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Love Flavored Latte - Chapter 27
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Four years ago, Matt had looked at his older brother in amazement as the latter stepped onto the stage confidently. The way his brother took the diploma into his hands in a respectful manner, as well as his ecstatic smile when he hugged his family after the ceremony, Matt could still remember clearly.
Surrounded by graduates, Matt’s eighteen-year-old self had already looked forward to the day he could finally put on the graduation gown, the outfit that he always thought was cool. It excited him even more when he saw the diploma his brother was holding. As he stared at it, he imagined it being in his possession, thinking about the moment he had a chance to hold it in his hands proudly as a graduate. Even though he knew that day was still four years away, he still couldn’t help feeling thrilled about it.
As they always said, time flew, and the day he had been waiting for had arrived at last. After the ceremony had ended, Matt could still feel his heart beating fast due to the excitement and nervousness. If he hadn’t tried his best, his hands would have shaken madly when the diploma was given to him.
However, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy. In fact, he was absolutely overwhelmed with cheery emotions. He did it. He got the diploma he had worked so hard for, an achievement he would forever be proud of. The past four years had been a long journey, and even if there were ups and downs, he would always remember them as something memorable. This day was even more unforgettable, because he had his family here to add more happiness to his graduation day.
“I’m so proud of my baby!” his mom said as she pulled him in for an embrace. “It seems just like yesterday that you were still little. But here you are, graduating from college!”
“Thanks so much, Mom, but…” Matt trailed off before continuing. “Are you seriously still calling me a baby?”
“Oh, Matt, you may be an adult, but you’ll always be a little boy in my eyes.” His mom tightened the hug. “Gosh, how long has it been since I last held you as a baby?”
“Well, Mrs. Parker…” Chloe spoke while trying her best to hold her laughter in. “Besides you, there’s someone else who also calls him ‘baby’.”
His mom had a rather confused look on her face, seemingly too oblivious to understand what Chloe was implying. Unlike her, his brother had on a wide smirk as he giggled along with Matt’s suitemates. However, he decided to save his little brother and changed the subject, which Matt was extremely grateful of him for.
“It’s actually been a while since I last saw you. You’ve sure grown into a fine young man.” Matt’s brother patted his shoulder. It it hadn’t been for Matt’s cap, he would have rubbed his head instead, like he usually did. “But you’re still shorter than me.”
“Bryan…” Matt said in a low voice as he tried to smile, though his smile seemed a little forced, bitter even. “Can you please not bring up my pain, at least not today?”
“I’m sorry.” Bryan laughed while Matt pouted. “But it’s still too fun to tease you no matter how old you are.”
“You’re impossible.” Matt sighed. “I’m standing here as an adult, holding my diploma on my graduation day, and you still have the tendency to make fun of my height.”
Everyone’s laughter was heard except for Matt’s, and the blond in question groaned into his hand, forcing himself to accept the fact that his fate had already been decided—his height would forever be the bane of his existence. But then, from the corner of his eye, he saw someone that had him stunned, causing him to ignore the others’ teasing.
Among the crowd was none other than Ray himself, but there was something about him today that elicited a gasp from Matt. Dazzling he was in his black suit and regalia, and on his face was a bright smile as he talked cheerfully with others. His blue eyes gleamed under the warm sunshine, filled with the happiness of seeing his dear students in their graduation gown. Matt was in a daze, awestruck by the other man’s charm, so he didn’t notice those beautiful eyes glancing over him. Only when Ray’s voice was heard did Matt snap out of his daydream.
“Matthew! There you are.”
“P-Professor!”
If Matt hadn’t calmed himself down in time, he would have actually blurted out the other’s first name.
Ray looked extremely excited. It was expected, because the day he had been looking forward to had finally come. As Ray quickly approached Matt, the former’s robe slightly swayed along with his step, revealing something sparkling underneath. On closer inspection, that thing turned out to be a brooch, but it wasn’t just any brooch. It was the brooch Matt had given him as a gift on his twenty-ninth birthday, the piece of ornament he only wore on special occassions. The realization made Matt let out a quiet gasp. Even if it had been two years, Ray still treasured it just like how he had been cherising their relationship.
“Congratulations on your graduation!” Ray had a very happy tone as he spoke. “No word can describe how proud I am of you. I wish you all success and a bright future ahead of you.”
“Thank you so much, Professor Angevine!” Matt and his suitemates said in sync, a beam on their lips.
“As for you, Matthew.” Ray turned over Matt and gave him a tender smile, which made Matt’s heart skip a beat. “Thank you for being my TA for the past three years. You’re one of the best students I’ve ever had, and I really appreciate your help. With your accomplishments, I’m certain you’ll go far in life.”
“Thank you, professor.” Matt had a hard time trying not to stutter. “To me, you’re one of the most wonderful professors I’ve ever met. I’m glad to have been your student.”
From the heat in his cheeks, Matt knew that his blush was starting to show. He did his best to look at Ray in the eye confidently, but he found it extremely difficult, not when the obvious joy and fondness could be seen in those gorgeous blue eyes. No matter how much time had passed, Matt could never get tired of his boyfriend’s eyes, and he would occassionally find himself staring into them like nothing else existed. However, right at this moment, he did not miss the knowing look on his friends’ face. In their eyes, Ray and Matt looked like a couple expressing their truest love, not a professor and a student showing their gratefulness for each other. That was probably why they were giggling like there was no tomorrow right now.
“You are Matt’s professor?” his mom asked as she walked up to him.
“Yes, I am. You must be Matthew’s mother?” Ray gave her a friendly smile as she nodded. “You truly have an amazing son, Mrs. Parker. He’s really smart and hard-working.”
Matt’s face was burning up madly as Ray went on and on about how well he had done in class, as well as how helpful he was. Ray’s compliments never failed to fluster him. But then, there was something that he noticed while Ray was talking to his mom, and it did make him raise an eyebrow.
Even though it looked like his dad was just standing there and listening to everything in silence, his thoughtful expression told Matt there was something on his mind. Moreover, his eyes were focused on Ray, which began to make Matt sweat. What was he possibly thinking about? Ray didn’t do anything wrong, did he? He couldn’t have—he just met Ray literally a few minutes ago, and they had yet to exchange a word! Unable to figure out what it was, Matt brushed it off, telling himself that he was probably reading too much into things. Maybe his dad was just interested in the professor who Matt seemed to admire so much.
“Matt said you’re a very good professor and he enjoyed your class a lot. So thank you for making his college days worthwhile.”
Matt’s dad suddenly struck up a conversation with Ray, which caught Matt off guard, but once more, he reassured himself by saying that his dad was simply trying to be friendly.
After few moments had passed, Ray excused himself and went elsewhere, saying that there were other students he needed to say goodbye to. But the truth was, he was secretly suffocating and needed to go somewhere far way to calm down. The source of the pressure was from Matt’s parents themselves, not from the crowd or the noisy atmosphere. Mr. and Mrs. Parker were extremely nice, but he couldn’t stop the stress from getting to him.
They always say that meeting your partner’s family was one of the most awkward, nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing experiences ever, and today, Ray fully understood what they meant. No matter how friendly Matt’s family was or how well they treated him, he still couldn’t help feeling nervous. Ever since he saw Matt’s parents standing there, the nervousness had been slowly and agonizingly eating him alive. He was seriously impressed by how he had been able to endure it, not exposing their relationship right away.
Matt’s family had yet to know that they were dating and he was already fretting. How would he deal with the pressure when Matt properly introduced him to his parents in the future? More importantly, how would his parents react when they realized that their son’s boyfriend was also his own professor? Just thinking about the worst-case scenarios already scared him to death.
“You look worried. Is something the matter?”
A voice from behind him absolutely startled him, and when he turned around, his anxiety increased even more. Standing not far away from him was Matt’s father himself, and he still had on that warm smile.
“W-Worried? No, I’m fine, Mr. Parker.” He waved his hand in the air, his other one removing itself from the tree it had been resting on. He tried to hide his nervousness with a collected attitude, though he had no idea if it was working. “May I ask why you are here, sir? Where are the others?”
“I wanted to talk to you alone, so I walked away secretly.”
That seemed to make the situation worse. The atmosphere around them was quiet, as people rarely pass by this area. A while ago, he did feel Mr. Parker’s gaze on him, but he thought that he was just imagining things, which now turned out to be wrong.
His fingers unconciously began to fidget, his eyes glancing back and forth. He tried to find an excuse to leave but his mind couldn’t concentrate, not when his partner’s father was standing right in front of him. Ray wondered what was going on in the other man’s mind. Mr. Parker did look calm, but what was he thinking about? What did he see in his son’s professor? Moreover, what was it about Ray that made him sneak away just to meet him in private? That last question scared the ghost out of Ray.
“No need to look so nervous, my future son-in-law.”
Ray must have looked so anxious that Mr. Parker felt a need to break the silence, but that wasn’t important right now. The thing that snapped Ray out of his thoughts was what the other man had just called him. Despite the reassuring words he received, he couldn’t help but feel even more scared than before.
“P-Pardon me, sir? I, I didn’t clearly hear what you just said.”
“You don’t have to pretend anymore.” Mr. Parker let out a chuckle. “You’re Matt’s boyfriend, aren’t you?”
Being put under pressure, Ray was practically screaming on the inside, yet he somehow still had the strength to stay composed. “Wh-What makes you think so, sir?”
“Well, it’s pretty easy, young man.” Matt’s father had a very confident look as he spoke. “First, it’s your last name. Matt’s friends called you ‘Professor Angevine’, and Matt said his boyfriend’s name is Ray Angevine, if I’m not mistaken.”
Matt, it was a mistake telling your parents my name, the thought crossed the anxious professor’s mind.
“Of course, just the last name alone can’t confirm you’re his boyfriend – there can be many other people who have the same last name,” Mr. Parker continued, his voice firm and full of certainty. “So, I tried to think if there was any other clue I could use, and I eventually found it—the age.”
Ray’s eyes widened when he immediately caught on what the other man was talking about.
“You must’ve already figured out what I mean, right?” The middle-aged man chuckled upon seeing the shock on Ray’s face. “Just now, I asked his friends for your age and found out you’re thirty this year. Matt once asked his mom if she was fine with his boyfriend being nine years older than him. You’re thirty and he’s twenty-one, that makes the two of you nine years apart from each other. What a coincidence, isn’t it?”
A few quiet seconds passed before Mr. Parker’s sigh was heard, though in it was amusement. “That naïve child, if he really wants to hide the fact that he’s dating his professor, he shouldn’t have said his boyfriend goes to the same university as him.”
Unable to argue with the other’s perfect logic, Ray lowered his eyes and stayed silent. Mr. Parker definitely knew, Ray was sure of it, and he secretly feared for his life. Someone would have said that he was overreacting, but could anyone blame him for feeling like that? He was caught dating his student by that very student’s parent, for god’s sake! Well, it was true that Matt was no longer his student—he officially graduated today—but Ray was unable to stay calm and see this awkward situation as nothing. It was possible that he looked like a freaking fool in the other man’s eyes right now, and his own silence was revealing his guilt. He felt like he should say something to explain, but would that really help?
“Sir, I—”
“Thank you for making my son happy, Ray.”
Ray was cut off, taken aback by the warmth in the other’s voice. He had expected to receive a glare and words of disapproval, but what Mr. Parker was giving him was exactly the opposite—a kind smile. Refusing to believe what he was seeing, Ray looked closely into the other man’s eyes, trying to find a hint of resentment in them. But no matter how hard he looked, there was none of it. All that was in that gaze and that smile was fondness.
“You’re not… angry?”
“Is that why you’ve been feeling nervous all this time?” Mr. Parket let out loud yet another light-hearted laugh. “Why would I get angry at someone who makes my child smile?”
Ray was still stunned by the unexpected reaction. “But… you do know I’m his professor, don’t you?”
“Matt graduated, so it doesn’t matter. But even if he was still your student, I wouldn’t be bothered either.” Mr. Parker took a step forward and placed his hand on the other’s shoulder. “Ever since that incident, Matt’s been pretty insecure about his trust for others. So, after hearing him go on and on about how amazing you are and how you make his day, I already knew you’re a good person.”
“‘Incident’?” Ray asked in a curious tone. “What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to ask him yourself.” Mr. Parker took his hand back. “But I’ll tell you this—this incident was what made him come out to his family.”
With that, Mr. Parker said nothing more and just gave his future son-in-law a smile.
“Well, they must be waiting for me over there. It’s a pleasure meeting you, young man. I’m looking forward to the day Matt properly introduces you to me.”
Not waiting for Ray to utter a word, Matt’s father turned on his heels and walked away, heading to where his family was as he dissapeared into the crowd. If he had looked back, he would have seen Ray that was frozen in place, unable to process what had just happened.