me before he examined the paper and furrowed even deeper.

"Find out every thing there is to know about those two."

I told Keng before I sent Gum a text telling him to keep an alert eye on Kao and to not lose him in sight for a second just like the last twenty of so texts I sent him since he left the same time Kao left this morning.

"Who are these people!?!"

Kao asked as he made his way back to his table and stared working on his computer.

He looked up to me when I didn't answer.

I saw him raised his eyebrows waiting for me to speak .

I just shrugged before I closed my phone after reading Gum's 'affirmative' reply and answered my best friend's question.

"Those are people with possibilities of wanting what's mine."