Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 193: Going to find him

Chapter 193: Going to find him

Sky’s mother stood in the doorway for a moment, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, as if she were holding herself together. Her eyes were swollen, her face pale, but she looked at him with a quiet determination.

"Don’t take what your father said to heart," she began, her voice soft but steady. "He didn’t mean it. He’s just... in shock."

Sky slung his bag over his shoulder, avoiding her gaze. "Don’t try to stop me from leaving," he said, his voice flat.

She shook her head quickly. "I’m not going to stop you. You’re an adult. You’re free to do as you please." She hesitated, then reached into her pocket and pulled out her bank card. "Here."

Sky stared at the card, stunned. "What’s this for?"

"I don’t want you stranded in a strange place," she repeated softly, her voice thick with unshed tears.

Sky stared at the card in his mother’s trembling hand. His throat felt tight, like something was lodged there, impossible to swallow.

His gaze flickered to her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose still blotchy from crying. She looked exhausted. Defeated. But not angry. Not like his father.

He clenched his jaw and looked away. "I can take care of myself."

She let out a shaky breath. "I know you can." Her gaze was trusting. "But you’ve never traveled that far by yourself before," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

His mother seemed to sense it, because she reached out and gently took his hand, pressing the card into his palm. "Sky," she whispered, "please."

His hands shook.

"You don’t have to use it. But in case of emergency. I’m loaning it to you. Whatever you spend, you are going to pay with interest." She tried to joke. But none of them were in the mood for it.

He wasn’t sure what to say, what to feel.

A part of him wanted to shove it back into her hands and tell her that he didn’t need any of this.

But another part of him...

Another part of him still ached for this. For something—anything—that made him feel like he wasn’t just walking away from everything. And that his mother was still here for him.

He looked down at it. The weight of it felt heavier than it should.

His fingers tightened around the card.

His mother let out a small breath, like she had been holding it. Then, slowly, she reached out, hesitated, and brushed his hair back from his forehead like she used to when he was a child.

"You don’t have to do this." he said quietly to her, his throat tightening. "Don’t try so hard, Mom. It’s okay if you hate me too."

She slapped his arm—not hard, but enough to make him look at her. Her eyes were blazing with a mix of anger and hurt. "Don’t you dare say that," she snapped. "Your father doesn’t hate you. He’s just... he’s just in shock."

Sky let out a bitter laugh. "And what about you? Aren’t you in shock, too?"

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Of course I am," she admitted, her voice quieter now. "But maybe not as shocked as I should have been. Maybe there was an unconscious part of me which, must have had a certain kind of suspicion."

"About what? Me not being—"

"You’ve seemed better lately." His mother cut in.

"Happier, even. I was glad for that, and I am glad for that. Your grandmother’s memorial did not eat you up as it would have. Do you... know how much I prayed for that?" She squeezed his hand gently, her eyes glistening with tears.

"The only changes that have happened to you recently is Chris." She said to him. "But whenever we talked, you... you never wanted to talk much about Chris like you did about others. But at the same time, you wanted to talk about him. It was like it was... uncomfortable for you. Or you didn’t want me to pick something out of it."

Sky’s chest tightened. He hadn’t realized that at all.

She continued, her voice soft but steady. "Maybe my thoughts started to shift when I saw Chris’s feet sticking out from under the covers a few days ago." She let out a dry laugh. "And that you two had shared a room. You looked very flustered. Like you had been caught doing something wrong. It was... a new sight for me."

His lips remained in a thin line as he listened to her.

"But I didn’t let myself think too much about it. Not until the rumors started. And then... everything just fell into place."

Sky looked away, his jaw clenched. "And... now?"

She stepped even closer, her hand touching his arm. She was the only person he felt so comfortable with touching him so much without instinctively trying to shove her away.

"Now, I’m worried about you. Chris... he’s lovely. I like him. But will things be the same? Did he ask you to come, or are you going for yourself?"

Sky hesitated, his throat burning. "Does it... matter?"

"It matters," she said, her voice firm. "I don’t want you to get hurt."

Sky let out a shaky breath, his eyes stinging. "Mom—"

"But I won’t stop you either." She cut in. Her smile was shaking so much, and he could tell she was about to cry. However, she pulled him into a hug before that happened.

He stiffened at first, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He felt it again, the desire to break down in her arms. But maybe he was too exhausted to cry. Or maybe because he knew he had no time for it right now.

Finally, Sky pulled away, wiping the tears that had fallen with the back of his hand. "I have to go," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Call me," she said quietly. "Just let me know you’re safe."

Sky swallowed. The words almost hurt to get out. "I will."

His mother nodded, blinking fast like she was trying not to cry again. Then she stepped back, giving him space.

Sky stared at her for a moment longer. Then, without another word, he turned and walked out.