Chapter 24

The table was full of food and drinks. Everyone was eating and talking animatedly. I inhaled the delicious scent and the atmosphere of the place, familiar and comforting. I missed this so much when I was in the reform school.

"How are you?" I asked Shin, who was beside me, devouring a pork ramen.

"I'm fine. I’ll be able to go back to school tomorrow, but I still need some time before starting the training," he replied with his mouth full.

I ate two more gyoza before focusing on the smiling girl. Artemis had her long hair tied up and wore gold hoop earrings. She was talking to the few girls from Hebi.

"Have you talked to her?" I asked, returning to his brown eyes.

"No," he said calmly.

"I thought you wanted to," I commented, curious.

"Don’t do that," he ordered in a low voice, avoiding unwanted attention.

I forced myself to eat another gyoza, still caught in the brown of his eyes, and I avoided imagining them together and the bad feeling that consumed me.

"And don’t look at me like that, Ryuuji."

"Like what?" I asked, already knowing exactly what he meant.

"As if I were betraying you," he accused, and I clenched my jaw, irritated. "Did you change your mind?"

"Who changed their mind?" Kenji interrupted, staring at us.

"No," I replied, and to my surprise, the words slid out easily. I focused on the food, ignoring Shin’s analyzing gaze and a concerned Kenji.

After dinner, many gathered in the game room while others went to their rooms to finish homework.

"We can do something together," Kenji suggested, lying on the wooden floor in front of me, devouring chocolate truffles.

"Are you suggesting a date?" I teased, my head resting on the pillar.

"Funny guy," he grumbled, but I noticed the slight flush on the corner of his cheeks. "We can go to the training room, and you can take out your anger on me," he proposed with a smile.

My attention shifted to the small group playing pool, to Shin leaning on the table with a mischievous smile as he watched Artemis take a shot.

"Okay," I agreed and got up.

I swapped my jeans for gray sweatpants and a white shirt. I found Kenji in the training room. He was only wearing black shorts and red gloves. I put on my gloves in silence, studying him as he stretched and did little jumps to warm up.

"Finished your homework?" I asked, catching his gaze.

"Relax, I finished everything. We can stay as long as you need," he assured, positioning himself in front of me. "Don’t hold back," he ordered, getting into a combat stance.

"Let me know when it starts to hurt."

Time passed, my muscles began to ache, and my lungs burned from the intense effort, but neither Kenji nor I asked for a break. When the anger drained with my sweat, and I collapsed on the floor feeling the warm breeze against my skin, I felt my heart calm. Kenji lay beside me, panting, flushed, and all sweaty.

"Thanks," I said, still catching my breath.

"It’ll be better this way, Ryuuji."

"I know," I murmured, lifting my head toward the moon, listening to the silence around me invade my dark thoughts.

***

It was already past 7 when I woke up and forced myself to get out of bed, even though it was warm and soft. I took a cold shower, hoping to wake up, and brushed my teeth before checking my phone for a message from Matias, but there was nothing. As I left my room, I found Kenji waiting for me with his phone and a cup of coffee.

"We're late," he said, following me down the hallway.

"Did everyone leave already?" I asked, trying the coffee. I walked down the stairs toward the exit but stopped when I saw Artemis and Shin approaching.

I knew where they were coming from; there was only one room in that direction, and it was my beautiful half-sister's room. I swallowed the coffee, ignoring the irritating thought that made my head ache.

"Looks like we're not the only ones late," I commented, making Shin smile beautifully.

"We didn’t hear the alarm," he replied, shrugging. Artemis just stared at me for a few seconds and then headed for the door.

"Are you okay?" he asked, studying my face.

"Don’t I look okay?"

"Actually, both of you look terrible, and I’m the one who got beat up," he said, pointing to his bruised face.

"We overdid it in the training room," Kenji revealed, following Artemis.

"Were you training?" Shin accompanied me outside the house, and I closed my eyes against the bright sunlight.

"You could’ve called me. I wouldn’t fight, but it’d be nice to watch," he said calmly.

"We were just killing time, and I think you had more interesting things to do," I reminded him, hoping I didn’t sound angry.

Shin bit his lip and flushed slightly. I knew he wouldn’t bring up the topic. When Shin started a relationship, he liked to keep everything private and always avoided talking about it or giving details. However, I didn’t doubt it was because of my extreme jealousy.

On the way to school, we didn’t talk. Since we were late, we entered through the locker room by the football field. The halls were empty.

"I’ll see you later. I have Chemistry class now," Artemis said, bidding us goodbye.

"Me too, see you next class," Kenji said, and ran after Artemis, knowing they’d go easy on him if he showed up with the perfect student.

"Want to kill time in the library?" Shin suggested, interrupting the silence. "The teacher will leave us in the hallway if we show up now," he reminded me, and I agreed.

The library was so quiet that any sound was almost uncomfortable. I followed Shin through the hallways to our secluded corner. I sat in the chair, placing my bag on the table. Shin sighed as he stretched, and before taking off his bag, he pulled a book out of it.

I studied his profile; even with his bruises, he was still very attractive. My heart skipped a beat as my gaze traveled down his neck, his skin looked like pristine white marble.

"Are you two together?" I asked finally.

"She said she needed to think," he replied, resting his chin on his palm.

"But she will say yes," I commented.

"She will, yes," he agreed with a small smile at the corner of his lips. Silence returned between us, and I became lost in the intensity of his brown eyes. Without breaking eye contact, Shin stood up and slowly sat on my lap. His fingers tangled in my hair, making my body stir instinctively.

I closed my eyes when he kissed my neck, letting myself feel his soft, velvet-like lips. I grabbed his thighs but quickly let go.

"Touch me," he whispered in my ear, making me anxious. However, the image of Matias filled my mind, making me hesitate.

"Shin..." I tried, feeling his warm breath against my skin.

"One last time, Ryuuji. When Artemis says yes, we won’t be able to touch anymore," he declared, kissing my jaw, then nibbling it.

I moistened my lips, savoring his kisses and his hands still in my hair. His scent dominated my clothes, and I felt myself vibrate with anticipation for his sweet, familiar touch.

"Last time," I agreed in a hoarse voice.

Shin captured my mouth with intensity, sucking and biting my lower lip. I moaned softly as I felt him quickly unbutton my shirt. We both knew no one was in the library, and even if they were, it would be hard for them to find us.

I sighed as his hips rubbed against mine, feeling the bulge in his pants and how hard he was. I touched his body, exploring his muscles, remembering all the times I kissed him.

"Sit down," I ordered.

Shin removed my shirt and didn’t think twice before getting off my lap and sitting in the chair. I kneeled in front of him, hearing our breaths as I unbuckled his belt and pulled at his uniform. He moaned when I took him in, his taste filling my mouth. I felt discomfort growing under my uniform as I sucked and licked.

"Ryuuji," he whispered, pushing my head further down and stealing my breath.

He chuckled softly when I quickly pulled away in search of air, breathing heavily as I found his gaze full of excitement and passion.

"You were never very good at this," he said, removing his tie and unbuttoning his white shirt.

"And you’ve always been the only one to complain," I retorted, making him smile with mischief.

Leaving the shirt aside, Shin captured my mouth in a rough kiss. I parted my lips, meeting his hungry tongue. His kisses always left me disoriented, and when I broke the kiss, he firmly pushed me against the table. I smiled, feeling his warmth embrace my back as his hands descended down my abdomen.

"Just because I criticize your blowjob doesn’t mean I don’t like it," he commented, undressing me. "I missed it a lot," he declared, kissing my back before retrieving the lubricant from my bag.

I bit my lip as I bent over the table, feeling his wet fingers touch my hole, and I stifled a moan when I felt him insert a finger.

"Hurry up," I ordered impatiently.

"Shh!" he said with his mouth on my neck, making my skin shiver. "This is our last time, don’t rush me," he murmured, inserting another finger, teasing me.

"Shin," I grumbled.

"Damn, sometimes I forget everything has to be your way," he retorted. My heart skipped a beat when he pulled his fingers out and grabbed my hair. With a quick motion, he pushed me against the table and penetrated me forcefully.

I moaned loudly, both from the pain and the pleasure. Shin moved frantically and intensely, going deep, making my body writhe and cry out for his. I breathed heavily, feeling the warm, familiar sensation flooding me, something I had long forgotten.

"If you keep squeezing me like that, we won’t last much longer," he accused, holding my hips without stopping the thrusts.

"It’s not like I can avoid it," I confessed with difficulty and came when I felt him hit the exact spot that made me shiver and my mind spin with pleasure.

Shin groaned and came inside me shortly after. I remained still, sweaty and drunk on the wave of satisfaction while still feeling him inside me.

"Hey, Ryuuji," he started, his forehead resting against my back. "I really thought when you got out of juvie, we’d be together again," he revealed, surprising me. "And I got so mad when you chose to spend the night with another guy instead of me," he said, and I heard him laugh softly.

Slowly, Shin pulled away, and we dressed without hurry. I sat on the table, watching him redo his tie. His hair was messy, and his cheeks were flushed and beautiful.

"You know this doesn’t change how I feel about you," I declared, breaking the silence.

"I know it doesn’t," he said, relaxing in the chair as he stretched his long legs. "But I still get jealous and angry."

"I can feel those things too," I sighed, running my hand through my hair.

"Of course you can," I replied.

"It wasn’t a question, I was stating a fact," he shot back quickly, making me laugh. "What’s he like?" he asked, curious.

I felt a pang in my chest thinking of Matias and his deep gaze.

"He’s obsessed with reading and is always irritated," I told him, swallowing hard. "I think it’s funny how embarrassed he gets when I talk too much during sex, it’s almost cute," I joked, recalling his embarrassed face.

"Can I know who he is?"

"Maybe one day," I agreed, avoiding imagining his reaction if I told him the truth.

"Does he know about me?" he asked, his tone dense.

My lips parted as I easily read the question behind those simple words.

"Does he know that you’ll always love me?"

"Did Artemis understand what we are to each other?" I asked quietly.

"No," he replied, clenching his jaw.

"Yeah… he doesn’t either," I confessed, feeling the weight of the declaration make my head throb.

"Would he leave you if he knew?" he asked, curious, returning to my eyes.

Unable to control myself, I started laughing.

"No," I replied, shaking my head.

"Then he really likes you."

"No, that’s not it," I said, still smiling. "It’s that he’s tied to me, and even if he hates it, he still belongs to me," I explained calmly, watching surprise and shock fill his face, still flushed.