Chapter 130: Ch 130: You’ll tell me, right?

Something was going on with Noah. Noah wouldn’t tell him what, but Daniel was sure that something had changed in Noah.

He had been distracted and jumpy ever since the incident at school, but his condition had worsened after going to Ethan’s house.

Now he wouldn’t even pay attention to what anyone was saying, but he still looked up immediately at the smallest of noises. And it was starting to worry Daniel. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

So he decided to corner Noah in his room and ask what was going on with him. And this time, he was not going to accept a vague answer. He was going to have Noah spill whatever was wrong with him.

He could see Noah trembling already and looking around for a way out. But once he did not find one, he decided to look back at Daniel with a rather sheepish look on his face.

"What do you mean by that? Of course I trust you the most. It’s just...my mood has been a little bad these past few days, so my behaviour must be coming off as odd. There is no need to worry, though."

Noah tried to reassure Daniel, but did he truly think he was going to be able to distract Daniel like this?

Daniel had no intention of falling into Noah’s honey trap and forgetting what was happening here. Instead, he forced his body harder against Noah’s to make him feel even more caged.

Noah swallowed hard, and Daniel made the most pitiful noise he could.

"See! You are doing it again. You are trying to change the topic once more. Why won’t you trust me? What do I lack to make you trust me?"

Daniel asked, and he saw Noah’s pupils shaking at his words. Noah was distressed, and it made Daniel feel guilty.

But he also knew that this was the only way to make Noah respond to him without hiding anything.

It was stupid that Noah was only honest when he felt like he was hurting someone, but if that was what it took to make him speak, that was what Daniel was going to do.

"I...Daniel, I promise you it’s not that. This is just a personal problem I want to resolve. Seeing Ethan’s parents just made me miss my own...well, more like long for my own. See, it is such a foolish request, right? Hahahah—"

"That is not it, right? I would like to think that I can read you pretty well by now, and I can tell that you are hiding something from me. Did something else happen—"

"Ethan’s mother asked me to take care of him and support him at all times. It made me uncomfortable."

It was hard to tell whether Noah was lying or not when he said those words. But they successfully distracted Daniel and made him look at him with a blank look.

Noah took advantage of this shocked outcome and continued to speak.

"Ethan’s mother liked me enough to invite me to the family and specifically asked me to take good care of Ethan as his partner. I did not want to say this out loud because it feels embarrassing."

Noah buried his face in his hands to hide his awkwardness, and Daniel felt awkward as well.

Suddenly, he felt foolish for asking Noah such a question, and it made his insides twist in jealousy.

’Noah is mine! So what if someone told him to take good care of Ethan? He is still mine at the end of the day.’

Jealousy filled Daniel’s mind, and his earlier worry was forgotten in favour of trying to get more information out of Noah.

He at least needed confirmation that he had not lost Noah yet.

"So, are you going to look after Ethan because his mother asked you to? Are you going to spend all your time with Ethan now and follow him around, forgetting all about me?"

These words escaped Daniel’s mouth without him meaning to. He knew he sounded far too jealous right now, but he could not help it. His insides were burning with a need to know.

But Noah just blinked at him in the same shocked way as before and then let out a chuckle of amusement.

"Of course not. I do care about Ethan as a friend, but not the same way I care about you and Alan. You both are...special to me in a way no one else is."

Noah confessed, and Daniel’s insides, which had been burning until now, suddenly felt soft and sweet. He wanted to indulge in this feeling a little more.

He wanted Noah to tell him that he liked him.

"Noah, I like you a lot. So tell me that you like me as well."

Daniel confessed, suddenly looking at Noah with his dark eyes. It made Noah sigh, and he ruffled Daniel’s hair to show that he was not angry or annoyed.

"Of course I like you as well. I already told you that you were special to me. Now stop sulking—"

Daniel’s body lost all strength, and he almost squished Noah under his weight as he leaned forward and threw himself down.

His head landed on Noah’s stomach, and his arms wrapped around Noah’s middle. The other guide could only bury his face in Noah’s stomach and soak in the familiar feeling...

’How weird. I wonder why this feels so familiar. I am sure I have never been this close to anyone before...’

Not that it was any of his business.

Daniel stayed there for a while, completely content to remain where he was. Noah could feel the warmth of his body through his clothes, and the steady breathing against his stomach made him strangely calm.

He slowly lowered his hand and rested it against Daniel’s hair, gently running his fingers through the soft strands.

"Are you planning to stay like this forever?"

Daniel did not answer immediately. Instead, he shifted slightly and tightened his arms around Noah’s waist as if he was afraid that Noah might push him away.

"Just for a little longer."