A/N: every one of you is so amazing! I'm so happy you guys like this fic so far! thanks for the amazing reviews and follows and everything :) you're truly the best! please keep reading and telling me what you think :)

anyways I'll be away for the second half of next week so I won't be writing at all for sure... I'm going away on Wednesday and I'll try to write one chapter till then yet but I am not promising anything okay? Just look at how many stories I have to work on at the moment and there are other works of mine that you don't even know about :P so please be patient :)

love xx

Chapter 3

When I arrived home from the lake I heard chatter coming from the kitchen. I knew it was dinner time, and it wasn't till that very moment that I literally had forgotten that James and his dad were going to move in today. Oh fuck. I hoped mom wasn't going to be pissed at me very much.

"Hey everyone." I smiled briefly. I first walked to mom and kissed her cheek, then turned and shook hands with Christopher and for a short second I was able to look at James and give him a little nod, just barely signaling that I'd acknowledged him.

Mom gave me the raised eyebrows and turned the stove off. "Just how do you think you're allowed to arrive so late?"

"I know mom, I'm sorry." I seriously had forgotten about today's importance, even though I'd been talking about James and his father to Kendall, I hadn't realized that everything was happening so quickly. "It's just ... everything's happening so fast and it fell out of my head."

"Sylvia, it's okay." Christopher stepped forward. "It really wasn't a big thing. After all we are done with it, aren't we?" Mom nodded. "So then, let the boy be. He sure is hungry for your delicious cook. Just like we all are." He winked at me and then at James. With that movement he made my look wander over to the brunette sitting quietly at the table.

A smile spread across mom's face, as an effect of Christopher's charm. Her frown softened and he was nodding to the cupboard. "Set the table and you're forgiven." I jumped into her neck and kissed her. I was so glad she didn't get upset because of me.

"James, why don't you help Carlos?"

"All right, dad." With that James appeared next to me and I handed him the plates. He then waited for me patiently till I got all the other things too and we were moving to dining room.

"So," I started a conversation, though my voice was weaker than I wanted it to be. "Do you like the neighborhood? Think you can get used to it?"

James placed each plate neatly on the table and shrugged. "It's just like most parts of town. Nice."

"Good." I murmured. "Which room did you choose? I suppose mom even offered you my room since that's the biggest."

"Oh she did." James smiled briefly. Somehow it seemed to me like he liked my relationship with mom. "But I told her I wouldn't take what's yours. Never in a million years." That was one weird comment but I couldn't linger on it too long. He kept speaking and I was glad about that. So far I'd gotten the impression that he wasn't a big talker. "I picked the one that overlooks the street. That way I can go out to the balcony every now and then. I like looking at the stars, or basically at the universe."

Hmm, interesting. I surely wouldn't have thought about James Diamond to be a lover of stars.

"Really?" I asked putting the forks onto their places.

He smiled, this time it was a wider one. "They are so mysterious, don't you think? Like you're looking at something that isn't even there already. The stars shining are already dead. You're looking into the past, yet it feels like you're seeing the future. Because, the sky is like future. You can look at it, think about the wonders of it, but you never really know what is in front of you."

Woah. Deep moments with James Diamond. What the actual fuck?

"That's pretty interesting." I managed to say though I was shocked just how big of a passion he had for stars. "Do you think someday you'll have a job where you can discover more of the big darkness?"

"I don't know." James sank onto a chair. "I'd rather teach about what we already know. There are so many kids out there who don't know about the sky they are looking at every night. And we get to know new things about it every day. I would someday like to be the one showing them all the wonders of the universe, and look back at my childhood when we only knew half of what I am already teaching them."

I was certain that this James wasn't the James from school. I stared at him from my seat for too long, and even though I knew I should have said something, I wasn't able to open my mouth. Or when I could part my lips, there were no words coming out.

"You're surprised, aren't you?" He asked grinning.

"I am." I mumbled. "I didn't mean to be rude or something .. it's just .. nothing like I hoped you would be .. you know.."

"Yeah." Now his face was getting sad and he lowered his gaze to the plate in front of him. "I believe I've been giving the bad impressions."

He isn't saying sorry yet. I didn't know what to say, but our parents came to my rescue.

The dinner was very similar to the one the day before. James and I barely talked. Mom asked me how Kendall was doing. "Everything is fine." I said simply. I didn't want to talk about his life in front of my new family. After all I hadn't spilled about my new family's life either to Kendall.

Later when we'd be in our own, if that ever happened again, I would tell her about Kendall being in love with one of his class mates. The boy was called Logan and as I heard from Kendall, he was pretty amazing.

When mom asked about Kendall, James' attention was quickly turned to our short conversation. Oh he's curious who Kendall is. Whether he was curious or not, he didn't interrupt to show any interest.

"Do you boys want to watch a movie with us?" Christopher came back from the kitchen with mom on her side. They went out together, just like last night, to clean up the dishes. But this time I wasn't left with James because as dinner was over he excused himself to go to the bathroom. He just returned when our parents stepped into the room.

I locked eyes with James. I could clearly make it out of his eyes that he did not want to spend the night with his father at all, and neither did I to be honest. Everything in him was nice, and he treated mom well, but I didn't have stomach to watch a movie with him just yet. "I promised James I would show him my telescope." I lied. "I think we skip the movie." My honest smile convinced Mr Diamond and mom too. Apparently mom was even happier this way. She was smiling big time.

Christopher nodded. "Enjoy yourselves then." And with that they turned around and made it out.

"Do you have a telescope?" James asked not even bothering to ask why I saved his ass.

I shrugged. I had it since I was little. Mom had bought it for me for a Christmas but I hadn't used it much as I had always been more interested in computers than the universe. "Yeah. It's a pretty good one. Interested?"

"Hell yes!" He was on my side with a long step. "And thanks."

"For?" I started walking towards the kitchen to show him the other stairs that led up. This way he could anytime avoid going through the living room. Just like I intended to do right now.

"Making up an excuse so we don't have to be around them. Not like I have a problem with your mom. It's more like my father." James explained. I know. I wanted to tell him I knew a few things but I made my best to shut myself up.

"Nothing to thank." I smiled showing him the way. "This situation is too weird right now and I know how you may be feeling... we're becoming a family now and I kinda get that our parents want us to be getting on well with each other but too much is simply too much."

"Yes, just like that." I saw the confused expression on James' face before he asked. "Where are we going?"

"Upstairs. It's another, kind of hidden way." I opened a door in the kitchen and it revealed the stairs. "Didn't mom show you this?" He shook his head. "It's going straight up to the corridor where our rooms are. Come on, I'll show you." I headed in front. "Close the door though."

"This is a great house by the way." James said.

"Thanks." We reached upstairs meanwhile. "My mom told me that the whole thing is my father's work. Before they had gotten married he had this ready for mom... and me... however I wasn't else than a light thought in my mind yet back then." I grinned.

"Did you know him?" As James asked that I opened the door of my room.

I waved him in while I answered, "No." I went to a closet and picked up the expensive looking telescope. I hadn't given a glance to it in years. "He died when I was seven months old. Mom told me that he was very good with me, and loved holding me in his arms, and always said that he couldn't wait till I would be old enough so he could teach me a lot of things. Like playing football, speaking to girls and stuff like that." My own words and the sadness that I felt for my poor father who had never had chance to do all these things to his only son, made my heart ache a little.

When I turned to the direction of James I caught him having this weird frown on his forehead. "Football and girls?"

"Yeah." I laughed checking if I had a firm hold on the equipment in my hands. "Mom said he was crazy about football and girls when he was younger.. and apparently later too, until the day he had met her. His love for football stayed though. But if I remember well mom often told me that dad loved telling everyone that now only he was crazy for only one woman, and it was mom."

"That's so lovely." We walked out of my room and approached James'. "I'm so sorry you didn't have a chance to know him better."

"It's okay." I smiled weakly. "I mean, I know a lot of things about him, because mom keeps telling me something new about him every once in a while. Lately she doesn't do it though, but I try to remember most of the things she's ever said about him."

James was speechless as we stood in front of his door. I blinked at him waiting. "Aren't you opening?"

"Oh." He reached for the knob in an instant and stepped in. "It's just a bit weird yet."

"I understand. Don't worry about it. If you need anything you know where I am." I followed him out to the balcony.

"Yeah, thank you, Carlos." Just when we arrived into the dark and a bit cool night, he said.

"You're welcome." I put the telescope down. "Well, I don't really know how to use this thing." I laughed. "I mean I tried it a few times, but nothing too serious. I had no idea what I was looking at."

He chuckled. "That's okay. You're very cute rubbing your forehead like that."

My expression must have been mirroring how surprised I was to hear him call me cute, because he nervously turned away and started doing something with the telescope. "I'm sorry for that." He apologized, for what?

"Hmm, why?" I had a guess why, but I was curious if he was going to tell me more about my cuteness or just pretend like it hadn't happened at all.

I watched him look into the telescope and a smile showed on his face. Then he turned to me, "For calling you cute. I mean, you're indeed cute ... " He got stuck for a second. "Shit, I said it again." Woah dude. What? There was another pause and he was clearly trying to look anywhere but into my eyes. But somehow he put himself together and started again, "I just don't want to offend you .. I mean ... your girlfriend may not approve guys calling you cute or something ... "

My jaw dropped and I stared at him blankly. "Girlfriend?" Why the hell does he think I have a girlfriend? A girlfriend? Could I even look more gay?

"Yeah.. Kendall, your mom said you were spending the day with her and then at dinner you apparently avoided talking about her."

Oh. I was near to breaking out in a loud laughter but I held myself under control. "Kendall is not my girlfriend. God." I threw my hands in the air. "He's going to shit himself if I tell him that he was mistaken as my girlfriend."

"HE?" This time it was his jaw in need of being picked up from the ground. "Oh, God, I'm sorry. I just thought ... I mean I had a girlfriend ... Kendall ... oh shit. I'm such a loser." He collapsed onto the floor at the foot of the telescope.

I lowered beside him. "Hey, James, it's okay." I didn't know where to put my hands but I wanted to comfort him somehow so I dared to squeeze his bicep.

"Is it?" He asked desperately.

I nodded. "Of course. And don't worry, I'm not telling him this."

"Oh thanks, Carlos, thank you." He was truly grateful. I was truly surprised. "So are you single?" Is he now really asking this?

"I am. Single and very gay." It was out of my mouth earlier than I could have stopped. It might have not been the best idea to tell your new step brother that you were gay. Oh my God. I quickly got up to my feet ready to leave him alone but he pulled me back and I fell on my ass.

"It's okay." James said with a smile on his face. "You don't have to be afraid, I don't tell anyone if you want it to be a secret."

"It's not a secret." I managed to say looking at my shoes. "But I have never told it to anyone..other than my best friend, Kendall, who is very gay himself."

"Still okay." I felt his eyes on me so I looked at him again and mumbled a "thanks".

"So, will you show me how this thing works?" I asked popping my head up to the telescope.

James smirked. Oh he was waiting for this moment to come I knew. His earlier speech about wanting to teach kids made me decide right back then that I'd ask him to show me something from his knowledge. I knew it would please him. "Of course." He stood up and helped me get up too.

And we started searching for something out in the dark and endless universe.

How little we knew yet.

The thing we had both been looking for was standing right next to us.