Chapter XI

Cael was already used to being called to Antoine's office, although he never knew if it would be for professional or personal matters. Sometimes he wondered if no one taught Antoine to give a heads up before the conversation. That would really help him with his anxiety.

When he arrived on the CEO's floor, Nate smiled at him and asked him to wait a little as he informed Antoine that he arrived. Three minutes later, Nate came back to call him. When he entered the room, Antoine was sitting next to the table, as last time, a pot of tea and two cups. The blond man didn't even notice when he arrived and he had to call him for him to get out of his state of introspection. Antoine gave him a half smile and got up to welcome him. As he got close, Cael noticed a pile of albums next to him.

"Please sit down. I got you some herbal tea". He smiled, politely, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Thank you".

He served the tea and sat down.

"I brought this for you". He gave him the albums. "Those are the twins' baby albums. We had almost everything printed".

"Thank you", Cael felt a warm feeling as he opened the first album. The kids were so small.

"They were born prematurely, so they were a little small and were really wrinkly".

"Still, they were so beautiful. So cute". Cael said, passing the pages.

"Yeah". Antoine said, a sad look in his eyes.

Although Cael felt happy seeing those photos, a melancholic feeling also hit him. There were many photos of the twins with Antoine, Cyrus, Antoine's family and even Nate. But there won't be any photos of him. He wasn't there at that time. He couldn't see them personally, nor hold them.

"I'm sorry", Antoine said. "Somehow, I stole these moments from you. I can't lie and say I regret my decision, if I went back in time I'd probably do the same thing. It was all I could do at the time. Still, I'm sorry. I took away precious moments with the twins that you'll never get back. I created a mess, this strange relationship that will be hard to untangle. And I realize that even unconsciously or unintentionally, I hurt you, a lot. I made a judgment about you and believed that you were someone you are not. And all my decisions were made based on prejudice. I apologize for that too".

All the time, as he apologized, he maintained his stern appearance, almost work-like. But Cael noticed that he was trembling, his hands and even his eyes. That professional and stoic appearance was his armor. Inside, he was probably nervous; and his words were frank, his apology real. Cael's eyes began to water, but he resisted the impulse to cry. He held tight to the album in his hands and looked at a picture of the twins sleeping.

"I know your relationship with the twins now is strained, but it will get better. It's getting better. And I promise I will do my best so that this all works". After he said that, he tried to drink the tea, but his hands trembled as he took the cup to his lips.

"Thank you", Cael still looked at the photos, avoiding looking Antoine in the eyes. "I wish I could have been there, but I know I can't go back in time. So I just wish to hold them now, to be with them. That's enough for me".

"I will help you with it".

"And I will fulfill the rules you set. I understand it. I wish to protect them too. But thank you. Your words were really important".

Antoine almost dropped the cup and his ears turned red: the guilt and shame for taking all this time to realize what he has done.

"You can take your time looking at the albums, but if you want, I can ask Nate to take them to you. So you can look at them calmly at home".

"I'd appreciate that".

"I have a meeting in ten minutes, so I'll ask Nate to help you. But you can stay. Just...", he stopped. "I will just call Nate".

Antoine sent a message on his cellphone and went to grab his suit. Promptly Nate was knocking on the door.

"Sir. Lionel is ready to help you with the meeting".

"Thank you. I'll be going, then".

Antoine left the room, leaving the two there with the albums. Nate approached and looked at the picture Cael was looking at.

"I remember that day. Killian was really mad because kept nibbling on his fingers. They just started getting their teeth, so Collin wanted to bite everything he found. Including his brother. Killian had teeth marks on his hand and fingers for weeks". He said looking at a picture where Killian was crying and Collin had his brother's hand on his mouth.

"It must have been hard for them. They say they get really moody when they start teething".

"Yes. Those kids were moody. Ant was still breastfeeding back then, and the kids, especially Collin, liked to bite him all the time. He would bring the kids to the office now and then and I remember hearing him scream 'Collin' while feeding him. The whole office would jump every time that happened". He laughed. "It must have been hard for him, but I had my fun. Although I was also used as a chewing toy many times".

Cael passed the page and he saw the kids with a big purple bear. It was a strange and big thing. And next to the babies it looked gigantic.

"What is this?"

"God. I wish I could forget this horrendous bear".

"It is horrendous. So why?"

"Ant's brother gave it to the kids, and for some strange reason they loved it. Killian would cry if we took it away. And god that thing was filthy. They would drool all over it, vomit, drop food in it... Argh. I get OCD thinking about it. And every time someone tried to clean it, they would make a scandal. That bear now lives in my worst nightmares".

"I'd have nightmares with that too", Cael laughed.

They kept looking at the albums, Nate sat next to Cael, and he would eventually comment about the photos. Quickly, 20 minutes passed. Then half an hour. Only when forty minutes passed did they realize they had to get back to work.

"Did you come by car, Mr. Delaney?"

"Yes".

"If you want, I can help you take them there". He pointed to the albums. "Before you get back to work".

"That would be really helpful".

"I believe I kept some boxes in the storage. I'll be back in five".

"Okay".

He went fast and came back even before the time. They organized the albums in the boxes and took them to the car. As they finished putting the albums in the trunk, Nate looked at Cael with a foolish smile and asked:

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Why?", Cael said, suspicious.

"There is something I'd like you to meet".

***

In the end, Cael accepted the invitation. Soon after, Nate sent him the location and said "Let's meet at 19h30 (7h30 p.m.), is that okay?". Cael just nodded. When he arrived, the place was full even though it was monday. He was a little late, as he got caught up with some things at work. He scanned the place looking for Nate when he saw someone waving. As he approached the table, he saw a woman sitting opposite to Nate. She was wearing leather jackets and had various piercings in her face, and was wearing heavy and colorful make-up. They got up when they saw him. They exchanged greetings, but sat down quickly because the waiter was waiting to pass.

"Cael, this is Kristin, the person I wanted to introduce to you. She has been my friend for a while already. She is from Illaney, but she has lived in Illaney for a decade already".

"Nice to meet you".

"Ah... I heard of you. Nice to meet you too". She smiled widely. "You can call me K. I'm Collin and Killian's nanny".

Cael didn't expect that. Was it alright? Did Antoine know about it? He just started gaining his trust, what if everything was ruined because of this?

"Don't worry", Nate tranquilized him. "I talked to Ant. He said it was okay".

"Really?", why did people like to play with his anxiety?

"Really. So calm down and enjoy. K has some of the best twins' stories".

"That I do", she laughed. "Like how we got rid of Creepy Ed".

"Who is Creepy Ed?"

"The purple teddy bear". Nate answered.

"That thing was called Creepy Ed?".

"That's how we called it", K answered. "We all hated it. But since the twins would throw a tantrum every time we took it away, we tolerated it. But one day I found a store that sold all kinds of teddy bears. Soon we planned to substitute Creepy Ed with a new teddy bear. Any teddy bear. Something that wouldn't feed on our nightmares".

"And how did you do it?"

"Well. They say we are guided a lot by the smell, especially when we are young. So we sprayed Creepy Ed with the same smell for a week. One day, while they were sleeping, we substituted Creepy Ed with the new bear that we nicknamed her Pink Anna. We sprayed it with the same scent for two weeks so they wouldn't cry". Kristin explained.

"So it worked?", Cael asked, curious. But as he asked, Nate began to laugh.

"No. It didn't. It took them half an hour to realize that something was wrong. But by then Creepy Ed had already disappeared and we had to do anything to make them happy. So we tried K's technique and it worked half-way. Sometimes they would just realize that something was wrong and would cry non-stop. But after two weeks they finally stopped crying and accepted Pink Anna as Creepy Ed's replacement". Nate told him, laughing.

Cael laughed too. After that they told many other stories, that went from funny to incredible, and counted for an enjoyable night. When it was 20h30 (8h30 p.m.), they paused for a quick round of trivia competition with prizes - that's why there's so many people, Cael concluded. Cael was surprised when Nate won the prizes three times in a row and then stopped saying "Let me enjoy my prize", that was: a trio of barbecued ribs, french fries, fried chicken; a bottle of (expensive) red wine; a drink of choice for the whole table.

"Hello, Nathaniel", the waiter greeted him when he brought the prize. He had a strange look on his face.

"Hello, Walter". He smiled back.

"It's always such a pleasure having you here". He smiled, sarcastically.

"I know. Send a hi to Elva for me", He smiled again.

After the waiter left, Cael asked.

"What was that?"

"They hate when I come here, because I always monopolize the prizes or get the highest prizes that no one was supposed to get". Nate laughed as he enjoyed some barbecued ribs.

"Seriously? You do this every time?"

"I'm really good at trivia". He shrugged.

"Normally he is worse. He would have got all the prizes. He just didn't want to show you his egoist side at the first time". K laughed while enjoying some fried chicken. "I don't know how they haven't banned him from here yet".

"I bring rich clients in the non-trivia days". Nate answered. "If they ban me, they lose the rich folks."

"Makes sense", K laughed. Cael laughed too. He was really enjoying that night.

At 22h (10 p.m.), Kristin left. Nate and Cael still stayed for a while, talking.

"Do you have any friends here in Bgork?" Nate asked while enjoying some dessert. Cael was surprised with how much the man could eat.

"Not really. There's the people from work, but I'm not really close to them", he said finishing his own dessert.

"That sounds lonely".

"I guess, a little".

"We'll have to go out more than", Nate smiled, his teeth full of chocolate.

"Your teeth..." Cael started.

"Oh. Sorry". Nate apologized.

After they paid, Nate said he would call a car.

"Where do you live? I came driving and I didn't drink".

"I live six blocks away from work. Probably not in your way".

"But because of you I enjoyed this night. So why not?"

"Are you sure?"

"100%".

"Okay".

The way until Nate's apartment was a twenty-minute ride. Cael felt a little nervous in that small space with someone he barely knew, but he was more happy. It has been a long time since he got the chance to go out with someone and just talk freely, laugh. He was a shy person and many years of traumas made him into someone afraid of relationships, and afraid of talking to people and starting something. But Nate approached him first, made him feel included, made him laugh. In his empty life, it was good to finally have someone like this who was willing to help him and be there for him. But...

"Why?", he asked.

"Why what?" Nate answered.

"There must be a reason for you to be willing to help me. If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay. I'm sorry I asked. I was just curious. Sorry".

"No need to say sorry". Nate answered but spent some time in silence, thinking. "I think it's because of my bio dad. I wanted to make things right for you".

"Hmm..." Cael answered, not understanding.

"Sorry. Let me explain. My bio dad was a piece of shit. He left my mom when I was three and she was pregnant with my younger brother. She almost lost my brother. When I was four, my mother met the one that I consider my real father. When I was seven, she adopted me and they had my two baby siblings. But when I was fifteen my mother got sick, and I had to take care of my younger brothers, while still working part-time and taking care of the house. My dad worked all the time so we could pay my mother's medical bills that were piling up. In the middle of this mess, after twelve years, my bio father appeared out of nowhere trying to rekindle our relationship. My brother, who missed our adoptive father who was always absent, decided to try it with our bio dad. I already had to deal with too much and didn't want to get bothered with this mess. However, deep down, I wanted to know why he left and wanted to receive from him the love I didn't get eleven years ago. But later I found out he just wanted to take away money from us for his new family, and was even influencing my brother to sell drugs to help him. I never found out why he left, but part of me still longs for his affection. I love my adoptive dad. After my mother recovered, she began paying more attention to us. And even when we were full of debt, we were happy. But that empty space in my heart is never gonna be filled. In the end, I accepted that it was okay. This kind of stuff happens in life. However, I saw that the twins had the chance I never had, with someone that wouldn't willingly hurt them. And you are a good person Cael. And the more I know about you, the more I'm certain about that". Nate smiled and held Cael's hand that was resting in his thigh as he waited for the red light to turn green.

"Thank you for sharing with me", he said, changing the gear and accelerating.

"It's not like it's a secret. Everyone has some hard past. Even Antoine had a really hard time because people didn't want to accept an omega leading a big multinational. When he was pregnant, many people tried to take his office as CEO. But they ended up begging for their jobs back".

"Wow".

"Yeah..." He turned red with an epiphany. "Don't let him know I told you that. He says I love gossip too much. If he finds out I've been talking to others about him, he will really nag me. I don't want him talking about an hour about how privacy is important."

"I won't, your secret is safe with me", Cael laughed.

"Don't laugh. You never had to suffer his nagging. It's hell. I hope he doesn't do the same with the kids".

"Okay, okay. I won't laugh", he said laughing again.

"Just don't tell him. I will never take you out if you do it".

"Alright, understood", he said, containing his laughter.

Cael left Nate at his house, after they talked a little while in the car, and went home. It was 23h (11 p.m.) and he still had to work the next morning.