Ayden McKay was born in Scotland to a poor and dysfunctional family. His father, an unemployed drunk, often beat Ayden and his mother when he was intoxicated. Eventually, his mother ran away, leaving Ayden alone with his useless father. As he grew up, Ayden avoided going home. He sought an escape from his emotional pain and started using drugs with his friends, eventually becoming addicted. From a user, he turned into a drug courier, finding acceptance in a gang. Ayden felt like he had finally found a refuge.
The money from drug sales met his needs. At sixteen, he thought his life was perfect. But that thought was naïve. The gang leader entrusted him with delivering drugs, and Ayden felt honored. However, he was betrayed. When the police began investigating, the other gang members fled.
Ayden didn't have time to escape and was caught with drugs in his hands. To save himself, he framed his father, telling the police that his father was involved in drug trafficking. In reality, his father was just a drunk with a minor criminal record. Ayden survived, but his father was imprisoned. Ayden realized he couldn't continue living that way. He used the rest of his money to move to another city, start a new life, finish school, enter university, and get a job.
He worked as a teaching assistant at a university in Thailand, where he met Jane, a shy and lonely girl. Something pushed him to talk to her. At first, he didn't think much of it, but Jane's behavior clearly showed that she liked him. Ayden eventually fell in love with Jane.
After getting married, Ayden's life seemed better. However, over time, work pressure and financial problems started to arise. Ayden began blaming Jane for not helping. His salary wasn't much, and sometimes he saw her as a burden. Jane's anxious demeanor and careful words only annoyed Ayden. Didn't she understand that it wasn't helping? If Jane wanted to help, she should be smarter and earn more money.
Ayden became easily irritable, and with the arrival of a child, expenses increased. Every time he looked at Jayden, Ayden didn't see an adorable child but a burden. He felt he shouldn't have had a child with Jane. In his stress, he fired all the household staff.
He started drinking alcohol, but remembering drugs, he turned back to using them. He became paranoid and sometimes hit Jane and Jayden. He couldn't control his anger. His life was fine before—why was it getting worse? Was it because of his terrible job, Jane, or Jayden? He wanted his life, job, and money back. He made a mistake by gambling. He won and became addicted, but when he lost, he wanted to get his money back, accumulating debt. Creditors kept harassing him. His life became more miserable, while Jane seemed to be living well thanks to the money he worked hard to earn.
After hitting Jane, Ayden felt guilty and apologized, only to repeat the cycle again. He used more drugs, afraid that Jane would run away with Jayden. He couldn't let that happen. Didn't they love each other? Why should she run away? Ayden locked Jane up, cutting her "wings." Jane tried to kill him, and in his rage, Ayden killed Jane and buried her under her favorite roses.
Ayden never left the house, afraid of the debt collectors looking for him. Eventually, they found him and shot him in the head. A few days later, another gang arrived. They weren't related to Ayden, but they were looking for an orphan to train. They found Jayden and deemed him useful. And they were right.
Twelve years later, the gang was disbanded, and Jayden disappeared.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
I just want to hug this child.
"Jay, thank you for telling me. It must not have been easy," I said softly, struggling to breathe properly.
"I thought it would be hard, but with you, it wasn't so difficult."
I smiled. "Jay, I'm sorry, but can I hug you?"
"You can." Jay sat on the bed, opening his arms. I moved closer and hugged him.
The room was silent, only the sound of the air conditioner humming. I felt his heartbeat and warmth, hoping he could feel mine too. I gently stroked his head. We leaned against the headboard, holding each other. I started to recognize Jay's natural scent and realized I liked it.
"Dan, why did you smell me?"
"..." His question caught me off guard. I quickly pulled away, explaining nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought your body smelled nice, even though you're not wearing perfume."
"Perfume?"
"It's a fragrant liquid that makes your body smell good. There are many kinds, like floral or fruity scents. I don't use it, so I don't know much, but it's something like that."
"Dan smells nice too," Jay said, nodding. "But you said you don't wear anything."
"Really? What do I smell like?"
Jay shook his head slightly. "I can't explain it. I've never smelled anything like it before. It's the scent of Dan."
"It must be my natural scent. But it's not bad, right?"
"It smells good."
"I'm glad," I sighed in relief. If Jay had said I smelled bad, I might have to buy some perfume.
"Dan."
"Yeah?"
"You're like a sunflower."
"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously.
"I was thinking about it. Mom was like a rose. And you're like a sunflower."
"Why am I like a sunflower?"
"You're bright and warm."
"Really?" I smiled. "Then what about you?"
Jay stayed silent before shaking his head, unsure of the answer.
"It's okay if you don't know. Thank you for the compliment."
"You're welcome."
"Are you sleepy? The medicine should be kicking in."
"Yes."
"Then go to sleep."
"Dan, can you hold me again?"
"Of course. Do you want to sleep like this?"
"Yes. I want to hear your heartbeat."
"Uh, alright," I arranged the pillows and lay down. "Like this." Jay leaned against my chest. This was the first time someone had ever listened to my heartbeat like this.
"Dan, your heart is beating fast."
"Oh, yeah? I didn't know," I replied honestly. I also didn't know why it was beating so fast.
"Am I heavy?"
"Not really."
"Alright."
"Go to sleep," I said, hugging him with my left arm and turning off the lights with my right, leaving only the night lamp on. Before long, Jay fell asleep due to the effects of the medicine. Even though I had brought a book, I couldn't concentrate. I kept thinking about what Jay had told me.
I felt like this world was filled with all kinds of people. Some were incredibly kind, and some were truly evil. His father, Ayden—he belonged to the second category. His crimes had destroyed many lives. It hurts to think about it. I thought about it until I felt calmer. You can't change the past; it's better to focus on the future. That felt more reassuring.
I stroked Jay's head. "You're amazing for making it through all of that. Really amazing." Without realizing it, I kissed the top of his head. I froze for a moment, realizing what I had just done. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that," I said in embarrassment. I sighed. What was wrong with me? First, I smelled his scent, and now I kissed his head. I sounded like a crazy person...
"Mm... Dan," Jay murmured, waking up because of my movement. "What's wrong?"
"Did I wake you up? Sorry."
"What's wrong, Dan?"
"It's just..." I decided to be honest. "I was thinking about how strong you are for going through all that... and I kissed your head. Sorry. I do weird things without realizing it, like smelling your scent. Don't feel bad, I won't do it again."
"You kissed my head?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"Well... I kissed your forehead."
"Ah," Jay brushed his hair away from his forehead. "My forehead?"
"...Yeah."
"Why?"
"Well... I shouldn't have done it."
"Why not?"
"It's inappropriate."
"Is it rude?"
"I think it's more than just rude."
"What if I give you permission?"
"..." I fell silent, unsure of what to say.
"If I give you permission, would it still be weird?"
"...No."
"I'm giving you permission. Kiss my forehead."
"Uh, Jay," I was confused about how to react. Jay brushed his hair aside, seriously waiting for me to kiss his forehead. I thought it was adorable, but... No, he might feel bad if I didn't do it. "Alright." I leaned in and kissed his forehead.
When I pulled back, Jay looked confused.
"What is it?"
"Dan, can you do it again?"
"Huh?" Now I was the one confused. "Why?"
"...It feels comforting."
"Ah, I see." Maybe like something his mother used to do—it made him feel warm. I kissed his forehead again and smiled. "It's alright. Now you can sleep."
"Okay."
Jay lay against my chest and quickly fell asleep again. Half an hour passed, and he woke up while I still hadn't opened my book, just staring at its cover without being able to focus. "You're awake?"
"Yeah," Jay sat up in bed. I turned on the light in the room.
"Are you hungry? It's almost lunchtime."
"A little," Jay replied. "Dan."
"Yeah?"
"I want to see your room."
"My room? No problem." I didn't think much of it. I had already seen Jay's room, so I didn't see any issue with showing mine. I led him outside, passing through the old house and heading upstairs. I opened my bedroom door. "This is my room. I used to share it with Nao, but when he moved out, I lived here alone. I renovated it a lot."
Jay walked inside, observing everything as usual. My room was simple, with bookshelves, a desk, a bed, and a coat rack.
"You've always lived here?"
"Yeah, since I was a kid," I answered.
The phone in my pocket vibrated. It was a message from Nao.
[Nao]: Hey, I saw you.
[Nao]: What are you guys doing in the old house?
[Dan]: Jay wanted to see my room.
[Dan]: I've seen Jay's room before, so I didn't see a problem showing mine.
[Nao]: Now you're bringing a guy to your room!
[Dan]: What are you doing near the storage room?
[Nao]: Trying to change the topic? You think I wouldn't notice?
[Nao]: I'm organizing stuff. You told me to look for those documents.
[Nao]: Everyone checked, now I have to sort them.
[Dan]: I'm sorry.
[Dan]: I didn't think finding such old documents would be this difficult.
[Dan]: I'll help you.
[Nao]: It's fine.
[Nao]: Take care of that kid.
[Nao]: Is he alright?
I glanced at Jay, who was curiously examining the room.
[Dan]: Better than I expected.
[Nao]: Alright, take care of him.
[Dan]: Thank you.
[Dan]: I'll invite you to a barbecue party.
[Dan]: Let everyone know.
[Dan]: As a thank-you for finding those letters and organizing everything.
[Nao]: There's a place.
[Nao]: They use Australian beef, 800 per person.
[Dan]: You want to go?
[Nao]: Yes!
[Nao]: But Tiger won't let me. He said I've eaten too much this month.
[Nao]: But if you say you're the one inviting…
[Nao]: Maybe he'll allow it. Talk to him.
[Dan]: Then I'll take you next month.
[Nao]: Dan!
I smiled as I read the messages. This kid and his love for barbecue. I put my phone back in my pocket and saw that Jay had finished looking around my room. I led him out to where a small altar was placed on the wall near my bedroom door, holding photos of my grandparents.
Seeing Jay's curiosity, I explained, "These are my grandparents, my mother's parents. They passed away a long time ago, when I was little."
Jay fell silent, staring at the pictures.
"Jay?"
"Mom wrote in her letter that she cut ties with her parents," he said softly. "That means I don't have grandparents."
I hesitated for a moment before saying, "We could look for them. After so long, maybe they're not angry anymore."
Jay shook his head. "I don't want to meet people who hurt Mom. She said her father used to hit her."
"And… your other relatives?"
"From my father's side?"
I pursed my lip and nodded slightly.
"No, I want to meet them even less."
"I see."
"I only need Dan," Jay repeated.
I smiled. "Alright."
After hearing Jay's story, I found myself worried about three things.
First, his family. Did he want to meet his grandparents? If he did, finding them wouldn't be difficult, but I was worried about how they would treat him. When Jay said he didn't want to meet anyone from his family, that worry disappeared.
Second, the gang that kidnapped Jay. Tiger said they had been wiped out, but I was still concerned. I would ask Tiger again to be sure.
Third, the gang that killed Ayden. They seemed to be a different gang, since they referred to the other side as "Those guys" I would also ask Tiger if they were dangerous.
But I stopped thinking about it because it was time to eat. This was Jay's first time eating with my family. I helped Mom and Fei cook. Seeing this, Mom invited Jay to join. When she said that, Tiger and I exchanged looks. I frowned, while Tiger sighed and nodded. I smiled, pleased. Tiger had previously forbidden Jay from being near sharp objects, but now he was allowing it, a sign of greater trust.
"Come here, I'll show you how to cut vegetables," I said, demonstrating. "Hold it like this and cut it slowly."
"Alright."
"Go on, try," I told Jay. He was slow at first, but within minutes, he improved. Mom praised him.
"Amazing! You could help in the restaurant kitchen."
Jay paused and looked at her. "I have to train in boxing."
"Haha, I was just joking. I just meant that you're very skilled."
"Thank you."
Soon, the food was ready and set on the table. I sat in the middle, Mom on my left, and Jay on my right. The others sat across from us. We started eating. Jay seemed hesitant, so I served him some food.
"This is what you cut."
"I made this," said Fei, serving Jay.
"Give me your plate, I'll serve you some fish," said Mom.
"Try this, it's delicious," Nao said with a smile.
"Don't serve him," Tiger protested. "Serve me."
"You can serve yourself too."
"He can serve himself too."
"Ah," Nao served Tiger. "Such a complainer."
"Stop staring at my husband!"
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No."
"Daddy don't talk too loudly, you'll scare Jayden."
Jay looked at Fei. "I'm not scared."
"Oh, you're not scared? So you want to stare at my husband?"
"I didn't mean it that way."
"Tiger, stop it," Nao scolded. I sighed. Tiger and his over-the-top jealousy again. We never had a peaceful meal when there were guests. I put down my utensils, ready to stop them, but Jay spoke first.
"If you're not happy with me looking at Nao, then I'm not happy that you look at Dan either."
"..."