My Type of Socializing | ✓

Chapter 25

The leak of Archie admitting that he stole the character designs he presented as his own did not dwindle off after a few days. The rumors persisted, and Adam's company updated him along the way. Currently, they were talking with Archie's company about a settlement, but Adam didn't know the details. He allowed himself to zone out of the process to keep his anxiety in check, and instead, he focused on other things like work, his newfound friendship with his neighbors, and his relationship with Assad.

It was during this period that Adam decided to call his mother and inform her that he could come over for a weekend after he had talked to Assad about it. She'd agreed to that, and Adam talked to Assad who had been enthusiastic about it, so it was settled.

The two had left for their train journey on a Friday morning and had taken a cab to Adam's parents' place when they reached their destination.

Adam's parents had been everything the older man had warned Assad that they would be—older hipsters in their late fifties with an affinity for weed, retro-tech, and punk music. Adam's mother used to be a yoga teacher, but now she helped run a non-profit, while Adam's father was a novel writer who worked for small presses and released niche horror novels.

They were the coolest people Assad had ever met.

Adam looked a lot like his parents. They both had his nose bridge and soft cheeks, though, Assad couldn't tell if they shared his hair color because Adam's father had a full head of grey hair and his mother had dyed her hair purple.

"Do you eat 'shrooms?" Had been the first thing Adam's mom had asked Assad when he had walked into her making edibles in the kitchen. Like every other place in the house, it was colorful and decorated with flower print wallpaper. 

"Sometimes," the young man had admitted, watching the woman smile before she offered him a freshly baked cupcake after grabbing on herself.

Adam's parents lived on the edge of the suburbs in a bungalow that had a small garden in the backyard, and an apple tree in the front yard. They also had a border collie that followed Adam's father everywhere, despite having its own space carved out for it in the living room. 

"I've heard from your mom that you're working on a cartoon," Adam's father had set from his seat on the study desk, as he looked over at Adam and Assad sitting on the living room sofa on the lower level. "Is it fun?"

"Yes," Adam said, letting his eyes drift to the floor.

"That's amazing!" His father grinned, looking back at the computer screen in front of him before moving his mouse about. Casper, the border collie, barked before lying down on the carpet.

"Are you glad you did the course you did?" Adam's mom asked, coming out of the kitchen with actual food on the tray this time. "If your father had his way you would be a textbook illustrator instead." She laughed, and Adam's father muttered something in annoyance under his breath but laughed regardless.

"Yeah." He still felt odd being home. It was like he was an eighteen-year-old again, about to leave home for college to pay for his own expenses. One thing about parents that gave you a lot of freedom was that they treated you like an adult—at least to an extent. It just made sense that Adam would pay for his schooling and the like.

"That's good," his mom said as she dropped the tray on the dining table. "I heard you're in art school, Assad, what are you planning to do when you graduate?"

Assad shrugged. "I do prints mostly, so maybe I'll go into graphic design," he said, and Adam's mother nodded as she set the table.

"That's a good plan," she said as she poured some sauce into everyone's plate.

"Come on now, I made some potatoes salad, you used to love these," she said when she was done setting up before looking over at Adam and Assad. She grinned at them, smiling in content when they both got up and headed for the table. Her husband found his way out of his seat too, and soon the four of them were having dinner together.

Adam was smiling so much that it began to hurt his face. It had been so long since he'd sat down with his family and had a proper meal, even the dog begging for scraps under the table didn't feel as annoying as it should.

Adam blinked, zoning out of his father's story about a terrible client when he felt Assad's hand on his thigh. He looked under the table, and then back at the grinning younger man.

"Your mom makes great potato salad," he said, and Adam rolled his eyes looking away. He was smiling though. It was hard not to when it felt like his heart would burst from joy.

The weekend went by quickly, and Monday morning was soon around the corner. Adam and Assad had to say their goodbyes to the older man's parents. Adam's mum has given them a ride to the train station, and she had both given them a hug that lasted for a little too long before grinning at the two and telling them to take care of each other.

The two watched her leave the waiting room, and they turned to each other when she was out of sight.

"Well, what do you think?" Adam asked, making Assad blink. "About my parents," Adam clarified.

"Oh," Assad let out, shrugging his shoulders. "They're cool people." He smiled, and Adam felt a wave of relief hit him. He hadn't been sure what Assad would think of them. They weren't very typical parents, and of course, they were very different from Assad's parents.

"That's good to hear." Adam stared down at the ground before licking his lips. "Maybe one day I'll get to meet your parents too." The words had just left his mouth without Adam thinking too hard about them. What if Assad didn't want to do that now, and it looked like Adam was putting pressure on him? He panicked, opening his mouth as he looked up at Assad, but he closed it when he noticed Assad grinning.

"Yeah, sure. Maybe in one of my breaks, you can tag along to my aunt's place. My mum visits her a lot, so you can meet her without having to deal with my dad," he said, toying with a lock of his hair. "I'm sure she'll take a liking to you. You're so quiet. She says that I talk too much," he said with a small chuckle. Adam laughed a bit too, looking down at his box as he squeezed the rolling handle.

He was glad that Assad was willing to invite him to meet his mum. Archie has just brushed him off when Adam had asked about it when they were dating.

Adam shivered a bit. The longer he and Assad dated, the longer all the little red flags that had been present in his relationship with Archie exposed themselves. Sometimes he felt a bit ashamed of himself for not noticing them, but he tried to internalize one of the things Assad told him a lot.

"It's not your fault that you trusted someone you were supposed to trust."

Remembering the words made him smile a bit, and he got the energy to shake the bad thoughts of. He reached out to lace his free hand with Assad's. The younger man was already trailing on about something else.

I love you. Adam said in his head as he stared at the man's moving lips. I love you so much.