~~~~FORTY~~~~

"What do you think Henry would love the most?" Katie asked.

"I do not know, may be some brain storming would do just fime." I told Katie.

"Alright then let us try many choices." Katie said as she googled it on the computer.

"Interesting gifts for boys." She typed into the search engine.

"A watch?" She said.

"Not romantic at all." I replied.

"A phone?" She said.

"Too expensive and I am certain they are forbidden on school grounds." I replied.

"A football?" She said.

"More sporty and not romantic." I replied.

She was about to read something else then I stopped her.

"Wait." I halted mightily.

"What?" She turned to me and asked.

"May be let us get more creative at this." I replied.

"What are you trying to mean?" She asked.

"Take a leaf from Conan." I said as I pointed at my golden tag.

"You suppose I should get him a golden tag as well." Katie said.

"No." I replied.

"What then?" Katie asked.

"Make him something so sweet, if he is a sports player then you should perhaps order a jersey with something creatively you.

Something that he will feel certainly makes him a meaningful person in your life.

Think of words to put there to make him understand how serious you are and how much you mean to love him." I replied.

Katie looked puzzled as though trying to process what I had just said.

"Get him like a jersey of his favorite premier League team and add a catching statement for a name like.

HENRY AND KATIE FOREVER. Or something else that you can think of." I added.

Her face lit up almost instantly.

"Perhaps you are very right, may be that could do very well." Katie said in a very jolly tone.

"It will leave him flattered that is if he fancies these things." I said.

"I think it will because Henry is a very sentimental person." Katie said.

"Oh, I hope so." I said.

"Someone is now an expert at love, who ever taught you to be so romantic?" Katie said.

"The one and only Conan." I bragged a little an shrugged.

"My innocent two shoes has grown." Katie said.

"I take after my grand mother here." I said teasingly.

"Oh Nate, you are so dead." Katie said as she shot up.

"Sorry, I was just joking around." I said to her and she seemed calmer.

Suddenly, following the short silence, I heard my phone vibrate from my pockets.

"Wait a minute." I said as I slid my hand into my pocket and pulled out my cellphone.

"Who is it?" Katie asked in a whisper.

I studied the screen and read the words on it.

"My mr Pancakes." I said lost in my thoughts before picking up.

"What?" Katie asked.

"Oh, sorry, I mean Conan." I said.

"Already calling yourselves names." Katie commented as I picked up.

"Please put it on loud speaker." Katie said.

She looked very sincere and cute while she pleadingly looked at me.

I could not resist and gave in to her request.

She got very excited and leaped up.

"Hello honey comb." Conan said and I could instantly feel myself blushing.

"Hello gare bear." I replied.

"Don't you think that is too violent? call me something sweeter." He humbly requested.

"Mr pancakes?" I said.

"That is way better." He replied.

I sneaked a glance at Katie who closed her eyes and looked like she was about to explode with joy.

That was literally flirting on a phone call but I could tell she was certainly enjoying every bit of it.

"I already miss you." I said.

"I miss you more." He added and t that point I coupd clearly see Katie was on the verge of shooting up into the sky.

"Don't flatter me." I said shyly.

"I am serious about this, I wish you knew how much I really loved you.

I see in almost every mirror here, feel you in the air, kiss you in my dreams." He said.

Katie shook her hands up as she shook herself violently out of so much excitement.

I on the other hand felt my blushing becoming more and more serious than it already was.

"You are so honey lipped." I said.

"But I am being sincere and truthful." He replied.

"Alright, guess what, I see you in every star." I said.

"Are you trying to get me flattered?" Conan asked.

"Of course, what more do you want me to do?" I asked.

"You are failing at it, ask me questions like how has been your day?" He replied.

"How has been your day?" I immediately asked.

"Terrible, miles away from you, I feel so suffocated, I want to see you so bad." He replied.

"Remember we had agreed, on new years eve at night in town." I said.

"It is far away, I am so desperate to see you." Conan pleadingly said from his end.

"Sorry, no exceptions even for my boy friend, we are going to follow our time table." I replied.

Katie looked to lower her spirits.

"Come on." Conan said.

"If you plead any more I might post pone our meeting." I said.

"Ew, so mean of you." He said.

"What was that?" I asked pretending I didn't hear.

"You are being so cold to me." Conan said.

"Negative comments same punishment." I clearly said.

"Alright, you win, I rest my case." Conan said.

"Very good my darling." I said.

"Wow, say it again." Conan said.

"Very good Mr. Anaconda." I replied.

"Why are you becoming so hard?" Conan asked.

"You taught me." I replied with a smile.

"I regret it now." He muttered.

"Well be happy, I was just joking with you." I said.

"Oh, so you are going to begin calling me HUSBAND?" Conan said.

"That is too soon you pervert." I said.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Bye." I said and hang up immediately without another word.

"Goodness, open cellphone flirting, how cute." Katie said with a smile twice the size of her normal one.

"Come on Katie." I said.

"Do not try to stop me, Conan knows the right buttons to push, I could clearly read the expression on your face.

It was all visible in your eyes, additionally you were fully turning read with almost every word he said.

Honey comb, gare bear, such out dated sweet words but nevertheless they sent you melting down." Katie reprimanded.

"Conan is very playful you know." I said in defense.

"It is a good thing you got along with him in the game really well." Katie replied.

The rest of the afternoon was very interesting as I caught up with Katie on the time we had spent apart.

She did listen while I filled her in on the times I went out with Conan recently and the nights before Christmas.

She was a very good listener and I was very pleased that she was keen  enough to listen.

As time slowly progressed, it appeared as though the day would not come to an end.

It was 3:45pm when I made my departure and headed towards my home.

Katie waved me goodbye from her porch and that meant that my walk had to be a solo one.

The very first gentle footsteps sent me happily into my own thoughts.

I had some time to personally meditate on all the crazy things that had happened to me of recent.

To begin with, no matter how many times I had to constantly keep on repeating myself, I was still having a hard time believing everything that had happened.

I had already cropped up the awkward feeling of being trapped in my own imagination.

Being distant from Conan every second become hurtful yet I however still tried to remind myself it was not for long.

"Was that how you were supposed to feel when in love?" I continuosly asked myself.

"Does the distance between the both of us ache that much?" I was not sure.

"Why the pain of not having him around and always missing his very handsome face?" That was also a mystery of mine as well.

I sighed, not out of boredom but mental fatigue.

I had just witnessed the greatest and the most life changing situation in all my life.

I could not bring myself together, yes, I was inwardly too blissful to settle down and at the same time somewhat sad Conan was absent.

For a while I could certainly feel the whole world was empty and lifeless and all that I needed was Conan to be around.

I was brought out of my thoughts in an instant when I felt a soft touch on my right shoulder.

"Conan?" I called his name as I turned around.

I froze upon realizing that it was someone else.

"Arthur?" I spoke again surprised that he was there.

"Yes, its me." He spoke to confirm.

I felt embarassed and bowed down my head.

"Sorry, I thought you were soneone else." I shyly replied.

"Oh, it is alright." Arthur replied.

"Hmmm." I muttered and shook my head.

"Can I walk you home?" Arthur asked me.

"Sure." I hesitantly replied.

At once we embarked on our walk back to my miserable land.

"Why was Conan the first person you thought me to be, did he do anything to you?" Arthur asked me.

My stomach was entirely full of butterflies and I felt so tensed as I looked at Arthur and then back ahead.

"No, absolutely nothing." I replied trying to sound very casual and hoping that it worked well.

"Have you seen him around or anywhere?" He asked again his tone sounding so serious I inwardly got frightened.

"Yes." I replied immediately and from the corner of my eye I coupd have sworn I saw his face change.

It was not clear the expression he wore but I was sure the aura that surrounded us was not that blissful.

"I just happened to meet him around this week though I can not seem to recall where." I lied.

Slowly, I could feel easiness move right in the atmosphere around us that I was forced to lightly sigh.

"Oh, did he seem to notice that it was you?" Arthur asked again making me uncomfortable.

I did not want to openly confess my discomfort because I inwardly felt that he might start to suspect something between the both of us.

I could tell by his expression that he was not entirely happy with the fact that I had met Conan.

He was never happy with the fact of me coming close to him and desperate as I was to sustain the friendship we had,

I was not willing to tell him the truth just yet in the fear of creating a rift between the both of us.

I had no other choice but to lie my way out in a manner that would greatly reduce or completely alter Arthur's displeasure.

"Well, he didn't, only I seemed to notice that it was him and he by passed me looking elsewhere." I replied.

I turned to look at Arthur's face and noticed it immediately overcome by ease.

"It worked." I inwardly said to myself as a simple sigh escaped Arthur's lips.

"We have not met in a very long time." Arthur said.

Automatically, I had to lie again though I did put in some bits of truth in my speech.

"I was so caught up at home under a very watchful eye so that I get to respect family time.

I can come out once in a while but it was always to visit the Bells or take a stroll in the park." I said.

"I can imagine how lonely you must feel within those walls." Arthur said.

He was not entirely wrong about being lonely in my house but when it came to generally, I no longer wasn't.

I entirely leaned on the fact that Conan, my boy friend was there and there was Katie who was close enough to be my sister.

The Bells, they were really close enough like my family and a few friends of mine.

Life outside was so fresh and very sweet at the same time, I did not have to worry about home any more.

"Well, yes it is but at least I manage to make it alive." I said.

"So, can we meet on New Year's eve?" Arthur asked me.

"I am sorry but I do not think that it will be possible." I replied almost immediately.

"Oh, why?" Arthur asked.

Of course I was meeting my boy friend and I could not post pone Conan or replace him for anything in the world.

I was so quick to think, I loved Conan so much and he was the very first priority I had grown to have at that time.

Even if he asked later I would reschedule Arthur for him.

"You know I am still under family arrest, my schedule inside will be entirely packed up." I replied.

"Oh, how unfortunate, I wanted to take you somewhere." Arthur said.

"May be some other time." I said to wave him off the topic.

"May be." Arthur replied in an uncertain tone.

We walked the rest of the distance which was a very short one until we arrived outside my fence.

"I guess I will leave you here." I said as I turned to Arthur.

"I could give you a call or a message tonight and we talk farther." Arthur said.

I was starting to feel a little guilty because of the sincerity that was filled in his tone.

"Sure, I will wait for you." I replied and he smiled.

"Bye." He said.

"Bye." I replied and walked onto my porch without staring back behind me.

I was feeling so guilty at that moment and also hurt that I had just lied to Arthur.

I did not want to lie to him and I had to constantly keep on reminding myself that I simply had to.

I was a coward when it came to relationships and at that moment, lying seemed worth it to me.

Once I sped up into the house, I barely had the time to look around so I ran straight to my room.

When I got in, I fell on my bed.

I took hold of my pillow tightly in my hands and then I covered my head with it at that very moment feeling so sad, guilty and also completely devastated.