Or seven.
But after he’d tended to Sila’s nasty cut.
“You’re confused,” the younger man broke the silence first, but Bay was quick to disagree, knowing if he wasn’t careful and he didn’t convince him it’d all be over.
For real this time.
“I’m not. I know what love feels like. I know that’s what this is.”
“You’re just saying that because up until you met me you couldn’t feel at all.”
“That’s probably part of it, sure,” he admitted, because lying would do neither of them any good. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not also true that I developed a stronger connection with you. I love you. You don’t have to love me back, I’m not asking for that.”
“What are you asking for?”
“Let’s just take a break and put a bandage on your cut, okay?”
“You’re crazier than I am.”
“Sila—”
“Here,” he held out the knife. “If you slit your own throat right now, I’ll leave and go straight to the hospital. That’s what you say you want, right? Because you love me.”
Bay’s brow furrowed. “You don’t believe me.”
“Of course not. You’re blissed out and high on endorphins and adrenaline right now.”
Bay’s hand whipped out and he took the knife, but just as he was about to bring the blade to his neck he paused. Bay searched Sila’s expression and, though the other man had gone unreadable again, he thought he saw a flash of something there.
“No.” He lowered the knife. “You don’t want me to die.”
“That so?” Sila drawled.
“Be honest with yourself. You know I’m right.”
“Sure you aren’t just trying to get out of it? Isn’t true love all about poetically throwing yourself on the proverbial sword for another person?”
Bay thought about his talk with Rin and considered all that he knew about Sila.
This was a test. He was certain of it.
“If I killed myself right now that would be the end,” he said. “It’d be boring, and you would never fall for someone who was boring.”
Something dark flickered behind Sila’s eyes. “You’re insinuating that I’ve fallen for you.”
“You’ve taken a liking to me,” Bay agreed. “That’s why you’re acting like this. Why you stopped me on the bridge and brought me here.”
“Don’t—”
“That’s why I was on the bridge too,” he added before Sila could get too angry over the reminder. “I thought you’d left me.”
Sila frowned.
“You weren’t answering my calls and your friends said your father had arrived demanding you leave with him,” Bay confessed. “I got scared.”
Sila was quiet for a long moment before, “My brother and I would never leave with Crate Varun. We had an escape plan.” He hesitated and then added more quietly. “You were a part of it.”
Bay’s head snapped up.
