Chapter 47 Unaccepted reality
Lucas's heart picked up, thudding, and he nearly said he would miss him too, but luckily Alex spoke.
“Do you have an apartment here?” He asked slowly hoping that he wouldn't.
Lucas stared straight ahead. “No but this is where I’m staying, at least for now.”
Alex hissed out a relieved breath, but then curiosity set in, and he turned to him. “With who?”
Lucas responded. “With my friend, Nathan.”
The name landed hard.
Alex’s chest tightened, surprise flickering openly across his face before he masked it quickly. “Are you… close to Nathan?” he asked again, hesitantly hoping not.
A smile flickered on Lucas’s face. “Yes, he is a good friend of mine. Actually, we've been close since culinary school.”
“Oh really,” Alex said with jealousy setting in.
Lucas was already pulling the door open when Alex stopped him.
“A hug, please.”
Before Lucas could respond, Alex drew him in a firm, warm, and unexpected hug.
Lucas stiffened for half a second, then slowly lifted his arms, circling them around Alex’s waist, silently praying he wouldn’t notice the frantic pounding of his heart. It felt too loud and too close.
“We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” Alex murmured as he released him.
His gaze lingered, steady and unreadable. Lucas avoided it, fingers fumbling for the door handle—until Alex leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
Lucas froze.
“Take care, my Lucas.”
Heat rushed to his face as he stepped down, flustered and smiling despite himself. “Take care, Alex.”
He stood there, watching as the car pulled away, lifting a small wave. Only when the headlights disappeared did Lucas turn toward the building, his fingers brushing the spot on his cheek—still warm, still buzzing.
“What the heck is happening to you, Lucas?” he muttered, shaking his head as he punched in the door code. “Are you falling in love with Alex?”
The door clicked open.
“You know your secret Lucas. You’re not supposed to get romantically involved with anyone,” he whispered, “You have to control these feelings.”
But even as he stepped inside the apartment, his heart refused to slow down.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, he dropped his bag by the door and headed straight for the bathroom. He turned on the tap, adjusting it until warm steam curled into the air, then left the tub to fill.
He returned moments later, stripped off his clothes, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Grabbing his phone, he walked back in, dialing Nathan’s number.
He twirled his fingers in the water, it was perfect.
Nathan’s phone rang. No answer.
Lucas hung the towel on the rack, dialed again, then stepped into the bathtub. It buzzed once more—still nothing. With a soft sigh, he placed the phone on the floor and lowered himself into the tub, twisting the tap shut as the water settled around him.
“Uuh… this feels so, so good,” he murmured, sinking deeper, eyes fluttering closed.
Relaxation was the goal of that ritual but it didn’t last. Instantly the memories from the day rushed in—uninvited and vivid. First, the instant admiration when he saw Alex for the first time. His gorgeous face and physique. The command his presence carried. Then the shock of recognizing him later. The overwhelming fact that he was the same stranger he had saved and left him with one of his good-luck pendants years ago.
“What a small world,” Lucas muttered, a slow smile tugging at his lips.
But the smile didn’t fade. It deepened.
Then came Zenith’s ordeal. He whispered, “I do need to be watchful of him. Too much bad air from him on the first day.”
Lucas shook his head, opened his eyes, and closed them again.
His thoughts drifted, tangled and relentless, circling Alex. The way he kept looking at him. The easy closeness. The hugs—too many to be a coincidence. The pecks on his cheek. And those green eyes… the way they lingered, intense, almost as if he was about to…to..to what?
“Oh my goodness,” Lucas breathed, sinking his face deeper into the water as his heart picked up pace.
The bath seemed hotter as his heart kept pounding.
Then realization dawned on him, he brought his face out quickly and his eyes snapped open, staring wide at nothing. “He really meant it when he asked if he could kiss me. He stared at my lips a lot. Is he falling for me?” Lucas whispered to himself, his heart thudding.
“Oh no, he can't, maybe he was just overwhelmed seeing his savior again just as I'm happy seeing him again. I'm sure it's not what I'm thinking.”
The sudden buzz of his phone jolted him back to the present.
Lucas wiped his damp hand on the towel, leaned over the tub, and grabbed his phone, already assuming it was Nathan. Before his thumb could swipe the answer button, the name on the screen registered.
Alex.
His heart skipped and then slammed hard against his chest.
“Oh goodness… it’s him,” Lucas muttered, staring at the screen as though it might explode if he touched it. Then the buzzing stopped.
He released a shaky breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Just as he started to lower the phone, it buzzed again.
“Oh shit,” slipped from his lips. The sound startled him so badly that he nearly dropped it. His fingers tightened around the phone as he stared at the screen, pulse racing, anxiety rooting him in place.
He didn’t answer and the buzzing finally ceased. Lucas held the phone still, almost praying it wouldn’t come alive again. But it did as a message notification flashed across the screen.
He opened it immediately, heart thudding wildly. “Lucas, please pick up. I need to tell you something important.”
“Oh dear, what could be so important?” he whispered to the empty bathroom.
As if summoned by the thought, the phone buzzed again—another call. Lucas closed his eyes, drew in a slow breath, then another, bracing himself. Finally, he swiped the screen.
“Hello, Alex.”
“My Lucas, please call me… your Alex, hmm.” Alex's voice melted Lucas’s heart.
“Okay, my Alex,” Lucas said with a smile tugging at his lips as he waited for what he had to say.
“Well, did you purposely leave my call unanswered earlier?” Alex asked suspiciously.
“No,” Lucas lied. “I couldn't reach it because my hand was wet.”
“Oh okay, what are you doing?” Alex asked.
“I'm in the bathroom.”
“Taking a shower or relaxing in the tub?”
“I’m… relaxing in the tub,” Lucas replied—and instantly wished he had lied.
“Oh. Me too.” Alex exhaled softly. “I’m in the tub, but I can’t relax. I keep missing you. I keep thinking about you. I don’t even know what to do with these feelings, or how to explain them. It’s like I’m losing my mind.”
He paused, and the silence that followed felt loud.
Lucas’s heart slammed against his ribs. He couldn’t speak. He swore he could hear Alex’s breathing through the line. His throat went dry; he kept swallowing nothing, fingers tightening around the phone.
“My Lucas…” Alex’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you miss me? Do you think about me—at least a little?”