Through the Screen

Chapter 78

abel takes a few deep breaths, bracing himself against the wall opposite to the door of his apartment,

his fingers still curled around the handle of his suitcase, his right shoulder occupied by a heavy bag. he

feels unnecessarily lethargic, even though he had managed to sleep throughout the uncomfortable

flight, and he lets out a short yawn before resting his head back against the wall with a small thud.

he is dreading the confrontation that is bound to happen between him and noah, and no matter how

hard he wracks his brain for a logical explanation, he just can't come up with any.

his own betrayal is weighing down his shoulders, the heaviness of the bag almost neglected, and every

time he remotely imagines noah's reaction to what he has done, he can feel a lump forming in his

throat and his heart breaking into uneven splinters.

right now, he has no idea what would happen when he crosses the threshold of the apartment. he has

no idea whether there would be cold greetings, awkward eye contacts and uncomfortable silences or

meaningless apologies, unkempt hugs and watery eyes.

abel wishes for neither of them, and with his thoughts still scattered, he breathes out a heavy sigh as

he drags his suitcase behind him towards the apartment and presses the buzzer.

his stomach twists uneasily when he hears adrian's voice, the fact that he will be in the house to

witness his parents' odd exchange makes abel feel guilty and uncomfortable and emotions that he can't

himself describe. he hates that adrian has to be the one suffering the consequences of their irrational

actions, and all he can hope for now is noah's forgiveness—partly for the sake of him, partly, for adrian.

the door is swung back within the next few seconds, and abel can feel a small smile forming on his

otherwise tired looking features as he stares at his son, clad in his pyjamas, his hair sticking up in

different directions as he looks at abel with a dimpled smile.

"papa!" and before abel knows, adrian is wrapping his arms tightly around his torso, abel 's smile

widening a little more as he drops his suitcase and tangles his fingers in adrian's messy hair, ruffling

them fondly.

"hey there," his voice is scratchy, but adrian doesn't seem to mind as he breaks their embrace and gets

ahold of abel 's suitcase in one hand and in the other he grips abel 's hand, dragging both of them

inside once the door is shut.

"how was your flight?" adrian's tone is bubbly and abel removes his shoes and drops the bag from his Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

shoulder as well, before walking further into the house.

"it was okay, is dad home?" abel bites his lip as the statement leaves his mouth, and adrian nods

happily, leaving abel to remove his jacket as he disappears further into the hall.

abel 's mouth is almost dry as he anticipates meeting noah, he's afraid he won't be able to look at him

in the eye. he shrugs off his jacket and drapes it over the back of one of the dining chairs, awkwardly

standing in the hall for a few minutes as he waits for either noah or adrian to come outside; preferably

adrian.

when a few more moments pass and nothing happens, he sighs and makes his way to the kitchen to

get himself a glass of water, but to his luck—or lack of—as soon as he turns to step inside he bumps

into a tall figure that definitely is not adrian, and when their eyes meet after what seems like years, they

both just purse their lips and stand there awkwardly, barely five inches of space between them.

they stare at each other for a while, as abel contemplates silently about whether he should apologise or

greet noah, but noah beats him to it, his soft lips stretching into a small smile as he leans in the

doorway and barely mumbles.

"hey,"