Chapter 38: I Hate You
Omniscient Narrative
A few days passed, and the dance between Kai and Aries morphed into a grotesque spectacle. Kai found himself trapped in a spiral of dread and inexplicable desire.
Aries was there, waiting for him on his nightly jogs, leaning against lampposts, looking as handsome as always.
His magnetic presence impossible to ignore and impossible to escape.
Every time Kai returned home from wherever he wouldn't go, he braced himself for the clash that was undeniably about to unfold.
He had begun to identify the sounds—the familiar scrape of shoes against pavement that indicated Aries's approach.
Every time, his heart raced, torn between relief and unsettled anticipation.
Though Kai tried to tell himself it was for the best, the heated exchange ignited something primal deep within him.
He didn't want Aries's attention, he didn't want that intoxicating rush of connection they once shared. Yet it surged through him—an itch that demanded to be scratched.
"Don't think I won't find you," Aries warned one evening, stepping out of the shadows with a self-satisfied smirk on his face as he leaned against a tree. "Don't think I can't figure out ways to make your reality a living hell."
"I hate you so much," Kai spat, anger seeping into his words, knowing how weak they sounded, how unable they were to shield him.
"Oh, is that what this is?" Aries teased, stepping closer, forcing Kai to meet his gaze. "You can't hate me, Kai. You're well aware of how the heart truly feels." He had moved too close, invading Kai's space, the pull of charisma blissfully intoxicating despite the fear curling around Kai's consciousness.
"You need to leave me alone," Kai whispered, barely above a breath. "Can't you just let me go? This isn't fair to either of us!"
"Fair?" Aries chuckled darkly. "This isn't some fairy tale, Kai. You were the one who welcomed me into your life, remember? You think I'm just going to step back now because you demand it? Hardly!"
"I will make sure you finally become mine Kai, even if it's the last thing I do"
.
As the days melted into a frightening amalgamation of nightmarish encounters, Kai simmered in a state of obsessive chaos.
Desperation pushed him to dark alleys of his mind. He drank—full bottles of wine—trying to numb the sheer horror that had taken root deep within him.
He spent hours lying in bed, wrestling with thoughts of Aries and reliving that night filled with both ecstasy and regret.
The dark truth behind his heart twisted into shame; he had let it happen, allowed himself to cross a line he knew he shouldn't have.
He had become sad and depressed around the house, and it didn't go unnoticed by his husband.
"What's going on with you Kai" the blond haired man heard from beside him making him turn his head to the left side of the bed.
"Huh?" He asked his husband, who moved closer to him, taking his hand in his making the smaller man push his face to his husband's chest.
"Nothing" he mumbled as he rubbed his face on his husband's chest as if trying to control his thoughts.
"You sure?" Vincent pressed a bit but after not getting any words from Kai, he left the issue behind.
"I'm just tired" he then heard from the smaller man.
"Okay" he gave him a short reply before he moved Kai away and turned to the other side.
"Good night" Vincent said before he turned the lights off.
Kai watched the husband, a sad expression on his face as his husband went to sleep, completely pushing him aside.
Yes Kai wasn't going to tell him exactly what was going on, but he still wanted to talk, to feel a sense of comfort.
He didn't know when and why Vinnie had become so cold to him. But he knew he didn't like it.
With a sigh, the shorter man turned to his side and tried to force himself to sleep.