Chapter 176 - THE FOSTER PARENTS
Kevin looked nervous in the living room. His phone was pressed on his right ear, and he could hear a comforting voice from the other end of the phone.
"Everything will be alright, Kev."
That was Kris's voice.
He was currently in his foster parents' house while Kris was in their apartment.
A week had passed, and now it was the time for him to welcome his foster parents. He left the apartment early in the morning to clean up his foster parents' house. His lover offered a hand to him, but he refused the offer. He said that he already got help from some people hired by his foster parents.
"It's been a while since the last time I met them," Kevin replied.. "I couldn't help but feel nervous."
He could hear his lover laughed amusedly.
"You are nervous because they wanted to meet me, Kev."
Kevin couldn't deny the accusation and just smiled sheepishly. He could imagine how his parents would interrogate him the moment they arrived at the house. It was the first time he had a relationship with someone, and his parents must be so enthusiastic about that.
"You won't leave me even if they can't accept me, right, Kev?"
Kevin could hear his lover's question that was full of insecurity. He smiled before answering, "My parents will accept you, Kris."
He could catch his lover heaved a sigh of relief, but that was not the only sound that grazed his sense of hearing. He also heard another sound that made him stand up immediately.
"I think my parents have arrived, Kris," Kevin spoke in a slight panic.
"Calm down, Kev," Kris comforted him once again. "They are your parents, so they won't eat you alive. I'll hang up now. Just call me if you need anything, alright?"
Kevin nodded even though he knew that his lover couldn't see him. "Thank you, Kris. I'll call you later. I love you."
"I love you more, Kev."
Kevin felt like he could see his lover smiled when he heard how his lover replied.
And then he hung up.
The black-haired man put his phone in his pants pocket before walking toward the front door.
He originally intended to pick up his foster parents at the airport, but they rejected his proposal. They said that they would take a taxi to reach home. Kevin couldn't protest and just agreed with their decision.
He immediately opened the front door and found a taxi stopped in front of the house. Two elderly came out of the taxi and instantly spotted him.
"Kevin!" The lady called out her son's name excitedly.
Kevin laughed as he ran toward the familiar lady. In no time, the two figures embraced each other.
"I miss you so much, my little Kevin!"
The young scientist giggled at the cheerful words. "I'm not a kid anymore, Mom."
Kevin just realized that he missed his adoptive mother so much. It was almost two years since the last time he met his foster parents, after all.
He was so lucky to have them as his parents. They were so kind and caring toward him, and they were just like his real parents. They had been loving him for more than ten years after he lost his biological parents.
"I will help Dad to take out the suitcases first, Mom," Kevin said as he leaned back a little and stared at his mother.
The mother glanced at the back and found her husband was unloading their belongings from the car's trunk.
"Your father can do that by himself, Kev."
Kevin smiled as he let go of his mother's hug. "I want to be a filial son, Mom," he said.
The scientist then walked over to his father and gave the older man a bear hug. "I missed you, Dad," he whispered in his father's ear.
The father returned the hug as he replied, "You look good with your new haircut, Son."
Kevin smiled. He wanted to brag that his lover was the one who gave him the new haircut, but he swallowed his boast. It was not the time to brag.
The two men ended their hug, and they smiled at each other lovingly. The younger man then took out the suitcases from the trunk and then paid for the taxi fare. The taxi driver then drove his car away from Kevin's residence.
Kevin was about to drag the two suitcases to the house, but his father's words made him halt the movement.
"Is that your car, Kev?"
Kevin followed his father's gaze and found that his father was gazing at his new car. He then gulped nervously.
"Yes, Dad. That's my new car."
The mother then followed their gazes and exclaimed joyfully, "That's a nice car!"
Kevin could only smile bashfully.
"But..." Suddenly the father spoke again. "That car is very expensive. Did you empty your savings to buy that car, Kev?"
The young man felt even more pressured because of his father's question. "The car is not that expensive, Dad," he completely lied to his father because he couldn't tell the truth that his lover was the one who bought the car for him.
The father suddenly tapped his shoulder as he stated, "If you need money, don't be hesitate to tell me, Son."
Kevin smiled and nodded. As long as he had Kris, he wouldn't sort out of money.
The three people then walked toward the house with Kevin dragging the two suitcases.
"You've been taking care of this house so well, Kev," the mother praised her son when they were already inside the house.
They then walked toward the sofa in the living room and sat down on the sofas.
But, Kevin was still standing near the sofa as he said, "I will prepare some drinks for us."
"No, son," the father spoke before Kevin could leave the room. "The food and the drink from the plane are still filling our stomach, so you can relax."
Kevin nodded in understanding before bringing himself to sit opposite his foster parents.
"So, are you feeling better now, Son?"
"Pardon?"
Kevin looked puzzled after he heard his father's question.
Seeing the confused look on his son's face, the father explained, "It's about your parents, Kev. Do you feel better now?"
Finally, Kevin understood what his foster parents meant. His foster parents tried to comfort him through phone and video calls after they got the news about his parents' death, and now they wanted to know their son's condition directly.
"We are sorry for lying to you, Kevin. We just wanted to protect you and the antidote inside your body."
Kevin was still silent even after he heard his adoptive mother talked. It was not the first time the two elderly apologized to him. Right after they found out that his parents died in an explosion, they immediately called him to comfort him and also to apologize to him.
"I'm fine now," Kevin finally replied. "I'm busying myself in the laboratory, and gradually I forget about the pain."
The parents smiled wistfully at their son.
"Are you angry with us, Kevin?" The father asked again.
"No, Dad," Kevin quickly answered. "How can I hate two people who love me dearly for the past ten years? You are my saviors, and it's impossible for me to hate you."
The parents looked at their son sorrowfully. The mother figure even shed tears after she heard her son's answer. Having Kevin was like a blessing for them. They couldn't have their own kid, so Kevin was like a light in their dark life.
"You are my best son," the father praised his only son.
Hearing the praise, Kevin smiled in embarrassment.
"But, why are you still busying yourself in the laboratory, Kevin? You have a girlfriend now, so you should focus more on your girlfriend."
It seemed that his mother would start the drama soon, and Kevin's heart started pounding loudly behind his ribs. He had to prepare himself for the interrogation.
"Your mother is right," the father butted in. "Even if you are busy, you have to spare some time for your girlfriend. It's the first time you date someone, right? You have to learn about dating from the expert."
"Uh, it seems that your father will start bragging about himself, Kev. You better prepare yourself."
Kevin just smiled sheepishly when his parents started to bicker randomly.
"Anyway, Kev. Do you have a photo of your girlfriend on your phone? Can you show us her picture? We are so curious about her face. We are certain that she will be beautiful, but we are still curious."
Kevin finally looked up again and stared at his mother, who just spoke again. He hesitated for a moment, but then he fished out his phone from the pants pocket. He moved his fingers on the screen for a moment before handing the smart object to his mother.
The mother accepted the phone joyfully and asked her husband to look at the photo together. Not long after, their smiles faded as they abruptly looked up at Kevin.
"Why is it a man's picture in your phone, Kevin?
Kevin had expected his father's question.