Chapter 8

AN: Whew, sorry for the delay. These migraines of mine have been quite bothersome. Again, I would like to thank everyone for their kind words for the previous chapter. I’m so glad you liked my attempt at a love scene >3< I do hope you’ll enjoy this one as well. Do let me know what you think.

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Chapter 8:

When Kale opened his eyes, he thought that last night was a dream and it was a painful thought. He momentarily felt empty, lost and bitter. But when he felt a weight shift at his side, a familiar arm slung over his torso and a mop of brown hair under his chin, he quickly realised that it wasn’t a dream.

It was real.

Kolya was here, back in his arms where he belonged.

His relief was immense and he immediately tightened his hold around Kolya’s slender frame, keeping him close and subconsciously making sure that he didn’t disappear again. Having Kolya sleeping next to him felt natural, as if they hadn’t been a part for all those years. It was as if they picked up right where they left off.

But, a night of bountiful sex was not going to miraculously improve Kolya’s self-image. It was going to take months, years even for Kolya to start allowing himself to see himself as a worthwhile person, that he was worthy of love and affection. And Kale was going to be there with him, all the way.

He couldn’t let him go. Not again.

Running his fingers through Kolya’s hair, Kale intense relief was tinged with a sense of anger and betrayal. Anger and betrayal directed completely at his little sister; Catalonia. She had driven them apart six years ago and pretended to be the adoring little sister who comforted him when Kolya vanished without reason. She knew about Kolya’s last of self-esteem and used that against him. She purposely set out to make Kolya run away, making him believe that it was the best thing to do, making him feel even less about him.

His own sister tried to ruin his happiness. And for what? What did she think she was going to achieve by getting rid of Kolya? Was she jealous that Kale was lavishing Kolya with attention and gifts?

Wait…

Kale gritted his teeth. It made sense to him now. She was threatened by Kolya because Kolya was…

A soft moan pulled Kale out of his thoughts and he quickly turned his attention down at the slightly younger man sleeping against his chest. He watched as Kolya muttered something under his breath, which sounded suspiciously like ‘that dream again’. He nuzzled his head a little more under Kale’s chin, causing Kale to laugh lightly, remembering how Kolya used to do it six years ago. It must have been at that moment that Kolya realised he wasn’t dreaming. He suddenly lifted his head off Kale’s chest, snapping his gaze up to stare directly into his eyes, his own betraying the disbelief and hope in the warm brown depths.

Kale simply smiled, trailing a finger down Kolya’s cheek and using his other arm to pull Kolya down to his chest again. Kolya was tense at first, as if in disbelief, but he soon melted against him, pressing his face into Kale’s chest.

And they stayed like this, wrapped up in each other’s arms, in a comfortable and reassuring silence.

“Is it really ok for us to be like this?” Kolya asked softly, after a few moments of silence.

“I told you,” Kale said as he ran his hand over Kolya’s shoulders, his finger kneading themselves through his hair so he could tilt Kolya face up toward him, so he could see as well as hear the sincerity of his words. “If you think I deserve more, than I deserve to be with the one I love the most. And that’s you, Kolya.”

“But-”

Kale placed his thumb on Kolya’s lips, stopping any rebuttals or arguments.

“Enough of that,” he said firmly, yet lovingly. “I won’t allow you to say anything bad about yourself again.”

Kolya looked as though he wanted to protest in some way, but he pulled back, stopped himself. He simply sighed and leaned against Kale’s hand. “I really am sorry for everything,” he said as he closed his eyes, but not before Kale saw the remorse and guilt in his gaze. “I didn’t mean to cause you so much pain.”

Of course not. Kolya would never purposely hurt him. He had been tricked, abused by his sister. No, he would refer to her as Catalonia from now on. She wasn’t his little sister any more.

“You were hurting as much I was,” Kale said, pushing aside his anger toward Catalonia to focus on comforting Kolya, the one he loved the most. “Maybe even more so.”

Kolya laid his head on Kale’s chest again, nuzzling against him. “I really missed you.”

“I know,” Kale said as he wrapped his arms around him again. “We won’t be separated again. I promise.”

“But, what about Catalonia?” Kolya asked as he lifted his head off Kale’s chest to look at him again. “She won’t-?”

“I’ll deal with her,” Kale cut him off. He didn’t wish to discuss Catalonia right now, not after finally having Kolya back in his arms again. “Don’t you worry about it.”

Kolya gazed at him for a moment before nodding his head slowly and settling back down, snuggly against Kale’s side and back in his life. They stayed like this for a while, simply enjoying being together again. There were so many things they could say to each other, so many words that needed to be spoken. Instead, however, they just held each other. And that said more than words ever could.

“I better get up,” Kolya said eventually, yet reluctantly. “The garden…”

“Yeah,” Kale muttered. “And I have work. Running a hotel doesn’t give you much time to yourself.”

“I guess not,” Kolya said as he pushed himself into a sitting position, moving to slip out of bed. “I need to have a shower.”

Kale reached out suddenly and snared Kolya by the arm, making him pause in his movements. “Kale?”

Kale smiled up at him. “Just making sure you’re not going to run away again. You won’t, will you?”

A flash of guilt flickered in Kolya’s eyes before he managed a smile, soft yet understanding. “What’s the point? You’ll just track me down, anyway.”

“Damn straight,” Kale said with a smirk as he pulled Kolya down toward him for a brief kiss before letting go of him. But Kolya lingered for a moment before leaning down and kissing him again on his own accord.

“I promise I won’t run anymore,” he said before he sat up and slipped out of bed.

And Kale watched him as he moved about, happily taking in his naked form before he disappeared into the bathroom. Kale then managed to hoist himself out of bed as well, feeling more relaxed then he had for a long time. Years, even. He would like nothing more than spending all day in bed with Kolya, but he had work to do.

He had some serious business that needed to be done.

As he was picking his clothes off the floor, Kolya appeared out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist as the water beads glistened on his body. It took all of Kale’s will not to jump the man right there and then. No, that was going to come later. They had six years to make up for lost time.

Kale had a quick shower, probably the shortest one in his life. He just cleaned himself up enough to look respectable before stepping out, slipping on his trousers from last night and towel drying his hair. As he stepped back into the main room of the suite, Kolya was going through one of his bags, seemingly searching for something.

“What are you doing?” Kale asked as he approached him. Kolya wasn’t running away again. He promised he wouldn’t. And he believed him. Still, he wanted to be sure.

Kolya lifted his head up and smiled at him before shuffling to his feet, and held out his hand to show him something. In the palm of his hand was a silver and gold ring, with a small but respectable diamond. It was an engagement ring. The very same engagement ring that Kale slipped onto Kolya’s finger when he said yes after he asked him to marry him.

“You kept it?”

“Yeah,” Kolya said as he pulled his hand back slightly so he could look at the ring as well. “I wanted to remember, for once in my life, how happy I was. How it felt to be precious to someone else. I didn’t deserve it, but-”

Kale interrupted him off by hastily pulling him into his arms and kissing him again. Kolya didn’t struggle, he allowed himself to be pulled into this embrace, allowed him to be kissed by him.

When they pulled back, Kale took the ring from Kolya’s hand and slipped it upon his finger, much like he did all those years ago. And it still fit. Perfectly.

Kolya looked at the ring, simply staring at it as it sat on his finger. He then lifted his eyes toward Kale, their gazes meeting as Kolya smiled. He then leaned forward and they shared another kiss, this one soft and reassuring.

“Here, I want to show you this as well,” Kolya said as they drew apart and he took a step back to pull out a photo from his back pocket. It was worn and crippled, as if he couldn’t bring himself to look at it, but kept it as a reminder nonetheless. “Catalonia gave me this. To show me how you were better suited for someone, well, someone female, I guess.”

Kale looked at the photo quickly and frowned darkly. Petty. Absolutely fucking petty.

“I’ll take that,” he said as he crumpled up the photo and shoving it hatefully into his pocket.

Kolya looked momentarily uncomfortable, as if he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be the one to instigate a family dispute. “I’m sure she was just being protective of you,” he said diplomatically as he folded his arms over his torso and shrugged.

“No,” Kale replied, sharply and bitterly. “There’s something else involved. I think she was feeling threatened by you.”

“Me?” Kolya asked, his head reeling back in shock and disbelief. “But why?”

“I have my theories.”

“Kale…”

“Look, don’t worry,” Kale said as he placed his hand around Kolya’s waist, pulling him close so they could press their foreheads together tenderly. “We’re together now. And she won’t come between us ever again. I promise.”

“Ok,” Kolya readily agreed. He believed that, he truly did.

Again, they simply took a moment to hold each other, reaffirming that they were indeed together again and they’ll stay together, no matter what.

“I have to go,” Kolya said finally, disappointment in his voice. “The garden is almost finished. Just a few finishing touches left.”

“Yeah,” Kale said as he reluctantly pulled away, dropping his arms from around Kolya’s waist. “We’re holding a party here tonight to celebrate the opening. The family is coming as well.”

That reminded him. He had to ring his parents and his older sister, Laini, to see if they were coming as well. He wanted them to come as they really needed to talk. Especially about Catalonia. He also couldn’t help but wonder if they knew what dear little Catalonia was up to.

A sense of fear and apprehension appeared in Kolya’s eyes. “Oh, I see.”

Kale could understand his uncertainty, but he was going to make sure none of his family members corner Kolya alone. Not until this whole thing had been aired for everyone to know. “And you are going to be there with me.”

“Don’t they hate me for what I’ve done?” Kolya asked quickly.

They were more disappointed, then angry. Although, Catalonia did do a good job trying to convince everyone that Kolya shouldn’t be someone to worry about.

“Everything will be cleared up.”

Kolya gave him a look that was of hope. He really, really wanted everything to be ok again. “Ok.”

Suddenly, Kolya stepped forward and placed his hands on Kala’s shoulders, and then kissed him quickly on the lips. “I love you,” he whispered as he pulled back.

Kale smiled, bright and warm, like how he used to. “I love you, too.”

The mood was broken, however, by Kale’s phone ringing. Kale looked annoyed while Kolya gave him a sympathetic half smile. Kolya then slipped out of the room and Kale picked up his discarded phone. He needed to make a few phone calls today, anyway.

“Hello?”

It was the police. He had been expecting them and they were one of the phone calls he needed to make. Now, to see if they have learnt anything about why the men that were targeting the hotel and more importantly, why they were targeting Kolya.

“It may be hard to believe,” the authoritative voice on the phone said, with only a tiny amount of sympathy. “But your sister, Catalonia, has been implicated in soliciting these men to harass the victim.”

Honestly, after everything Kale just learned and realised about his dear, sweet sister, it wasn’t hard to believe at all. “I see.”

“We are about to get a warrant for her arrest.”

Not just yet.

“Wait until tonight,” Kale commanded as he picked up his jack, slinging it over his shoulder as he walked out of the room, a look of sheer determination and vengeance on his face. “There’s something I need to say to her first.”