Chapter 461: A Door Between Two Worlds
At the airport, Darcy hailed a taxi and slid into the backseat after Micah. The sun had just risen, casting a pale light over the autumn morning as they drove to that shabby apartment in Munster Street. Neither of them spoke.
Micah folded his hands tightly in his lap, fingers interlocked until his knuckles turned white. Half of his heart felt... settled, relieved as Darcy didn’t push him away this time. He had let him follow after their brief conversation in the restroom. But the other half of Micah’s heart was in turmoil, knowing full well Clyde would be heartbroken if he learned what he had promised Darcy.
He couldn’t even offer a proper explanation to the man. He didn’t know what words would make sense.
Micah rubbed his palms together, restless. He didn’t even fully understand his own actions. Why was he being so stubborn? Why did he want to stay in Darcy’s life so badly? Why did he want to stick with him? Just guilt? No, guilt alone couldn’t explain the heat in his chest, the ache that made him unable to walk away even when reason screamed at him to stop.
When Darcy told him to stay out of his life, to pretend he didn’t exist, every part of him rebelled. His body and his heart, every fibre of his being, all of it screamed that he must not do it. That if he did walk away, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
So how could he explain this bizarre pull to Clyde without making it sound like love?
Micah lowered his head. This was really bad.
Still, he had made his choice. He had thrown all his eggs in Clyde’s basket. He trusted that Clyde would eventually understand this strange attachment was related to his dream. That his heart still belonged to Clyde, no matter what.
For now, Clyde would assume he was busy dealing with the aftermath of the baby switch. He wouldn’t come after him. But Micah knew it wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, they would have to face each other, forced to explain why he had gotten this close to Darcy. It was something that Micah dreaded. Because he was sure Darcy...
Micah’s gaze shifted to the dark-haired boy sitting silently beside him. He was sure Darcy would be there, wanting to hear his responses, wanting to see his sincerity, wanting to know if he meant what he said he would do anything for him.
The way Darcy had changed in just the past two days... Micah had tried to find the reason, to put pieces together, remembering everything they had said or done, but still came up empty.
Everything that happened before didn’t seem like a big deal. Darcy didn’t seem clueless about why Micah was avoiding any talk of romance with him.
Darcy had always been sharp. Surely he had known about Micah’s feelings for Clyde long before. Micah had never been subtle. He had never hidden the way he looked at Clyde, the way he was glued to Clyde.
Besides that, his aversion to hearing Darcy’s confession had not been the first time. Yeah, sure, it was the first time he had said it aloud to Darcy not to confess. But how could Darcy, with his high intelligence, have not noticed the reason?
Yet Darcy’s reaction had thrown him off. Saying those harsh words to him, ignoring him, treating him coldly... all of them had made him puzzled and heartbroken.
Micah turned his face toward the window, watching the blur of traffic. It was morning rush hour, and the roads were packed with cars, buses, and motorbikes weaving dangerously between lanes.
Darcy shifted in his seat, his eyes kept darting toward the congested road ahead. He was filled with anticipation, yearning to see his mother and sister. His hands trembled where they rested on his knees, his fingers tapping restlessly. His foot bounced slightly, shoulders tense.
At least Micah had the tact to stay quiet. Darcy wasn’t in the mood for conversation. All his mind was on that apartment in Munster Street. If Micah said even one word of nonsense, Darcy would have gotten out of the cab and gone there alone.
When the taxi finally slowed to a stop, Darcy didn’t wait to pull over properly. He was out the door in seconds, striding toward the run-down apartment complex.
Micah paid the driver in a rush and climbed out after him, grabbing Darcy’s suitcase before the driver could honk in irritation.
"Hey! Wait up," Micah called, jogging after him. Darcy didn’t even look back.
Micah frowned. He could tell Darcy was eager to meet Flora and Nora. But why? Hadn’t he seen them a few days ago?
"Don’t tell me something happened," Micah mumbled under his breath and dashed after Darcy in worry, dragging the suitcase.
When he finally caught up to Darcy, climbing up three floors of stairs, he was breathless. He looked up to spot Darcy standing frozen on the staircase, looking straight at their apartment door.
Micah climbed up the last few steps. "Huh? Why are...you... standing there?" He panted, trying to catch his breath.
Darcy didn’t move. He didn’t even glance at him. Micah leaned forward, tilting his head to look at his face.
Darcy’s expression...it was caught somewhere between longing and fear.
Micah was taken aback. Then the realisation dawned on him. Darcy probably had not talked openly with them. He knew Darcy. The young man liked to be quiet. He would prefer to show with his actions rather than words.
"This idiot," Micah mumbled, his heart swelling with tenderness and exasperation. He had come running to him before even patching up things with his mother and sister.
Micah reached out and patted Darcy’s back. "Hey," he said softly, "standing here won’t change anything. Nothing ever does if you hesitate."
Darcy blinked slowly.
Micah gave him a small smile. "Go on. I’ll wait in the internet cafe we went to last time. When you finish, just call me."
Then Micah pushed Darcy forward and knocked on the door. "Go," he whispered.
Before Darcy could react, Micah ran down the stairs in a flash and disappeared.
Darcy swallowed hard, turning his head and catching the flash of silver hair. Micah had truly matured. He didn’t jump to meddle, to cozy up to Flora and Nora, thinking he was doing the right thing. A small smile tugged at his face.
"Who is it?" a voice came from the other side. A voice too familiar, soft and slightly wary.
Darcy’s mouth went dry. He was too excited to get here, to see them, but now, standing in front of his door, he couldn’t move. All his past life’s fears and bad memories flooded his mind, making his body freeze like a stone. He feared they wouldn’t be there, that it was all just his imagination. That the sheer desire to see them made him delusional. What if there were no Mum and sister behind that door? Or worse, what if they treated him coldly?
Everything in this world was strange.
He couldn’t stand it if Flora and Nora also changed, or abandoned him.
So when Micah patted him and shoved him forward. He was too shocked to even protest.
"It’s me," he said hoarsely.
The door yanked open with full force. Flora stood there, eyes filling up with tears.
She reached out and hugged Darcy tightly. "Where have you been?!"
And that was all it took for Darcy to break down. Tears began to roll down. He wrapped his hands around Flora’s small, frail body, sniffing his mother’s gentle floral smell.
"Mum..." His voice broke.
He clung to her like he was afraid she might disappear. Yet, the warmth told him it was real. His mother was alive. She was here... with him and still cared about him.