Chapter 428: From Peeping Tom to Future Son-in-Law
After a few minutes, Micah’s body temperature cooled down, his breath returning to normal. He spoke, breaking the silence between them.
"Where are you staying?" he asked, gazing at the shore, wave after wave crashing into the sand.
Clyde pressed his lips together. For a moment, he said nothing, hesitation flickering across his face. He couldn’t bring himself to admit he was living right across from their villa, watching from the shadows like some restless ghost.
Micah waited, yet didn’t receive a reply. He pulled his head slightly back, detaching the man’s face pressed against his neck.
"Hey?" he said, pushing against Clyde’s chest to get a good look at the man’s expression.
Clyde stepped back, yet his hands lingered on Micah’s waist. His eyes were lowered, not meeting Micah’s gaze.
Micah’s eyes narrowed as he studied Clyde’s expression.
"Why aren’t you saying anything? Where are you staying?" he paused. His mouth went wide open the moment he caught a flicker of unease pass through Clyde’s eyes. He knew this bastard was hiding something from him again.
"No shit, don’t tell me you’re the mysterious person staying at Aunt Lu’s villa?"
Clyde’s silence was confirmation enough.
His grandmother told him a guest had occupied their neighbouring villa. But to be Clyde...
He rubbed his forehead. "Stupid man," he curses under his breath.
The man had been here this whole time while he was moping in that villa in sorrow! Yet he had not stepped in front of him once. "Are you Peeping Tom now?" he glared at Clyde.
Clyde tightened his hold on Micah’s waist, worried he would storm off at any second. "I.. I was just..." he faltered. How could he explain? He had no idea how to phrase his fear. He couldn’t tell Micah about the weight of his memories, about the suffocating fear of losing him again. If he admitted that...That would only make Micah more stressed. Knowing there would be a huge chance of failure. That it might be like the last time. That Micah’s life was going to be ruined.
Micah pushed Clyde’s hands down, breaking their hold on his waist. "Why were you hiding? Mm?" his sharp eyes searched Clyde’s face, reading the expression written there. Only then did he notice it. How tired the man looked, the shadows that clung stubbornly under his eyes. Guilt pricked Micah’s heart. The man didn’t look good. He was too happy seeing him here, too distracted by the kiss that he did not notice how exhausted the man looked.
Clyde reached out and took Micah’s hand. He traced an idle circle over Micah’s knuckles with his thumb, as though they could give him courage. His lips parted slowly. "I couldn’t be separated from you... but I was too scared of looking like some crazy, controlling boyfriend..."
Micah snorted. "Oh... so now you are officially a creepy stalker!" he shook his head with a sigh. "Honestly, I don’t really care that you hid it from me. What I care about is... you." His tone grew serious again. His gaze was sharp. "You can’t sleep, can you?"
Clyde shook his head.
"Do you need me?" Micah whispered, eyes softened.
Clyde’s Adam’s apple bobbed. But still, he didn’t admit it. "It’s just old nightmares," he murmured. "They come and go. I will be fine."
Micah frowned, but he didn’t press further. Prying into the reason for those nightmares... it would be like rubbing salt on Clyde’s past trauma and wounds. He was tempted to stay with Clyde, sleeping beside the man, hugging him, shielding him from those nightmares...but with Darcy in the villa... the situation would get awkward if he left the house to be with Clyde. At least Zhou Ruyan was there with them, preventing the situation from escalating between these two men. Otherwise, Micah couldn’t imagine what might happen if the two met...
He looked again at the man’s profile in the dimming light. He couldn’t leave him alone either. Damn it! Who made him have a soft spot for this handsome face?
"Then..." Micah hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you want to meet my grandma? You can stay with us in the villa."
Clyde was ready to refuse when Micah continued. "I am worried about you..."
"She will be shocked when she finds out about me..." Clyde whispered.
"Why? She already knows I like men. And by how I got kidnapped and you got hospitalised... she won’t oppose it." He raised an eyebrow. "Or do you want me to sneak around for your sake?"
Clyde didn’t object anymore. Honestly, he had no idea about Zhou Ruyan. The old lady was gone before he met Micah or got entangled with the story. Seeing Micah clinging to her meant Micah also knew this might happen. "Alright."
Micah’s eyes flicked up and down at Clyde’s outfit, then he grimaced. "You’d better change your clothes to something less glaring."
For the first time that day, Clyde smiled. "Oh? Did your fashion sense suddenly wake up?"
"Mmm... naturally. You’re about to meet my grandma. You should look presentable." Micah replied.
Clyde chuckled, a warm rumble in his chest. "Fair enough. She was a famous jewellery designer after all, tied to the fashion world..."
"Oh? Someone has done his homework." Micah said, mocking.
"I should know about my future-in-law," Clyde said shamelessly. "I am going to steal their precious jewel..."
Micah’s foot shot out, kicking his shin lightly. "Shut up. Don’t talk like I am some innocent daughter ready to be married off."
Clyde pulled him toward himself in response. He wrapped his arms around Micah, locking him in place. His breath brushed against Micah’s ear as he murmured. "Mm... I listen to you."
Micah’s face flared crimson instantly. The way Clyde spoke... it was too much, too intimate, too... like a husband coaxing his wife.
The image popped into his mind. Micah got so embarrassed that he elbowed Clyde in the side.
"Let’s go," he barked, wiggling himself out of Clyde’s hug and quickly walking away.
Clyde glanced at his empty hands, still tingling with warmth Micah had left behind. A helpless smile tugged at his lips as he followed after.