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CHAPTER - 12

UNDERSTANDING THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS

Have you ever in your life wished that you had a superpower of disappearing into the air whenever you wished to?

Have you ever in your life wished that you had a time machine, so that you could go back in the past and fix whatever sh*t you had done earlier in your life?

At this particular moment, all I could wish was that I could do either of the two things mentioned above.

Either, I wanted to disappear from this place and let my family and Kim handle this situation themselves; or, I wanted to go back in time and stop my malfunctioning tongue from making that pathetic joke.

But, no! Fate was not kind enough to give me what I wished, and here I was standing on my porch, between a very furious looking Kim and a very puzzled looking Warren family.

My wide eyes travelled from Kim as she said those dreadful words to my family, who were soon going to really abandon me. Dad and Mom were looking at Kim like she was an alien and said something in a foreign language that was beyond their understanding. Hailey had a look on her face that said 'what-just-happened?' as she looked at Kim, while Brian was looking at Kim and then me, with an amused smirk on his lips. He definitely knew that it was all my doing.

Mom removed her eyes from the supposed alien and looked at me. "Keith?" she asked with her eyebrows furrowed and confusion was clear in her dark blue eyes.

It took me a moment to realize that I was Keith and her question was directed towards me. Suddenly, all the eyes were on me, waiting for me to explain. I had to say something. I had to do something to fix this awkward situation and save my ass at the same time.

I laughed.

An awkwardly forced laugh, I might add.

"Hahaha. You-haha-are-haha-such-ha-funny-haha-girl, Kim," I said between my fake laughs. To add effect, I clapped my hands and clutched my stomach. Kim looked at me baffled as I made my way towards her, still fake laughing. Dramatically, I clapped my hands in appreciation of her 'humor'. "I'm impressed, Kim. You pulled it off really well," I told her, patting her on the back.

My family started laughing a bit slowly as they realized that it was all a joke that Kim had made, while Kim was still looking at me in utter confusion.

"But you-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Yes, yes. I give up. You're a genius actor." I surrendered my hands in the air, still laughing. By now, my family was in hysterics as if they understood the entire situation.

'I really am a genius actor,' I thought with a slight smirk. My slight smirk was vanished when my eyes landed on Kim's confused and angry face.

"What the he-" she started off with her jaw tightly shut.

"Heroic act it was," I finished her, loudly. "Right, guys?" I turned to look at my family and they nodded readily. Smiling like a Cheshire cat, I faced her again and saw her eyes turned to slits as she understood my joke or rather lie. All of a sudden, gone was the cheshire cat, as I felt like a wet, homeless cat.

"I'll explain later," I mumbled, loud enough for her to hear.

"You think?" she retorted, raising her eyebrows.

Before I could say anything further, Mom came by my side. "I'm Rose Warren, Keith's mom. And you are?" she asked, looking at Kim with a smile on her face.

Kim looked at her and then me. I silently pleaded her to not say anything weird. "Kim Jones," she introduced herself, smiling slightly.

"That's such a pretty name," Mom complimented her.

Seriously? I could never understand a woman's ability to find something 'so cute' or 'pretty' in almost everything.

"Um... thanks?" was Kim's reply.

A chuckle escaped my lips and I was rewarded with a glare from Kim. I avoided it and looked back at Mom, who was still looking at Kim with a smile. "Let's go inside. It's so cold out here," she said just as a chilled wind blew, slapping our cheeks in the process. We all gladly obliged and soon we were standing in the living room of my parents' home.

"What would you like to have?" Mom asked, like a perfect hostess.

"Coffee would be great, mom," I replied with a sigh as I threw myself on the couch.

"I was asking from Kim, Keith," she said, rolling her eyes at me. "And we've a guest here, let her get seated first. Seriously Keith, where are your manners?"

Huffing, I moved to the right side of the couch and Kim sat on the left.

"Kim?" Mom called out.

"Yeah?" She almost jumped from the couch, like she had forgotten where she was.

Mom smiled at her comfortingly and asked again, "What would you like to have?"

"Coffee. Coffee is good. I've always liked coffee. Yeah, coffee it is," she rambled a bit and I couldn't help but look at her in amazement. Mom nodded after a moment of making sure that she was fine and went towards the kitchen.

"Hi, Kim," Hailey chirped, planting herself in the space between Kim and me.

"Hi," Kim replied back with a smile.

"I'm Hailey, Keith's sister and he is Brian, my fiancé," she introduced herself and Brian to her. Brian nodded in acknowledgment and Kim smiled.

"So, when did Keith propose to you?" Hailey asked. The moment this question left Hailey's lips, I found myself choking on my own spit and coughing continuously. "Are you okay?" Hailey asked me, patting my back.

I started the moment my coughing sprint calmed a bit. "Hell no! She is-" 

"I'm his girlfriend." Kim's voice broke me off and my head snapped in her direction. She was looking at Hailey with an innocent, sweet smile. She even lowered her eye lashes when Hailey let out an 'aww'.

While all I could do was look at her in confusion and ask, shouting a bit, "What?"

"There is no use hiding the truth from your family anymore, darling," she replied, stressing on 'darling' just like I had done merely an hour back. She was looking at me with her famous fake, sweet smile and I looked at her with narrowed eyes and clenched jaw. She was taking her revenge, but I was not going to let her do this.

"That's so cute. I never thought Keith would get out of his playboy ways," Hailey said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hail?" I called. She tore her gaze from Kim's fake-happy face to look at me. "She is not my girlfriend," I told her the truth, making it clear at once, leaving no place for any confusion.

"Girlfriend?" Our heads snapped towards the kitchen door where Mom was standing with a tray of two coffee mugs in her hands. Her voice was excited, way too excited. "Keith, she is your girlfriend?" she asked, looking at me with excitement in her blue eyes. Before I could answer, she continued with her rant, "This is such a good news. Oh God! I can't believe it. You finally have a girlfriend. Well, the moment I saw both of you walking down the street, I knew there was something cooking between the two of you. You know, nothing can be hidden from my eagle eyes. Both of you look so cute together. Just perfect! Keith, tell me when are you going to ask her to marry you? I would love to have her as my daughter-in-law. Both my children are going to get married. I'm the happiest mother in the entire world. Two weddings! Oh no! Two weddings? There is going to be so much work. Do you people even have a clue that how much work does one wedding involve? And here, I've to arrange two weddings. There is so much to do. My kids are going to be happily married. Kim, you and Keith will make such cute babies. They'll be running around the house naked, calling me 'Granny'. Oh! My! God! I'm going to have grandkids. This is the best winter ever."

By the time she finished, she herself was teary eyed from picturing our imaginary future in her head and narrating it to us. Kim was looking at her, with her mouth wide open. Brian was trying to stop his laughter by keeping his left hand over his mouth, and Hailey was doing the same by pressing her lips together. While I had my jaw clenched as I waited patiently for my Mom's rambling to stop.

"Mom?" I called her, making her look at me from the wall where she had been gazing all the time and picturing our 'happy future'.

"No, Keith. I'm not going to let you or your dad keep your kids' names. If I had listened to your Dad, then you'd be called Hill or Brick and Hailey would have been Darcy or Ruth. It's going to be me who'll name your kids. I hope that's okay with you Kim?" Mom looked at an open-mouthed Kim, who absentmindedly nodded her head. "Oh! Great! She is already such a darling. I'm so happy with your choice, son." She was again teary eyed when she stopped her second rant and looked at me. I heard a chuckle converting into a cough and I looked at Brian, who showed me an 'All the best' sign with his thumb.

I rolled my eyes at him and faced my hyperventilating mother. "Mom, I am not having kids. Neither am I getting married because to begin with, Kim is not my girlfriend," I told her, looking straight in her eyes, trying to tell her that what I was telling her was the truth.

"Girlfriend? Keith you finally got a girlfriend?" This time it was Dad who appeared out of nowhere. "I'm happy with that, son. It was high time. I was starting to think that you are gay, after all, you live with Adam," he said, looking relieved as he sat on the couch opposite me. Sounds of laughter erupted from the room as Dad said this.

"Dad, I'm not gay," I told him, horrified at the thought that my Dad thought that I was gay.

"Yeah, I know that now." He grinned.

"And neither is Adam," I told him, with my eyes dead serious.

"You never know that," Dad mumbled loud enough for everyone present in the living room to hear.

I rubbed my hand over my face in frustration and released a mouthful of air. "Whatever Dad, and Kim is not my girlfriend," I repeated myself for the umpteenth time in a span of ten minutes.

"Girlfriend? Who got a girlfriend?" Our heads snapped towards the front door, where my best friend was standing, looking at all of us in curiosity.

"Keith did," Brian replied, pointing towards me with a smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and threw my head back on the head rest of the couch. The situation just could not get more confusing and frustrating. I closed my eyes in hopes of giving some peace to my mind.

"Keith? No! That's not possible," he replied.

'Ah! That's my best buddy. He knows me too well,' I thought happily.

"Kim?" It was Adam's voice that reached my ears, he sounded like he couldn't believe that she was here. I didn't blame him.

"Hi, Adam," was Kim's reply in a chirpy voice.

Adam didn't bother replying to her and started speaking, "I was gone for one day and you already asked her to be your girlfriend?" His voice sounded closer with each word he said.

'No, he doesn't know me. So much for being my best buddy!'

"Seriously, Keith, are you nuts? What the hell is wrong with you, man? What happened to our Bro-code?" he kept on speaking, anger and disbelief in his voice were easily detectable.

I let out a huge breath and opened my eyes, hoping to look at the white roof of the living room. But, when I opened my eyes, I was met by two green eyes staring back at me. Adam was hovering over me and I jumped a little in shock, but he didn't move. He was way too close to my face and my eyes bulged out in horror.

"Personal space, Adam. Personal space!" I pressed my forefinger on his forehead and pushed him away. Thankfully, he moved away and I heard someone sigh in relief. I turned towards the source of sigh and it was my Dad. He was looking at Adam with disapproval.

I groaned loudly, gaining everybody's attention. "For once and for all, I'm telling you all that-"

"He proposed to me on Christmas Eve in a gay strip club," Kim interrupted me, making everyone gasp in shock and making me look at her with my eyes wide as saucers.

"What?"

"A gay strip club?"

"How did you end up there when Adam was here?"

"Couldn't you propose her in a better place?"

"You can't be my son if you proposed her in such a place?"

"Were you trying to make a unique history or something? Because if you were, then it's a terrible idea."

"If I were you Kim, I would have slapped him right there and never said 'yes'."

These were a few of the many things that the five people present in the living room, apart from Kim and me, asked both of us all at the same time. Kim was grinning like a Cheshire cat and I was looking at her like she had grown an extra head, which maybe she did.

"Warrens!" I shouted, pulling a Coach Paul and effectively making everyone shut up.

Silence overtook the room, until Adam decided to use his intelligent head. "I can talk. I'm not a Warren." He grinned happily.

"So can I," Kim and Brian added simultaneously.

"Shut up, people!" I groaned in frustration. My family was looking at me with blank stares, while Kim was trying her best to stop her laughter. "She is not my girlfriend," I told them, stressing on each word, especially 'not'. Realisation dawned upon their faces and very slowly all of them nodded their heads.

"Oh! I'm not going to be granny," mom mumbled in disappointment.

"That means, you need to shift from that apartment in Nashville," Dad said, looking at Adam pointedly. Kim and Hailey started laughing, and Adam looked at me with a questioning look, which I dismissed as nothing by shaking my head.

*************

After all the 'Kim-created' confusion was clear regarding her being my girlfriend, my Mom being a granny and me being gay, we all had dinner. Brian, Dad and I talked about my football games and the upcoming matches. Mom, Hailey and Kim were chatting among themselves about God knows what. Hailey showed Kim the guest room, which was across mine.

I avoided talking to Kim. I did catch her looking at me every so often during the dinner, but I completely avoided her. I knew she wanted answers. Why did I lie to her about everything? But, what could I tell her, when I, myself, was not aware of the answers?

"Keith?" I turned to look at Mom who was standing at the end of the stairs with a jug of water in her hands.

"Yes, mom?" I asked, yawning in process. I was tired. It had been a very exhausting day for me. My car breaking down, the creepy happy family, the lies, the Warren family, the many misunderstandings and clearing those misunderstandings; everything had taken a toll on me. Though, there were still some things that required to be cleared up.

"Can you please take this water jug and keep it in Kim's room? I don't want her to get disturbed during the night." Mom smiled. I gulped my own spit as facing Kim was the last thing I wanted to do right now. I was not in a mood to explain anything to anyone, anymore.

"Mom, can't you ask Hails to do it?" I argued.

"She has already slept. Now, don't whine like a five-year old, Keith Warren," she ordered, rolling her eyes.

Rolling my eyes, mentally, I took the jug from her and made my way upstairs towards the guest room. Reaching the closed door, I ran my free hand through my hair and knocked the door.

"Come in." I heard Kim's voice from the other side of the door. Slowly, I opened the door and my eyes landed on Kim. Her bag was open and she was unpacking her stuff. "Hey." She smiled when she saw that it was me.

I pressed my lips together and brought the jug in front of my face. "Water! Mom sent it for you," I said hurriedly and kept it on the nearby table.

"Thanks," she said.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "Good night, Kim." With that, I turned around quickly, not wanting to give her any time to ask anything from me.

"Keith?"

I cursed under my breath. "Yeah?" I asked, still not turning to look at her.

"Can I ask you something? Will you tell me the truth?" Her voice sounded nearer with each word she said.

'No,' I wanted to say. "Yes?" was what I said, or rather asked.

She came and stood in front of me. "Why did you lie to me?" she asked, her voice was merely a whisper. It was strange that I could not find any kind of anger in her voice or her eyes; it was like she was just curious to know the truth.

And, I told her the truth.

"I didn't want you to be alone," I answered in a whisper.

Her eyes widened a bit in surprise at my honest answer, like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. I couldn't blame her; even I couldn't believe that I had just told her the truth.

She opened her mouth a few times to say something, and finally said just one word, "Thanks." She smiled a true genuine smile as she said this, and I felt all the weight being lifted from my shoulders.

I half-smiled in response and said with pleading eyes, "Just don't show that video to anybody." This earned me her laughter. I crossed her and stopped when I reached the door.

"Good night, Keith," I heard her saying between her chuckles.

"Good night, Kim," I said over my shoulder and went towards my room with a smile on my face.

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A/N

Please VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW & spread a word about this story if you like the story. :)

Again, fun of homosexuals is NOT made in this story as I myself support their rights completely. Fun is just being made of my characters because of the situations they land themselves into.

Sorry for the delay! I had too much to do this week. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :) Did you like meeting the Warrens?? I loved writing them! :D Ahhh!!! Adam is back!! Yayyy!! :D

Remember, it takes hours to write a chapter, just 15 minutes to read it & 2 seconds to press the yellow button that has 'VOTE' written on it. It encourages me to write more. :)

Thanks! :) <3

9th January 2016 - Edited! :)