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A/N: Thanks to cursedUwU69 for making this amazing fanart of Samuel in the picture above.
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The summer vacation dragged along painfully slowly for some and flew by like the wind for others. Soon it was time to return and begin a new academic year at Lumière International High School.
The new second years were more than a little excited to begin their first year as seniors. They now had more privileges and freedoms than when they were teeny firsties and they fully intended to exploit them to the max.
The students arrived in droves in rows upon rows of luxury cars that lined the driveways and parking lots with their polished surfaces glinting brightly as they reflected the rays of the sun.
The hallways rang with laughter and excited shouts as students greeted their friends and moved back into their dormitories.
Jayden made his way through the chaos, ducking as balls and paper planes flew over his head. He dodged as someone flew a drone at his head and quickly entered the peacefulness of his dorm room, shutting the door on the mayhem outside with relief.
He looked around and grinned when he saw the door to Noel’s room lying open. He pushed himself from the door and made his way to his best friend’s room.
Noel was sitting on his bed, his head bowed as he paged through an absurdly large chemistry textbook. Jayden leaned on the doorway and crossing his arms, smirked at him.
‘Missed me?’
Noel’s head shot up and his eyes brightened when it landed on Jayden. He placed the textbook aside and leaped into his chest, squeezing him in a tight hug.
Jayden’s body froze at the contact and he reached up to pat Noel’s shoulder awkwardly before disentangling himself from him. Hugs or any close contact of any kind still made him uncomfortable and he tried to avoid it as much as possible.
Noel pulled away and looked worriedly at him. ‘Are you okay?’
Jayden nodded, a confused look slowly appearing on his face. ‘Yes, I am. Why would I not be?’
‘Good.’
Noel proceeded to punch him as he yelled at him. ‘You bastard! You leave my house then disappear without a trace without answering my calls or replying to my texts! I didn’t know if you were alive or dead! You made me go sick with worry and for what!’
Jayden stared blankly as Noel’s weak punches landed on him. He blinked and stepped forward, easily pinning Noel’s hands to his side.
‘Will saying I’m sorry cover it?’
Noel huffed and tore himself from his grip. ‘No, because you wouldn’t mean it.’ He crossed his arms and shot him a furious glare. ‘Explain yourself.’
Jayden blinked at him as he searched for a way to dodge the question. ‘Explain what?’
Noel rolled his eyes. ‘Well for starters, ever since you left my house I haven’t heard anything from you. You didn’t pick my calls or reply to my texts. Then a few days later, I have Samuel ringing up my phone like a crazy person. He was worried about you cause you weren’t replying to his texts or answering his calls either. I had to find a way to convince him that you were fine though I wasn’t even sure you were alive because like the bastard you are, you were ignoring me too.’
Jayden had the grace to look sheepish. He rubbed his neck awkwardly and shot Noel an apologetic grin but Noel wasn’t done yet.
‘Can I just add how difficult it was to convince him that you were alright. I didn’t even believe it myself and he kept calling every single bloody day to check up on you and so to reassure him on something I needed reassurance on myself, I had to lie through my teeth.’
He fixed Jayden with a searching gaze. ‘Apparently, you ran away from home. What was that all about? And why the freaking hell didn’t you tell me anything or return my calls and messages?’
Jayden shrugged and walked out of the room. ‘Nothing. I’m tired, aren’t you? How is your family by the way?’
Noel followed him stubbornly. ‘Oh no, you don’t! Don’t you dare change the subject or shrug it off! You, young man, are going to sit down and tell me exactly what happened and don’t you dare leave anything out.’
Noel forced him into the couch and stood above him with his arms crossed as he glared furiously down at him.
Jayden huffed. ‘Has anyone ever told you how intimidating you can be for someone so sinfully cute?’
Noel shrugged and jumped beside him on the couch. ‘I have eleven siblings, it’s a necessary skill. Now spill.’
Jayden rolled his eyes. ‘Fine, if you insist. I ran away because I had a huge fight with my parents -nothing new there. It was the night I came back from your place. There, happy?’
Noel frowned. ‘Wait, the reason why you left was that your dad needed you. Was that reason the thing you guys fought about? What was the reason anyway?’
Jayden turned away. ‘He wanted to announce my engagement to the eldest daughter and heir of the premier family of the 52, Rebecca Rowlings.’
That took Noel off guard. ‘YOUR WHAT?’
‘My engagement. Don’t look so surprised, it’s normal for upper-class families to betroth their children at an early age. It’s an old practice and a lot of families don’t do it anymore but it’s still fairly normal. That’s how they strengthen their family bloodlines and secure their wealth and power.’
Noel was still shocked. ‘Yeah, it makes sense I guess but it’s still outrageous. Why do your parents want you to marry her so badly? It’s not as if your family needs to strengthen their wealth or power anyway. God knows you people have more than enough.’
‘The Rowlings and Mills are very close friends and allies who have been wanting to join their houses for ages. My grandfather betrothed my father to their youngest daughter but that fell apart when he eloped with my mother. That scandal almost destroyed the close bond that has been shared between the families for centuries. Now, they are resolved to make sure that such a scenario never repeats itself and are determined to see our marriage through.’
Noel looked confused. ‘I still don’t get it. If your father refused to marry his betrothed and eloped with your mother then why is he forcing you?’
A derisive smile appeared on Jayden’s lips. ‘Because of the simple reason that I’m gay. He thinks if I’m married to her I might finally be cured of my disease.’
‘That’s a load of crap.’
Jayden shrugged. ‘It is. Also, the situation is not the same as before. Most people are not aware but the Rowlings are not what they used to be. Their wealth and power are fading and fading quickly. In reality, they shouldn’t be the premier family of the Noble 52, they no longer have the resources to command such a position. Luckily for them however, unlike most members of the 52, the family below them isn’t trying to pull them down and take their place. On the contrary, we are rather holding them up and ensuring they retain their power.’
‘So technically, your family is the most powerful family in the country, not the Rowlings. The Mills are the premier family of the Noble 52 in everything but name.’
Jayden nodded. ‘Exactly. Therefore the Rowlings need this marriage more than ever and my parents need to ensure that I don’t end up with another man.’
A sad expression crossed Noel’s features. ‘I’m sorry. It’s not right that you should be entangled in upper-class politics and power struggles and you shouldn’t have to be forced into an engagement into someone you don’t even like.’
Jayden shook his head. ‘I like Mimi. She is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met and the closest thing to a true friend I had for a long time. She was understanding when I came out to her, hoping she would call the whole thing off. Instead, she was accepting and actually managed to talk some sense into me, preventing me from doing something completely stupid and rash. She was the first person who accepted me for being gay.’
Noel blinked. ‘Oh. So she doesn’t want to marry you?’
‘Not really. She doesn’t mind either way. Her idea was that we should get married but live separate lives. She thinks we can make it work because unlike most marriages we can actually stand each other and like each other a lot just not in that way. She refuses to get married if I don’t want to and will help me fight against it. She has my back.’
Noel looked intrigued. ‘She sounds awesome. I can’t wait to meet her.’
Jayden grinned. ‘Oh, she’ll definitely like you. More than you can handle actually. She is extremely intense.’
Noel nodded absently. ‘I can imagine. Anyway, what are you going to do about Samuel? He was really worried about you.’
Jayden shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
Noel was staring contemplatively at him. ‘I don’t get it, when did you two become close? Last I remembered, you could barely tolerate his presence now you like him enough you even trust him.’
Jayden frowned before rolling his eyes. ‘What the hell are you talking about? I definitely don’t like him and I certainly don’t trust him. I mean come on, he’s like an excited puppy. You can almost see his tail wagging every time he talks and it’s hella annoying.’
Now it was Noel’s turn to roll his eyes. ‘Oh please, you’re too smart to be this oblivious. Let’s review the facts, shall we? When you ran away from home, who was the first person you went to? Who was the first person you ran to when you were at your most hurt and vulnerable?’
Jayden scoffed. ‘That hardly proves anything. I didn’t go to him because I trust him, I went because he was the only available option. I would have come to you but it was late, it was raining, and quite frankly your neighbourhood isn’t the safest at the best of times much less in those conditions.’
‘Oh please, stop lying to yourself. You trusted me enough to want to come to me but it wasn’t practicable so you went to the next person you trusted, Samuel. Don’t try to deny it Jayden, I know you. If you didn’t trust him there’s no way on earth you would have set foot in his house. He could be your next-door neighbour or even live down the street but you’d rather sleep in the streets than go to him but you went all those miles, climbed up a freaking mountain, and walked through a forest at night in a bloody storm. At your most vulnerable he was the one you went to, if that’s not trust I don’t know what is.’
Jayden didn’t respond. He seemed stunned as he sat in contemplative silence reflecting on Noel’s little speech.
Noel stood up. ‘Keep thinking on that, I have to unpack.’
He left Jayden sitting on the couch and made his way to his room.
‘By the way.’ He paused at the doorway. ‘Talk to Samuel. I know you Jayden, don’t ignore him. Let him know you’re alright.’
Jayden hesitated before nodding absently, turning to watch him as he entered his room and closed the door softly behind him.
The students of Lumière had soon unpacked and had settled into their dormitories as darkness fell quickly. The nighttime found Jayden making his way through the woods on his way to the observatory. He moved silently through the trees like a wraith and before long he was looking up at the observatory which was illuminated faintly by the soft glow of the moon.
Sitting up at their usual place on the roof was Samuel. His dark outline could be made out starkly against the star-filled sky as he stared up at the moon. He seemed to be lost in thought and he barely acknowledged Jayden’s presence as he climbed onto the roof.
Jayden didn’t say a word as he moved to silently sit beside him and together they looked up at the stars as silence surrounded them.
They sat like this for a while before Jayden readied himself to speak but he was stunned into a shocked silence as Samuel beat him to it, his words sending a current of fear down his spine.
‘Are you really gay?’
Jayden froze and slowly turned to stare at Samuel with a mixture of surprise and confusion on his face.
Samuel didn’t look at him. He continued to stare up at the sky with an unreadable expression on his face.
‘What?’ Jayden finally let out.
This time, Samuel turned to look at him but Jayden couldn’t decipher his thoughts from his expression.
‘Are you gay?’
Jayden stared at Samuel as his thoughts raced through his head. A battle waged inside him before he finally turned away with a tired sigh.
‘Yes,’ he whispered.
Samuel blinked and turned away again. ‘I thought as much.’
Jayden glanced at him. ‘How did you know?’
‘You told me. Back at the cabin when you were delirious with fever.’
‘Oh.’
That explained why he was acting so strange that next day. Jayden didn’t know what to say or what to do. He studied Samuel closely trying to figure out his thoughts.
‘So.’
‘So?’
‘What do you think of me now?’
Samuel chuckled awkwardly. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. ‘I don’t know what to think. This is all new to me. I’ve not even managed to wrap my head around the idea that you like boys. That all this time, you were gay.’
Jayden’s expression hardened and he turned away. ‘I apologise, I didn’t mean to disgust you or make you uncomfortable.’
Samuel blinked. ‘What? No, no.’ He groaned. ‘God, I’m terrible at this. You don’t disgust me. Okay, yeah I might be a bit uncomfortable but that’s just because I’m not used to this. I’ll get over it. What I’m trying to say is I accept you. I don’t care that you’re gay you’re still you and you’re still my friend.’
Jayden’s lips parted slightly as he turned to stare at Samuel in surprise. He struggled to find the right words to say but none came to mind.
‘We’re not friends,’ he mumbled out finally.
Samuel grinned widely at him and nudged him with his shoulder. ‘Of course we are. Almost best friends in fact.’
Jayden scowled at him. ‘No.’
Samuel beamed. ‘Don’t try to deny it,’ he said in a singsong voice. ‘We’re like two peas in a pod you and I.’
Jayden rolled his eyes. ‘Whatever.’
Samuel grinned before becoming serious again. ‘Did you come out to your parents?’
Jayden’s features became cold. ‘Yes.’
‘Oh. I’m guessing it didn’t go well then?’
Jayden snorted. ‘I came out of the closet and they shoved me back, closed the door and obliterated the key. What do you think?’
‘Right, right. Sorry.’ Samuel glanced worriedly at him. ‘Wanna talk about it?’
‘No.’
‘Alright.’
They sat in silence after that, watching the trees sway gently in the woods below them. An owl hooted in the distance and they heard the rush of feathers as it took off into the air to begin its nightly hunt.
‘It wasn’t always like this you know.’
Samuel blinked and turned to him but Jayden didn’t say anything after that. He was staring absently at a spot on the ground and seemed to be having a debate in his head.
Samuel waited patiently. The owl hooted as it flew past, a tail dangling in its mouth. The darkness and silence of the night seemed to close in on them before Jayden continued.
‘We were happy. We had nothing but we were so happy. After my parents eloped, my grandfather cut them off so they had no money. No one would offer them a job because they were afraid to draw the wrath and displeasure of my father’s stepmother.’
A faint spark of light had come into Jayden’s eyes as the memories came rushing back. Samuel stared at him as he continued.
‘We lived in a dingy two-bedroomed apartment in one of the seediest neighbourhoods in the city. Our apartment building was a rundown shabby place with more rats than tenants. The only window opened up to the rail track and the entire building will shake as a train rumbled past. There was never enough food to go around and we would sometimes go a night or two without eating. The water hardly flowed and when it did, it was a muddy brown. Our neighbours were cockroaches who lived in the walls and there was a growth in the corner of the kitchen. It was a terrible place to live but it was home and we had our happiest times there.’
The corner of his lips quirked slightly in amusement. ‘My father worked as a chef in a fancy restaurant uptown. He loved cooking, it was his passion and after school, I would help around in the restaurant and later when we got home late into the night, I would do my homework on the kitchen table as he invented new recipes for me to taste. My mother had to work four jobs, two in the day and two at night. She was always exhausted when she came home but she still found the energy and time to play games with us, help with my homework and read us bedtime stories.’
‘We were extremely close and though things were very difficult we had everything we needed, each other. After a few years, things started looking up. My mother had started her own rapidly growing business and my father’s talents had begun to get some recognition. Then when I was eleven my grandfather died. My father’s stepmother tried to take everything for herself and her children but the rules of the 52 are very clear. Even though he was disowned, as the eldest child, my father inherited all the estates, properties and all that therein is.
‘In the blink of an eye, we had gone from being dirt poor to one of the wealthiest families in the country. We moved into the manor, which was the family’s ancestral seat. It was an elegant but gloomy place and my mother had it renovated the moment we moved in, converting it into the magnificence and splendour it is known for today.
‘My father’s stepmother had been the cause of most of our problems, poisoning my grandfather’s mind against us and turning him against his own son. She also prevented my mother from getting a good job and had my father fired many times from restaurants and hotels. So when my father offered her one of our estates as a retirement home and a more than generous yearly pension for her upkeep my mother grew incensed. She reminded him about how she was cruel to him as a child and how she abused him but my father was never one to hold a grudge and insisted that it was all in the past and she should let bygones be bygones.’
Jayden stared at his hands as a derisive smirk crossed his face. ‘Even though our circumstances had changed we were still as happy and as close as we had been before. I should have known that it was too good to be true and it wouldn’t last long.’
Samuel frowned but didn’t interrupt.
‘My mother took over the family businesses and ran them alongside her own company. My father continued to indulge in his passion for the culinary arts and I was still the most precious thing in their eyes. Then I turned thirteen and realized I liked boys. I was naive enough to believe that they would accept me for who I am and so I did the stupidest thing in the entire world.’
Samuel’s face grew sad. ‘You told them.’
‘Yes.’
Samuel stared sadly at Jayden’s expressionless face. He knew him well enough to see the pain he hid so perfectly behind his impassive mask of cold indifference he usually wore.
Jayden turned to look suspiciously at him as he shuffled closer. ‘What are you doing?’
Samuel bit his lips in concentration as he moved until there was no more space between them. He slowly wrapped his arms around Jayden, pulling him into a tight hug which caused him to immediately tense up.
‘I’m fine,’ he said as he tried to pull away but Samuel just held him tighter.
‘No, you’re not.’ Samuel’s voice was muffled in Jayden’s hair. ‘You haven’t been fine for a long time. The only difference now is that you’re not alone anymore. You found me.’
Samuel felt Jayden’s body slowly relax in his arms and soon he felt him wrap his arms hesitantly around him.
How long they stayed in this position, neither could tell, only pulling away as the first light of the sun peeked up the horizon, heralding the start of a new dawn in more ways than one.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I know it’s been a while since I last updated. It’s been more than a month actually and I apologise for that.
I lacked the motivation to write due to my depression which became worse because I had gone back to my extremely toxic house.
I am a bit better now and you can expect regular updates from now on. To make it up to you I’m giving you more than one new chapter today😉.
Looks like things are finally starting to develop between our boys. Lemme know what you think in the comments below and please don’t forget to vote if you enjoyed it by patting that cute little star below.
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