"I can't believe you, Cole. You're just crazy," Liam said, shaking his head in total disbelief as Cole narrated to him all that happened two days ago.
"You're going too far with this, Cole. You need to chill. How could you sneak into a school? Is that a punishable crime?"
"What would you have me do? You said yourself that we need more evidence to confront his mother and confirm that Tris is my son. How else do you want me to get the material for the DNA?"
"Still, you have to calm down. You almost got caught. What would you have said if they called the police on you? What if you put that boy in trouble? Don't you think you're doing too much? For all we know, this can all be a streak of coincidence-"
"This is not a streak of coincidence, Liam! I'm not doing too much! I'm barely doing anything! How many times do I have to convince you that that boy is my son? What more evidence do you need?!!"
The silence he got from Liam reminded him that Liam was only looking out for him. He shouldn't have yelled at him like that. He kept his tone in order before he resumed speaking.
"Look, it's not just about the looks. The closer I get to him, the closer I want to get to him. The more I want to be with him. I feel a sense of responsibility everytime I think about him. Okay... Do you know that Tris is being bullied in school?"
"What?!," Liam questioned, shocked.
"You heard me right. Liam. That day, while we were talking, he was bullied in my presence. That was actually the reason I was pursued out of the school. I couldn't take it anymore, and I retaliated on his behalf. Liam, if that boy is my son, then I'm messed up. I've missed to many years of his life to be forgiven, and if there is a chance of having a place in his life, and I don't want to waste a second more," Cole poured his heart out.
Liam sighed and stared at the table in contemplation.
"Have you gotten the material for the DNA?," He asked.
"No. Not yet. I'm working towards it. It would take some time and convincing to make him know that I'm not going to harm him and for him to let me take his strand of hair. His mother is already warning him not to come close to me anymore. Plus, my cover has been blown in the school. Security would be tight there."
"The sooner you get the hair strand, the faster we do the DNA test, and get all this over with. I'm still wondering possible it is that you do not know the name of the woman who you slept with,"
"You can't blame me, Liam. It was seven years ago, and it was a wild night. It wasn't supposed to happen in fact," Cole replied, raking his fingers in his hair in despair.
"But you told me you almost claimed her, that night," Liam argued, and Cole didn't know what else to say in his defense.
"That's enough about me. What's going on in your life? Is there any chick who has tickled your fancy?," Cole asked with a smirk.
Liam was unsure whether to tell Cole that he'd crossed paths with Amy, his highschool crush.
Back in highschool, he and Cole were the most popular and sought after boys. They had everything - the good looks, the rich parents, and the cool attitude. They were everything the ladies wanted.
But something caught his eye about Amy. Nobody knew her. She was ignored by almost everyone, including Liam. Initially.
At a point, Liam was having serious issues with his studies because he never read, and his parents threatened to cut off all privileges if he didn't get a good grade for his exams. His teacher was forced to pair him with someone for a reading partner, and that person turned out to be Amy.
For the first three sessions, he didn't show up, and she didn't care. He was surprised by the fact that she wasn't fazed by his presence. Unlike the other girls in the school, she rarely noticed him. Confused by the situation, he confronted and she put him straight. In her words, "I am no different from the person next to me. What makes one better is the effort they put into making their lives better."
It was at that point he had a crush on her.
He immediately sat up and never missed a reading session. By the end of the term, his parents and teachers were so surprised by the spiral in his grades that they had to conduct another exam for him, to be sure that he didn't cheat in his exams. With intensive supervision, he rewrote, and got an even higher mark.
He planned ask Amy out after the graduation party, which was to take place after the mating party. He didn't even want to attend the mating party, but because Cole was feeling down he joined him. He caught a glimpse of Amy that night, but didn't talk to her. He regretted not doing so, because he never set his eyes on her again. Not until after recently.
Oh, how beautiful she looked!
"Earth to Liam!!," Cole yelled as he waved his hands in front of Liam's distant eyes to bring him back to reality.
Liam blinked several times to realize he was still in the middle of a conversation with Cole.
"I think I've gotten my answer to my question," Cole smirked.
"What? Please. There hasn't been any woman capable of taking me off the streets. I'm not ready for anything serious."
He would've loved to tell Cole about it, but he was already too overwhelmed by his quest to find out if Tris was his son. He didn't want to bother him with his stupid story.
Besides, there was technically nothing between them, yet.
Cole stood up from the leather seat. "I know you won't tell me about her. I'll give you time to figure your shit out with her. The next I ask about her, i want to have a detailed explanation of her biography. I'll be on my way now," he said.
"Get away from my office, man," Liam laughed as he watched his friend leave his office.