Hayce drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, but said nothing.
Suddenly Ehlian faltered, questioning if Calia had been right. It was clear Hayce didn’t want him here.
Ehlian set the box down on the blanket. “I don’t like it.”
“All for the best,” Hayce said at last. “You can sell it easily enough.”
“That won’t be enough,” Ehlian met his eyes. “I want something else. Something more valuable.”
Hayce’s expression closed off even further. “How much do you want?”
Ehlian swallowed thickly and shifted closer to the edge of the bed. He drew Hayce’s hand from his pocket and wove their fingers together. “Everything.”
Hayce’s mask shifted, letting through the familiar warmth Ehlian had missed, but it hadn’t shattered completely yet.
Damn, he wasn’t easy to crack. Ehlian suspected that for all the indifference Hayce tried to show, somewhere deep down it wounded his pride that Ehlian had put him well below someone like Grasson.
“Don’t be like this, Hayce. You’re not being fair,” Ehlian sighed. “You can’t possibly believe I meant what I said. You know it wasn’t true. But try to understand me as well. You parade around with your stupid omegas, you treat me like I didn’t exist, and then you turn up and expect me to run back to you like nothing happened. What was I supposed to think?”
Hayce said nothing, his eyes raking over Ehlian’s tousled hair.
“And you could have come to me again to make me understand,” Ehlian added. “Instead, I had to hear everything from your sister.”
Hayce still didn’t say a word, his gaze drawing a hot line along the curve of Ehlian’s neck.
Ehlian shifted on the bed, a strange mixture of heat and disappointment flooding him. The conflicting signals Hayce was sending were both encouraging and disheartening, leaving Ehlian utterly confused. When the silence stretched and Haycestill didn’t say a single word, Ehlian started to untangle their entwined fingers—Hayce’s grip tightened, not letting him go.
“I did go to see you,” Hayce said at last. “But you weren’t home.”
Something soft unfurled in Ehlian’s chest.
“I went to your friend’s shop too,” Hayce continued. “It was closed.”
Ehlian stayed still, holding his breath.
“I get home,” the ember flecks in Hayce’s eyes started glowing with staggering intensity, “and I find you sleeping in my bed instead.”
Ehlian swallowed. He rose to his knees and scooted even closer, pressing his forehead against Hayce’s chest. “I know what I said wasn’t fair, and I can show you I didn’t mean it, but you have to give me a chance. Don’t you want to give this a fresh start?”
Silence settled over the room for a painfully long second before Ehlian felt Hayce’s fingers comb gently through his hair, so different from the first time he had sunk his hand into Ehlian’s hair in the prison cell.
“That was my intention when I went to your flat,” Hayce said. “Both times.”
Ehlian felt the tension finally ease from his shoulders, and he let out a soft breath.
“Broke into my flat,” he corrected.
“I didn’t break—” Hayce sighed. “Fine. I broke into your flat.”
Ehlian smiled under his breath, then straightened, putting on a serious mask. “And you can be an absolute dickhead too.”
The corner of Hayce’s mouth curled, almost a smile. “I know.”
“Don’t you dare be proud of that,” Ehlian huffed. “I’m still angry about the breakup. That was especially cruel. And forkeeping me in the dark for so long without a single message—Hayce,notone message—to make me understand. And for those stupid balls and your stupid omegas.” He paused. “I’m angry. A bit. Even if I know now why you did it.”
Hayce untangled their fingers and slipped a hand to the small of Ehlian’s back, the other threading into his hair as he pulled him in and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. “I know.”
“Good,” Ehlian whispered. “It’s good that you know, because you have to show me too.”
