Chapter Twenty Six

< Nina >

Sebastian Jacques.

When I asked Yu about him one time after eating pizza with him, no surprise there that he is involved with the de Milano family. But he is not just any other butler, in fact, he is the head butler in the de Milano Estate. But what surprised me the most was Yu’s revelation.

We were at the pizza place near the boulevard again. Right after we visited the doctor’s to check my eye, now I’m pirate-free and Yu finally stopped teasing it.

“Jacques adopted me right after my father’s death. He died due to lung cancer,” Yu said as he removed the olives from the pizza, a habit I’ve noticed every time we ordered pepperoni.

But that’s not the point, my attention was focused on him as I said my condolences, “I’m sorry for that.”

“Well, that was a long time ago. I love my old man, in fact, both of my fathers are great,” he said, proudly then he grinned. “Just to let you know, all of my life I grew up in the de Milano Estate, my biological father was a gardener, and Sebastian, the head butler. Luca on the other hand has been my best friend since we were in kindergarten. We have been together like sticks in the mud, hip by hip, like you and Gene, you get the drift.”

That made sense as to why Yu could insult his boss whenever he feels like it.

“W-what was he like...I mean, when he was a kid?”

He ponders a bit, a nostalgic smile on his face then he chuckles. “Now that you mentioned it, the young Luca reminded me of you.”

“What?!” That caught me off in a huge surprise, unintentionally dropping my pizza back to its plate.

“Maybe that’s why I get along with you easily, kid.” He grinned. “Luca used to be so shy that he stuttered every time he was around strangers. He blushes a lot, heck even until now when he easily gets embarrassed.”

“He does?” I couldn’t believe what he just said.

“That was when we were runts. But since he has the de Milano and Gomez legacy in his hands, he is expected to do great things. That’s why he is allowed to be a dick at times.”

I could only nod. “I s-see then.”

“Speaking of Sebastian, where did you hear that from?” He raised an eyebrow.

“F-from the school registry. It said that he is my guardian in case of an emergency.”

“Ah, Rodrigo is just being cautious. Well, it’s just a registry name, kid. If something does happen, give us a call.”

“I promise you that.”

And that’s the end of the mystery about Sebastian Jacques. I finally understood why Rodrigo entrusted his former head butler if anything goes wrong.

And unfortunately, that was the last time I’ve seen Yu. He had a sudden business conference in three different countries and he left the day after, promising he would be back before October.

So that leaves me and Luca.

Speaking of which, I rarely see Luca now other than a brief breakfast in the morning and during laundry day. Most of the time he arrives home late and I speculated that since he couldn’t bring Heather in his place anymore, he visits her place more often.

We haven’t talked since that morning and it seems he gets in a sour mood each time we meet.

Like I am an inconvenience to him.

We...really need to stop this. Otherwise, we will never have the chance to actually talk before my graduation.

Plus, I need to ask his permission about Clarence.

I sigh, as I slump on my bed. It’s already 11PM, I’m already done with my homework and just waiting for Luca to come home. I have second thoughts of calling him but it will be inevitable knowing that it would just embarrass me.

Or worse, he will ignore my calls.

So I’ve decided to talk to him tomorrow. Besides, he always arrives home at 5AM. He might not have noticed it but I always wake up whenever I hear the front door open or the sound of footsteps echoing in the quiet apartment.

I will do my best, then.

..............................

< Nina >

I heard the sound of my phone ringing next to my ear and I abruptly woke up, regretting that the phone was literally next to me when I had a shut-eye last night. I groan as I look at the person responsible for calling me at this hour.

When I see Gene’s caller ID, I abruptly open my eyes and answer. “Hello, Gene?”

“Hey, good morning.” he seems oddly cheerful for some strange reason.

“Why are you calling—” I pause to check the time. “At 4AM in the morning?”

“Well, aside from making you angry for once,” at that answer I groan and slump myself back to bed. “I’m kidding, really.” He says with a tone of amusement that is clearly shown in his voice.

“You seem cheerful early in the morning, what’s up?” As I say that I yawn.

“I got the job.”

And at that moment, my weariness fades and is slowly replaced by joy and excitement.

“Are you for real?!” I jump out of my bed. “You got the job? What is it? What do you do? Where?”

“Calm down, Nina. I haven’t started yet,” he says, reverting back to his deadpan tone. “The cafeteria lady recommended me to this old woman’s laundry shop. It’s a bit far from school but a job is a job.”

“That’s still amazing, Gene! I’m happy for you!”

“Thanks, Nina. You’re right about helping Mr. Roacher and the cafeteria lady to start dating.”

“Wait, for real? How did you do it then?” That’s a surprise for Gene to take the initiative to be the wingman of his most hated teacher.

“Simple, I helped Mr. Roacher write a poem and sent it to the lunch lady. Apparently, we found out that she was a hopeless romantic. They started dating afterward.”

“That’s amazing, Gene,” I say, enthusiastically.

“I can finally get there for thanksgiving, Nina, that is if I don’t get fired soon.”

“Of course not, I know you will do well there.” And I mean it. “If you finally get here, I’ll introduce you to Yu and the Japanese owner!”

There is a pause before he asks, “How about Luca?”

I am unsure how to answer that. Albeit reluctantly, I say, “I’m not sure, Gene. If you get along, that’s fine with me. But I...I will try.”

After all, Gene isn’t involved with the drama between Luca and me. I’m sure he won’t let his personal feelings get in the way of getting acquainted with someone new.

He is used to socializing with people, after all. A side I have yet to see because I rarely even see him outside this apartment.

“Anyway, I gotta go. My first day at work starts at five, can we chat during lunchtime?”

“As usual.” I smile before hanging up.

This morning feels great! Gene finally found a job. I often worry that he might have trouble finding one, knowing that the people in Freedomville are trying not to involve themselves with him...with us, actually.

But I’m happy and I hope that it will help Gene get away from the bullying and the chase for a change.

I decided to get up, prepare breakfast and take a shower instead of getting back to bed. It’s a time worth celebrating after all.

What I don’t expect when I open the door is to see Luca whose knuckle in the air, ready to knock on my bedroom door.

Why is it that every time I open my door like some sort of an entrance to Narnia, I often get caught off-guard with Luca? So, I stare at him awkwardly as my mouth drops.

Apparently, Gene’s news isn’t the biggest surprise in the morning.