Summers & Starbucks - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Kaiden
Up close, Dr. Dylan Summers is almost like McDreamy from Grey's.
"You didn't tell me you knew Madison's kid, Nathan?"
"When was I gonna tell you? When you were in New York or vacationing in the Maldives or when you were buried deep in that vile woman?" Nathan asks icily but with a smile still in place. I almost choke on a piece of the chicken starter.
Dr. Dylan sighs, turning to me and ignores Nathan.
"Kaiden is it? My son is quite smitten by you, it seems. Are you anything like Charles' kid?"
Nathan goes red and I want to fucking disappear.
"I'm sorry?" I ask, smiling politely because I can feel my mum's gaze burning holes in me.
"Come on, you think I don't know? You two are so obvious even the ISS can see it. My son has a knack for attracting the closest connected people to me. It should be considered a talent, how much he loves to put me in uncomfortable situations."
He looks so done.
Nathan and I are not as subtle as we thought then. His father noticed in literally half an hour of seeing us together. I wonder if everyone else is dense or he's just really smart.
"Anyway, you won't get him kicked out again yeah? I really can't afford to put him in another school."
"But you can afford to keep that skank and her daughter?" Nathan asks easily.
"Honestly Nathan, if you could understand that she's not a skank and give her a chance, maybe we'd all be happier," Dr. Dylan whispers tiredly.
"Honestly Dad, if you could understand how much of a gold digger she is, maybe you'd be happier too," Nathan mocks, shrugging. "Ask Kai. Tell him how annoying and cunning Vanessa is!"
I blink. I didn't expect to be dragged into their private drama like this.
"That's enough Nathan. Just because I pay for your education doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want!"
"You kinda owe that to me for leaving me with Mum, so you don't get to complain."
Dr. Dylan's blue gaze turns stony. Nathan is pushing all his buttons and I'm a tad bit scared. I'd never in a million years think about speaking like that to my Dad.
"You deserve a trophy for putting up with this kid. He never listens to me about anything!" He turns to me.
Nathan huffs and walks away to the buffet, leaving me alone with his dad. How dare he, I want to chuck the glass at his stupid head!
"With all due respect Dr. Summers, Nathan's actually quite easy to put up with, I've found," I mutter in saccharine tones, fidgeting with my shirt cuffs. I can't quite decide if I like him or loathe him.
"He only agreed to come because you'd be here you know? He values you and Madison more than he ever did his own family. I saw how he was smiling with you. I haven't seen him smile like that since the divorce."
I look up at him. He meets my eyes and raises a brow, sipping on the champagne. There's a gentle smile on his visage.
"I'm guessing you know everything," He states. It's not even a question. I nod.
"I am thankful to you for being there for him. Even though he doesn't open up to me, I know my son well. Maybe not everything but I know his nature. After what happened with Charles and his kid, I wanted to take him with me. He wanted that too."
"Then why didn't you?" I ask, confused.
Dr. Summers sighs.
"I didn't want him to change states for just one year. Besides, my plan of coming back here was already in motion. I didn't want to bother with his admission process and then move him here in the middle of the academic year. Does it make sense?"
I blink. This adult man, a renowned doctor, is asking me if his decision about his own child's education made sense?
"I wish I could shield him from everything bad but I can't always do that. I put him in Credence because I thought he would have company with Vanessa. Turns out they loathe each other?"
I smile to myself. He looks genuinely confused.
"Dr. Summers, do you trust Nathan?"
"Of course. You think I would let him live with his Mum if I didn't have faith in him? He's a brilliant kid. Much more so than I was at his age. He takes the right decisions most times."
"Then trust him when he says Vanessa is cunning. I don't have a say in what her mother's like but I think you should listen to Nathan in that matter."
He nods, eyeing me curiously.
"What did you do to get him to trust you?"
I'm surprised he's having such a long conversation with me when there's so many doctors and his new staff he needs to speak to. He really does care about Nathan and wants to know how he can get through. I don't know if I can tell him how but I think even adults need a little guidance.
"I just... I don't know. I was there for him, for starters."
"Touché, kid," he sighs.
I bite the inside of my cheek to hide a smile. He understands he hasn't been the best parent.
"I don't know what else I did. I just listen to him whenever he talks and try to do small things for him. He sucks at asking for help even if he's struggling so I just offer it without mentioning anything. I defended him against his mum. I'm really curious as to why you left him with her?"
"I... I thought it would be better if he had some supervision than living completely alone you know? He's a minor after all. I divorced her because she was a control freak and manipulative. I didn't think she would be the same towards her own son."
He has the decency to look guilty.
"I would have neglected him completely with my work schedule. He would have felt more isolated than ever. But at least probably it wouldn't have fucked up his self esteem like she did."
"Your taste in women is awful, Dr. Summers, no wonder your son is gay," I hum.
Nathan joins us at that moment and almost spits out his drink. I grin suddenly, enjoying this conversation a bit too much.
Dr. Summers looks aghast.
"You're both brats," He grumbles like a child.
"I'm sorry sir," I laugh a bit. "I didn't actually intend to say it out loud, I promise."
"Eh, I'll let it slide this once."
He meets Nathan's gaze and ruffles his hair. Nathan swats his hand away, glaring at him for ruining his hairdo.
"I'm glad you're happy together. I hope I'll be a part of your lives ahead, if you'll let me."
"Um, what?" Nathan asks confused.
"Dr. Summers, please don't mention... anything about us to anyone else? We're... trying to keep it under wraps because of well, certain things," I whisper.
"Don't worry your secret is safe with me."
He nods before walking away to my waiting mother.
Nathan turns to me, raising a perfect brow.
"What did you say to him? Why did he look sad?"
"Oh, nothing really. It was an adult conversation you wouldn't understand."
He hits my head and I laugh.
"Fucking brat!"
"Say Nathan, you wanna get out of here?"
"Man, I thought you'd never ask."
I chuck a fry at him and he deftly catches it in his mouth. We left the party and rode his bike in the freezing air to come to a diner miles away from home.
So here we are, dressed in fancy outfits, eating cheap diner food. I wonder why when there was perfectly fine food at home. I'm not complaining as long as Nathan's with me.
"They really should have ended Naruto after the Pain arc. Boruto is a total waste of time," he shrugs.
"I don't know... Boruto does tie up a lot of loose ends about the Otsutsuki but it's basically a fanfiction now. They're gonna end up killing one of Naruto or Sasuke for Boruto's character growth because that's as badass as you can get."
"That's true. Sasuke was my religion until I got to know about Itachi."
"Why do morally grey characters in anything generate most appeal?"
"Because they're hot and their sad backstory justifies their actions. The sympathy card works everytime!"
"Did you watch Shadow and Bone?"
"No not yet. I've been meaning to. Is it any good?"
"The morally grey character thing is prevalent in it. I think you'd like Kaz and Jesper."
He smiles, nodding.
"What did my dad say to you? I mean, I caught the last part and well, I did not fucking expect that."
I snicker and tell him everything. He looks thoughtful by the end.
"He is proud you're following in his footsteps by the way. He is also very guilty about leaving you here."
"Well yeah, I mean, being lonely in New York would have been better than being abused. Anyway, at least I'm hoping things get better with Dad, you know? Maybe I could live with him now that he's here. Mum's managing fine on her own. It would bring me a lot of relief."
I nod.
He places his hand on mine, making sparks shoot up my whole body. I lace our fingers together and he smiles.
"Well, Thanksgiving break starts next week. And I want to formally invite you to my home for lunch, two days before the actual Thanksgiving. All my friends come every year and this time, you'll be a part of it!"
"Nice, I'd love to be there. I have a game next Friday, will you come watch? We'll go on a date after. I have a place I want to go with you."
I nod immediately.
"I'm pretty sure Ryan and Daniel hate me because I literally refused coming to the games before you," I laugh. "I was always bored. They're still boring but at least I get to see your cute ass running around."
"Who you calling cute?" Nathan grumbles playfully, hitting my arm.
"You, my squishy boi, you're the cutest!" I boop his nose and he laughs, rolling his eyes.
"You're lucky I love you."
"No bitch, you're lucky you have me," I reply sassily, attempting a hairflip.
"I know," he says simply and I melt at the warmth in his gaze.
We pay the bill and walk out, his hand easily slipping into mine. He presses a kiss to my lips and I sigh happily, hands going around his waist. He has to tiptoe a bit considering I'm taller, his fingers threading my hair.
It's a gentle, happy kiss and he tastes deliciously of the milkshake he just had. I feel myself getting turned on so I pull away, resting my forehead against his.
"I've been wanting to do that the whole fucking night," He groans. "I wish we could go back somewhere and finish this."
"You can always sneak in through my balcony again," I grin, kissing him.
Suddenly, I'm pulled back by a firm grip on my collar and I stumble, landing on my ass.
Five boys surround us. They're clearly older and drunk.
"Aye yoo, look, it's a couple of fags!"
"What the fuck?" Nathan snaps.
I scramble to stand but the guy kicks my stomach. Pain shoots up to my brain, making me cough. That's going to fucking bruise like a bitch.
The next second, the guy is flat on his back, with a powerful punch thrown by Nathan.
"Don't touch him!" He yells.
The other four attack.
I grab one guy's ankle and he lands on his face, screaming in pain as his jaw connects with the pavement. The other guy kicks my face. Blood spurts out and I clutch my nose, stars blinking in my vision.
I am getting dizzy. Another kick to my stomach makes me groan weakly. I scramble to stand up, reflexes slowed down by the unbearable shooting pain in my skull.
I grab one guys hoodie cap, making him fall backwards on his head. He's knocked unconscious instantly. I don't bother checking if he's dead or not.
Pushing away the taller guy, I land a sickening punch on his face. Nathan trips the third guy and hastens to the bike, revving it on. I push the guy and he falls.
"Get back here you fuckers!" He yells.
I hastily get on the motorcycle and Nathan speeds away. I can't breathe. I wrap my arms around his waist tighter.
Please don't pass out.
The freezing air is stinging my split lip.
"Nathan..." I groan. My chest feels like it's on fire.
"Kai! Kaiden, we're almost at the hospital. Don't pass out!" he yells.
I fist my knuckles in his blazer, resting my cheek against his back, ears ringing. He parks.
My vision swims. I get off the bike, stumbling. A sharp pain in my chest makes me sob.
"Nate..."
"Fuck, Kaiden!"
The last thing I feel is his arms around me before everything goes dark.