Chapter 30 Taking control
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly burst into laughter. “Wait, wait—you’re calling me slim? Bro, if I’m slim, what the heck should I call you? A breeze could knock you over!”
Nathan chuckled, relaxing a little. “Okay, fair enough. But seriously, we do have some resemblance. The curly hair, the eyes…”
Lucas waved it off with a smirk. “Yeah, yeah—except your eyes are lighter. Mine are deep blue, remember? Your mystery man clearly wasn’t me.”
Nathan let out a dry laugh, but his gaze dropped slightly. “I know. I mean, logically I know that. But it's just that every time I see someone with curly brown hair and blue eyes, I will pause. And then wonder, ‘Is this the guy?’ It’s stupid, I know, yet I can't help it.”
Lucas’s smile faded as he noticed the heaviness in Nathan’s tone.
“I’ve always had this fear…” Nathan paused, voice growing softer. “That one day, he would find his savior again. The real one he had been searching for. And when that day comes… whatever he feels for me will vanish.”
His voice cracked, and Lucas leaned in, concern flickering in his eyes.
“You know, I had this feeling in my gut that he saw him by chance recently and was trying to track him. He had been going haywire giving others to his men to find him.” Nathan said worriedly. “He stayed here last night,” Nathan whispered. “Left this morning. But I saw it—his eyes didn’t sparkle the way they used to. He’s letting go, slowly. Maybe trying not to hurt me. But I know. I felt it. He’s already more than halfway gone.”
A tear slipped silently down Nathan’s cheek as he stared at the floor, his fists clenched tightly in his lap.
Lucas sat quietly, the weight of Nathan’s pain settling into the room. For once, he had no smart remarks—just quiet empathy.
“Oh, Luc…” Nathan’s voice broke as more tears slipped down his cheeks. “It hurts so damn much. Just when I’ve finally fallen for him—really fallen—he’s pulling away. You know, no one has ever treated me the way he did. No one has shown me that kind of care, attention, and gentleness. I’ve grown so fond of him, it’s scary to live without him.”
He wiped his face quickly, trying to hold himself together.
Lucas’s expression softened. He moved closer, pulled Nathan into a hug, and tapped his back gently. “I’m so sorry, man. That sucks. But hey—you’ve got to be strong. You hear me? You’re not alone in this.”
Nathan nodded on his shoulder. “Yeah. I know but it’s just that when we started, he was honest. He told me he didn’t want love. Just some casual, friendly companionship. He offered to take care of me, and he did—gush, he did. For six months, he was everything he promised. But me? I caught feelings, stupid, right?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “The heart has got to be the dumbest organ in our body.”
Lucas chuckled dryly. “Yeah, I've heard it before. It’s a certified idiot.”
But then his face turned serious. “Okay, no—seriously. Who the hell is this mystery savior messing up your love life? Let’s go find him. Talk to him. Fix this mess. What’s his name?”
Lucas sounded serious, but the way he started rolling up his sleeve like he was getting ready to fix his friend’s heartbreak with fists seemed funny, but no one was in the mood for laughter. “Come on Nat, I'm serious, let's find him and explain things to him. Surely he will understand. There is every possibility that he felt nothing for the big guy. Saving someone doesn’t mean you're romantically loving him.”
“Yeah, you're right but I don’t know,” Nathan said with a defeated sigh. “Even Alex didn’t know his full name. If he did, he would’ve found him that same year. He tried hard.”
Lucas nodded slowly, processing it. “Yeah, it makes sense. Still, how did one save his life and he didn't ask for his name?”
Nathan gave a tired shrug. “I guess he was younger and may have been scared then. Maybe everything happened so fast. And after that, the guy just disappeared.”
Lucas ran a hand through his hair. “Damn. I’m really sorry, man. I wish I could cheer you up. The worst is that I'm broke to even drag you out to your favorite place.”
Nathan’s face suddenly lit up like a kid with a new toy. “Wait—how about you make us cookies? One of your new recipes! You owe me a taste test anyway.”
Lucas raised a brow, then smiled. “Alright, Chef Nat. Let’s do it together,” he said with a playful wink.
“Together?” Nathan grinned. “What if I’m tempted to steal the recipe and use it at work?”
Lucas laughed, shaking his head. “Go for it. If it makes your customers happy and earns you some extra tips, I’m all for it.”
Nathan beamed, grabbed his hand like an excited kid, and pulled him toward the kitchen. “Then let’s bake some heartbreak away!”
They stepped into the kitchen like two kids on a mission to forget the world. Nathan rolled up his sleeves while Lucas rummaged through the cabinets, calling out ingredients like a drill sergeant.
“Flour?”
“Check.”
“Brown sugar?”
“Got it.”
“Butter?”
“Right here, Chef.”
Laughter filled the room as they bumped into each other, reached for the same spoon, and playfully argued about who cracked the eggs better. At some point, Nathan smeared a bit of flour on Lucas’s cheek, and Lucas retaliated by flicking a few chocolate chips at him.
Their earlier frustrations faded into the rhythm of mixing, stirring, and tasting. Nathan kept playing with the dough, earning playful scolds from Lucas. When the cookies went into the oven, the rich, warm aroma filled the kitchen, wrapping around them like comfort.
“Damn, that smells divine,” Nathan said, closing his eyes and breathing in.
“I told you,” Lucas smirked, leaning on the counter. “This recipe is the winner, just wait until you taste it.”
When the timer dinged and they pulled the tray out, golden-brown cookies stared back at them, soft in the center and crispy at the edges. It was perfect.
They sat at the table, munching in silence for a moment, just enjoying the treat and each other’s presence.
Lucas stood up, walked over to the fridge, and returned with two bottles of cola. Gave one to Lucas and opened his.
“Thanks, Luc,” Nathan said quietly, his voice full of gratitude. “I actually feel better.”
Lucas smiled, tossing a cookie at him. “That’s what friends and cookies are for.”
They both chortled at that as they continued to munch on the cookies and downed them with their cola drinks.
Immediately they were through, Nathan picked up Lucas’s bag and took it to the room showing him some necessary things. After that, Nathan took permission to sleep a bit while Lucas borrowed Nathan’s laptop and fixed up his CV.
He decided to search online for available accounting jobs. He saw some vacancies. So he started applying for them one after the other hoping by morning he would be invited for an interview.
At Alex's office
Meanwhile, Alex had been negotiating to buy a house of his own since he had been staying at his parents' all these years. So the instant he stepped back into his office after chasing the wrong guy to the beach, his phone buzzed as his butts hit his chair. He picked up immediately without checking.
Instantly, a voice rang, “Congratulations, Mr. Alex Benson, the property is yours.”
“What?”
“This is realtor Janet, you won, your offer is better so the owner said he is selling the house to you.”
Alex stood up and beamed happily. “Wow, at last I've gotten good news today. Thank you for this.”
“You're welcome sir. Just tell me when you want your papers so you can make your payment.” Janet explained.
“I'm ready right now,” Alex chortled happily.
“Then come over to your new property sir. I will be heading there now with your keys”.
“That's great, on my way right now, Janet.”