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“Why am I really here?” Daniel demanded. He had turned on Armand now, no longer giving another of his self-righteous speeches to the silent Louis, who, in turn, merely stared into the distance with the same emotionless eyes that Armand had stared into for the past twenty years.
Louis’ eyes raised and stared into Armand’s. They said nothing, not even in their minds, but there was something in Armand’s eyes that told him what would happen. The secrets were uncovered, and nothing would stop Armand now.
“Don’t,” Louis begged. At that moment, he had more emotion in his eyes than he had in decades.
“It’s too late, Louis,” Armand said, stepping into the living room and coming to stand in front of Daniel, their eyes meeting. Since his arrival, Armand had been waiting for the recognition he saw now. The glimmer of excitement and pain that came with remembering everything they had been through. “If Daniel wants to know, then he deserves to know,”
“You’re damn right I do,” Daniel said, his voice strained between his gritted teeth.
“You are here, Daniel,” Armand said, slowly raising his hand and resting his palm on Daniel’s cheek, smiling softly as Daniel tried to force himself to step away, only to relax into the now familiar touch. “For me,”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“Louis and I agreed,” Armand explained, running the pad of his thumb over the curve of Daniel’s cheek. “He would tell his story and then he would leave. He would leave me. But I fear I cannot go back to my life before him and so, we found you again. My boy,” Armand traced Daniel’s jaw with his knuckles. “My mortal lover,”
Daniel slapped his hand away.
Armand couldn’t even be angry. Instead, all he could do was smile. So much fire inside of him, even after all these years.
“So, what? I’m your backup plan?” Daniel asked. He shook his head. “Are you insane? I have a life now, Armand. A real life. You sent me away, made me forget, and I did what I was meant to do. I built a human life for myself. Was it perfect? No. No, it wasn’t. But it is mine,” Daniel stressed, holding his hand to his chest. “Not yours,”
Armand’s chest swelled at the passion in Daniel’s eyes. The flush of his cheeks drew Armand to him, an urge to touch the now heated skin again, but he resisted. Armand knew it would not be welcome.
“It is your life, beloved,” Armand said. It was true. Daniel had made a life for himself away from Armand. Away from what they had together. “But to say that I cannot hold a place in it is a lie. You do not want the gift, and I do not want to give it to you, but I can be there with you until your last day. I can protect you and care for you,” Armand’s eyes softened, falling to Daniel’s lips before looking back into his eyes. “I can and will love you, Daniel, because I do. I love you, Daniel,”
“I moved on,” Daniel said.
“Did you?”
Daniel looks like he wants to hit him, and a part of Armand wants him to. He wants to see the passion burn through him, the anger ignites something so real inside of him because even rage and hatred are better than indifference.
“Yes,” He hissed. “I can’t stay here, Armand. I won’t,”
“Then we’ll leave Dubai,” Armand said, shrugging simply as though this solved everything. “We’ll go wherever you want, my darling. America, Europe, Asia. The world is ours,” Armand smirks. “Or perhaps, we could go home. Our home,”
Daniel’s eyes widen in surprise.
Ah, Armand thinks. So, he really does remember everything.
“Night Island waits for us, my love,” Armand coos. “Waits for you. The rightful king returning to his kingdom,”
Daniel’s lip trembles, his eyes filling with tears, as an undeniable want grows inside them. He shakes his head, quickly, almost violently, and squeezes his eyes closed. He takes a slow breath, gasping out as he pushes through whatever inner turmoil he feels. Armand left Daniel’s thoughts to himself, for now.
Daniel opened his eyes, icy and hard, and glared at Armand.
“It’s not going to happen,”
“We’ll see.”