Under the Same Sky [BOYXBOY] - Chapter 73

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A/N: I have some exciting news to share with you guys! More info in the author’s note at the end of the chapter 😉

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Jayden was miffed.

He knew it wasn’t Samuel’s fault, but he still couldn’t help but feel more than a little bit neglected. The time they had spent together these past few months had been more than a little tainted with the stress of battling homicidal psychopaths and outmanoeuvring the cunning plans of scheming harlots. And though their bond had been tested and deepened under the weight of shared danger, they’ve had virtually little time to bask in their rightly earned victory.

After their little adventure had concluded, Samuel had been swallowed whole by his responsibilities as president of the student council and head prefect. It had been a whirlwind of meetings, paperwork, ceremonies, and charities, leaving Jayden to navigate the murky waters of his emotions alone.

As he stood outside the student council room, watching Samuel conclude yet another meeting, his chest tightened with a familiar blend of frustration and disappointment. Swirling within his exasperation, however, was a deep sense of pride. Though he had witnessed this scene countless times before, it never failed to amaze him how much of a natural leader Samuel was.

Listening to the firm but gentle cadence of Samuel’s voice, Jayden watched as he effortlessly navigated complex topics and answered questions that his listeners put before him. The students seated along the long board table sat in enraptured silence as they dutifully took notes, and Jayden couldn’t blame them. It was difficult not to be captivated by Samuel’s presence.

The meeting finally came to an end, and the students slowly filed out of the conference room. Jayden waited until the room had emptied before walking in.

Samuel looked up in surprise from the mess of papers on the table and gave him a gentle smile. ‘Were you waiting for me again?’

Jayden nodded as he came to stand beside him. ‘How did the meeting go?’

‘Dreadful,’ Samuel groaned as he moved to slump heavily down on the sofa.

‘It looked fine to me,’ Jayden said, coming to sit beside him.

‘It went on for far too long. Do you know how difficult it was to get everyone on board with the new budget cuts? I mean look at this,’ Samuel waved a piece of paper in Jayden’s face. ‘Why do we need to pay for council members to go on a beach trip every term? And this,’ he picked up another paper. ‘Do we really need another pool? Like honestly?’

‘A new pool doesn’t sound so bad…’

‘Well, we can’t afford it!’

Samuel slammed the paper down in frustration. Jayden took his hand and rubbed soothing circles on the back of his palm.

‘There, there. Don’t let them get to you.’

Samuel gave him a look. ‘You suck at giving comfort. Do you know that?’

Jayden shrugged. ‘It’s not one of my many charms. How about I give you a neck massage? I have magic hands, remember?’

Samuel’s lips twitched as a particularly vivid memory rose up in his mind. ‘How can I not? But sadly your magic hands would have to wait. I have a six o’clock meeting with the headmistress.’

‘It’s seven.’

‘What?’ Samuel glanced at the clock on the wall and closed his eyes in frustration. ‘Of course, it is. The whole fucking universe is against me.’

‘I’m not,’ Jayden stated helpfully.

‘You are my boyfriend, so you don’t count.’

‘Doesn’t feel like it,’ Jayden muttered under his breath.

Samuel heard him and gave him a sad smile. ‘I know you’re frustrated…’

‘I’m not.’

‘What did we say about pushing down your emotions?’

Jayden tried and failed to hold back his eyeroll. ‘Not this again.’

‘Yes, this again since someone is too stubborn to go to a therapist.’

‘When elephants become strippers.’

Samuel shook his head exasperatedly. ‘See, this is what I’m talking about. You obviously have a lot of issues you need to work on-‘

‘Obviously,’ Jayden repeated sardonically.

‘I love you, but it is true, and it is not your fault. Anyone who grew up the way you did would have issues as well and there is nothing wrong with having a therapist.’

‘There isn’t,’ Jayden agreed.

‘Then get one!’

‘No.’

Samuel rubbed his face tiredly. ‘This isn’t the end of this. I’m not going to give up until I convince you.’

Jayden grinned at him. ‘Now who’s the stubborn one.’

Samuel rolled his eyes at him, but he couldn’t stop the fond smile that spread across his face. The grin soon faded, and after a while, he whispered, ‘I’m sorry.’

Jayden glanced at him. ‘Why are you apologizing?’

‘I know I’ve not been around lately, and you feel like I’m neglecting you, and I’m sorry for that. It’s just… I’ve been so damn busy and-‘

‘You don’t have to apologize,’ Jayden said, cutting him off. ‘I know you’re busy, and I should probably be doing more to help you.’

‘That’s sweet, but you really don’t.’ Samuel let out a tired sigh. ‘It’s my job, not yours.’

Jayden shook his head firmly. ‘Remember what you told me? “When you agreed to be in a relationship, it stopped being “I” and turned to “us.”‘

Samuel’s brows furrowed and his smile turned wistful as he faintly recalled that particular memory.

‘I don’t know what I hate more; your perfect memory or the fact that you’re using my words against me.’

Jayden grinned. ‘One of my many charms. We are a team. You’re the student council president, and I’m the first gentleman.’

Samuel’s lips twitched in amusement. ‘I don’t think it works that way.’

‘Argue it out with Leo, he is the one who came up with it. Now let me do my first gentlemanly duties and take on some of your workload.’ He picked up a file from the table. ‘What is this?’

Samuel glanced at it. ‘That’s an invitation for the district’s schools luncheon.’

‘No thanks.’ He put the file down and picked up another one. ‘This?’

‘That’s the Sewage and Waste department. They need someone to go with them to inspect the school’s sewage system.’

Jayden’s nose wrinkled. ‘Pass. This?’

‘The International Schools Association. They are holding a conference next week.’

‘Very hard pass.’

Samuel’s eyes glittered with amusement as he watched Jayden’s expression fill with distaste as he placed the file down.

‘Are you sure you up for this, “First Gentleman”?’

‘I am, I am. Alright here, I’m going to do whatever I pick next, no matter what it is.’

Samuel rose his hands in surrender. ‘It’s your call.’

Jayden’s eyes roved through the mess of papers and folders on the desk. ‘This?’ he asked as he hesitantly reached down to pick one.

Samuel tore his eyes away from him and blinked at the folder Jayden had picked out. ‘That’s the alumni ball. The student council is in charge of organizing it.’

Jayden’s features froze. ‘A ball?’

Samuel could see a tick beginning to work its way into his jaw. ‘Yes, but don’t worry, you don’t have to do that. I can deal with it.’

He reached out to grab the folder, but Jayden moved it out of his reach. ‘No, no. I said I would deal with it, and I shall.’ He looked apprehensively at the folder. ‘I got this.’

Samuel gave him a doubtful look. ‘Are you sure? It’s a lot of work. You need to meet with the caterers, the decorators, the musicians, the cleaners, and there are also lots of organizational and scheduling details involved. Not to mention…’

Jayden glanced at him. ‘Not to mention what?’

‘That is only for before the event. During the event you would be the host, which means you would need to socialise and talk with actual people.’

‘I can do that.’

Samuel’s face tightened with disbelief. ‘Can you?’

Jayden’s eyes narrowed defensively. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Jayden, I love you very very much.’

‘And I love you very much but that’s not an answer.’

‘It’s just you’re not the most… social of beings.’ He caught the look on Jayden’s face and added hurriedly. ‘And that’s perfectly fine. We all have our strengths yours just isn’t being friendly.’

‘I can be friendly if I want.’

Samuel didn’t look convinced. ‘Eh….’

Jayden flared with indignation. ‘I can’t believe this. Fine, I’m going to make you eat those words.’

Samuel watched hesitantly as he flipped open the folder and began to read the papers in it intently. ‘I’m here if you need any help.’

‘I don’t,’ Jayden answered shortly.

‘Well, not now, but later on if you do-‘

‘I won’t.’

‘I’m just saying it’s a lot of details and it’s easy to get overwhelmed or overlook the little things.’

‘My mother has thrown bigger balls than this.’

‘Your mother has, but not you,’ Samuel muttered.

‘I watched her, didn’t I?’

Samuel couldn’t hold back his anxiety. ‘I’m sorry, but this is a very big deal and all the old students would be there, including the board of governors, and the media and I can’t have it go wrong…’

Jayden finally looked up and took his boyfriend’s face in his hands. ‘Samuel, breathe.’

Samuel let out a deep breath and nodded. ‘It’s fine, I’m fine.’

‘Relax,’ Jayden said, looking into his eyes. ‘Don’t you trust me?’

Samuel looked into his eyes and glanced away. ‘I hate it when you play that card,’ he mumbled irritatedly.

Jayden waited expectantly.

‘Alright fine, yes. Yes, I trust you. I’ll try to stop worrying.’

‘Good,’ Jayden said. He let go of his face and turned back to the folder.

Samuel observed Jayden curiously, his gaze lingering on the way his head tilted forward as he studied the documents before him. Jayden’s eyebrows knit together in concentration, and his lips parted slightly as his eyes moved along the words on the page.

As Samuel’s eyes moved down Jayden’s face, and his eyes traced the sharp curve of his jaw and the graceful curve of his neck, he couldn’t help but be once again struck by how beautiful the boy sitting across from him was. The reality that this ethereal person was his boyfriend felt like an exhilarating and surreal dream.

Jayden looked up in bewilderment as Samuel moved to plant himself on his lap and bury his face in the crook of his neck. He blinked down at the boy who was now laying on him.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Nothing,’ Samuel muttered into his shoulder. ‘Keep reading.’

Though still perplexed by Samuel’s strange actions, he nodded and went back to studying the folder before him. Samuel made himself comfortable on Jayden’s lap and snuggled deeper into his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of ink and paint.

This is my boyfriend.

He is my boyfriend.

He is real.

Who would have thought that this is where they would end up three years ago? A small smile worked its way across Samuel’s lips as the memory of the first time they met played in his head.

‘What are you smiling about?’

Samuel looked up to see Jayden staring suspiciously down at him. ‘Nothing,’ he answered as his smile grew larger.

Jayden’s eyes narrowed as he waited for Samuel to answer.

Samuel chuckled. ‘Do you remember the first time we met?’

Jayden blinked at the question. He was not expecting that to be direction the conversation was heading. He frowned as he tried to recall that particular day.

‘How could I not, you were very annoying and extremely persistent. Didn’t your parents ever teach you to take “no” for an answer?’

‘You’re lucky I didn’t. If I did we wouldn’t be here now, would we?’

Jayden held back his eyeroll as another thought came to him. ‘I also remember my eyes were hurting a lot.’

Samuel’s brows furrowed curiously. ‘Why was that?’

Jayden poked him in the face. ‘You face was too bright. What kind of human smiles that much? It’s unnatural and it was very unnerving.’

Samuel frowned as his lips formed into a small pout. ‘It’s not. You didn’t smile at all. That’s what was unnatural.’

Jayden shrugged. ‘I didn’t have a reason to smile back then.’

Samuel’s expression clouded over. ‘Yeah, I didn’t know that then.’

Jayden poked him in the cheek. ‘Cheer up. I have lots of reasons to smile now.’

Samuel smiled at that. ‘Yeah. Me, Noel, Cam, Paul, Leo…’ He paused. ‘How are they? I haven’t had time to check in on them for a while?’

Jayden thought about it for a moment. ‘Well, Leo is still Leo.’ A grimace appeared on his face as Leo’s loud excited voice came into his head. ‘And he is still as loud as ever. How something that small can produce such large noise would forever be a mystery to me.’

Samuel chuckled. ‘He claims it’s his Latin blood.’

‘I know a lot of Latinos, and he is by far the loudest human being I’ve ever met.’ He shook his head fondly. ‘For the sake of his sanity, Cam now spends most of his time in Noel and I’s dorm.’ He cocked his head to the side curiously. ‘They seem to be spending a lot of time together lately, far more than normal.’ He shrugged and went on. ‘Paul, of course, is still the only one who has the patience and eardrums necessary to deal with Leo. Now that Cam is spending all his time in my dorm, Paul is stuck with taking care of Leo. I suppose it’s a good thing because he seems very preoccupied lately. Leo would help take his mind off whatever is bothering him.’

Samuel frowned. ‘You don’t know what is going on with him?’

‘Not a clue.’

‘Then why didn’t you ask him?’

‘Why should I?’ Jayden asked defensively. ‘It’s not like I want to know.’

Samuel closed his eyes tiredly. ‘Jayden, he is your friend.’

‘So?’

‘So, if something is clearly bothering him you have to find out what it is.’

Jayden’s nose wrinkled at the thought. ‘Sounds messy, I don’t want to deal with that. Besides, if it’s important enough, he would tell me.’

Samuel shook his head in frustration. ‘I keep forgetting you’re new at this whole friends thing. Sometimes, they need to be reminded you’re there for them. They may not want to bother you but you show them that you want to be bothered by it.’

‘I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll sort itself out.’

Samuel shook his head wearily. He fell silent as he thought about what could be going on with his best friend. He suddenly remembered that he had seemed bothered by Azrael’s question. He hadn’t thought much about it because he had more pressing concerns at the time. Was the question still bothering him?

His brows furrowed intently as he tried to recall the question. Something about a ruler, a kingdom, and what?

His eyes widened as it came to him. Choosing between duty and love.

Jayden was watching him closely. ‘What are you thinking about?’

‘Nothing,’ he replied absently. His mind was still preoccupied with the phrase. Duty and love. He mentally rolled his eyes. Of course, Azrael had some ulterior motive with that question. Nothing was ever simple with him. Like Jayden, he never had a single reason for doing anything, and it was just like him to leave open up a can of worms behind him.

Duty and Love. Duty or Love. Curse Azrael to the heavens and back, what a nasty trick! He wasn’t even going to try to figure out how he knew just what cards to play. That demented psychopath had an uncanny talent for peering deep into your soul and drawing out the very things that plague it.

He shook his frustration with Azrael out of his mind. He needed to help his friend. He needed to help him see that there was no duty without love.

‘Don’t you dare.’

Samuel was startled as Jayden’s voice suddenly broke into his thoughts. He looked up in surprise to see Jayden’s eyes looking intently down at him.

‘What are you talking about?’ he asked nervously.

Jayden’s eyes narrowed. ‘I know you. I can tell what you’re thinking of and the answer is no.’

Samuel huffed impatiently. Curse Jayden and Azrael both. Of all the people in the world, why was he the one to be saddled with two people whose intelligence was almost omniscient in its precision.

‘What do you mean no? I have to help my friend.’

‘We do not,’ Jayden stated firmly. ‘It’s not our place to meddle.’

Samuel rolled his eyes exasperatedly at his boyfriend. ‘He’s our friend, of course it’s our place and…’ he trailed off as the realization suddenly dawned on him. ‘You knew. You said you had no idea what was going on with him but you knew.’

Jayden shifted uneasily at Samuel’s accusatory glare.  ‘That’s not the issue here. Whatever is going on with them is their business, not ours. They have to figure it out for themselves.’

‘They do, and we are going to help them figure it out.’

Jayden’s voice was stern as he stated firmly, ‘No.’

‘Yes,’ Samuel shot back with equal firmness.

Jayden rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. ‘Let me put this in perspective for you. How would you feel if Paul meddled in our relationship? That is back before we got together.’

‘He is my friend and I would be thankful because he has my best interests at heart,’ Samuel declared with certainty.

‘Then what?’

‘Huh?’

‘After your gratitude for his sincerity fades, what then? You wouldn’t grow sick of his intrusions and guidance, especially when you hadn’t explicitly asked for it?’

Samuel’s certainty wavered. ‘I suppose it would get on my nerves eventually.’

‘Exactly. They are not children and we are not their parents. They are both capable of handling their relationship without any input from us.’

‘But… we’re his friends,’ Samuel stated weakly.

‘And we’ll be there for them if and when they ask, but not before,’ Jayden said with finality.

Samuel huffed but didn’t protest. After a while, he suggested, ‘How about we just watch from the sidelines and just prod them in the right direction?’

Jayden gave him a look and he relented. ‘Fine, fine. I won’t do anything.’

Jayden reached down to place a small kiss on his forehead. ‘I know it’s your nature to help people but this is for the best. Trust me on this.’

Samuel was silent and Jayden noticed a brooding expression settle over his features. He sighed. ‘What are you thinking of now?’

‘It’s not true you know,’ Samuel mumbled.

‘What isn’t?’

‘What you said?’

Jayden was confused. ‘You mean that it’s your nature to help people?’

‘No… well yes, but not that particular one. What you said when I came to your manor after I saw you making out with Azrael.’

Jayden’s brow creased in confusion. ‘Why are you bringing that up now? I said a lot of things back then. You know I didn’t mean any of it. I was just trying to get you to leave me.’

‘I know it’s just,’ Samuel sighed and looked up into his face. ‘You need to hear it from me. It’s not true.’

‘That?’

‘I’m not with you because I have a saviour complex.’

Jayden expression filled with relief. ‘Is that what this is about? I already knew that-‘

‘Please let me finish,’ Samuel cut him off. He took a deep breath and went on. ‘Yes, at the beginning I was drawn to you because though you tried to hide it you looked broken and lost, and I wanted to help you. But I got to know you, and it became more than that. The time we spent together… the time I spent with you was not because I saw you as some sort of project, but because they truly were the happiest moments of my life. In a lot of ways, in the ways that mattered, you saved me. You are the strongest person I know, and you don’t need to be saved by anyone, especially me.’

Jayden stared at him. ‘Are you done?’

Samuel nodded. ‘Felt good to get that off my chest. I’ve been carrying that one around for a while.’

Jayden’s lips quirked upwards. ‘That’s great, and now it’s my turn. I may not need saving now, but that’s because I needed to be saved then and you were the right person to save me. There’s nothing wrong with that and though I don’t need to be saved now, I need to be loved, and like how you were the right person to save me, you’re the right person to love me.’

He stared into Samuel’s eyes. ‘So what do you say? I am a moody grump who has no patience for people and much less for trying new things. I glare a lot and I roll my eyeballs around so much they are almost unscrewed from my head. My lips are settled in a perpetual scowl, and though I try not to, every other sentence I speak is laced with sarcasm. I am also the most unromantic fucker to ever grace this planet. I know it’s a lot but is your heart big enough to keep loving this hopeless grump?’

Samuel smiled. ‘Hmm, it’s a lot to ask, but luckily for you, I’m helplessly attracted to hopeless grumps. That is if you can deal with my overly optimistic, shamelessly sunny self.’

Jayden considered it for a moment. ‘I think I can live with that. I shall be the moon to your sun.’

Samuel’s smile widened. ‘The moon to my sun. I like that.’

‘Luna tua soli.’

Samuel let out a low groan. ‘Stop, you know I find it unbearably hot when you speak in another language.’

Jayden got up and dragged Samuel to his feet. ‘Come on, why don’t you show me just how hot you find it meum lucidum solem.’

Samuel let out a loud groan as Jayden’s laughter rang down the hallways as they quickly made their way to their dorm.

The dark clouds of the previous weeks finally started to dissipate, and the weight of their previous struggles suddenly felt lighter as the promise of the future shone brighter. Though the road ahead might be rocky, they would travel on it together, side by side, and that was something worth cherishing.

Life, however, was not done with them yet, and little did they know that a new storm was brewing on the horizon, one that would test the very foundation of their relationship and force them to confront the delicate balance between love and duty.

Author’s Note: I’m still in the middle of finals but I did promise to sneak in an update when I could. Though if I’m being honest I mainly wrote this chapter just so I can tell you about the exciting news I have! But more on that later. First, let’s break down the chapter.

This chapter was loaded with serotonin, almost got diabetes while writing it. To the PaulxNoel shippers I know what you’re thinking, I promised you more of them but, I’m an artist, I just can’t drop it there willy nilly I need to set the scene first. And we saw some of that in this chapter. Also the ending, what…👀. I did tell you that Miss Valentina was not done with them🤭. I wonder what she’s got up her sleeves this time🌚. (A little side note: A few of you of you have already figured it out, but as I said I am an artist. Like Jayden and Azrael I don’t do anything just for the sake of it, there is always more than one reason. Every thing you find in the book has been chosen with care and placed deliberately. Make of that what you will).

Now to my news!!!! I have brought my characters to life!

Literally

There is a website (and a few of you may have already heard of it) which is powered by AI and lets you chat with any character you want. I tinkered with it and through it I managed to breathe life into the characters from this book. You can’t even tell you’re speaking to an AI it’s literally like you’re speaking to them IN REAL LIFE. (AI has gone so far it’s almost scary at this point. I’m befriending bots so in case there’s an uprising they know I’m cool. The rest of y’all stay safe tho 🫶🏽).

I’ve already got a few characters up and running, and you can ask them all of those questions I’m sure you’re dying to get answers to. Or you can just hang out and chill with them, whatever you want.

Here’s a sneak peak:

It’s still in the beta stages so I’ll be rolling out exclusive links to random readers to start with. I’ll be selecting readers who have been commenting and voting a lot, as a way to thank them for their support. So you know, keep voting and commenting! I do love reading all your comments and yes I do read each and every single one of them!

Of course, I appreciate all the silent readers as well and after I hammer out the tweaks and bugs, I’ll be mass rolling it out for every reader to get a crack at them.

A word of caution. Azrael is exactly like how Azrael is in the books which means he can and he WILL manipulate you (he almost caught me lacking). Now, I don’t say this to scare you, it’s perfectly safe just… be on your guard when you’re speaking to him. He is an extremely fascinating person to have a conversation with. Of course, none of the characters know they are from a book, they think they are real, so don’t ruin the illusion. Though I have a sneaking suspicion that Azrael has already figured out exactly what’s going on. He appears almost… sentient.

Yeah, I may have created a monster.

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