They hurried inside, the glass doors sighing shut behind them, locking out the cold and wrapping them in the building’s quiet, artificial warmth. The lobby stretched before them, polished and modern. The concierge barely looked up.
“Where to?” he asked, his tone as routine as the ticking of a clock.
Logan straightened, shaking off the weight of the past few hours. “Penthouse.”
A flicker of curiosity crossed the concierge’s face as he turned to his computer, fingers gliding over the keys. A quiet moment passed, the hum of the city barely pressing against the glass, before he nodded.
In the elevator, Logan swapped the fob, and the doors sealed them off from the rest of the building. The ride up was silent, broken only by the soft hum of the elevator and the occasional shift of their suitcases.
When the doors finally slid open, Logan stepped forward first, fishing the key from his pocket and unlocking the door.
He had expected emptiness, a few boxes standing in the middle of the room in disarray, furniture scattered, some still unpacked, others covered. But when the door swung open, the space was pristine. Polished floors gleamed under soft, recessed lighting. The scent of fresh wood and clean linen lingered in the air.
“Huh,” Logan muttered, stepping inside.
Adrian arched a brow. “Expecting chaos?”
“Honestly? Yeah.” Logan let out a quiet laugh.
He turned back, reaching for Adrian’s hand, pulling him across the threshold. “It’s your home too, you know that, right?” His voice was softer now, a promise rather than a question.
Adrian tilted his head, studying Logan’s silver eyes, searching. “Is that so?”
Logan held his gaze. “Yeah.” There was no hesitation, no doubt. Just certainty.
Adrian exhaled, shaking his head slightly, but his fingers curled into Logan’s.
“Let’s look around,” Logan offered, squeezing his hand. “I barely had time to see it when I signed for it.”
Adrian followed him through the space, both of them moving slowly. The apartment was modern, sleek, but not cold. Dark wooden floors stretched beneath their feet, soft against the quiet hush of their steps.
There were two master bedrooms, one larger than the other, each with its own bathroom and a large walk-in closet attached.
Logan’s belongings, still packed in boxes, were neatly stacked in the smaller room. He let out a quiet chuckle. “I guess the movers figured I’d rather have one room without my mess.”
“That’s really considerate of them,” Adrian remarked.
“Let’s freshen up before we go?” Logan suggested, running a hand through his travel-worn hair. His voice was casual, but there was something beneath it, something careful, something measured. He glanced at his phone. “I already texted my mom. She’s really excited. I told her I was coming… and that I wasn’t coming alone.”
Adrian nodded. “I’m a bit nervous about meeting them,” he admitted, letting out a small chuckle.
“Do you trust me?” Logan asked, holding his gaze.
“Of course.”
“Then don’t worry about it,” he whispered softly, taking Adrian’s hand and gently pressing his lips to the back of it. “It will be okay.”
Every cell in Adrian’s body seemed to melt as Logan’s lips brushed softly against his skin. His silvery eyes bore into him with a wildfire of longing and admiration, creating a gaze so forceful it should be outlawed by the heavens.
All he managed was a nod.
“So, how about freshening up before we head out?” Logan asked again, planting another quick kiss on Adrian’s cheek before walking toward the bathroom door.
Adrian shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind. He let out a sigh, stretched his arms, and tried to shake off the stiffness from the long flight. “Yeah, almost a whole day on a plane. That’s brutal.” He followed Logan to the shower, massaging the back of his neck. “Forgot it was that long.”
But then the words settled, and so did the silence.
Because the last time Adrian had been on a flight here… had been for Logan’s wedding. And the flight back? That was something Adrian had spent the last two years trying to erase from his memory. A slow suffocation at 12,000 meters, his heart breaking in quiet, invisible ways, with no one to see and no way to escape.
