CHAPTER 497: IT’S NOT WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE!

Micah coaxed Darcy back to his room after finishing the congee. Darcy grumbled a little, insisting he was feeling better, but halfway through the argument, he stumbled. Micah pushed him gently onto the bed and tucked the blanket up to his shoulders, smoothing it over his chest like an overly fussy nurse.

"Just rest for a bit," Micah murmured. "Your fever dropped, but I don’t want it coming back."

Darcy gave him a look that said, ’You’re overreacting,’ but his body didn’t have the strength to back it up. He sank into the pillow and let out a sigh in exasperation. "Fine. You win," he said, closing his eyes, staying put in bed.

When the door finally clicked shut, Micah pressed his back against it and sighed in relief. He stepped into the kitchen and whispered to Clyde, glancing over his shoulder toward Darcy’s room. "Do you think he noticed?"

Clyde took a sip from his tea, unbothered by Micah’s cautious acting. "Noticed what?"

Micah looked at the guest room again, hesitant. Then he leaned closer, blurting, "That we slept together."

Clyde choked mid-sip. The sound of coughing filled the kitchen. "Micah!" he rasped, eyes wide.

"What?" Micah blinked, tilting his head innocently. "I told you he has feelings for..." His voice got stuck, unable to utter the rest. "Anyway, I don’t want to rub salt in his wounds. If I’d known how to take care of him myself, I would have kicked you out of the house long before he woke up." He gnawed on his thumbnail nervously. "He will really be upset if he realises that I let you do all of that...."

"For the love of god! Micah, stop talking!" Clyde said, exasperated. If anyone heard Micah say that out of context, they would surely misunderstand what they had done. He rubbed his temple, groaning.

If they really had done that, Clyde wouldn’t feel so wronged right now!

Micah shot him a glare. "What’s with you?"

Clyde pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nothing. Just don’t spout nonsense like that. Darcy isn’t going to assume anything. And honestly, I don’t get why you’re suddenly so self-conscious. Before, you didn’t even bat an eye, clinging to me like glue in front of him."

"Hey!" Micah’s cheeks turned pink. "When did I ever do that? Don’t twist things around! And besides, back then, I didn’t even know... I had no idea..." He stopped, flustered. "Bottom line is, I don’t want to hurt him more than I already have. You don’t know how hard I tried to coax him just to get him to stop ignoring me."

He glanced nervously toward the guest room door again, lowering his voice.

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "What happened between you two anyway? The last time I saw him, he seemed fine about the whole baby switch situation. Even when your grandmother tried to get rid of me, he opposed it."

"What do you mean by get rid of? My grandma just gave you the annex room. Don’t be a baby about it." Micah clicked his tongue.

"Okay. I misspoke. Your grandmother obviously sided with Darcy. She practically threatened me to stay away from you for his sake." Clyde gave Micah a knowing look. "Better phrased now?"

Micah made a face at him. Inwardly cursing the man. This jerk! Complaining about the different treatment after all this time.

Clyde smirked, taking another sip of tea.

"That’s not the point!" Micah said, throwing up his hands. "Promise me you won’t get on Darcy’s nerves. I’m already in trouble thanks to my family’s behaviour toward him. If you start something too, I’ll be finished."

Clyde shook his head. "If he had a problem with me, he wouldn’t have let me come here last night."

He set his mug down on the kitchen counter. "So tell me. Why exactly is he dissatisfied with you?"

Last night, Darcy’s behaviour had been strange, but Clyde had assumed it was the alcohol. But a few minutes ago, Darcy behaved a bit restrained. Like, he was uncomfortable with him being here. His eyes didn’t seem like the boy he remembered, who longed after Micah. But maybe he was too sensitive. Darcy was still sick.

Clyde tilted his head and dismissed the thought. He looked at Micah, ready to hear the explanation.

Micah shifted from one foot to another. "I’m not sure," he admitted slowly. "He... got angry at me because I introduced him as my brother to one of my grandma’s friends."

Clyde nodded to his answer. "That’s understandable. You should talk it out before saying something like that," he said and reached out, ruffling Micah’s hair roughly. "Stop overthinking. Go check on Edwood’s family. They’ll start worrying if you and Darcy both disappear for too long. And they probably won’t reach out to you if something happens."

Micah’s hair was a mess by the time Clyde pulled his hand away. He puffed his cheeks and smacked Clyde’s arm lightly. "Stop treating me like a kid!"

Clyde’s eyes danced with amusement. "I know you’ve grown up. You showed me last time..."

Micah’s face flushed crimson, realising what this annoying man was referring to. He kicked Clyde’s shin and ran toward the door. "I’m going!" Before the door was closed, he added. "Stay here with Darcy."

Then, Micah left the apartment in a flash.

Clyde stood there, watching the boy disappear as if someone was chasing him. A few hours ago, when Micah had woken up, Clyde had been filled with dread, waiting to see if Micah had turned back to himself or had still been haunted by those memories.

But the strange thing was that Micah didn’t remember any of his meltdown words or actions. He asked why he had fallen asleep.

Clyde lied smoothly, saying he had taken care of Darcy until exhaustion got the better of him. And Clyde had brought him to bed, fearing he would get sick too. Micah didn’t question anymore and went to check on Darcy.

Clyde was amazed at how Micah’s mind blocked selectively. But he was also glad Micah didn’t recall anything related to their past lives.