"I never thought, never dreamed, really."

 

"I'm sure no one in the world has ever thought like that."

 

"How is that possible? When P'Jett told me, I thought he was hallucinating. Turns out..."

 

"I told you, his gaze was strange, not like a normal friend's."

 

Jinn and Jerome sat still amid a group of four adults who stared at them intently, starting with Jenny, then Vee, then Jan, and finally Jett. Everyone still wore a look of disbelief.

 

"Actually, we didn't think so, but... I guess some force just pushed us," Jerome chuckled in response.

 

“Let me tell you, everything is real. We’re not kidding. We’re really dating,” Jinn emphasised again with a serious expression. His eyes quickly swept over his mother and the other man, and he sighed softly, feeling unaccustomed to this situation.

 

I have to get used to it quickly, because we won't be able to be separated anymore. Sigh.

 

"Actually, we had a lot of questions before, but after thinking about it, we didn't know what to ask. Feelings are delicate and sensitive. If you asked how they came to like each other, the kids probably couldn't answer. Let's just say we acknowledge it and we're not against it, because it's probably better than before, right?" Jan looked at the two children who blinked innocently at her. Tsk, don't try to put on a show. I see through your act!

 

“Yes, definitely better. We…get along really well.” Jerome completely overlooked the minor arguments and fighting. Getting along is just that, getting along; it doesn't mean they didn't get along at all. It's still hitting, but less often. Is that okay?

 

"Okay, everyone, that's that," Jinn agreed to get it over with.

 

"So what now? Are you moving back?" Vee raised an eyebrow, looking at his son playfully.

 

“Move.”

 

"Huh?" His son's response took the father aback.

 

"Moving the stuff to Jinn’s room," Jerome winked at his father playfully.

 

"That kid," Jenny shook her head resignedly, turning her beautiful face to look at her best friend, blinking as if seeking her opinion. "Why? Are you going to plead on behalf of your son?" Jett teased his wife's close friend.

 

"No, I'm not begging you. Just giving you a signal, 'See? I told you.'" Jenny winked mischievously at her best friend's husband, a gesture that was exactly like her son's.

 

When she said "I told you so," she meant that Jerome would definitely not move out. A son is like his father; once he's close to someone he likes, he won't easily back away. Jenny told Jan this from the moment she learned about the children, essentially asking for permission from the very beginning.

 

Jenny wasn't thinking about who should ask or anything like that. Her son had moved into someone else's son's room, and as a mother, shouldn't she formally inform them? That way, they wouldn't think she was indifferent. As for anything else between the two older boys, whoever was in which "position" was none of her business. It was a private matter between them that they needed to discuss, because she couldn't imagine how it would work out anyway.

 

"Well, they're grown up now. If they have girlfriends, they probably want to be with them," Jan said. What could she say? Only she knew her son was like this. Before, he didn't have a girlfriend, but that didn't mean he was ever single. She was still confused to this day about where he got this kind of personality from, since neither she nor her husband was the type to be a womaniser like that.

 

But that's good, because Jan is confident that Jerome will definitely be able to handle Jinn. Her nephew must have something special about him; otherwise, they wouldn't have been fighting for so long without losing.

 

“Well, I see. Sigh. Then there’s nothing else to do, right? Guys, help prepare the place. The two beautiful ladies will start cooking soon.” Jenny, as the hostess, immediately gave instructions. They all intended to have dinner in the front garden, so she instructed the larger number of gentlemen to prepare the setting.

 

"Are you sure you can handle it? Wait a minute..."

 

"It's alright, you go help over there. Go talk to them," Jan quickly stopped her husband from offering to help and whispered so only the two of them could hear, nodding towards their son. Jett’s eyes widened slightly before he nodded gently.

 

The young men who had been chased away followed the homeowner to gather the necessary belongings and take them out to the front garden.

 

"Do you want to come see my room?" Jerome whispered to his lover.

 

"It's not the right time yet. We'll talk about it later." Jinn didn't consider himself thin-skinned, but he also didn't think he was thick-skinned enough to walk into his boyfriend's room when his father and... well, you know... were nearby. Maybe it was because it was still new. He probably needed more time before he could let go.

 

Let go of that pretentious face, okay?

 

“Okay, Dad! Want to play basketball?” Jerome replied, shouting to his father, his large hands showing him the basketball.

 

“Hmm, sure. It’s been a while since we’ve organised things, so playing around a bit would be nice.” Vee didn’t object either. It had been a long time since he’d played anything like this with his dad. 

"Want to have a competition, Ming? I've been feeling lonely for months," the one who suggested it confessed. Normally, Jerome and Jinn would always find something to compete with each other, but since they started dating, that's stopped. It's like one of life's joys has disappeared.

 

"Oh well, I guess we'll have to find a game to play," Jinn thought the same thing. We'll have to sit down and have a serious talk about this again.

 

"We'll talk about it later. Let's go to work so we can play later."

 

Jett’s gaze met Jerome's for a fleeting moment before the young man looked away. The former star's beautiful lips curved into an affectionate and grateful smile. He was thankful that his son's boyfriend wanted to create an opportunity for them, father and son, to be close and do activities together that they had never had the chance to do before.

Jerome's house had a good-sized sports field. Since he had two sons close in age, Vee had it custom-made, located not far from the front yard, which they also needed to prepare.

 

Once everything was ready, the four young men stood together by the side of the field. They kept saying, "You look at me, I look at you," for a while until Vee suggested they split into pairs. And of course, it was a case of "each to their own father." At first, Jinn was a little unhappy, but he didn't object. After all, if they didn't divide like this, how else could they? Since he and Jerome wanted to compete, suddenly switching adults didn't make sense.

 

"Come on, no need to play seriously. Just compete to get the ball into the hoop. The rules are up to you," Vee, as the host, calmly explained the rules of this friendly match.

 

"Okay," Jett nodded in agreement. He hadn't played any sports outside of the gym in a while, so he was a bit unsure, but he wanted to win to make his son happy.

 

“Come, let's start.”

 

As soon as the words were spoken, all four of them rushed onto the court, tangling around in a frenzy, trying to snatch the basketball. The most serious of them all were the two young men who, in addition to being lovers, were now also rivals. Or it could be more accurate to say rivals who were also lovers.

 

"Go and stop Nawi. Don't let him snatch it," Jinn immediately instructed his "team member."

 

"Okay," Jett replied obediently.

 

“Send it to me.”

 

"Don't just keep running in circles, try to grab it!"

 

"Awesome! Nice shot!"

 

"Why did you bump into me?"

 

"Tell me to go left."

 

"Great! We're leading!"

“Shoot it!”

 

“It's not that bad.”

 

The boisterous shouts of her son made Jan, who had just finished cooking, unable to resist walking around to see what was happening. She then smiled broadly at the sight that greeted her, seeing her son and husband high-fiving each other after successfully shooting the basketball into the hoop and taking the lead against the opposing team.

 

"Dad, be serious," Jerome, frustrated by his father's declining skills, said in a low voice.

 

Vee glared at his son as if he were worthless, even though it was he who had initially suggested playing basketball to give Jinn and Jett a better chance to talk. He knew that, but once on the court, his competitive spirit surged, making him forget everything else.

 

"Are you really going to try to win him over? Is that your boyfriend?" I whispered to my son, feeling a pang of weariness.

 

Jerome paused for a moment, as if just realising what his main purpose was. Meeting his father's weary gaze, he forced a wry smile. Yes, today's competition was about friendship, not winning. If he wanted to win, he could discuss the game with Jinn later. Right now, it was about creating a moment for the father and son to spend more time talking.

 

"Ahem." Once he regained his composure, his emotions seemed to calm down immediately.

 

Vee found it hard to contain his laughter when he saw his son regain consciousness. His eyes subtly analysed the situation. He couldn't understand why, but seeing Jerome today, he felt he had grown up. He wasn't as mature as he used to be, but he didn't feel like his son was as childish as before. It was strange, but good. After all, he was twenty now; being a little mature wasn't so bad.

 

Jinn frowned slightly as he noticed the opposing team had more vulnerabilities. At first, it was only Vee, but now even Jerome seemed unintentionally unmotivated, allowing his team to score points rapidly and unusually well.

 

"Jinn, shoot!" Jett, who hadn't noticed anything else but his son, cheered. Seeing the other boy successfully make the shot, he quickly put his arm around his shoulder before trying to snatch the basketball again.

 

"Okay, okay, boys, that's enough. Dinner's ready. Go wash up and then come eat," Jenny clapped her hands a few times to stop the young men from playing.

 

"That's a shame. Let's play again sometime, Jinn?" Jett asked his son, noticing the boy glaring fiercely at Jerome.

 

“Ai Jay”

 

"Look for?"

 

"Why did you go easy on me?"

 

"It wasn't me. Have you gotten better?"

 

"No way! Are you looking for trouble?!" Jinn glared and lunged to fight her boyfriend so quickly that no one could react in time.

 

"Ouch! Jinn, why did you kick me? I was trying to be a good boyfriend!" Jerome yelled loudly, awkwardly dodging his lover's long legs.

 

"A good boyfriend, huh? Who told you to go easy on me! You match-fixing bastard!" Jinn pointed at the other person with disgust. He couldn't accept match-fixing!

 

"You insulted my father right in front of him?" Jerome burst into loud laughter.

 

Jinn choked on his saliva the moment he turned and saw Vee's smiling face, before taking a deep breath and beckoning his lover with his finger in a dictatorial manner.

 

"...You come here!"

 

Jerome didn't hesitate at all, walking straight to his lover before being angrily struck on the head.

 

"Don't even think about it. Otherwise, there's no point in competing. It's a waste of time!" Jinn smirked wickedly.

"Ouch! Yeah, yeah, I promise." The taller man slapped Jinn’s shoulder hard, almost making him collapse.

 

“Damn, Jay!”

 

"You're the only one who can do it, huh?" He said with a smug look that made me want to kick him.

 

"Enough, enough! Seriously, you two. Are you really in love?" Chan quickly stepped in to stop the fight before it escalated further.

 

"That's just a joke, Aunt Jan. It's nothing serious," Jerome gently patted his lover's shoulder, as if to comfort him.

 

"I'm going to play now, Mom," Jinn nodded sincerely, confirming it.

 

“..." Four adults

 

"Okay, let's go eat," Jett chuckled softly and invited everyone again.

 

Jan and Jenny were still uneasy, constantly glancing back at the two children walking behind them. But when they saw them arm in arm, chatting intimately and showing no sign of tension as they had feared, they felt relieved. They would have to get used to their sons' intense affection for each other.

 

Kids these days are so hard to understand. Sigh.

 

Jerome, having just finished showering, walked steadily towards the group, already seated and eating. The sounds of laughter and conversation brought a smile to the young man's face. Something in his heart felt joyful and relieved. His long legs paused a short distance away from everyone, his sweet eyes gazing at the happy scene before him.

 

The picture showed his own family and his lover's family all together. Jan was still alive, Jett had reunited with his family, and Jinn was full of life, surrounded by people who truly loved and cared for him. For some reason, Jerome suddenly wanted to cry. It wasn't sadness, but a feeling of contentment, joy, and overwhelming emotion.

 

This must be the reason he can see the future. A happy and vibrant Jinn. He's been able to maintain it.

 

"Jerome? Aren't you going to eat?" His lover's voice brought Jerome back to reality. Jinn was looking at him with a completely annoyed expression, but that annoyance wasn't his fault; it was Jinn's father, who was currently filling his plate with food.

 

“Eat it.”

 

"Then come on, why are you just standing there?"

 

"Here I am!" He exclaimed, then immediately ran into the middle of the group, playfully snatching the seat next to his lover from the other's father.

 

Amidst the joyful laughter of both families, as the sun was setting, Jerome smiled broadly with delight. For he finally felt that tonight would be the night all his dreams would return, and this would be the last time. The unfinished story was about to reach its conclusion.

 

But the young man was no longer afraid. Those sad dreams could no longer harm him because Jinn has changed now. Everything has changed completely. Come on, let's get this over with.