Chapter 243: Shadows Creep, And Want Grows Stronger

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Katya stilled, his heart hammering against his chest like it wanted a way out. He looked at the door, at Sergei here, like nothing had happened.

Katya couldn’t think.

Maybe that’s why he hurried inside a stall, like that would keep him safe from his own feelings. From the betrayal that threatened to ruin his life, as Alek’s.

The man he loved was right outside, calling him Moy Solnyshka.

Not Solnyshka.

It shouldn’t have affected him, that little change.

But it had been weeks since Sergei had called him Solnyshka.

Since Sergei had breathed in his direction.

It had been weeks since they shared the same space for more than five minutes, and now he was here, while Alek was right out there in the gala, probably worried about him.

Oh, Katya.

"I’m a patient man, Solnyshka," Sergei said when Katya had stayed inside the stall for five minutes.

They both knew he wasn’t doing anything in there. Just terrified of stepping out and facing that which they had never talked about.

Sergei knew Katya had heard him back then. That Katya had heard his confession. It was the only explanation for why Katya had suddenly ditched him, and honestly, Sergei respected that.

But the distance...

The efforts...

They had been oddly specific.

Yet even then, Sergei had never once come to the conclusion that his Solnyshka was probably feeling the same way as he did.

Sighing, Katya stepped out and walked to the sink, his mirror reflection doing nothing to make him feel any better.

A little to the left was the reflection of the man who haunted every dream he had. Every kiss he shared with Alek. Every moment he spent with his boyfriend. And he was standing there oblivious of the effect he had on Katya.

It wasn’t fair.

But love never had been, yeah?

Not when one was a senator, and another was Sergei Moskowsky, no?

"You can’t keep avoiding me," Sergei breathed, turning the lock on the bathroom door, and Katya straightened up, looking at him like he couldn’t do this now.

"What are you doing?" Katya asked, horrified.

Alek was out there.

Alek had seen him bolt.

Alek would probably come to check on him.

Yet the man whom he shouldn’t have fallen in love with was standing there like they had all the time in the world. Like the stakes were not impossibly higher. Like emotions weren’t the triggers of most wars over the years.

"Fuck... You look so beautiful... So breathtaking," Sergei said, each pause a step he took from the door toward where Katya was washing his hands.

"You don’t look bad yourself," Katya said passively, lying to himself.

This man looked like everything forbidden that Katya needed. Wanted. Yearned for. Couldn’t think for five seconds without. He was doomed, damn.

"Talk to me, Solnyshka," Sergei said instead, as he stood right beside Katya, their eyes meeting in their reflections like they both were not sure what this could be.

Like they had a lot to talk about.

Katya contemplated a lot of things.

He wanted to ask Sergei how he was doing and thank him for stepping out of his house on the hardest day of his life because of Katya.

He wanted to tell Sergei that this was the first step in learning to live and even ask about how the day was for Sergei so far.

But then he looked at Sergei again, and the bitter memory of the way that woman held his hand. The way Sergei hadn’t even pulled back. The way he’d stared at her, smiling at everything she said, like she was suddenly the moon.

Suddenly, all that had been in Katya’s brain was rewiring.

And instead of what he had planned to ask...

Instead of the soft questions for a day so hard on Sergei...

"Your date is waiting for you," Katya blurted out, his tone bitter and flat, making Sergei raise a brow at him.

Katya, on the other hand, wiped his hand roughly with the wet wipes like he was throwing a tantrum. He didn’t even realize it until Sergei held his hand, stilling him from pulling another hand wipe.

"I don’t think you want the toilets to run out of paper this early in the day, Solnyshka," Sergei laughed lowly, and Katya pulled his arm from Sergei’s gentle hold like he was not going to indulge the alpha.

"She’s pretty. You should get back to her," Katya said flatly, walking toward the door, and Sergei rushed to stand between him and the door again.

"Excuse me, I have to leave if you haven’t noticed," Katya said, and Sergei stared at him intently instead, making Katya’s insides do a little flip.

This was not the plan.

Coming to the bathroom was supposed to keep him away from Sergei. Not close to Sergei.

"You’re angry," Sergei pointed out quietly.

"And you’re wasting my time," Katya said coldly, lifting his head so his eyes could meet Sergei’s.

And that...

That was a mistake.

One Katya noticed the moment their eyes met a second time.

Because instead of stepping forward and pushing Sergei to the side, Katya staggered backwards, a strangled sound escaping his lips like someone who just realized they fucked up.

"She’s not my date," Sergei said, like he was reassuring Katya for some reason.

"Sure, didn’t look like it. At least she got you out of the house today. Maybe I should thank her later for it," Katya bit back.

Sergei let out a laugh, one that had Katya shivering even more. The alpha hadn’t moved from where he was standing.

But Katya...

The beautiful omega was walking himself back like he was putting maximum distance between himself and the alpha.

He couldn’t do this right now.

He just couldn’t.

He wasn’t strong enough to walk past Sergei like that. And he couldn’t even explain it this time.

But one thing he was sure of was that he was jealo—

"You’re not leaving unless you tell me what’s wrong," Sergei said, and Katya almost facepalmed.