Finding the right way to approach him was proving to be a difficult task. Sin’s words never seemed to bring the comfort that he intended them to. He was unfortunately at a loss.
One minute, Cecil appeared to be opening up, and the next, he reverted back to the quiet, suspicious boy in the hospital bed. The lies of his smiles were followed by the lies that fell from his lips.
Lying or not, Cecil was beautiful. Each day, the ground beneath Sin became more uneven. Never had he wished to deny his own thoughts so much. But he couldn’t deny them, as they were not going away.
Because when Cecil was himself, and all the nonsense faded away along with the lies, he was just breathtaking. It did not matter whether it was in anger, or if his words were full of snark, he was a remarkable sight.
Cecil’s bright, glowing teal eyes, sparkling with mischief, brought nothing but anticipation of what would happen next. Sin would admit that he found it rather odd that he looked forward to finding out what trouble the young man had caused. It was a rush, and it ignited a spark of life in him, one that he hadn’t known existed.
What truly worried Sin, what made him, in a way, fearCecil was that when the young man smiled—a smile that was as bright as the sun—Sin could only stare and return it.
His laughs were like chimes. But with how bright his smiles were, his laughter was surprisingly soft. At times, only a bare whisper, like he was afraid others would hear—afraid to draw attention to himself.
All of it was troubling. Sin had always accepted and embraced his feelings for others. But this made him uncomfortable. It was wrong, the timing was wrong. And with how little time had passed, Sin could only assume it was an infatuation. Which, at his age, was embarrassing.
The situation was going awry in ways he had not expected. And Sin was not sure how to get back on the right path. He should have been focused on helping the young man. Cecil was young and had been abused, he did not need an old…older man pursuing him. Which Sin wouldn’t do, because feelings aside, his actions were something he could control.
What he needed to do was be more careful with what he said—how he came across. And ignore a few incidents. Such as the scent of arousal that at times drifted up from Cecil. No matter how much it set his blood on fire and made his fangs ache and lengthen.
Not wishing to venture there, Sin shook the thought away and tried to focus on what to do next. Those times were most likely the result of Cecil’s youth anyway—hormones and such.
Sin wanted Cecil to trust him. But he was unclear on how to accomplish that.
Pressure at the back of his mind had him stiffening up. A dark shadow near the edge of his thoughts pressed forward, trying to use his moment of frustration to escape.
Maybe telling Cecil about it could be a way to bond. Sin doubted Cecil had felt like he belonged much in his short life. Maybe knowing that they shared that feeling would bring them closer.
No…he had no interest in revisiting or sharing that time of his life. The revelation wouldn’t likely build trust anyway.
Having been so lost in his thoughts, Sin was not surprised when an awkward silence greeted him when he was finally free of them. Cecil was eying him quietly, studying him.
Sighing, Sin stopped chopping celery, pulled out a stool from underneath the island, and sat down.
“Cecil, in my position, I do what I think is right. My reputation does not matter to me. What others think of me will not deter me from my duties. While my actions, the way I carry myself, may seem to many like a show, it is who I am.” Sin chuckled, but he had the passing thought that maybe itwasall a show. “I apologize, it seems I have fallen into a lecture.”
Cecil snorted and sat up. “I’m pretty sure you’re always in lecture mode. Or, at least, that part of you is always close to the surface.”
“I wish I could deny that, but you may be right. I do find it fascinating that so many lately are interested in protecting something I care little about.”
“Who else got up in your business?”
Sin was a bit perplexed by Cecil’s question. “I do not know if I have ever heard such a phrase directed my way.”
“So…who was it? Not that I really care, I’m just curious,” Cecil assured him.
In an act to prove his lack of ‘caring,’ the young man’s gaze shifted to the right, his expression turning blank.
The corners of Sin’s lips started to twitch, but he held back his amusement. For some reason, Cecil tended to frown or glare when he smiled at him. Sin also didn’t think the man would appreciate him finding humor in his attempt at appearing bored.
“If you must know, it was Clarissa.”
At the name, Cecil’s gaze snapped back. He grimaced, as if having done anything similar to her disgusted him. “Clarissa, the bitc—girl you went on a date with?”
Sin burst out laughing at the man’s first attempt at curbing his language.
Cecil started to glare. “What’s so funny?”
“Yes, the woman I went on a date with,” he confirmed when his laughter subsided.
