The One That Got Away

"Who was that?" Timothy asked after the call ended.

"My new boss. She said we have a meeting with my first client this afternoon," Yves said.

"Whoa! Already? It hasn't been long since you signed a contract with them, right?" Timothy approached him and rested both hands on Yves' hips. "Well... congratulations! I mean, should we celebrate? How about we have an intimate dinner after your meeting?"

"I don't mind if you're not busy. How's your research going?"

Contemplation creased Timothy's forehead, which meant he's not yet done with whatever he's doing, but he grinned at him nonetheless. "It can wait."

Yves laughed and pressed his palms on Timothy's cheeks. "So, you can set aside personal projects if you want to, which means you could have gone to the wedding reception with me. You just didn't want to, am I right?"

"I can set aside personal projects to spend time with you. You're my boyfriend, they're not. There's a difference in that."

Tried as he may, Yves had nothing to say against his boyfriend's argument. He just giggled and kissed Timothy. "Okay. Let's have dinner after the meeting."

———

The morning light flittered in to the tiny window inside the bathroom.

Clad in a thick white bathrobe, Richard stood in front of the mirror, trimming the growing stubble on his jawline. He spent the next thirty minutes doing his daily skin care routine, humming to the tune of a classic music while mumbling the occasional 'forever young' but only that part of the song lyrics. Once done, he caressed his cheek and smirked at his reflection.

Now, he's ready to face the world.

Richard marched out of the bathroom with his hygiene kit tucked under his arm, then paused in the living room to stare at his son, who was seated on the couch crossed-leg, looking as grouchy as ever while typing furiously on his smartphone.

Glenn had an adhesive patch over his bruised nose, which they might need to get checked to a medical professional if he's not being a brat. His bodyguard, Eadric, who had told him what happened, looked much better than Glenn with just a busted lip.

More than troubled, it bewildered Richard how a single punch from a harmless-looking bespectacled boy can inflict so much damage. But then again, unlike in the movies where fight scenes were mostly staged, an actual knuckle punch to the nose would still hurt, regardless.

Richard was yet to find out why the two got into a physical fight. He had a rough guess, but until Glenn voiced out his side, he could only speculate that it had something to do with how he interacted with Yves yesterday. Not that it's the first time he expressed his interest with someone, and Glenn was not happy about it.

With a shake of his head, Richard continued his way to his bedroom to change. A moment later, he stepped out dressed in semi-casual clothes and a thick black coat with spiky grey fur trimming the hood. He made his way to the dining area, where he spotted Eadric with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Good morning, Congressman," Eadric greeted.

"Good morning to you too," Richard greeted back, grabbing a cup to prepare coffee for himself. "So, did you find him?"

Eadric shook his head. "Unfortunately, he disappeared without a trace. I couldn't find him anywhere."

"I see." Richard paused to study Eadric and the dark bags under his eyes. Apprehension radiated off of the young man. He couldn't help but worry. "Why don't you switch with the others and get some rest? I'm sure they've gotten enough sleep to cover for your shift."

"No, it's alright. I'm fine," Eadric said, slapping his cheeks multiple times in an attempt to shake away the spell of sleep. "This double shot espresso will do the trick."

"Will you be driving for us later? We might get into an accident if you nod off again. Remember, this is Baguio City. There are plenty of cliffs and zigzag roads. One wrong move and we'll plummet into our instant demise. I can't die this young."

"I'll keep that in mind, Congressman."

With a grunt, Richard sipped on his cup, but didn't make any more comment about it. He just made his way onto the terrace outside with his cup of coffee.

Since they were in a place located on top of the mountain at approximately 5300 feet above sea level, the outside of the cabin was covered with morning dew. Because of the cooler climate, the City of Baguio was known as the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Despite the cold contrast from Metro Manila, the sight of shapeless vapor crawling over tree tops mesmerized him.

Richard breathed in the fresh scent of tropical pines before sipping on his cup of coffee. His mind went back to the young man he met yesterday at the party and couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. He didn't even get his contact information.

Was this what they called the one that got away?

Nah. He didn't think so. It's not like they got in an actual relationship. Besides, they only bonded for a few hours. And Yves claimed he was in a relationship already. It's stupid to think of it that way.

Richard could only shake his head, smiling to himself as he finished the rest of his hot beverage. He headed back inside the cabin and bumped into Glenn. "How was your nose?"

Glenn only gave him a dead stare, mumbling it was fine, before storming off.

Richard bit the corner of his lip at their cold interaction. He was just concerned. Shaking his head, he sighed and followed him to the dining room to have breakfast. He found Angela on the dining table with the ordered food from an in-house restaurant of El Cielo Lodges commercial center.

"Have you made an appointment with Michelle?" Richard asked.

"Yes, Congressman," Angela said. "She scheduled a meeting for us this afternoon with her best recommended personnel. Would you like to come along or should just go there by myself?"

It's the weekend. Aside from the scheduled meeting with the security agency later, he had no other urgent appointment to attend to.

Richard smiled as he pulled a chair and sat down. "No. I'll go with you. I want to meet the person she recommended before hiring him."