"I have work."
Kelly and Kevin didn't think much of it when Arthur bolted from the table, lunch barely touched, skipping his usual ritual of begging for another scoop of ice cream.
Sure, Arthur often got caught up in grading or prepping lessons—but this time felt… off.
"No ice cream?" Kelly whispered, eyes narrowing as she stared toward the stairs.
Kevin shrugged. "He must be stressed. Let him be."
She didn't argue, but she didn't look convinced either. Her gaze lingered on the closed door upstairs like it might open any second and explain everything.
'Sigh...he must be stressed...'
Inside that very room, Arthur knelt on the floor beside his low table, his tongue poking out in full concentration.
Beads, chains, wire, charms—his whole accessory kit had exploded across the carpet like some chaotic craft store crime scene. He used to buy this stuff without thinking—just because it was shiny, or cute, or on sale.
Now he was trying to make something that mattered.
And it was harder than he'd expected.
"I've never felt so confused by this pile of beads," he muttered, pushing a rogue sequin out of the way with a sigh.
But this had to be perfect.
"I want her to feel special."
No. That wasn't enough.
'I want her to know this was made only for her. That I wouldn't even think of making something like this for anyone else.'
His face flushed at the memory—how she'd asked him and her praise...
He really wanted a praise from her again.
'God, aren't you being childish, Arthur?' he thought, groaning, flopping back onto the floor, feeling defeated.
Still, he sat up again.
He then studied the mess like it might rearrange itself into the answer.
Seriously, he didn't know Natalia that well—not yet at least—but he'd noticed things.
She always wore black, white, deep blue. Clean lines. Understated elegance. Never loud. Never trying.
Just… naturally striking.
'Gold would look stunning on her skin—but silver feels more like her. Quieter. Sharper.'
He picked up a heart-shaped charm, then immediately dropped it.
Too cheesy. Way too much.
Even if a part of him really wanted to use it.
A star? Too dreamy.
Earth motifs? Not her.
Then his eyes landed on a sharp black onyx triangle. Simple. Strong. Maybe… maybe if he paired it with a single dark red bead. A deep wine color.
Elegant. Quiet. Powerful.
Like her.
"This is so much harder than I thought," he groaned, rolling onto his back again. His hand flopped dramatically over his eyes.
He tried again.
And again.
The first two designs were disasters—gaudy, unbalanced, totally wrong. They felt unserious.
But the third…
That one felt real.
A slender black cord.
One dark red bead—just slightly off-center.
A single obsidian triangle.
He finished it with a slim magnetic clasp. No frills. No fuss.
Very elegant...
Just like her.
He held it up to the light, breath catching in his throat.
"This… this is the one."
And yet, doubt crept in like a shadow at the edges seconds later.
'What if she hates it? What if it's still not good enough?'
But even so, Arthur wrapped it with care—as if it were fragile. Sacred.
Because to him, it was.
He had never second-guessed himself so much making anything before.
So he knew...
This was the best thing he had ever made...
"Haah… I'm tired. And ice cream hungry… I need more courage before I bring this up to her anyway. So—ice cream first!"
...
"Why would she suddenly want us to come to her birthday party? After almost three years?"
Kelly's eyes were red as she stared at Kevin's phone on the table like it had personally insulted her.
"I'm sorry, Kevin. But I don't trust your mother. All she ever did was hurt our poor baby…"
"I know," Kevin sighed, rubbing his forehead. His gaze stayed locked on his phone as well, brows furrowed. "I suspect they found out Natalia is back. That's why they're trying to reconnect."
They are talking about Kevin's mother.
Who is also the main reason Kevin cut contact with his family...
Kevin only found out later that his mother had been saying horrible things to Arthur's face when no one else was around—threatening him, even, to keep quiet.
They wouldn't have known about any of it if they hadn't caught Arthur crying silently in the car one night, trying to wipe away the tears quickly.
At the time, things were finally getting better. They were growing closer as a family. So Kevin had been upset, confused, frustrated—he didn't understand why Arthur wouldn't explain what was wrong. They were supposed to be okay.
And, to be honest, if Kevin hadn't been so harsh with Arthur that day, the truth might have never come out.
But it did.
Arthur eventually broke down and told them everything.
Kelly was horrified. She went straight back to confront her mother-in-law—and everything unraveled. His mother, instead of apologizing, doubled down—even insulting Kelly, calling her an orphan, trying to belittle her.
Kevin hadn't tolerated it for a second.
Kevin cut ties with his family that very day, holding a tearful Arthur in his arms as the boy begged him not to be mad at his mother—because she hadn't lied.
He was just a burden after all.
Like she said, he should have just died...
"That poor child didn't deserve any of that," Kelly whispered now, voice trembling. "Why did she have to be so cruel?"
Kevin said nothing. He reached out and gently took Kelly's hand.
"I don't mind if you want to try and fix things with her," Kelly said softly. "She's your mother, after all. But Arthur and I—we're out. You can take Natalia if you want. I'm sure your mom would love not having to see us orphans anyway."
She hadn't forgiven Kevin's mother. Maybe she never would. She could live with the insults to herself—but not what had been said to Arthur. Not those poisonous words.
However, Kevin hadn't forgiven her either.
To forgive someone, they have to apologise first anyway...
"I'm not going, Kelly. Don't worry," he said firmly. "I told her—unless there's a real apology, we're not coming. And I know that's not happening. Unless they're desperate… and want something from us."
Kelly's eyes softened. "I love you, Kevin. You're the best man in the world."
"…Why suddenly?"
"What? Can't I praise my own husband?"
"Well… I never get enough praise with words. You know praises belong in bed—with sweat and moans."
Kevin winked.
Kelly rolled her eyes and blushed, giving his arm a sharp pinch.
"Stop thinking about bed. I'm being serious."
She giggled and climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hugged her close, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Don't ever doubt me, darling," he whispered. "This Kevin never tolerates bullshit—especially if it hurts my family. Even if it's from my own mother."
Kelly smiled and kissed him back—this time on the lips. Kevin deepened the kiss, but suddenly pulled away as they both heard the sound of the fridge door creaking open.
They froze.
They'd been discovered.
Arthur stood there, watching them out of the corner of his eye—then turned fully when he realized they had stopped kissing.
"Get a room, people. There are single folks in the house."
Arthur smirked as he grabbed the ice cream tub and shut the fridge.
Kelly, flustered, jumped off Kevin's lap and shuffled to the chair, sitting down in silence with her face buried in her palms.
This wasn't the first time.
Arthur had walked in on moments like this before. It wasn't awkward anymore—it was practically routine. And kissing was normal between couples, anyway. They were always decently behaved around him. So Arthur had never been uncomfortable.
If anything… he was quietly entertained.
He even kind of liked teasing Aunt Kelly about how cute she got when she was embarrassed.
"It's not my fault you're single, little brat," Kevin teased.
"Hmph!" Arthur huffed, pretending to be offended. He carried his ice cream bowl to the living room without much fuss.
These kinds of jokes were normal, harmless banter between them.
At least before...
'It's not your fault,' Arthur thought to himself.
'It's mine—because the person I like happens to be your daughter. And I don't even know if I can imagine us ever being together…'
Sigh...
Lif- Love is so complicated...