Chapter 93 Chapter Eighty-Nine

Chapter 93 Chapter Eighty-Nine

Omniscient Narrative 

Living together made everything harder than it’s supposed to. 

It wasn’t really that hard in a dramatic way, but for the two men who clearly had strong feelings for each other. Living together has proven to be a bit difficult. 

There was no distance to hide behind anymore, no dodging of Alex and Alex didn’t have to stalk Demi anymore because Demi was literally right in his face. 

There were no separate routines that kept their lives from overlapping.

No safe gaps where feelings could be set aside and ignored.

Now, everything happened in the same space.

Every day, Every. Single. Day. 

Alex had noticed the patterns quickly, but only because he wasn’t running away from his feelings. Unlike the other boy, he wanted to see how all this will play out later. 

Demi had woke up early, as usual. One thing Alex had noticed is that Demi was still the same, the same early bird that he has always been in the past four-close to five- years. 

Chris woke up shortly after his ‘lover did’. 

Alex has still not gotten used to Chris-his childhood friend- and Demi-his so claimed love of his life- being together. 

It still left a pain in his heart whenever he would see them go to the room together or come out together or when they would act like they were actually together. 

‘That’s supposed to be me and you’ Alex would usually think. 

They shared breakfast most mornings, sitting at the small kitchen table, talking easily about classes or plans or nothing at all.

Alex joined sometimes, at first, he tried not to.

But staying in his room all morning felt worse.

So he'd walk out, make coffee, and sit nearby, close enough to hear, far enough not to intrude.

And every time, every time, he would watch Demi laugh at something Chris said.

It wasn’t forced and it wasn’t out of politeness, it was actually real. 

That laugh used to be his, the thought lingered longer than Alex wanted it to.

.
.

Demi felt it, Alex was there, he was always there.

Not in an intrusive way, but present enough that it was impossible to ignore him.

And that presence...It made everything complicated for the man who was trying to rid himself of the having feelings for Alex. 

Demi had managed to build walls, he did it carefully and with over time, he did it to protect himself.

And now-

Those walls were being tested every single day.

"Hey” Chris said one morning, nudging Demi slightly as they sat on the couch.

Demi glanced at him. "Yeah?"

Chris lowered his voice. "You've been quiet, anything wrong?” 

Demi shrugged. "Just tired” 

Chris studied him not believing a word. 

"You're not just tired” he said in a ‘don’t bullshit me’ tone. 

Demi didn't respond.

Because he wasn't and he wasn’t in the mood to have Chris read him out. 

.
.

The tension started small, 

A missed glance, a conversation that stopped when Alex walked in.

A moment where Demi laughed, and then immediately checked himself when he realized Alex was watching.

Chris noticed those too.

And slowly, so did Alex.

Alex sat at the edge of his bed one afternoon, staring at the wall.

He'd just watched something happen.

Demi had been talking to Chris, leaning slightly closer than usual.

Chris had said something that made Demi smile.

But it wasn't just the smile.

It was the ease, the lack of hesitation as he leaned towards the other boy. 

Alex felt something twist in his chest, it wasn’t just jealousy, it was something deeper.

Something uncomfortable.

Something he still couldn't fully name.

"Why won’t it stop bothering me?" he muttered to himself.

He knew why, and that hurt him even more. 

.
.

That evening, the apartment was quieter than usual.

Chris had gone out to grab groceries.

Alex was in his room.

Demi sat alone in the living room, scrolling through his phone, but not really reading anything.

The silence stretched.

Then Alex stepped out.

He hesitated when he saw Demi sitting there.

But didn't turn back.

"Hey” Alex said, approaching the other man like he was a wild life and he didn’t want to be eaten. 

Demi looked up. "Hey” 

There was a pause.

Alex sat down across from him.

"I need to ask you something” he said.

Demi tensed slightly. "Okay” 

Alex exhaled.

"Do you...regret any of this?"

Demi frowned. "What do you mean?"

Alex gestured vaguely between them, between the apartment, between everything that had led them here.

"This” he said. "Me being here. Us...like this” 

Demi looked down at his hands.

For a moment, he didn't answer, he could feel his heart beating in his chest like drums, his ear pounding as thought of a response. 

Then quietly-

"No” he said truthfully. 

Alex's shoulders loosened slightly.

"But” Demi added, looking back up, "that doesn't mean it's easy” 

Alex nodded.

"I know” he said.

There was another pause.

Alex hesitated, then asked the question that had been sitting in his chest for days.

"Are you happy with him?"

Demi froze.

The question landed too directly.

Demi didn't want to lie.

For some reason he didn’t want to lie to Alex.

Not about something like that.

But the truth wasn't simple either.

Chris was good to him.

He was patient.

He was the definition of kind.

And he was also everything Alex hadn't been when things fell apart.

And yet, 

When Alex asked that question

Demi felt something tighten inside him.

Because happiness wasn't the only thing that defined what he felt.

"I care about him” Demi said carefully.

Alex nodded slowly.

"That's not what I asked Demi” he said quietly.

Demi met his eyes.

And for a moment, 

Everything else faded.

"I'm trying to be” Demi admitted.

Alex's expression shifted, something like pain, something like understanding.

But also something else, something unresolved.

.

The front door opened.

Chris walked in with grocery bags, breaking the tension instantly without realizing it.

"Anyone want to help?" he called out.

Demi stood immediately. "Yeah sure” 

Alex stayed seated, watching the two, he didn’t say anything, but he knew he and Demi would be having a discussion later on.

.
.

Chris noticed the shift the moment he stepped inside.

Demi was quieter than usual and Alex looked different.

"Everything okay?" Chris asked, setting the bags down.

Demi nodded. "Yeah everything is okay” 

Alex didn't respond.

Chris didn't push it, but he sure as hell felt it.