Why the Straight One? - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

"Well, actually, he kissed—wait! Why am I explaining this to you? You are a child. Why were you listening anyways?"
"Because you never said not to, and you talk really loud. And you move around a lot, like this."
He stood up and began pacing the room, his short legs struggling to keep up as he tried to imitate my strides. I had to admit, when he ran a hand through his hair, he came pretty close to imitating me almost every time I was on the phone.
"Well, it's rude to listen to other people's conversations."
"Well, it's rude to talk so loud that you make me want to plug my ears." His hands were now on his hips, and he was looking up at me defiantly. This kid was going to give as good as he got, and I wasn't sure if I could win this argument.
"But why did you kiss my uncle?" I thought maybe we'd moved past this subject, but he wasn't letting me off that easy.
"I didn't!"
"Mom said not to lie." He looked disappointed in me, and I'm not gonna lie, it felt bad that I let a kid down.
"I'm not."
"But you changed your story from what you said on the phone. So, you're lying, and you don't get dessert if you lie."
"How old are you anyways?"
"I'm almost four." He puffed out his chest proudly.
"Then I'm not going to explain this to you. You wouldn't understand."
"I'm not a baby, uncle Alex." Could've fooled me. The kid was tiny.
"Well, I'm not going to reason with you."
"Fine, then I'll tell Uncle Thomas."
"What the hell? Are you blackmailing me?"
He shook his head at me, the look of disappointment he shot me was almost scary. I wasn't qualified for a discussion with a three year old. No one told me they would be this good at making you feel bad.
"Uncle Alex, you really are gonna get in trouble if you keep talking like that. Mom said not to say hell."
"You just said it." His self righteous pose faltered for a second, but he had an answer ready in an instant.
"Because I'm trying to help you not say bad things. Now you know not to say it."
"I'm 21. I don't have to listen to your mom." Seriously, I was talking like a child. This kid was a really bad influence on me.
"Everyone has to listen to my mom. She's in charge."
"She's not the boss of me." He raised his eyebrows, and I began to doubt myself.
Pull yourself together, Alex! This kid is three!
"Look, if you're going to keep threatening me, why don't we at least sit down."
"Okay." He grinned, and I swear he was enjoying this way to much.
So we sat in the couch, but I definitely didn't let him sit on my lap. He was trying to blackmail me. And how he knew that telling Thomas was the way to go was beyond me. I was never this smart at three.
"What do you want from me?" I asked after he continued to smile at me.
"Me?" He looked surprised.
"Yeah you. I don't see anyone else in this room, do you?" He looked around, standing up on the couch so he could see behind it.
"No, just me." He giggled, and I couldn't help but smile at him. He was pretty adorable, even if he was trying to blackmail me.
"So?"
"What?" I facepalmed, and he looked at me curiously.
"So what are you trying to get from me?"
"Oh. I don't want to take anything from you, Uncle Alex." He looked almost sad st the thought, and now I was throughly confused. He seems to have forgotten about the whole kissing thing, so I didn't want to bring it back u0. But I knew it would come back to him later, and he probably just blurt it out to anyone and everyone.
"You obviously want something in return for your silence, so what's it gonna be?"
I could see that most of what I had said had gone over his head.
"Wait...do you mean that you don't want me to tell Uncle Thomas?"
"No, I don't. It's none of his business."
"Can I tell Uncle Raymond?"
"No, of course not! Don't tell anyone!"
"So it's a secret." His eyes lit up with excitement.
"I guess." My phone started ringing again, and I pulled it out of my pocket to check who it was, happy at the interruption.
My finger hovered over the screen off my phone. It was now or never, I had to answer him one of these times. Too bad Walter was here....
Or maybe not. I'd make Elliot explain all this to him.
"Hello."
"Oh thank God! I thought you'd never answer. Listen, Alex-"
"You're on speaker." I informed him before switching him on to speaker.
"Oh? Who's with you?"
"Just—"
"It's me, Uncle El!" Walter was suddenly right beside me, talking directly into the phone as if he fears his uncle couldn't hear him.
"Oh hi, Walter. You hanging out with Alex?"
"Yes, but Uncle Elliot, he's lying to me." He looked up at me as if expecting me to be mad at him or something. Actually I was happy that he was bringing it up.
"No! Really? What's he lying about?" He sounded genuinely amused.
"Well, he won't tell me something."
"Sounds like an adult. What won't he tell you?"
"He won't tell me... he won't tell me why he kissed you."
There was a moment of complete silence. Walter scooted away from me now that he'd 'told on me', and I waited to see what he would say.
"I wonder how that ever came up." Was his very calm and collected reply, which I knew was directed at me.
"He heard me talking on the phone to a friend. Sorry, I guess I talk loud."
"You really do." He sighed. "Walter, he didn't kiss me."
He blinked in astonishment.
"But, Uncle El-"
"I kissed him."
"Why are we explaining this to a three year old?"
"Because you already let him hear about it, so why not give him the truth. Doesn't matter anyways, because it's not a big deal. Right, Walter?"
"Yeah. If you did it, it's fine." He smiled at me. "Oh, Uncle El, can I tell Uncle Alex that joke you told me?"
"Sure, but when I'm done talking to him. Can you give us a minute?"
"Sure." He climbed off the couch, and gave my knee a pat on his way by. "Sorry that I thought you were lying, Uncle Alex."
"That's okay."
"I'm gonna go wait right there were I can't listen." I laughed, and he ran off to play with whatever of his toys were on the other side of the room.
"Is he gone?"
"Yeah." I turned him off speaker and held the phone to my ear.
"Listen, Alex, I'm so sorry. I could make excuses, but really I have none that will excuse how I acted towards you."
"It's okay."
"I was—wait, what?"
"I said it was okay. I forgive you." He let out a deep breath.
"Thank you. It's been torture this last week, what with you not answering, and knowing that I had scared you off. I am sorry about that."
"I know you are. So how's it going there?"
"Eh, it's busy, so that's good I guess. So, the king's birthday is in a little over a month. He doesn't want to invite any of you guys, but I've convinced him that it will look bad if we don't. You'll come, won't you?"
"I'm sure we will."
"But you will come? I thought when you guys left that you didn't want to see me again, and—"
"But we are past that, and I will be there."
"Oh good." There was a slight tremor in his voice. "I'll have something to look forward to then."
"And we can talk and stuff in between that time, even f I can't visit you for another month."
"About that..."
"What?"
"I just—I don't think I'll be able to call you very often."
"Why not?"
"Its nothing, I'm...busy, but I'll call when I can, okay?"
"How busy are you?" I didn't believe that he was only busy. There must be something else.
"Alex, it's not that. I—he won't—even this call is taking a risk. If he catches me I'll—" His voice caught. "It won't be good for me. Please, just understand that I'll call when I can."
"Of course, but Elliot, what the hell is going on?"
"Nothing. I—I have to go, Alex. I'll see you in a little over a month."
And with that he hung up. I felt the could fingers of fear grip my heart. He said he would see me in a month, but I hoped to god that he would be the same Elliot when I got there. I could only imagine what he would go through in that month.