Ernest and Grant?, The big boss? Mr. Collins?, In a flash, so many pieces clicked together in my mind., I had my suspicions before and even tried to probe them, but they both denied it. Now, caught in the act, I wondered how they'd explain themselves.,

"Ernest!

" I called out to him., Walking Ernest and Grant both stopped and turned in my direction., At the moment, I was crouched by the side of a pond, and they didn't seem to spot me right away. Grant even nudged Ernest,

"Who's calling you? That voice sounds...

", But he didn't finish his sentence as Ernest quickly approached.,

"It's dangerous here,

" he said, extending his hand. I thought he was going to help me up, so I reached out to him., Instead, with a long reach, I suddenly felt light, lifted away from the pond in his arms.,

"Weren't we just going to grab a bite? What brought you here?

" Ernest asked as he set me down., He remembered, this place was a diner, and I was here to eat., His action threw my thoughts into disarray, and it took me a few seconds to gather myself. I looked at him and then over to Grant, who had a smirk plastered on his face, clearly enjoying the gossip,

"You two... know each other?

",

"Yeah,

" Ernest admitted without any hesitation, adding,

"Just met, actually.

", Grant joined us,

"So, Director Hudson's boyfriend is Mr. Collins, huh? When Mr. Collins came here for the interview mentioning a referral, was it you, Director Hudson, who referred him?

" That clarified why Ernest and Grant were together., It sounded normal, since I did mention it to Ernest, but the speed of it all was surprising., I looked at Ernest with disbelief, but he appeared completely at ease, though his voice was softer,

"Gotta keep an eye on my girl, especially when she's catching others' attention.

", I was speechless., Even though Ernest spoke softly, Grant seemed to catch on, chuckling,

"Director Hudson, aren't you going to welcome the new colleague?

", So, Ernest got the job?, Despite his competence, this seemed too easy. And Grant was even treating him to celebrate?,

"Looking forward to working under Director Hudson's guidance,

" Ernest said., Seeing his serious expression, I was about to reciprocate when Grant interjected,

"Go for a big hug.

",

"Sure!

" Ernest agreed and then wrapped me in a hug.,

"Perfect, just perfect,

" Grant exclaimed on the side., Even though it was just a hug, and Ernest and I were officially a couple, I still felt a bit embarrassed., Just as I was about to pull away, I heard Haley's voice, soft and sorrowful,

"Rad, I don't know what to do anymore. How can I make your mom like me?

"

"You don't have to do anything...

" Conrad's voice was cool and distant.,

"Why?

" Haley pressed on., It was clear to me; Jacqueline didn't like her as a person, and nothing Haley did would change that., But Conrad spared her feelings, not spelling it out so bluntly.,

"Let's go, I'll take you back,

" Conrad finally said., Haley didn't respond, and I thought they had left until Conrad added,

"Come on, or do you plan to go back for dinner? Can you even stomach it?

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