During the term's holiday. Oliver continued his part time job, but this time, he worked overtime.
He works as a waiter in a small restaurant which was quite popular in town. The total numbers of employees were three including himself.
His boss is a chubby, strict, middle aged widow who has neither family nor close relatives. Though hot tempered and straightforward, the lady was exceptionally kind to Oliver, and she treats him nicely too.
He suspected that the woman was overly good to him because she knew of his family.
One day, as Oliver was walking back home from the restaurant as usual, the phone in the pocket of his pants started to beep with a soft ringtone.He brought it out and glanced at his phone.
"Hello mom,"
For few seconds, there was no reply from the other end of the line.
"Mum," Oliver muttered, the first thing that came to his mind was 'abduction'. Before he could panic, a shaky voice sounded from the other end.
"Oliver,"
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"I need you to go home right away, go to my room...and..." She coughed heavily for some seconds, and then she cleared her throat. "You'll see a brown file atop the drawer by the right, bring it to me, I'm waiting" she coughed again, this time, breathlessly.
"Mum, are you okay?," Oliver asked worriedly. He knew something was wrong.
"It's alright, just do as I say. Come to Mrs Gracie's place, hurry," She said again and hung up.
Oliver stood frozen, trying to guess what happened to his mother. Maybe his dad showed up at her workplace. He walked home quickly, and as his mom had described, a heavy file was on the drawer in her room.
He picked it up, not bothering to read the contents before running out of the house.
Getting there, he spotted his mom standing at the entrance of the mansion, her face as pale as paper. Before he could say anything, Mrs Montero took the file from his hands and shoved him inside.
"Help me take care of Mrs Gracie, I'll be back in few hours, her grandson is coming to accompany you," She gave him few more instructions before leaving in a hurry.
Oliver deeply sighed and closed the door.The large European style sitting room met his sight. Though, this was not his first time here, he couldn't help being awed by the sight of naked luxury. His eyes darted across the room, the marble floors, chandeliers, the...
"Alice!!" Mrs Gracie's voice rang out from the balcony. "Get me a cup of water,"
Oliver walked into the kitchen and brought out a tray, glass cup, and a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
He rinsed the cup thoroughly as his mom had instructed, and placed it on the tray, he then went to meet her at the balcony.
"Here, ma'am," Oliver said placing the tray on the table in front of her respectfully. He opened the table water professionally and poured it into the cup. He had done this several times for his customers.
"Are you Oliver, Mrs Montero's son" Mrs Gracie asked staring at him curiously.
"Yes," Oliver answered, wondering how poor the woman's memory was. Why did she forget his face so easily after just seven months.
"You look so much like her, you would have been a great beauty if you were a girl," she commented, smiling teasingly. Oliver's smile froze, did he hear her correctly. His face flushed red in embarrassment.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"I'll go get the door" He muttered and ran back into the house. If he's not mistaken, the person by the door post should be Mrs Gracie's grandson. Oliver was quite thrilled, at least, a third person would ease the tension between him and the old lady.
He reached out to the doorknob and opened the door gently.
His smile suddenly stiffened. His hair standing on end.
The person at the entrance was also stunned. But he was faster to react. " Long time no see," He said, the corner of his lips raised slightly.
Oliver nodded in reply, trying his best to to look nonchalant but his voice betrayed him.
"H..H..How may I..I help you..." He stammered not daring to meet Liam's eyes.
Liam snorted lightly. He felt like teasing him but he changed his mind. "Let me in,"
Oliver stood still, not knowing how to react. Did he follow him here? Or is he just a neighbor?. He tried to make a guess, but he couldn't come to a conclusion.
"Come on, what are you thinking, let me in," Liam murmured patiently, staring at him in amusement.
Oliver finally come to a sudden realization. "Is he Mrs Gracie's grandson," He thought, biting his lips in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry,"
He moved aside to let him in, his grip on the doorknob shaking vigorously.Closing the door gently, his eyes caught sight of the motorcycle parked some meters away. Oliver's gaze heated, is that the Ducati Panigale V4.
"Why are you here?" Liam's nonchalant voice sounded from inside. Oliver turned abruptly, their eyes meeting.
He was standing at the front of the refrigerator. He brought out a tropical fruit juice and downed it in a gulp.
Oliver was still staring at him. He took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Mrs Gracie is at the balcony "
"I know," Liam quickly replied. "You haven't answered my question."
"Question...huh?" Oliver was confused, his mouth opened slightly.
Liam shook his head, but this time, not in annoyance. "How come you're here? Where's Mrs Montero?" He asked, settling down on a couch recklessly. "You're his son..I guess"
Oliver nodded, walking towards the couch opposite to Liam's.He hesitated for some seconds before sitting down on it. He turned his head to glance at the young guy sprawled on the sofa.Liam's expression remained unchanged, but he seems to be thinking.
Oliver was embarrassed. He don't like the way things had turned out. He never expected that the family his mother had worked for for years would turn out to be Liam's family.
The problem is that, It was Liam's family that had been sponsoring him since he entered high school. And this school is one of the best in the country. If Liam discovered this, Oliver is sure that he'll brag it to his friends at school.
"Are you staying for the night?" Liam suddenly asked, snapping Oliver out of his reverie.
"Nope," He responded abruptly, his face heating up.
Later in the evening, Mrs Montero came back. Her face a mask of worry and exhaustion. She glanced first at Oliver who was sitting with a phone in hand, and then at Liam who was lazily slumped against the soft couch.
"Mum,"
"Mrs Montero,"
Both boys said simultaneously...