Chapter 97
Chapter 97:
I kissed him longer, until he replied, breathless, “Yours p>
“Boyfriends,” I insisted.
“B-boyfriends,” he relented.
I didn’t want to see his sadness. I knew I had a lot to work on in the future. Remy wasn’t Oscar. Remy had been through so much. Remy needed me. He needed me. I kept trying to convince myself, trying not to let my mind wander to Oscar, focusing on the young man beneath me.
The fragile, beautiful young man I was slowly falling for, the one I would do anything to make happy. I would give my best to give him what he needs. I needed to keep him close, to keep him out of harm’s way.
Ghazi was my boyfriend, though he wasn’t out. I wasn’t sure how this so-called relationship was going to work, but he insisted on being mine, just as I was his. So, I assumed exclusivity was the key, considering we couldn’t walk around openly as a couple.
It was different when we were on vacation.
There, in the secluded wine village, we could be a couple without concern. But the moment we returned to the city, everything reverted to reality. He dropped me back at my apartment and carried on with his work, just like I did.
When Bill and Rhys came to the club, I felt an unfamiliar heaviness inside me. It was as though something was missing, a void that I couldn’t identify. I kept thinking about Ghazi the moment he left me at my apartment. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and I hated myself for it. I didn’t want to seem clingy; it hadn’t even been half a day.
“Okay, I thought a vacation was supposed to rejuvenate you, but here you are sulking over that sexy man of yours,” Bill teased as I placed their drinks in front of the handsome couple.
“I got both of you wine-gift baskets at my place,” I offered, trying to shift the conversation.
“You’re deflecting,” Rhys caught on immediately, cutting me off before taking a sip of his colorful cocktail.
“We’re going to talk about all of this,” Bill said, waving a hand in front of my face, clearly reading me all too well. “We’ll wait until you clock out and get you home. Remy, everything will be okay. Just go work and keep your head on straight. You’re strong, and deep down, you know it.” He patted my hand and hooked his arm around Rhys’s, tugging him toward the dance floor, leaving me to watch their closeness, their happiness, their positive outlook on life. I wondered when, or if, I would ever get there. For original chapters go to
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Bill and Rhys were waiting for me in the parking lot when I stepped out of the club. My steps were slow and lazy as I walked toward them. It wasn’t that I didn’t want their company, but I wasn’t feeling very social—not with the mood I was in. It felt too familiar. Happiness before the fall.
“Okay, we need to wipe that kicked-puppy face off, get in,” Bill insisted.
I heard from the passenger seat, clearly not letting me go back on foot.
They still looked concerned but stayed quiet until we parked at the curb of my apartment.
“It’s the jetlag. We just arrived today. Maybe I’m just too tired…moody…” I slumped onto my sofa, and immediately, they were by my side, barely giving me any space to breathe.
“Has he called? Or texted?” Bill asked, gently resting my head on his shoulder, while Rhys took my bare feet into his lap. Both men enveloped me in their care, and I couldn’t stop myself from sinking into the strange sadness.
“He texted twice, just checking in on me. I answered and texted him back,” I told them, though my chest still felt heavy with an odd hollowness.
The clingy feeling had intensified a thousand times more than I had ever felt before. “Can you both just hold me?” I half-whispered. Bill kissed my temple, letting me lean back as Rhys moved closer and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Rhys kissed my cheek.